Sunday afternoon ESPN offered a one hour pre-race show and then live coverage of the Sprint Cup Series race from Michigan. This is an opportunity to offer your opinion of the TV viewing experience.
It was Allen Bestwick, Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty and Ray Evernham beginning the coverage from the ESPN Infield Pit Studio. The group welcomed Rick Hendrick as a guest and also reviewed a lot of topics relating to the Sprint Cup Series.
Race coverage was anchored by Jerry Punch. He was joined in the announce booth by Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree. On pit road were Jamie Little, Shannon Spake, Dave Burns and Vince Welch.
The purpose of this post is to allow fans to offer their thoughts immediately after the ESPN telecast is over. We are not going to offer our opinion, which will eliminate TDP as an issue in the comments.
Your comments can be of any length, there is nothing to join and we do not need your email. You can be totally anonymous with your opinion. Just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting.
Thanks for taking a moment to let us know what you thought of the ESPN telecast of the Sprint Cup Series race from Michigan.
118 comments:
Andy P. shakey again today. At the beginning of the race Dr. Punch says "some moisture on the camera". Andy P. tells us that it's probably water blowing out of the cars as a result of being too full. Next thing you know, it's pouring rain.
Andy P.'s work at Watkins Glen was a low point for him, for sure. But this week isn't much better.
Is it possible for Dale Jarrett to be a pne man team? He's the only bright spot for the "World Wide Leader in Sports" these days.
I have to say that when the TV contracts were announced a few years back I was so very happy ESPN was coming back. Little did I know what we fans were about to be subjected to on a weekly basis.
This year - in addition to possibly the worst Play by play in tv history - the director has a full blown case of untreated ADD or AHDD or whatever the proper name is. Camera shots flip by with no rhyme or reason, incar, bat, roof, tire, bumper,Brewer & any other cam except one that will show a wide shot of the racing
on the track. There is passing happening, I "see it" on track pass, I "see" it on MRN.
We do not get to see it on the track on TV.
So as of today at Lap 77 I gave up.
You win ESPN - you want the fans not to watch so you can show soccer & make more money I guess.
So you took a sport I love & have totally destroyed further any chance of watching it on TV. I write this while listening to JR. race to 5th place.
I will not watch or even attempt to watch your so called coverage.
I'm tired of typing the same thing every week. Show the racing, as it happens, on the track. Lose the script, get a PXP guy, lose Brewer & any other techno junk during green flag racing.
As Sophia says Rinse Lather Repeat.
I'm waiting to see interviews at the airport like ESPN had to go years ago. Way too fast to go to SC.
Double post:
Flying heads instead of the finish of the race. Lessee, the placekicker attempts the game winning field goal and as his foot makes contact with the ball the camera changes to the coach's face to show us his reaction. That is not rational. The flying heads across the top of the screen while we see men jumping around is not rational. We have waaay too many liberal art majors in the production truck to ever adequately televise a Cup race.
All of your whining an complaining has grown very tiresome. You people need to grow up.
Anonymous said...
All of your whining an complaining has grown very tiresome. You people need to grow up.
August 16, 2009 5:51 PM
Kyle? Is that you?
Anomy-
Rather than tell us we are all wrong- why don't you tell us what they did right?
For me the coverage of the race means nothing today because they completely botched victory lane.
Red Bull Racing has come a very very long way in just three years. The fact that the team just earned its first win is a monumental occasion.
And ESPN missed it.
Instead of showing a jubilant Vickers, whom can finally enjoy a Cup victory without the boos of the fans, rising from his car, ESPN decides to show us the schedule for upcoming races.
Instead of showing the beginning of victory lane celebrations, ESPN elects to interview Junior, JJ and Gordon. Meanwhile you can hear the fans roaring in the background as Vickers and RBR begin their victory celebration.
By the time ESPN arrives for the victory lane interview the power and emotion of the moment are gone. There was no visions of team members celebrating what they have struggled to accomplish these past three years.
And after what seems like ten seconds, ESPN is gone. No interview with RBR brass, I can surmise that there is at least one RBR brass at the track, and minimal acknowledgment of what this win meant. ESPN spent a larger amount of time attempting to evoke a conversation with Junior over this third place run.
Thus ESPN botched what may have been one of the most exciting and emotional victory lanes of the season.
It doesn't matter, to me, what happened the prior 200 laps in terms of coverage. The mishandling of this aspect completely negates the preceding telecast.
I only hope someone else takes notice.
The camera work from ESPN is ridiculous. In/bumper cam shots are totally disorienting, as well as depriving fans trying to watch of any chance of making sense of what's happening. If that is the 'best' director they have, they need to do some serious soul searching. Having the announcers (and cameramen) focus on the drivers in or close to the stupid 'chase' detracts from the racde that is happening in front of us. It trivializes the race they are covering, making it difficult to really get involved in the race. This sort of coverage doesn't encourage viewers to get excited about the stupid playoff...it just makes the race I'm watching pointless. Putting too much emphasis on the last 10 races doesn't do anything to keep viewers involved before that point.
No one asked anyone to post anything other than their opinion of the ESPN telecast.
If you have an opinion about the telecast, give it to us.
Anonymous said...
All of your whining an complaining has grown very tiresome. You people need to grow up.
August 16, 2009 5:51 PM
---Thats not Kyle! Its a honk from espn. Probably the director!
my buddy phatty covered it. Victory Lane was a CRIME in horrible coverage. TDP Police need to find these jokers that call themselves the WWL and throw them in a jail cell for a couple years.
More to come.
OK guys, just looking for your personal comments on what you thought of the telecast.
I will let AB direct traffic in the infield pit center, but I will direct it here.
Thanks....JD
Moved my comment. All they talked about was who was where in the points and they didn't even show the list. WTH?
Why couldn't SC be delayed? Is it in their contract that it can't?
I really hope that next year we can get an informative and longer post race show.
I have this strange feeling that if Jr. had won that ESPN wouldn't have been so quick to cut away to Sports Center.
I wish we'd seen VL as well. Vickers deserved that much. Didn't mind the JR, JeffG, JJ interviews, but let's see Vickers getting his due.
I disagree about Andy P. When he and DJ were going back and forth, I got a lot out of it. They are a great team. But the broadcast as a whole seemed disjointed and off-kilter.
I don't know if the boredom came from the race, the all-around coverage, or a combo of both.
Oh, I can't wait for Speed Report and Victory Lane to learn what happened during the ESPN Gadgetboy 400. The anticipation!
ESPN news will be running the Vickers press conference.
JD, take everything that was said after last week, copy and paste it. There you go.
They were lost which is inexcusable since they are COVERING the race. They had no real concept of who was coming and who was going, who was on what strategy, who ran how long in June and did not, just fundamentals in coverage, "homework" if you will, were completely botched. The camera angles were horrid, several ill-advised in-cars. Overused radio of the same old same old, where FOX found the Kurt Busch/Roger Penske exchange at M-ville, ESPN missed the KH/RC exchange.
Shannon. -sigh- Jr was not happy with the car all day long yet he gets off pretty light being able to backtrack and say his crew did a great job today. Didn't his crew originally want to stay out with JJ and BV? Credit them for overruling Jr on changes, but Jr made the strategy call that probably got them a top 5. I guess its a wash.
Victory Lane was a joke, the hurry-up exit was a JOKE, yet I'm not laughing with all these jokes today.
AP has taken some steps back the last 2 races, DJ has continued to be the bedrock of the ESPN booth but now he is flying solo it seems. Where was the excitement at the end?! Tons of drama surrounding the last 5-10 laps yet you'd think it was lap 120.
No follow of Kyle's backslide in that run since he came out first of the guys that pitted. I know some people would call it Kyle overkill but honestly guys, he is racing for a Chase berth just like Vickers and he lost 10 spots on that long green run which may have done the damage to his Chase hopes. Sometimes a guy is "due" some coverage even if everyone hates him.
How about Casey Mears!? Put on the hot seat in rumorland today then comes home 6th!
Blew the post-race, blew the race, same old same old pre-race. This network needs a new director and producer. Maybe, just maybe that will cure some ills.
You'd think this wouldn't be rocket science at this point. Since ESPN seems to eager to experiment, how about trying it the FAN'S way for a race and seeing how it goes?
K, I'm done.
My comment will likely get deleted as JD doesn't like anyone who disagrees with him, though, I thought ESPN had another high quality broadcast. I enjoy the play by play and color commentary, and like the way AB handles his job. The pit reporters do a very good job getting the driver's commentary. The video is outstanding.
Examples? Annon @ 6:09
By all means if you see something we don't I will be open to it. Just back those up with some samples of what you thought was good and what was not.
I am like the rest I am tired of ESPN's coverage of NASCAR. Brian Vickers deserved a longer victory lane interview because like someone said it was the most emotional win of the year. Not that Brian is my favorite driver but his win is just as emotional and exciting as when Brad won Sat. Jr was running 3rd at the end and they hardly ever mentioned him. Other than what he was thinking. Barely showed Lance but we talked about Chad and Alan. But what really gets on my nerves is there is still 15 more min. in the broadcast and we go to SportsCenter. WHAT??!!?? Gameday will be at the Arkansas/Auburn game my husband said I would have to stay by his side the whole time so I wouldn't go and talk to the ESPN guys. Geez...
A longer post race show would have been telecast if ESPN/Nascar decided to start the race earlier. What a disappointing broadcast too much yakking about the ponits and not enough talking about pit reports, field updates and mileage.
TNT's coverage is great. Why? Because their director has been doing NASCAR since the early ESPN days. Fox's coverage suffered from a lot of bad direction. Why? Because their director is a 3rd team ball sport director above all else. Who's directing things for ESPN? Erik K.? Suzy K.? the poker or hot dog eating director? People have been crushing Punch a lot but he tried calling the 5 & 17 crawling to the line and the truck threw him under the bus. ESPN needs better direction more than anything.
@ David 6:09, ditto. Old and young thinking alike again.
Anon 6:09PM,
When people start a comment like that, they are just usually trolls. I will let your comment stand, but that is the last time you will refer to me like that. Got it?
JD
anon 06:09
if you liked the broadcast so much again give examples of what was good.
Just saying its good (or saying its bad for that matter) doesnt mean much if you don't give specifics.
I too was angry about VL...but then I remembered...Vickers ran out of gas in the infield. I'm guessing his car was towed, so we didn't see him get out cause he already was...*maybe*. Just trying to give them benefit of the doubt. Cutting away to SC was pathetic...MRN was on the air for at least five more minutes. I gave up on audio because they were only mentioning about five cars. I thought (without paying full attention the video coverage was somewhat better; I did see *some* actual racing.
anon 06:09
FYI - this is JD's blog.
You can say whatever you want on your own blog
and he actually enjoys people whop disagree with him.
For the 4th week in a row, I GIVE BSPN A BIG FAT F!
TNT is a mix of the "old" ESPN (Mike Wells) and Fox (Barry Landis).
I wonder what is making ESPN this bad. Of course next year Landis will put the stat sheets he wrote starting at Daytona and give it to Fox broadcasts because he can put tips.
And last year, ESPN had a "Chase the Heidi Game" moment that sent me into the blogosphere to go after ESPN for what they did at Phoenix.
MRN once again tops ESPN.
Andy Petree has to work on buildings the viewers trust. Whenever there was fuel strategy, viewers have been used to Larry Mac being there and having all the answers & putting the race in perspective. Now Larry is gone for the year. Andy was clueless at Watkins Glen, a little better this weekend. I'm sure Andy is capable.
Jerry Punch - Monotone boredom. It is the same thing every week. There is a time to be quiet & a time to speak. In his third year as play-by-play announcer Jerry Punch still can not do this. Shouting out #'s, driver names, stats, & ask questions is all he can do. I do not see capability in him as a play-by-play announcer. I see a great fit in the infield studio.
Allen Bestwick - Brings energy back into the broadcast. He has everything Jerry Punch is lacking. One switch will be the final personal move ESPN has to make with this team.
Pit Reporters: I got more information from 3 MRN reporters than I did from 4 ESPN reporters.
I really hate to compare one network with another but.
Does it not seem that FOX and TNT seem to enjoy their broadcasts? have fun - like to cover all of the stories.
ESPN REFUSES to cover the whole story - just the story lines they want to cover - perhaps these stories were discussed in pre-race meetings.
Cars pit - drop out - move many spots up and they do not mention it at all.
Kudos to ESPN for covering the post-race on SportsCenter for the first 15 minutes.
At the minimum, I want to see two stats at the end of the race. Finishing positions, and point standings. So much for getting the point standings today...
A little better, at times, in camera coverage but I hated the big picture of the pit stops and the miniscule picture of the racing when I wanted to see The Racing! ESPN still does not provide good camera coverage of the racing. There seemed to be a lot of things going on at the track but the camera work is slow and reactive - or focused on trivials. Truly, the producer of this program does not understand how to make the cameras tell the story. I know it can be done. TNT did it!
Why cover the post-race for the first 15 minutes of Sportscenter? why not use the last 15 minutes of the Cup telecast? Crazy.
It was nice to see Ryan Burr with Boris Said on the SC set talking NASCAR. It was also nice to see AB and the Infield Pit Center crew doing a report.
That is exactly what we need.
JD
points are up at N*.com
did ESPN ever mention that 24 is now in 2nd place and 48 is in 3rd? NOPE
99 moved up 2 (to 6th)and 02 moved down 2 (to 8th)? NOPE
weed dropped two spots to 15th
as stated - standings are required knowledge before a NASCAR telecast is done.
BSPN goes out of their way to explain NASCAR 101 but won't do this.
Does baseball explain a balk? Never and no one understands it. An infield fly rule. Same thing.
But yet we have to suffer thru NASCAR 101 and Dr Punch-Drunk.
The problems can be broken down
1) Camera work. - Overuse of toys over & over. I think that has been well described above.
2) Race vs. Scrpit - ESPN comes into these broadcasts with a set story of what they are looking for. When it doesn't turn out that way, the coverage turns to chaos. MRN coverage calls a race & works their commentary around the race. ESPN sets their commentary/cameras/full screen interviews in place and hopes the race can fit in.
3) Technical issues - This is the only sport I have watched that has to explain the basics about the point system, rules, & equiptment every single week. We do not need the tech center, especially under green flag racing. As for the finish, ESPN has to realize there are many cars behind the top 10 racing for a job with thousands of fans. Drivers will do whatever it takes to move up a position, including turning the guy in front of them. With ESPN cutting to the celebrating crew & in-car of the winning driver, we would have missed that. Every team deserves the respect of being shown completing the event.
4) Play-by-Play issues - also well documented above
ESPN, what a disgrace to all of the fans who, like me, spent 4 1/2 hours watching the telecast.
After ignoring qualifying and all of practice for both the NW and Cup series, the so-called worldwide leader shows up, televisess the race, and leaves as soon as possible. No finshing or points rundown. No stationary camera showing the finsh line. No camera focusing on the much hyped chase drivers Kenseth & Martin running out of fuel. No follow up on JPM, Kyle and Kurt Busch, or Stewart.
Terrible and disgusting treatment of the fans. Thank you ESPN for nothing.
The next time the TV contracts come up, NASCAR should mandate that at least 30 minutes of post race coverage is shown no matter what time the race gets over. It always seems that everything post race is rushed to point of it not even worth watching. The whole point of a race is to win it. The winner gets about a 60 second soundbite at best. After hours of prerace and hours of racing, we should get more then that from the winner and the rest of the drivers.
All I got to say to ESPN is cut down on the sugar coating of JR, my god he isn't god.
Anon 5:51--what you're seeing is the frustration of fans who perceive that the telecast coverage of their favorite sport produced by ESPN is not up to past and generally accepted standards for sports broadcasting.
The perception is that the production management team (executive and line producers, directors and assistant directors) is more interested in the use of production gimmicks and manufactured conflicts that may fit a template, rather than using the basic (and less sexy) concepts of producing an automobile race telecast--letting the race dictate the story, and guiding the commentary--whether it be from the announce booth or pit road--to tell that story as it breaks--not five minutes later with a gimmicked up replay. This is likely best done with an experienced production managment team that is not afraid, and humble enough to make changes--and talent that remembers that they are telling the story--not becoming the story.
I never even thought to stay tuned to see SC. I figured it would be about their favorite sports and not post race. Nice of someone not to tell us on the broadcast to stay tuned. I got VL set up on the DVR.
I give up.
@Jojaye
Actually, it's Lather, Rinse, Repeat. :)
I am tired of repeating same gripes (HORRIBLE cam direction)
Why do we all keep griping each week? TNT got their act together for races but ESPN's horrible cam work totally blows DFR. (15 seconds and they use bumper/in car cams???????)
It's so obvious neither BSP U cares nor NASCAR.
Wow! At least 4 good spots where they had good racing (and one point with 6 cars in one shot!) and what do they talk about? One car nearly hit the wall at one point and they talked about that instead of some 2-wide racing; fuel mileage while 6 cars were fighting for the bottom part of the Top 10 at one point; and I'm sure there were one or two other I can't recall at the moment.
And when they DID cover the racing? YAWN!!! Practically no excitement except right at the end. Hell, Allen Bestwick and Brad Dougherty (sp?) did a better job during the halfway review than Punch & gang did for the whole race up to that point!
Vickers getting Red Bull Racing's first ever win was HUGE...and not a blip about it. I was excited they got their first win, and I know Vickers and the owners must have felt great for getting their first win as a team, but what about more casual fans?
Overall, a poor production. Boo on ESPN and Dr. Jerry Punch! Get Bestwick or Marty Reid into the lead PxP spot.
Did ESPN EVER mention that post race coverage would continue immediately on sportscenter?
NO
perhaps that is something they should have mentioned as many fans tuned out - including me as I was DVR'ing HOTPASS and HP ends when ESPN telecast does. There would be no way for me to watch SC as it ended by the time the race finished for me.
Did you notice how different Dale Jr is on SPEED report vs ESPN? and we hear MRN?
Don't usually watch the SPEED Report, but today it's like comfort food--the mac & cheese of motor sports coverage. I was starving after the race on ESPN.
Guess I'll have to watch Brian Vickers and team celebrate their win by watching Nascar Victory Lane on the Fox-owned network SPEED channel in a couple of hours. As usual, ESPN was in hurry-up mode. The checkered flag waved, the flying heads flew across the screen, ESPN was done and it's off to Sportcenter. Wham, bam, thank you ma'am. Yes, once again the TV fans at home get the shaft.
ESPN obviously doesn't care that Nascar fans have to piecemeal together, from a variety of sources, the information needed to make any sense out of their race broadcasts. Once again, it's the same old song and dance with ESPN, just another verse and different race track. As for the Nationwide experiment with "Back Seat Drivers" yesterday, ESPN should experiment in Sprint Cup by switching JP with Allen Bestwick and the ESPN producer/director and camera crew with the TNT production staff that is currently broadcasting golf--that game is more their speed.
Honestly, if it wasn't for this blog, MRN & Twitter, it wouldn't be worth having the race on in the background. Waaaaay too many commls, poor camera coverage & boring commentary makes me want to tear my hair out!! And I don't see it getting better this yr. btw, sorry the only rain in my state centered over the racetrack!
What can I say different? As somebody mentioned I should cut and paste from my comments last year. Same old same old with one exception. They totally blew the coverage of the end of race. MM running out of gas. Kenseth out of gas. And why would you need to show JJ getting gas as the race is finishing?
And then BV and Team Red Bull were robbed of decent coverage of their first victory.
I did not listen to Espn audio this week. Like last week I listened to MRN.
As I drink my coffee in the morning I will consider if maybe MRN is all the coverage that I need until Daytona '10.
There is no excitement in the voices of the ESPN announcers when, finally, we get some exciting racing! It is as though they have no interest in the race at all. It is just a job to them. I love Brad Daugherty's enthusiasm and Ray Evernham's. Dr. Punch speaks in a monotone and ads no 'color' to the color commentary. The only way I survive having those people on my TV is that once in a while, I get to hear a scanner on Hot Pass and Trackpass on the computer.
I really enjoyed the final 50 laps or so of the race, but it was in spite of the broadcast team, not because of them.
Carol
Last week, the guys in the booth said Marcos Ambrose had fouled up on pit strategy and would never recover.
Ambrose finished second.
This week, they told us about a bunch of drivers who were going to run out of gas, like Vickers.
Vickers won.
If the play-by-play is poor (even non-existent) with Jerry Punch, and the anaylsis is so far off-base, then what good are the guys in ESPN's booth at all?
The drivers were saying they'd like to be meteorologists because you're never held accountable when you're wrong; same goes for ESPN's booth, it seems.
I'm done complaining it's a waste of my time, pretty soon watching Cup and NW races will be a waste of my time too. I just realized that I will not be home for most, if not all of the cup race and for some reason I'm not upset. Wonder why?
I see Jerry Punch as a reporter and not a Play by Play announcer. Very boring to listen. ALways asking questions and reading stats instead of calling the action on the track. Espn have been very stubborn. They just need to switch AB with Jerry Punch during the offseason if thay can't make it now.I always wonder if we are the only ones that notice this. AP and DJ are always good if not descent.
Espn could've gave us more coverage of the guys at the back instead of just the top 10 cars. They also needs better camera angels.
When ESPN was about to start their NASCAR coverage, they launched a series called Ultimate NASCAR in cooperation with the NASCAR Media Group in Charlotte, NC.
Punch was the host and the series was spectacular. In the past two weeks, rain delays have put Punch in the position of leading a discussion as a reporter and it was great.
To see him trying to call laps and cars on a hot day in Michigan with absolutely no clue is really hard to take.
Time for ESPN to admit the emperor has no clothes and make a change before The Chase becomes a disaster.
Re the camera cutting/darting/moving... don't you think that it's an epidemic in general?
Every show I watch, the director seems to think it's a crime to stay on one shot for more than 2 seconds. The person who said the director must be ADD was probably kidding but I think it's pretty much the truth. Very annoying. I think they believe that our attention span is so short that we'll run from the room if they linger on something we might like to see!
I thought the crew did a good job. I enjoy them. Not perfect but who is.
a bit off topic here, but why run a "special" NN at 1 in the morn ET?? I know I'm not taping it & I bet a bunch of other folks don't bother either-just dumb, imo. btw, it's still hotter than hades here in MI-just down to 79...:(
I thought that it was the same old worn out routine, DJ and Andy giving great pxp and Jerry Punch monotone and boring as always, when will ESPN ever listen to what the fans want?
Wish I'd known SC carried Boris Said after the race. Watched a second of SC and went to cook dinner. Couldn't they have said something before cutting away from the race coverage?
As to excitement in the announcers' voices: I think Andy and DJ had it goin' on at the end.
You know what I miss? In the "old" days, the racing on TV felt as if you were there, sitting high in the stands, getting the whole race experience. Wish it would happen again.
I thought ESPN did a great job producation wise, but we need people in the booth who actually want to be there! As said before there seems to be no excitment at all with this bunch and that hurts! Also dump the crew cheif stuff when you have full throttle lets hear the cars! Hell i wish there was an option to turn the announcers off all together and just hear the cars. when fox carries the race and I hook up my HD Attena i put on SAP and get no announcers. Its like crank it up all the way!
Did they need to go to sportscenter that quickly? 80 minutes of pre-race, and 5 of postrace? That ain't right.
One more thing... I'm sure that almost everyone that has attended a race live has walked up to the catch fencing to see the cars race by at full speed, inches away from you. It's an interesting experience. However, just because there's a camera there doesn't mean we need to see that perspective on every restart and 8 other times during the race. Hard to tell what is going on. (Like most of the camera shots).
a recap of my frustrations
*information lapses such as:
-- labonte out w/no explanation coming for unreasonably long time
-- incorrect info on how far behind the leader the second place car was as well as how far out of 12th a driver was
-- incorrectly stated stewart was leader after pit stops but it was actually waltrip and that misstatement was never clarified or corrected
-- the black flag on the 77 ignored until well after TDP had tried to figure out what happened and found out from other sources
-- S&Ps kept track of by planeteers patrick and david b/c otherwise we'd never have known even 1 car was out
-- vickyd giving us info about the 17 car based on tweets from kenseth's son, info that the booth never provided
-- #2 car on? off? after that wreck, i couldn't figure that out and espn didn't seem to notice
-- medic called to the 98 pit and we still have no word on what happened
--neglecting to tell viewers that a caution was actually caused by rain on the track -- as if we could be fooled by the lack of disclosure
* production lapses:
-- full screen, single car green flag pit stops
-- missing passes for the lead
-- tech center in full screen under green and, as someone else has pointed out, poor production quality on the actual tech center segments
-- abruptly shifting camera angles, breaking flow of the broadcast
-- too much inappropriate use of in-car camera
-- full throttle could be improved by either using no spotter audio or featuring only a selected driver
-- poor camera choice on the #2 and #6 wreck as well as a rushed judgement as to what happened
*lapses in judgement:
-- abysmal coverage of RBR getting their first win as a team: shameful, just shameful. this was a big effing deal for both this team and their (unsigned) lead driver and it deserved better
-- single car shot of the 48 as it did a gas and go after running out of gas: the fight for the lead had just been dramatically changed! we didn't need to watch the 48 get gas.
-- switching from showing great mid-pack racing to focusing on the top two cars running away from the pack. that sort of tease occured thru out the race and only served to make me angrier b/c it demonstrated that espn could do a good job but seemed to be choosing not to do so.
-- giving us ONE rundown of the midpack cars and then abandoning the entire idea of doing a field set again
-- being coy about the entire weather issue: if we can look it up online, so can the booth or truck and they should have done so earlier and more often thru the race
-- "points as they run," "chase standings as they run" nonsense. hey espn? a clue: a race fan understands that it doesn't matter until the race is OVER
--explaining the basics of our sport over and over each week: it's condescending and arrogant.
* the consequences: on this blog alone, we've lost 3 valued contributors in stricklinfan, lou and jojaye. as i asked in the race blog, how many more will fall before homestead? i'll do bristol but i may be gone after that as well. i'll still listen to the races -- i just may not watch them anymore.
go back into the race blog and pick up drteplisky's comment about "unforced errors" and what that trend says about the broadcast itself. it was an insightful, perceptive and dead-on comment.
we're the fans. we're the ones who spend the money to make this entire enterprise work, whether thru buying tickets to a race, buying merchandise, creating traffic to a website or being part of the audience numbers that are pitched to the advertisers. WE generate the $$$ that pays every salary associated with nascar -- every, single salary. so maybe it's time we started acting as caring employers and began to issue performance reviews on our employees.
so far, espn is performing below standard to an unsatisfactory level and needs to demonstrate immediate improvement or will face further disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
Anon @ 8:37pm
I took a film class a year ago and my prof was telling us that the average shot filmed today is 13 seconds long and dropping. It was triple that in the 1990s
Hi Everyone. Since I was at the race, I thought I would become somewhat of a roving reporter for TDP, and ask those in the know what they think of Nascar and ESPN. Seeing I was in a wheelchair, it was pretty easy to attract people and start a conversation. I tried to get a cross section of individuals and do the best imitation of a scientific CNN pole.
It was pretty much a grand slam that people greatly dislike ESPN's coverage of Nascar. They all pretty much said they need to let the race do the talking and keep the "heads in the booth" a little more quiet. They hate the Fox Rodent and wish someone would run him over, permanently. It was pretty much a consensus that they use too much technology and ruin the coverage with their love affair of Hendrick cars/drivers. They want to see all the racing, not just the top 5 or 6 cars. These opinions seemed to run pretty much along age and gender lines, but more really young fans weren't as critical---they like all the bells and whistles. The biggest negative was how badly they show the racing in mid-pack and farther back. A lot said that the best racing doesn't happen up front, until the last 10 laps, but ESPN ignores any racing beyond 10th spot. That really hacked off a lot of people.
I spoke to about 40 to 45 people, many wearing the colors of their favorite driver. A lot of Roush support along with fans of Keslowski. And of course, Jr Nation was well represented. But the lack of fans was obvious. I remember a few years ago that you couldn't find a ticket without paying a huge premium. Not so today. A lot of empty seats that were never empty just 4 or 5 years ago. Hotel rooms were fairly easy to come by. I remember when we had to book rooms months in advance, but there were still rooms in Ann Arbor on Friday night. Pretty sad state of affairs.
BTW, does anyone know who the "lady" was who was standing next to the chaplain and the guy who sang the National Anthem? She looked way out of place, like someone who charges by the half hour. Pretty nasty in the black bustier and very mini skirt.
Red, hope you're feeling better. We should compare our recoveries.
Before 2001 I used to hear complaints about NASCAR broadcasts - that they didn't cover post race enough so local stations could get 6PM news on Sunday - they didn't show point standings after the race-did few interviews and they only covered the top few drivers.
You guessed it - these were races on ABC television network prior to 2001 and if I remember correctly ABC and ESPN were not jointly owned at that point.
Guess some things never change.
I have to admit I watch the races, but pay little attention to the announcers. Did I really hear Dr. Punch explaining the Chase and how the drivers get in it? Please say it was'nt so. Then I can just say I was paying no attention at all and the world will be all good again.
interesting point - 80 minutes of pre-race and 5 minutes of post race on NASCAR's clock. In my book SC doesn't count.
THESE RACES START TOO LATE.
Why do we have two hours of pre-race on SPEED followed by one hour of another pre-race on ESPN.
Last two weeks it was a wasted three hours.
Assume that green flag was 2:30 and checkered was scheduled for 5:00 with 1/2 hr post race. But they came on at 1PM and there is always a chance of race being delayed because of weather or wrecks.
They should have had a 1/2 hr pre-race and green flag at 2PM - (1PM would be better but I digress) - This would put checkered at 4:30 and give lots of time for post race.
just a thought
Darbar, I think we saw her sing the National Anthem yesterday at the Nationwide race.
She was out of place dressed like that. I thought she looked like a pop diva want-to-be there. Ann Benson, Ph.D, did it at the Darlington in 2003 (Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 aka the Rebel), and I remember a critic asking "what demographic were they wanting with an opera singer in a zebra-striped suit". When Serena (another friend) was discussing Ann (was her boss for years; Ann and I are friends today) to her friend while attending "A Little Night Music," we laughed at the conversation and knowing her "national television" incident, I responded, "Have you ever?" (that was the race with the Ricky Craven bump and run on Kurt Busch to win his second, and eventually his, and Pontiac's final, race.)
That girl this weekend seemed to think this was another series where the girl was dressed to be a "grid girl" or "race queen" (used in other series, but not NASCAR). Any singer who performs should dress with dignity, in compliance with NASCAR's paddock dress code, and business-casual at minimum. We don't need half-dressed people parading around the garage as an insurance hazard.
Darbar
Thanks for feedback. Yikes, I missed the black bustier! tacky indeed.
Red
Shazaam. Did you take notes (ala Jo last week?) I thought I had cooled off but after reading your comments and the detailed specificities, I'm getting madder by the minute all over again.
sigh
I'm guessing the bustier is a familiar outfit to her. Doubt she was thinking about appropriateness. She should have. She probably sang the Canadian anthem. They do it before the invocation so they don't have to show it on TV.
Red,
Here is the scoop from MIS:
Canadian Amy Rivard, star of “What’s Up, Canuck?” and a performer in “Celtic Woman” and “Riverdance” sang the Canadian anthem. The Canadian anthem has been a tradition at MIS during pre-race ceremonies since it opened in 1968.
Ask and you shall receive. Should have clued her in on the wardrobe however. Little rough during the invocation.
You can see pics at AmyRivard.com as well.
JD
Red, your my new hero since Stricklinfan left.
Dar, I pointed that out the second the camera hit her. Not sayin' she was bad lookin' but if I were associated with her there'd be no way she would have gone to the track dressed like THAT. =\
I'll have a rant either later today or sometime this week. Debating emailing JD or posting it here. To say I am thoroughly disappointed is an understatement. It was a GREAT race today but just got completely botched up in the both.
word ver: redis
LOL
Thank God NHRA on ESPN is the black sheep of success for the network and I mean that in the best possible way. Love this coverage.
OK, I missed the Canadian anthem as the guys were trying to help me to the seating area at that time. I'll say this again, MIS is great for the disabled.
Just watched part of the race on Tivo. I found the best way to handle ESPN's broadcast. Fast Forward. Makes the broadcast watchable. BTW, was it just my high def or is Shannon sporting a baby bump. Saw her from afar and she looked like there was a bit of a bulge in the tummy area.
Mostly copied from yesterday, but edited to be more pertinent to today's broadcast. Absolutely NONE of my suggestions should cost you much (if, any) investment. The popularity of our favorite sport has NOT waned as much as we are forced to use other sources to know what is happening.
1. First and foremost, show us the pictures that represent what is happening on the track. More cars in the frame. And not just the leaders. Where are the battles? I know they're out there. I see the positions changing on the top scroll.
2. Who is responsible for the pictures? Producer/Director? You are hamstringing your booth.
3. Be careful when you go away from green flag on-track racing. Always keep the on-track pictures on the screen and in the biggest window.
4. Tim Brewer has no value. Put Ray Evernham in the Tech Studio, he is more familiar with all the new technology. (and speed up the segments; don't start the camera so far back and take forever zooming in; make sure your lighting is adequate at the closest view).
5. Put Punch back on pit road. He is a reporter, not a Play-by-Play man. Give him a responsibility that will allow him to return to his former glory.
6. Put Bestwick in as PxP on Cup races with DJ and Petree
7. Put Marty Reid in as PxP on NW races with LaJoie.
8. Keep Rusty out of the booth. He just likes to hear himself talk. Remind me again why Brad is anywhere in front of a camera?
9. Minimize the gimmicks. Limit the on-board, in-car, bumper cams.
10. Pit reporters are competent enough. Keep the questions short and set up the driver/crew chief to tell their side. Don't open with a controversy.
11. More full order run downs (every 1/5 of the race distance; today would be every 40 laps).
12. Tell us who is how many laps down. Tell me who isn't on the track, but expected to return.
13. How can Rusty Wallace AND Ray Evernham be SO vocal about the S&P earlier this week and be COMPLETELY silent about it during the race.
David said...
Thank God NHRA on ESPN is the black sheep of success for the network and I mean that in the best possible way. Love this coverage.
Apples and oranges, I know. However, this condensed tape delay knows how to give us the signts, sounds and stories.
Patrick, it may be a tape delay and condensed but those two facts would not save a horrid broadcast. They keep the crew together, no mixing and matching, and they find stories without interrupting the action.
I always enjoy watching it when I get a chance.
This actually has calmed me down from that travesty that took place this afternoon.
darbar,
Great job with your poll. Maybe you missed your calling.
Could you ask for worse camera work? ESPN certainly has. No wonder why I only tune in to select parts and do other tasks at hand instead of pay attention to a NASCAR telecast.
Only once has ESPN offered a "live" NHRA drag race -- and that was Joliet when rain messed the schedule to the point they aired the finals live.
TNN from 1992 until MTV Networks killed the CBS Charlotte (all motorsports-related -- NASCAR, NHRA, ASA) operations, aired a summary of the NHRA race that day and then aired the finals live with the US Nationals having two live rounds.
I was wrong on Miss Rivard's age. Looking at her tours and backgrounds, it seems very European in nature. But if you're going to a NASCAR race, never -- ever -- dress like that. NASCAR needs to watch how dignitaries dress and ensure they must comply with NASCAR's dress code in the garage. Aaron's (with the Aaron's Dream Team) is the other major offender in this case. You dress like that, you can't go into the garage area. The classical singers, Miss Americas, and most others at Cup races dress with dignity. They'd rather be able to walk in the garage area and visit dignitaries by complying with NASCAR's code.
What was the obsession with showing the #2 car in the garage?
During the crucial pit stop with 47 to go ESPN suddenly goes back to that Ragan - Busch crash from early in the race?
So instead of showing us the moves that decide the race, ESPN goes back to a spin that they had already covered, over and over !@#$%&?
Bizarre!!!
Bobby...not everyone *cares* about being in the garage and meeting 'dignitaries'. They're there to sing, period. Although inappropriate for the occasion, if it came down to wearing, say shorts instead of slacks when it was hotter than Hades, many would choose comfort. And I have seen *many* singers wear dresses/skirts, and they wouldn't be allowed in the garage either. I believe the woman who did it on Monday did. In any case, should they choose not to comply with NASCAR's garage dress code, the 'inappropriateness' would be up to the track officials who arrange for them to participate, not NASCAR. I'm more annoyed that they never show the Canadian anthems.
I think ESPN SUCKS they have to many commericals and gadgits to enjoy the racing... The Turn up the throttle or what ever they call is stupid I would perfer crank it up and here the roar of the engines on a restart. As for the coverage you don't know what is happening on the track because they have the bumber cam on and all you see it the tail end of the car in front. Fox coverage is not great but anything is better then ESPN..
ok my rant is over
I did think the rain thing from Andy P was pretty funny. I was listening to one of the driver's radios and his comment was "whoever predicted 0% chance of rain hasn't been to a racetrack lately". I actually thought ESPN did a little better on its wideshots this week and showing the racing in the pack. The blather in the booth, though, I had to mute it partway through as what they are saying doesn't sync up with what my eyes were seeing.
When they did use the wideshots you could see the racing on the track, but then they'd start jumping around from camera to camera and that gives me vertigo.
Also, I thought it was pretty bad that they didn't go to VL to see the immediate fun the RBR team was having. It's a shame to miss that real emotion. Also, ESPN cut away from Jeff Gordon's interview to talk to Jr first! Wow, how rude! I know he's the messiah of NASCAR, but he finished 3rd, they should have talked to Jeff -- Jr even looked embarrassed since he was sitting there near Jeff.
Plus if the talking heads can make such a big deal of Vyle running toward the front, then they need to chronicle the fall, too.
One big complaint I had is when Kurt Busch hit the inside wall and the director switched to the bumper cam as he hit the wall. Initially, you couldn't tell if he hit the inside wall or not. Then, they switched to the camera in turn 3 to see he did hit it and hit it hard.
I thought the victory lane celebration was messed up. It was really pathetic how they handled it. Not to mention the rush to get off the air to get to SportsCenter without showing updated point standings. Very lame.
"Also, ESPN cut away from Jeff Gordon's interview to talk to Jr first! Wow, how rude! I know he's the messiah of NASCAR, but he finished 3rd, they should have talked to Jeff"
Gina, Jeff was being interviewed by several other people when they went to that interview. So to keep from looking bad, they grabbed Junior since he was next to Jeff.
When Jimmie Johnson beat Vickers to the line by half a car length on a restart the announcers talked about it at some length, but no penalty was given. I did notice that Vickers wound up in front again, and I think did so on the same lap. Does the rule about jumping the restart provide for forgiveness if you do not maintain the illictly-gained lead? If such is the case might it not have been a good point for the announcers who had been frothing about him jumping the restart to explain why he was not penalized?
Jayhawk, it was great of DJ to point that out and try to follow-up, but he was drowned out by Punch who appeared not to understand what DJ was saying and just carried on with car numbers and hometowns.
I agree with Jayhawk. The booth will probably be "talked to" by NA$CAR for mentioning JJ's infraction. There should have been an explanation.
One of the things that really bug me is the the booth is talking about one thing and the cameras are showing something entirely different. There appears to be a lack of coordination that needs to be addressed immediately. This gives fans even more reason to llisten to MRN.
The biggest mistake this week was blowing off Red Bull's very first Cup victory, not a Vickers fan by any stretch but getting that was a *really* big deal for him and his team and deserved more coverage, not to mention doubling his Cup wins and it was Toyota's first win at MIS.
We were @Michigan for the race (great track by the way). Track play-by-play was good (MRN). The track had great interviews and lots of interaction with Brian Vickers in Victory Lane. Too bad TV can't learn from how the tracks handle this. Can't wait to watch the race that we taped. Told my husband about five laps to go, "wonder how they are describing this on ESPN?" Too exciting to describe being there. Loved it!
@Sophia oops my bad !Sorry about that - next week I'm not even gonna bother w/espn. Just radio & MRN or whoever. I'm on vampire hours at work so I'm not up to my usual self LOL
An astute observer said earlier: The drivers were saying they'd like to be meteorologists because you're never held accountable when you're wrong; same goes for ESPN's booth, it seems.
ESPN assembled a team of seemingly knowledgable crew chiefs to explain the race, yet they were just boring and fallible. When Junior pitted early for tires they were incredibly quick to prattle on about how he was stopping to fix handling issues. From my sofa in Dallas I knew they were full of it. He was pitting because of a vibration. I can't believe how long it took for someone to correct them.
Ben Franklin said "Better to keep your mouth closed and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." Wise advice.
Kudos to the ESPN crew for calling out Jimmie Johnson for crossing the start finish line before the leader twice. He should have been black flagged (like they did with Robby Gordon when he crossed the line ahead of Jeff Gordon at a short track a few years back), but no, it's not like NASCAR to punish the 48 team the way it does everyone else. At Pocono, NASCAR threw a debris caution when the 48 needed the lucky dog. Announcing the races is made more difficult when there is a "party line" that NASCAR wants them to follow. That includes not criticizing them for unfairly applying their rules.
Red,
Thanks for the shout-out.
-- medic called to the 98 pit and we still have no word on what happened
The rear tire carrier was hit in the knee by a tire after the #33 hit the tire exiting his pit which was directly behind the #98. Treated, released and will be in action next week.
3rd times a charm. Lets see if the browser posts it.
Attempted to catch the replay on classic. Commercial break, two laps of racing, 'Let's go to commercials. Green flag pitstops are up next'. Really? Green Flag pitstops are better than green flag racing??
Camera work was attrocious. Jerry was good from what I saw. Coming back from breaks good summary. The 3 worked decent together. Without good camera work you could have had bob jenkins, benny and ned and it still would not have been great.
BOBBY DEE said.
If Dale Jarret finishes another comment by saying, "At this point in time," I'm gonna start drinking again.
If Rusty Wallace says: "Let me tell ya" or "Without a doubt" one more time I'll continue to drink.
Some pals and i watched the race together..and when vickers crossed the line..he suddenly seemed to cease to exist..espn for some reason known only to them..forgot about him and did other stuff..my buds and i started commenting..didnt vickers just win?..why are they showing all this other stuff..espn needs to look at old fottage fast cause they have quickly become worse than fox..and that takes some doing!
Patrick, thanks for the update on the issue with the medic in the pits.
Now, my question is, why didn't ESPN relay what had happened?
The common thread I see in here is that the camera work didn't match up with the announcers' comments, and that there were huge holes in explaining what was going on, often until late in the game or not at all. (Bobby Labonte being a prime example. Thanks for pointing that out, Red, I thought I'd just missed hearing the explanation.)
Also, BV was treated like a red-headed stepchild. Okay, my last post. PRN next week in Bristol, right?
Annon, RPM 2 Night could not do highlights because according to the "contract" you had to be a sports/news broadcast to air highlights which RPM was not considered. Thus led to the death of one of the single best motorsports shows of all time. (Yes I am still bitter and would take it back in a heartbeat with John Kernan heading it up.)
SportsCenter still had highlights but you are fully correct about them not being allowed on track property. Joke if you ask me.
Red,
Thanks for taking notes. You said what I wished I'd said.
J.D., It's remarkable in these days of HD-TV and the wider aspect ratio (the screen ratio of width to height) that ESPN's directors don't use that width to their advantage. Even with standard definition TV, the ratio is 4:3. Show us more cars in the same frame!
Notwithstanding, I must say I noted the director held a wide shot of the leader and allowed the leader to pass out of the frame and then picked up the second place cars without moving. This shot should be used more often as it emphasizes a big lead. It might even be nice to be running a clock to underline the interval.
I also appreciated seeing some of the battles back in the pack. Let's have more of that please.
It's sad to say, but whenever I have to work on raceday, I miss watching the race with the Planeteers more than I miss watching the actual race live.
West Coast Kenny
Alameda, California
Anyways, I said I would have something to say and this is something larger than just Sunday. JD has touched on it in regards to other sports as few others have too about ESPN and their treatment of sports in general. Around 2000, in my opinion, ESPN was on the top of their game. They had the best most in depth coverage of sports and became the face of sports far and wide in this country, maybe even globally. However, NASCAR was lost but they managed to pick up much more NCAA Football and college sports. Has ESPN gotten too big for their britches? I think so. They've become this global sports-entertainment brand that has become more focused on the entertainment aspect then the sport. They've found ways to stir up, create, and run with controversy. With all these "entertainment" type shows its gotten worse. I thought the issue was isolated to just NASCAR, yet people say MLB gets similar treatment in being ignored and the booth sticking to a script, some even saying it happens with the NFL.
We gripe about FOX treating NASCAR like a joke because their MLB and NFL coverage is first rate and that is a legit gripe, but maybe ESPN has just forgotten where they've come from. Credit David Hill (although he was a jerk doing so) for defending his product with NASCAR on FOX. Haven't seen a single suit for ESPN bother to come out and defend the quality of their product since it began and I feel like someone needs to.
If ESPN doesn't shape up fast as a network, who is to say Versus couldn't unseat them in another 10 years? From the commentary I have heard and the little bit of IRL coverage I have seen, this is a young network that overhauled its imagine and resembles the ESPN of a decade ago. A network in its prime focused first and primairly on the sport like it should. When the complaints are the same week in, week out from fans of multiple different sports, of similar types of complaints regarding scripts and putting the sport on a backseat for ESPN's ego then there is a problem not with us (the alleged complainers) but with the network being asked to GET WITH IT!!!
Most of the other sports however, do not suffer from the massive production truck failures like NASCAR does though so arguably its the worst of the worst in this situation. Which is a shame because all the tools are there for a VERY successful product between Bestwick, Petree, Punch, Jarrett, Evernham, Burns, Welch, even Jamie Little if she gets her interviewing skills together and actually makes and effort to develop a trustworthy relationship with the drivers in the garage like a Wendy Venturini, Matt Yocum, Steve Burns, etc does.
I don't like sitting here wanting to beat my head against a wall every Sunday after a race. We have tons of compelling stories every Sunday and there is, to me, no reason we should have to feel like we're suffering through a broadcast. Heck, I turned on SIRIUS Speedway today, and the first words out of Dave Moody's mouth; "Not the best Michigan race I've ever seen." Could anyone who had MRN on Sunday tell that that was the case? Did it sound as such when he called the action off turn 2? No. So there is no excuse for a booth of professionals, or even a single individiual to sound as such ON AIR even when the action isnt as exciting as we'd all hope at times.
Still got my passion for the sport, still tuning in every Sunday because I love racing and this sport. It would just be nice to see ESPN get the memo and stop forcing sports to fit their script and adjust their network to fit the sports instead of vice versa.
Note: NHRA got the split screen right! Interview in small box, action in big box! So guess its not a network mandated problem, fix it please NASCAR crew!
Three letters for ESPN:
TNT
Anon 4:08PM,
It was NASCAR that barred ESPN from the tracks after the bad split. NASCAR started their own media company and maintained exclusive video rights to the races and controlled the media inside the tracks.
Mike Massaro was a hero for single-handedly keeping ESPN in the sport at a time when lots of folks in Bristol made sure to spend as little time talking about it as possible.
Make no mistake, there were years where ESPN hated NASCAR and NASCAR hated ESPN. It was brutal.
While it is great to see Mike Massaro get himself in a position of hosting NASCAR Now, it certainly has been a letdown to see the rough times the ESPN production team has experienced with the Sprint Cup events.
If you would like any further info on that TV rights issue, just drop me an email. I was right in the middle of it.
JD
Lower case text please. Thanks.
Ok, I'M new here and absolutely LOVE the blog! I was watching the race and completely missed what happend to the 96. It has been touched on here but I'm still missing it?? WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED??? Was it an engine or has Yates deminished to the point of a S&P?
NASCAR is in a pretty sad state when TWO HOLE DAYS later fans STILL have no idea what happend to their favorie teams;unless of course they are part of the Hendrick stable.
rh, Bobby blew up. Valvetrain issues.
Thank god for DVR's and the mute button. I tape all the races,then watch them,that way I don't have to watch the commercial,the cut away car crap,and Jamie Littles stupid questions
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