We are going to continue our popular feature where fans offer comments on the TV coverage of NASCAR races immediately after the event.
Sunday afternoon brought the Nationwide Series on ESPN2 from Montreal. Dave Burns hosted the pre-race show with Shannon Spake and Jamie Little as the other two pit reporters. They set the field and reviewed the previous race, which was run partially in the rain.
Marty Reid was teamed with Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree for the call of the race. The event was interrupted by several awkward caution periods and a continual shuffle of positions and strategy.
The field was diverse with many international drivers mixing with some familiar road course ringers and a handful of Nationwide Series regulars. Both Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch were also in the race.
Before we offer our comments, please take a moment to pass along what you thought of the ESPN2 telecast. To add 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 help us discuss the NASCAR TV scene.
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ReplyDeleteGreat racing today---good coverage-Marty great energy....
ReplyDeletejust goes to prove the adage about putting lipstick on a pig
ReplyDeleteno announce team could make this abortion of a race entertaining
bray kroter
Once again, ESPN manages to show us everything except the race.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, we got tight shots instead of wide shots. We got useless in-car cameras during side-by-side racing. We got helmet cams during pit stops. We only saw about 10 different cars unless someone was wrecking. No full-field rundowns. Hardly any mention of the S&Ps. Almost no mention of anyone in 10th through 30th.
The ALMS race on SPEED today was an excellent example of exactly how to call a road course race, with exciting play-by-play and wide camera angles during the battle to the finish line.
Granted, this was a particularly bad race overall, but it was made even worse by ESPN's continually abysmal coverage. They have got to change things, and soon.
The track is a terrible track for TV. I don't think the job of televising it was well done but even it it was, It would have been painful to watch. I drove across Virginia this morning and averaged faster than the race while driving 5 MPH over the speed limit. The race seemed days long and I really looked forward to it ending.
ReplyDeleteIt was a horrible broadcast, with too many in-car shots & not enough wide shots, as usual. However, kudos to BSPN for staying w/the coverage over an hr after they were supposed to be off-air. The race after the rain tires were put on was just a cluster & that's basically what robbed Marcos of the win.
ReplyDeleteTight shots, bumper cams, in car cameras...I'm sure there is a track full of cars there somewhere. Very little information about anyone but the preconceived 'stories', and the race was incomprehensible. The poor choice of shots really interferes with being able to watch a race and have any hope of knowing what is happening. Very disappointing.
ReplyDeletePlease get rid of the in race reporter.
ReplyDeleteThat was some great short track racing there. There was potential for great shots but that darn zoom button took care of that. ZOOM should be banished. It's like a needle with a junky just can't stay away. Not sure if its operator error or horrible coverage.
ReplyDeleteSeriously w.. on those cautions. They were incredibly long.
Interesting finish. Carl came back from wiping out alot of the field so that was pretty impressive. Andrew Ranger did great. The biggest shocker of the race, Michael McDowell. How is he not getting a shot at a decent ride when he takes a S&P oval car to such a great run?
The last F1 race in Canada, in the dry, was a very entertaining race, and very well done by Bob Varsha, et al.
ReplyDeleteThis channel is supposed to be the premier sports network. I thought this telecast was sub-par. Their "script" was done and they missed a lot of other good stories and never really give us a full field summary. There are fans of all the drivers in the race, not just the top ten. I thought Marty would have done a better job on this race but maybe it's just a bad racetrack to do it from. Too many close-ups we needed to see the track and several cars in the frames. I'd rate it a C- and I think I'm being generous.
ReplyDeleteThe Good:
ReplyDelete- Marty Reid: S&P updates, great level of excitement, & real play-by-play. Fantastic call at the checkered
- Getting Mike Helton in the booth
- Use of pit reporters second half of race
- Chemistry in booth the second half of the race
- Staying on the air an extra hour and 5 minutes.
The Bad
- The Chemistry in the booth the first half of the race. Andy was the awkward third person in the booth. Randy LaJoie was missed
- Pit reporters in the first half of the race. I got little information & had to find MRN.
- Andy Petree. Still in a slump. He struggled to find his place in the beginning & struggled maintaining control & understanding in the fuel milage game. Larry Mac was missed.
- In-car fiesta. 0 perspective. It was used right off the bat at lap 1 and missed a car going off course. Tight shots were another problem. I should not be able to read the letters on the Sunoco decal. The wide shots in turns 1&2 and in the hairpin were great.
- Did not show every car finish...again. But they did show Kyle Busch, but back to the celebrating crew & driver. A major slap in the face to all the other teams.
The Ugly
- Restarting the race in the rain. Nothing but a wreckfest. Exciting finish, but Ambrose should have won.
Overall, the wheels fell off the broadcast in the early laps. Constant cautions resulted in no momentum & a choppy broadcast. They were beginning to lose control of the race. At the end, they began to recover. Marty, Rusty & Andy finally clicked. The exciting finish & great call by Marty Reid left a positive note at the end of a long day.
** 1/2 / *****
This was awful. ESPN started at the beginning cramming as many as commercials has they could and I thought that meant we would see racing. NOT it kept up for the entire nightmareI want to know the exact number of minutes they spendt on commercials versus the exact number of minutes they spent showing us the race. I want PPV to show races with no commercials. I will pay for it.......the number of commercials is a nightmare and I dont think ESPN or NASCAR care about the fans anymore its all about the $$. NASCAR cant care or they wouldnt be allowing this BS. How dont know who to contact to et this problem noticed but i wish I did I would take the time to write or call to express my feelings. I am disappointed with the coverage and wish i thought there was a way to correct it. But i dont think NASCAR cares about what kind of coverage is shown even though they say they do it shows they dont!!
ReplyDeleteThat's for sure. No doubt about it.
ReplyDeleteRusty needs to go
sbaker17...he can get in his hot rod and go race with the other cats....
ReplyDeleteNot an easy track to cover and ESPN can't cover an oval so no hope here. Rusty needs to get another life - lots of babble repeating or not even hearing what the person before him said. DJ was sorely missed Andy seemed lost without him. Not sure what the solution is Nascar don't seem to be listening to us......
ReplyDeleteWorst production in many years.
ReplyDeleteRusty was an embarassment asking
Helton the same question he had just answered and then repeating
Andy's comment about running out of
the groove.
The heighth of bumper car stupidty
was showing the bumper of the push
truck. I had rather see the skyline or fans.
Na$car control added to the debacle
by dragging out yellow flags and
the slow decision to go to the rain setup. What a circus!
you know, if there was one thing I think NASCAR needs to explain better, it's why cautions take so long. It's worse on road courses because cautions take 5 minutes. 3 laps = 15 minutes. But in general, we all keep thinking, what are they doing? Maybe if Helton expained *that* in the booth it would be more valuable. It certainly makes TV issues more complicated.
ReplyDeleteThe longer the race went on and the better the battles the more ESPN ignored them. at one point they went from the single file of the leaders. to two and three wide of the middle of the pack then to one car running by itself..all in 30 seconds
ReplyDeleteits like the director forgot his ADD meds or maybe needs to up his dose
they completely ignored half a dozen spins or wrecks. never once followed up on the huge crash Rusty's kid caused
Marty atleast called out the S&pers and they did followup on Jeffery Earnhardt
while some will bash NASCAR for going to rain tires, i applaud it. but you just cant help that you had some folks out there who dont have the talent or skill to control the car in the wet let alone the dry. 12 laps is a long time on a road course and as we saw alot happened
I thought Marty was having an off day today. He continually butchered the name of the racetrack. It is pronounced "Zheel", not "Jills", and "Villnoov", not "Vill eh noov". Also, I heard them pronounce Jacques' name as Jack and/or Jock a number of times. That sort of thing is distracting to me.
ReplyDeleteStill, I think the length of the racetrack and the number of caution laps were what hurt most. As someone above said, 3 laps = 15 minutes, killing any momentum the race might have had. During the caution for the bumper bar on the track, for example, why couldn't they throw a local yellow, have a couple of corner workers wait till the field went by and ran out a gotten it? Crazy thought, I know, but when you compare the time it took to actually clear the track of the item, vs. the total number of minutes wasted meandering around the track at caution speed, its ridiculous.
Another butchered broadcast due to poor camera work.
ReplyDeleteLather, rinse, repeat.
I think ESPN does a fine job. I think the wreckfest would not have happened if the drivers raced as they were supposed too. Ever heard of driving too fast for conditions?
ReplyDeleteHate it for Ambrose, glad ESPN gave him the "Kyle Treatment" and kept the camera on him as he walked away when he didn't want to talk anymore..
The broadcast wasn't the best, but the race itself was just awful. Hard to get a good rhythm when most the race is run under caution. Rusty Wallace needs to listen to what's being said before he speaks.
ReplyDeleteMarty Reid continues to grow on me. Better than Jerry Punch. Bestwick is still probably the best PxP option.
That race was just bad. I don't think the best broadcasters/network could have made it any better. There at the end I was really wishing for a commercial break. Never thought I'd say that about a NASCAR race!
ReplyDeleteAllisong said, During the caution for the bumper bar on the track, for example, why couldn't they throw a local yellow, have a couple of corner workers wait till the field went by and ran out a gotten it?
ReplyDeleteI may be wrong but I think NASCAR is the only series that does not do local yellows. Or, it seems that way. But, I agree with you. A fan could've gotten out of their seat to get it and gotten back safely.
Why were we seeing pit stops during green flag racing? This was @ lap 44ish. At first I thought we were under caution.
I truly think that the NW series will no longer run in the rain. I didn't find it enjoyable. A wet track is one thing, but with rain falling, they should call the race.
Dot, they probably (I'm just guessing) did have a local yellow, say, on that last lap. It's to notify anyone coming after to be careful. But if the cars leave & no debris, then you are green. At the Glen, they often wave a local yellow in turn 1 if someone wrecks, and then keep going if the driver can keep going. If you're stuck on the track...they're gonna call a full course yellow.
ReplyDeleteClarity:
ReplyDeleteButchered camera DIRECTION.
not the folks behind the cameras.
Did you-all catch the statement at the very end of the broadcast where one of the booth guys said that they were going to do the Backseat Driver format again at Atlanta next week?
ReplyDeleteAs Peter De Lorenzo over on AutoExtremist.com likes to say, "that's a whole bowl of not good!".
I started watching about 4:00 Central Time with about 30 laps to go. Kept telling the wife that I would help her clean the house when the race was over. Thirty laps took something like two hours, I actually got up and helped clean the house it got so boring! Great finish though.
ReplyDeleteWhy did the caution laps take so long? I FFd and it was taking forever. Poor you guys watching live.
ReplyDeleteI will say that it was kind of BSPN2 to stay with the race. I'm hoping this is ongoing.
JD, if you will allow me to go OT. I have a question. Just how is Quebec pronounced, K or kw? I meant to ask earlier in the race column.
I gave up on this race when it became apparent that ESPN's people in the booth didn't have enough to talk about, and so went to a break every few minutes, even twice during the same caution lap.
ReplyDeleteI laughed out loud at when Marty Reid said, "We have time for another break during this caution lap, so we'll take it now instead of during green flag racing." Come on, we're not that dumb. We know you're going to run the green-flag lap breaks, too.
And they did.
Watching the cars race on a road course in the rain, which bears a close resemblance to driving on a freeway in the rain, should show people why NASCAR doesn't want to run Cup races this way.
We Anglos call it with the KW sound, but those who live there pronounce it K-beck.
ReplyDeleteDot, yeah, that was one thing Marty said correctly. Not sure if you saw/read, caution laps are 5 minutes. Part of the problem.
ReplyDeleteFor the 2nd year in a row, this race proved why NASCAR should never, ever run with rain tires again. What a joke.
ReplyDeleteBTW...most people I've met are really not hung up on the pronunciation. They appreciate the attention to the north even if we don't say it right. So I know we picked on them, but it probably isn't as big a deal as we think.
ReplyDeleteI thought ESPN did pretty good for a Nationwide race. I did not like how the race took 4 hours, though. I think NASCAR should have called the race when it started raining. Granted, the ending was pretty cool seeing lots of spins, crashes, and Ambrose losing on the last corner, but overall, I would like to see the race moved to a different track or shortened. I know NASCAR has a 200 mile rule, but this Nationwide race is just too long. This race would have been just right for a Cup race, but too long for a Nationwide race.
ReplyDelete@ Anon 9:51, thank you. I've always heard it and said it as Kw.
ReplyDelete@ glenc1, Yeah I know that the caution laps are 5 minutes long. You would think that two laps would be sufficient to clean up a wreck/debris.
Forget the booth experiment with four in there. (Who thought that was a success?) Here's one I wish they would try. No car cams at all. Just once.
To expand on Adam's comment. Didn't the race used to be shorter?
ReplyDeleteDot said:
ReplyDeleteForget the booth experiment with four in there. (Who thought that was a success?) Here's one I wish they would try. No car cams at all. Just once.
Amen.
But ain't never gonna happen with the egos calling the shots.
I don't even know where to begin about ESPN. I'm sick of the entire network, the NASCAR coverage just happens to be the pinnacle of terrible. I've written numerous e-mails to the network about the tickers and I've never received a response. It takes up 1/4 of my 56" screen with all their non-sense. If I cared about who was on first in the 3rd inning I'd be watching that game. Minimum of 3 tickers going at once is out of control. I get dizzy trying to watch the race and having to read about a guy that finally signed in the NFL. Where would I be had I not read that 96 times in 4 hours?
ReplyDeleteDo they ever stop talking about Kyle? Marty mentioning Kyle with his wounded car at 10 to go or whenever it was. Everyone had a wounded car, he's not superman we can see all the cars.
Seriously did Rusty ask Helton the same question right after Marty asked it? I find it funny every time Wallace or Gaughn spun we didn't hear Rusty for 2 minutes. Was he yelling on a radio or finding the headset he just threw? My dad would've taken me off the track and loaded it up.
Marty for the love of god, it's MARCOS not MARCUS, even Petree got it right! I wanted to reach through the TV and slap you and everyone on the telecast for the stupid comments and questions you ask the drivers and crews. Maybe you could've told us a few more times how great and loyal the fans are in Canada for sitting in the rain. I didn't think anyone could do it, but you guys are making Weber, Wally and NBC seem not so bad.
Also people, check the replays. I thought Carl caused the wreck too, but he didn't. He was forced off the track when Ranger drifted wide to shut the door and left him no room at all.
NASCAR take a page from the road race world and learn about local cautions. Seriously you couldn't remove a bumper bar in 1min 30sec?
At Rich,
ReplyDeleteNot trying to ruffle any feathers here, but even though his name is spelled M-A-R-O-S, it is pronounced as if it were spelled M-A-R-C-U-S.
I have seen this comment or some variation of it many times and just wanted to set the record straight. There are many things to criticize about the broadcast, but when we start taking offense to something that they actually did right, it makes us all look bad and or valid points look less so.
JT
Las, Vegas
Well, for starters major bummer to Marcos because he had the field covered today. Carl winning was especially painful because of the stunt he pulled in turn 1 on the restart. Kyle was the odd guy out and got booted...oh well I guess.
ReplyDeleteMore importantly though, what the heck was that today?!
I know ESPN puts a ton of hard work into these broadcasts but if there is some new "fad" about how to broadcast a race, TNT and myself missed it. The tight shots were VERY disorienting. Marty seemed off his game as did Andy. The S&P updates were nice but there was as a whole, major confusion about what was going on on the racetrack. This is a racetrack where they rely heavily on the cameras to find action and you could tell even the booth was thrown off by the camera work.
In the end, new track, same old issues.
The wide angle camera shots in turn 1 and the hairpin were the only locations I was able to identify what cars were attempting to pass for position. The rest of the views were too close-up to tell what was going on and the in-car shots were a waste of time.
ReplyDeleteForty percent of the race was run under caution. The race never stood a chance to gain any momentum. Running in the rain just added insult to injury. It looked more like a demolition derby with Steven Wallace in the middle of most of it. It's races like this he should be a S&P.
I listened to MRN by choice so I don't have any comment on the booth.
I'm watching last night's telecast of the Indy car race. What a difference good camera work can do for the viewer at home.
The replay of the race at 1am is a joke. It has been NOTHING but commercials. As of 1:27 there are 27 laps to go and they have shown none of the racing. They showed the first lap, then showed Carpentier blowing up, and are now on the caution with around 27 to go. I couldn't watch the race yesterday and looked forward to the replay tonight.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I know this isn't race related but rather Wind Tunnel related: Are we as NASCAR fans sure we want TWO Kyle Busch's in the sport? Danica Patrick had to give the worst interview I had ever witnessed. Back to the race: I found myself laughing, chuckling, and embarrassed about the Demolition Derby. Even Rusty was saying "I know what the fans at home must think..." If ever there was a time to gain "new " fans, and expose them to a serious legitimate sport, this wasn't it. A comical, three Stooges performance (and I'm not talking about the booth). I think they (Marty, Andy, and Rusty) did as best they could with this farcical "race".I realize the Montreal fans were excited and loud, but even the most discerning NASCAR fan would have said, "Enough!" Just because they were loud, cheerful, excited, et al, doesn't justify the fact that the race was a comedy of errors.
ReplyDelete1.Is it possible to give the
ReplyDeleteviewers a few laps of NON STOP
CHATTER TALK JABBER ANd MORE ?
2.Can we HEAR THE ENGINES WITHOUT
listening to anything else ???
3. How about quiet on the re starts?
4. And the first lap or ..after
that. Just think we could hear the
engines...Just like at the race itself !@!!@!@
5. We dont need the announcers
to tell us.. WHAT IS ON THE SCREEN
for all to see !!
6. How about a Microphone at the
Track Level ? and finally ..
Please tell the announcers to
talk in a NORMAL TONE OF VOICE !
And if there is a God..ask her
nicely..No Jenkins no Nuber.
Thanks and now back to our
regular program where the chatter
is still going on
Anon 9:53AM,
ReplyDeleteJust so we are on the same page, Bob Jenkins is the announcer for the IRL package on Versus. Larry Nuber passed away a number of years ago.
JD
ESPN had the unique ability to show camera coverage of accidents AFTER they occurred. There was a restart at the end of the race where "Wrecker" Wallace and a couple of guys at the back got together in Turns 1/2. They went full screen on that ignoring the furious fight up front. Go figure....
ReplyDeleteAnother excellent broadcast. What I like best about ESPN is they have plenty of talent on thier bench that can fill in during these off weeks.
ReplyDeleteThe camera work was top notch. I really enjoyed the pictures up close of the cars battling for position, and also the far away perspective given of the hairpin turn.
The work by the pit reporters was supurb. I also enjoy the unique tire changer camera. That gives a view that you rarely get.
Action was happening all over the track, in difficult locations to get a camera on it, but ESPN handled this very well.
Overall, another excellent race from the Worldwide Leader in Sports.
Well, at least this coverage was unique; it was a comedy, and it was totally unpredictable. And most of the comedy came from what Rusty would say next about his team's wreck fest. Too bad Randy hadn't been there to add to the festivities. I really was watching to see who would wreck next instead of who was winning. As it goes, I like this Montreal track and want to keep it for NNS but I doubt we'll ever see a Cup race there. Really sad Marcos screwed up at the end, no one's fault but his own because he owned the track all day, rain or shine. Can't pick on ESPN this time because it really was a crap shoot on what exactly should've been televised. I thought they got what few highlights there were and did attempt to track down wreck footage to show, after an incident.
ReplyDeleteMy verdict of NASCAR in the rain? Only for exhibition, please, not for points.
As to the commentary for this race I felt it met its usual low standards, but in this case i do not blaim the crew I blaim Nascar who has full course yellows on a road course, unless the track and the edges are completely block ed off and no cars can get by its a local yellow, come on guys! Of course expecting this bunch of yahoos having flag discipline is beyond their capabilities. Camera work was atrocious, but then again formula one has a 1.8 billion viewership so they don't have as many cameras as the formula one series. Then again as this was a second tier race in a "ferin" country so I think they tried to get by on the cheap-hence the to common in car shot, lipstick cameras being a dime a dozen. Hey what was that with the anthems usually when both anthems are sung they can get one right but this yockal screwed them both up, from the way he buthered the French in the Canadian anthem I am guessing he was American hence Jacques Villeneuves ROL during the Canadian anthem.
ReplyDeleteThe race was like an episode of the Keystone Cops. To call it a race is abhorrent. Just call it what it is...a demolition derby on a race track. These cars were not made to race on a road course or in the rain. Mercy, mercy, mercy.
ReplyDeletePlease ... no ... more ... Rusty.
ReplyDeleteI started to watch the reace, even though I hate road races. Reallly had trouble staying awake during the race/cautions(couldn't tell where one stopped and the other started.) Switched over to ABC and the Little League world series and was on the edge of my seat for a fantastic final game. Switched back to the race and laughed my butt off at the Rain Tire Debacle. What a joke,even though it was sad excuse of a race.
ReplyDeleteAnother Rusty and wrecker Wallace show trying to get a much exposure for the bogus co. they represent.And another wasted pit interviews during the race,to much background noise to here them,which really ok because no one wants to here Sally and Wendy any ways
ReplyDeleteCaught wind Tunnel Extra on SPEED.com. Paul Tracy called in to Tommy to talk racing. Said he Tweeted Max "that was the worst race I've ever seen". Max didn't believe it was PT, so Paul gave him an "insider" incident that proved it.
ReplyDeleteReason: Max had tweeted that NASCAR is the BEST racing and this was a GREAT race!
I couldn't watch it non-stop. What a disastrous broadcast. Thank God the LLWS was on, though 20 minute commercial breaks between innings got old real fast too.
Enjoyed my dual DVR, watched every green flag lap; every batter in LLWS Final, every at bat of MLB game; and almost every play of NFL game replay. Everything else has been said many times over. NASCAR tried (except for overly long cautions); ESPN will change nothing -- Folks upset with NASCAR telecast now? Just wait til NCAAFB starts up.
ReplyDeleteThis time..i'm not going to slam espn much..the race itself was a monstrosity..i'm Canadian and love that a race is in my home country..but come on..this was so junior league how it was run twas embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteEspn on the whole..got stuck in a weird situation..they suddenly had..i'd say..an extra hour of broadcaster blather time..and ..for the most part..kept it going well enough that i didnt run away from my TV screaming.
I'm still in no way a fan of Rusty..he brings nothing but ego and inability to pronounce stuff to espn..and the cutaway car segment is an insult to children its so bad.
But still..i put the blame on Nascar themselves for this race and espn was but a victim in this mess and all in all..did a half decent job..but dude..there are still wayyy too many commercials..in my own form of protest..i make sure i never purchase any items or brands that are advertised on nascar broadcasts except Ford and Dr Pepper..lol..not even espn can ruin my joy from those..have a happy JD..in all my posts i havent once said thanks and appreciate you..well..thanks for Daly Planet..i appreciate it :)
gI watched the start of the race, then the overblown amount of commericals and too much Rusty got to me, so I went outside to do some yard work. I came in again figuring I'd watch the last 30 laps -- little did I know that it would be 2 hrs later BEFORE I saw the end of the race. I kept wandering in and out doing things since the rain delay and the other booth silliness -- geez, Rusty, figure it out - just got to me, plus this is a road course -- it needs shots of the full course, not bumper cams. I keep saying I won't watch any of ESPN's stuff, but I like the dratted sport so I keep thinking someone will "fix" the problems. Disappointed again, overall, but the last couple of laps were fun. I felt bad for Ambrose.
ReplyDeleteanon 10:41...that guy was Jonas Tomalty (I looked it up), born in Montreal and a Canadian rock singer. He might be a lousy anthem singer, but he knows the language.
ReplyDeleteAbout the cautions (I hate to bring it up again, but...) I am not gonna claim to understand NASCAR's rules about pitting, but I'm thinking it's not just about the time it takes picking up debris or cleaning the track. If you allow guys to pit, that takes a certain number of laps to unfold. Yes, you could just keep the pits closed and restart quicker...and maybe that's what they should do. But traditionally, it's not what they have done. Maybe I'm crazy, but I could swear in the past (maybe not in these series) they sometimes did restarts on the backstretch. I know they have 'quickie' yellows, but I don't know that that would have helped much here. But it is a situation that happens on road courses, and it's worse when you get inexperienced guys running them. ESPN could not make a bad race better, but I still think they could have showed what little racing there was in a more cohesive fashion. Maybe it's me, but I thought Marty wasn't at his best either...a few awkward silences; a few jokes falling flat. But it's hard to stay sharp with all the mayhem going on. It would have been more fun with LaJoie giving Rusty a hard time.
Action was happening all over the track, in difficult locations to get a camera on it, but ESPN handled this very well.
ReplyDeleteWell, yeah, if you mean "missed most of it and sometimes had replays of the critical incidents," then, I guess so.
glenc1,
ReplyDeleteThe old road course at Riverside, CA used to do restarts on the backstretch during the Winston Cup races.
I don't remember Riverside (just a bit before my time) but thanks for confirming that it's been done...I'm sure I saw it at the Glen a long time ago, but it might have been the old BGNN series or something else. It would make sense to use this if they could.
ReplyDeleteI do think that it looked like Montreal did not have a lot of exit roads, and that probably did contribute to the problem.
They do need to do a better job of determining if something is a local or full course caution though. That much I agree with. Safety is important, but if you have 13 full course cautions (or however many they had) with caution laps that take near 5 minutes per lap, you have to evaluate why your going to that track in the first place.
ReplyDeleteThey need to get Rusty out of the booth. It wasn't enough to send him to Nationwide from Cup. He just plain needs to go. If I had a dollar for every time he says, "He's driving his guts out .." "He's driving the wheels off that car..." Blah blah.... He's horrible!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThey need to cover the WHOLE field, not just the top 10 unless it's Kyle Busch. Oh yes, Rusty needs to take his lips off his butt. ;)
There was a great story w/Kenny Wallace's Fan Car and they mentioned it once and hardly mentioned where Kenny was racing until he hit the top 10. Then they forgot him. As usual. Just because he works for SPEED he is STILL RACING HIS CAR!
Most everyone has said the usual problems they have at ESPN/ESPN2.
I did think they showed a bit mor enthusiasm during this race and it was nice they stayed on the air until the finish of the race.
Danny boy
ReplyDeleteThank you! i wondered it that was the real Paul Tracy too...I am following him now. Not ALL drivers use the Verified Account status....so I never know fake celebs from real ones. :) Max is great on Twitter and interacts...as does Tony Kanaan and Tony knows how to use the @sign which helps.
I find all sorts of gems reading this blog. Everybody here is great at keeping us informed about things.
Unliked ESPN (meow hiss)
It was a shame KennyW got no mention that I heard.
For CUP race I will miss MRN folks but will make do with the PRN guys but honestly, they are ESPN-ee to me.
MRN fan when I can
(Only get them for CUP in my area!)
JD
Thanks for the extra blogs these days.
Better coverage than the Cup crew.
ReplyDeleteThe drivers can only blame themselves for the Keystone Cops swirl-a-thon after the rain tires.
They can control that, they chose not to.
I thought the coverage of the NW race was OK!! If you wanted to see bad! You should have seen FOXs coverage of the Motogp at Indy!!That was sick!!
ReplyDelete