This is a huge race for ESPN. The first night race at Atlanta for the Sprint Cup Series is going to be key determining the line-up for this season's Chase for the Championship.
ESPN made a radical change on Saturday night with coverage of the Nationwide Series race. Gone were the endless in-car cameras and extremely tight close-ups of single cars. Gone were the bumper-cam shots that made no sense and the singular focus on the leaders of the race. The ESPN Director who provided the pictures changed the entire feel of the telecast for the home viewer. It was great.
Now, the question is will that return to the focus on racing continue or end? These seventeen Sprint Cup races are the only ones on ESPN and the pressure is tremendous on the entire ESPN production team.
In the past, this week has meant an endless pounding on the TV viewers about the Chase for the Championship. "Points right now" are words that ESPN's NASCAR viewers have learned to hate. Who cares? NASCAR fans understand the racing, they know the drivers and have been watching this series for seven months. They have a clue.
Saturday's Nationwide Series telecast also confirmed Allen Bestwick as the true leader of this TV team. Bestwick again controlled the "Backseat Drivers" and showed fans again that his ability to direct traffic on the air is just what ESPN needs to right this NASCAR ship.
Atlanta has a new tire from Goodyear and the race may well be dominated by tire strategy. ESPN's pit reporters are going to have to keep up with these stories all night long.
The starting line-up for tonight is Allen Bestwick in the Infield Pit Studio as the show host. Joining Bestwick will be Brad Daugherty, Ray Evernham and Rusty Wallace as his expert panel. Tim Brewer will be in the Tech Garage.
Up in the broadcast booth will be Jerry Punch along with Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree. Punch will be calling on Shannon Spake, Jamie Little, Vince Welch and Dave Burns to cover the action on pit road.
This post will serve to host your comments on the TV coverage of this race on ESPN. To add your TV-related opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for taking some time out of your holiday weekend to join us.
642 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 400 of 642 Newer› Newest»Hornish spins again?
Why do they always have to use that speed balloon when they have a battle?
@Dot --
*sigh* Just call me an eternal optimist.
JD, It's just maddening on how ESPN only focus on the top 10 drivers in the race.
Missed the entire graphic!!!
Bevo
SADLY these PRN guys are no MRN. They just finished an interview with somebody..forget who...not into the race at all and went to get a snack
Folks,
REMEMBER late in the season last yr, bspn improved the middle series telecasts but cup broadcasts still stank.
lather, rinse, repeat :(
Jr wasnt happy with earlier pit adjustments..hoping for better this time.
JPM 4 tires
Weed first one off pit road
S Speed got lucky dog
Should we start taking a drink when Hornish spins?
Be interesting to know why pit road is so dark at Atlanta but not at Texas or Charlotte.
And to head off any smart replies - I know it's because of the lights :)
NOW I'm REALLY MAD!
I HATE when they just don't show reality.
The image of the #82 going around for the "Lucky Dog" right before the commercial break was from the PREVIOUS lap. He had already gone around and caught the field, so he wouldn't have been on the outside. He would've been on the inside ready to pit.
Less than one lap to green. I don't see them getting back in time. We'll see.
BSPN must be in Marcos' pit. Tire got loose. Just like their coverage.
@Dot - And when they say Mark is 50, and when the mention live points, and when they promo other sporting events.
If one has internet radio, do you get MRN for tonights race...or Everybody has to put up with the inferior P R N?
More info but the 'personalities'. M A having major changes as his car is NOT good
What is the point of the crew-cam?
Playing with the HD toys again?
hey gang! playing catch-up for a while but i already have prn on the laptop. be with you soon!
#09 OUT - "Electrical"
Be nice to talk about the guy who's won 6 races at that track and driving a new car tonight. B Labonte
Sophia, I think it's one or the other. SMI tracks use PRN because MRN is owned by the ISC.
How many times will someone say "Tom Cruise knows loose is fast?" Please Lord, deliver me.
@Sophia- PRN at all of the SMI tracks "_ Motor Speedway" MRN all the others except Indy. MRN has all of the Truck races no matter the track.
Tom Cruise mentions, take a drink.
Be nice to talk about LOTS of the guys in the race...but if you're not in the 'chase', you aren't worth mentioning. they finally mention Gilliland, but not where he's running, and BLab is invisible. Unless they accidently make a shot with one of their 'story' cars, they're toast. And they wonder why it's tough to get sponsors? If they never show the car on the track, what's the point?
anon
Tx...I knew BS uses PRN but didn't know if that was OTA broadcasts and that pay radio too. just curious.
These guys are doing well now with real excitement. I look up from laptop at tv and can count to 5 or 6 seconds or LONGER in car or bumper cam. back to read Twitter and listen to radio.
more entertaining than ESPN!
but love info here as always.
SMI owns PRN. ISC owns MRN.
During the caution, Junior wanted to reverse the changes from the first caution. Before the green flag, he said he didn't want to be bothered with temperatures/pressures. It is slick and loose out there. He wants to focus on driving. He seems to get good starts, then fades while tires are coming up to temperature, then is faster than those around him.
and what's with all the R rated movie promos so early? Not that I'm surprised, but if I had kids I might be annoyed. At least there have been no L Ron Hubbard sightings (so far).
No mention of MAs loose tire. Same thing happened last time at Atlanta. Only Jimmy didn't have to chase this one.
Man I'm using Foxtrax like crazy to update myself on the guys running outside of the top 10
Did we miss the lead change?
LOL@Dot, we'll be smashed before the race is half over.
@Sophia -
try www.wpsk107.com for PRN ...'listen live'
Reed Sorenson in 12th in the #43. Not a word.
prn has just declared "the race is our reason for being" but they're still going to focus on the points for the chase. anyone hearing a contradiction here?
Dang, poor Jody.
heyy thanks for that link. Screw ESPN
Exactly why Tech Center should not be used under green flag conditions.
Did they mention that the #17 stayed out to lead a lap?
Walter
THANKS. but I do have PRN local tonight..just don't get it for truck or NW races in my area.
GRATEFUL for radio during cup or I would be watching DVD of Golden Girls from the library about now.
Kyle B first off pit road again.
hole in Carl's oil cooler! back to garage
edwards update from prn: "nascar has sadi 'don't let that car off pit road until you find out what's causing that right front tire rub.'"
Edwards has a hole in the oil cooler per PRN
Amen on the Tech Garage.
Tech Center is useless
@ bevo. A big fat DITTO on that one.
Drink --- If you've just joined our coverage.
You know, they keep talking about their "HD toys".
Well, I have HD, and when they do a wide shot, I can identify nearly every car they show. And I can see where they are running. And it's far more informative than these silly low-resolution in-car cameras.
Kahne brake checked JPM on the restart, dropped 5 spots.
That was a good wide shot of the #88 & #83 battle. Right until they went on-board to lose all perspective.
I totally missed the #09 T.Labonte leaving the track for the garage. I'm slippin'
I think we had more play by play announcing last night without Punch.
If Kenseth is out right now according to the graphic, why is he still yellow?
prn said Labonte has loose wire on alternator but hood is up
Patrick
Where you getting your info? Online on trackpass?
You are doing great as usual.
little FYI, Carl had a hole in the oil cooler. theyre going to swap out the entire radiator
Well, I missed something with the #08 (not '09 as earlier posted). T.Labonte is on the track, 9 laps down.
There is no rhythm to this telecast.
@JD - No question of that.
@ Patrick, Terry is in the 08. Bliss was in the 09. I think he is out though.
Truex passes Shrub for the lead while TV is in commercial
We got to see some racing, but I predict when the cars return single file we will go back to the single car/bumper cam/on-board/tight shot/radio transmission/The Chase 500.
Blogger Patrick said...
That was a good wide shot of the #88 & #83 battle. Right until they went on-board to lose all perspective.
~~
have the tv muted and it was 4 seconds, I counted on each in car cam. that's a long time of useless cams.
I am going to watch Fireworks on tv at 9pm I think and catch pics on Twitter from a couple of local folks..lol
has espn noticed that sorenson is having an amazing run tonight?
terry labonte = alternator wire off; just repaired.
edwards = radiator being replaced; still in garage; edwards not getting out of the car.
yes, soph
I use RaceView (w/#88 radio) and PitCommand (w/Officials radio)
@Dot - Because Kenseth can still mathematically get back into the top 12 in the next race.
I'm totally and completely lost.
There is no rhyme or reason to the camera shots. Just as it's getting good, off we go to something else.
Bah, humbug.
And ESPN, if I wanted to know about baseball, I'd be watching baseball.
ok I heard LABONTE on PRN and thought they meant Bobby..didn't know both were in the race tonight.
i am all confused between reading two sites and listening. :)
BSPN slow on the Edward's story.
JD- Do they use something like spotters to tell them about action on the track? If so could it be we just have people who don't know racing doing that job?
Oil cooler info from Andy but not Brewer?
@ MV, true. But then so can Marcos & Reut, lol.
JP said Gilliland may run a 4th Gibbs car... I thought that was already confirmed, why is he saying may?
Silence is Punch's most effective weapon.
Don't know why Junior lost the field and dropped from 15th to 26th, but Lance says they'll fix the toe on this stop.
Carl coming back out soon. They replaced the radiator. Checking pressures right now. They're firing up right now.
--KarenB
Is it me or PRN is behind a bit
Sophia, I also did not know both bothers were in the race. Lost for a while
DJ: "We got a caution."
AP: "Don't see anything."
How does he not see the car on the backstretch smoking with sparks coming out the rear end? Is it hard to see from the booth, or were AP's eyes only glued to the monitors?
@Dot, maximum points are 195, minimum points are 34. 195-34=161, so anyone within 322 points of 12th place is shown in yellow.
And Crazy Mikey stays out to lead a lap in the #55. Would booty have made that call? probably, i just wanted to say booty
Someone is going to wreck coming on pit road
Edwards back on track 23 laps down
They probably didn't have an oil cooler problem recorded so Andy took it.
I forgot to ask, but did anyone read the AP story last week about the Hendrick engineer who was born without both arms? It was a wonderful piece of reporting and truly inspiring. I never saw it linked on Jayski.
ok, to be fair: unlike last night, prn is just throwing to commercials non-stop tonight so i THINK i may have to turn the audio back on the tv and actually listen to espn more than prn tonight.
this is just so incredibly frustrating! i turn off racing last night after a solid truck broadcast and then it just all falls flat on what should be the premier broadcast.
(edwards back on, 23 laps down.)
2nd pit stop for Junior. Changed tires, first stop. Fixed toe, 2nd.
@ Patrick, Jr having trouble in center of corners.
@ Springrubber, they only watch the monitors.
anon@9:01: prn is, in fact, behind as it always is. that's what makes following a race somewhat challenging -- and why a solid tv broadcast would be a godsend.
Dot said...
@ Springrubber, they only watch the monitors.
I read that in the article JD posted last week. The first thing I thought of was this: If the monitors don't let you see out the window, GET RID OF THEM!
@ MV, thank you.
@ Charlie, top billing for you.
JPM just gained 4 spots on the first lap
Doc has no understanding on how to do play by play---he is just one of 5 voices on this broadcast-no freaking ownership of the mike....
red
on my old dial it in boombox, it took me 5 minutes to find PRn due to a cluster of commercials a few minutes into the race.
Patrick
You posted something earlier AHEAD of PRN..because as I was reading your post HERE..PRN was just saying the exact info...unless you are listening to PRN ONLINE and they might be 1 minute ahead of me listening over free OTA station.
not sure how that works.
Red
my head is spinning from all of this and I just now turned on Fireworks on my tv for a bit. From Cincy/No Ky...is a great sight in person but I could never go around that many for 8 hrs to get a place to watch Fworks.
I will watch for video and pics from Twitter, lol
Doc:
Call the race-don't be an analyst!
Walter, thanks for the link to PRN. Do you have one for MRN?
Go Bobby! Let's hear more about how Slugger got him in that seat.
Man, the pictures are much better but Punch is just KILLING them tonight...
To DalyPlanetEditor:
Do you understand what I'm saying? He has no concept on how to call the race pbp to lead the analysts...he is a reactionary
Doc should market his call as a sleep-aid--sominex--restfull-sleep, sleep, sleep....sad, very sad..
red, just glad to have you here during live blogging. Not the same without you.
JPM up to 8th. He's flying out there - not just into the corners :)
I lasted two sentences with PRN. They were talking about some bet, not the race.
Call the race with the enthusiasm that you call the college football promos Doc..
Anon 9:11PM,
We have been doing this for three years. I have called for Punch to be changed on Sirius Speedway, the Rowdy.com podcast and over fifty radio show interviews.
I will be on with Michael Knight coming up as his special guest and I assure you one big topic will be this mess.
You sir, are preaching to the choir!
I wonder, do women outnumber men tonight on this blog?
How many people just joined the coverage Doc?
MA 19th.
hey karen! many thanks! i really didn't want to have to watch espn again but prn is just not cutting it tonight so i'm only using them when espn is on commercial break.
my biggest source of info is the leaderboards right now.
speaking of which: wickedj -- our guy has climbed up to 15th after those 2 pitstops to fix the toe he knocked out!
Not really a Stremme fan, but he's been in 9P for quite a while, no mention by booth and no crash either.
Wow, my prediction was off! Showed the racing mid-pack & a Bobby Labonte mention! One extreme to another. They do need a case of 5-hour energy for Dr. Jerry Punch. Stats, car number, stats, Mark Martin is 50 and sailing into the corner, stats, throw to commercial,
Dot.
Jr. 14th. Nice.
@peggyann- PRN in morning zoo mode again. They have some really good guys but someone needs to knock them upside the head and tell them to cover the race and stop with all of the inside references and stand-up routines.
Buschseries61 said...
...They do need a case of 5-hour energy...
The Rusted Son doesn't NEED any, for sure.
@bevo - I'd rather have a zoo than a cure for insomnia.
Will we see it? I had a feeling that NASCAR wouldn't let only 6 cars on the lead lap in a CUP race.
JP, "fifth caution flag tonight, five cautions tonight." Duh.
Will they dare do full throttle for this next restart.
Don't wonder Doc-call the pit stop setup!
Charlie, shut your mouth.
And Vickers picked up four spots on pit road - no mention of him tonight at all. Sheesh.
@Sophia -
WPSK is local station online in New River Valley (Virginia) ...they also carry MRN - Sprint Cup only, not NW ...also www.blueridgecountry98.com carries PRN, MRN and Nationwide ...check www.motorracingnetwork for affiliates carrying NCWTS
Tracy, we have lots of female readers who comments but we also have lots of folks who just like to read the comments.
There are a LOT of folks here right now.
@Andrew- You barely get more information out of PRN than ESPN but I do understand where you're coming from
I didn't mean it, Charlie. No jinx.
I'm not a woman but I like women, does that count? :)
Yeah, regarding radio MRN is way better but you dont get a choice do you. Still like FoxTrax for leaderboard coverage. Miss my RaceBuddy badddd
Future reference, start on inside.
Ditto Dot
Bevo, ROFLOL. I was just curious, since I heard a bit in the pre-race about 50% of Nascar fans being women, many of whom who would root for Danica P. As if sex determines fan-dom. Silly statement.
walter
Thanks will check out for truck races! but SPEED at least is good but we plan on dropping digital so that would be fab to find.
bevo
I said a year ago to somebody that one PRN guy is a stand up wanna be...don't know the names on there but his voice alone is annoying...sigh.
and PRN for next weeks race? Cripes.
Does JP know that the walls are not concrete anymore on the inside?
Wow! Fan noise...what a concept.
Gorden TAKES THE LEAD!!! WOOOO and GO JR!!!! What a great race and looks like espn is doing well w the camera work just like yesterday!!!!
#98 says the #82 (i think) is smoking. Turn 3 confirmed.
HOMESICK for TNT and Racebuddy.
Junior is moving!
JPM just passed Smoke to go into 4th
I guess it would be bad form to tell Denny H. to drive it like you stole it?
ok, can i just say this and be done with it? we all should know by now that the 88 is a rim-rider and will generally be found up against the wall at most tracks. the booth acts so surprised each week by this reality.
@Sophia - isn't it going to be MRN at Richmond next week? I'm pretty sure it's the channel we use with our Fan View gizmo.
Richard,
Funny!
Sorry, bad info there
@Sophia -
next week is Richmond (an ISC track) so MRN will have the coverage ...check www.goprn.com to see their coverage schedule ...PRN's PXP is Doug Rice with Mark Garrow alongside
The problem with not having a very definitive PXP guy is that there is a long way to go and all the excitement has just been sucked out of this by Punch.
@ Richard NC, now you get top billing.
@Richard- Just don't ever say that to Jimmy Spencer :)
#55 is smoking. #88 fastest out there by almost a second.
WOW from 10th to 7th in 2 laps! JR NATION STAND UP! Plus Espn please get rid of the spotters on the full throtle gives me a pain..
@ richard in nc in re: hamlin: i just laughed so loud the dog jumped up and started barking! that is far and away the funniest comment all weekend!
Rooty up to 11!! Let's have some mention please, ESPN.
Come on folks, the ticker colors are not that hard to understand.
GREEN - CURRENTLY IN TOP 12 OF POINTS
YELLOW - CURRENTLY OUTSIDE TOP 12 IN POINTS, BUT STILL MATHEMATICALLY ELIGIBLE.
Kenseth was in 14th in points, so he was shown in yellow. No one said he was eliminated from the chase.
both of those previous statement I made are wrong. They were looking for smoke from the #55, but didn't see it. So, maybe another driver made the claim. Junior is the fastest, but not by a second (by 1/4 second, a full MPH).
LOL @Rich
Will they get to B Lab in 20th? Good job so far for him.
Amazing. MMartin running 5th, see Jr. catching him, and they skip over to Vickers? This is COC...Chase Only Coverage...and it sucks!
Well I tried again tonight. I usually watch the Speed Report, Victory Lane, Wind Tunnel, TWIN, and Raceday ,listen to Sirius NASCAR Radio most all week, so I don't need more stats during the race. If JP was on one of those shows he would be outstanding.
Most of us know PRN doesn't do the best job on radio but in comparison to tonight's tv broadcast at least I know there's a race going on, not a funeral procession.
Are they only doing the Chasers? Boo hiss.
Ticker colors are as useless as teets on a hog. It only matters where they run at the checkered flag.
And IMO, Points are important to show as the race is running. It would be like not showing GOLF scores until the end. It makes no sense. I realize everything changes with every lap, but I want to know where all drivers are in points, and how much more they need to gain.
Oh, only the bubble boys.
holy crap i looked away and Junior was 30th. now hes about to take 4th
Tracy & Walter. Sorry my errror. It was the FM station promoting next week they would cover Rmond. not the PRN guys.
YAY! MRN! Color me happy. :)
I still can't remember Brutons tracks besides Bristol, AtL and Vegas..do well to remember those. Only been watching NASCAR since 2004
@Sally - I'm not even sure it's CoC, as Mark needs every position he can get tonight.
@wickedj: he's running like the proverbial bat outta hell. i think the frustration in the pits with newman and logano has "inspired" him to get up on the wheel!
as of this moment, espn hasn't noticed.
Anon @ 9:37 - The problem is in golf each hole counts towards the final score, so showing the scores is a must. In NASCAR, you don't get the points until the last lap. It is useless to see 'points as of now', because anything can change in 100 laps.
Wind Tunnel ?? any chance Ed Hinton gonna be on there to talk DP with DD?
I might have to tune in at top of hour.
turning on digital timer now...
Harvick putting on good show despite a rough season ...interesting to see if RCR can make him a real spoiler for Chase
Am sick of ESPN just covering only the top 10 cars.
Finally! A Rooty sighting!
Script error. Reut got coverage.
John Force on WT tonight.
I'm sorta with Anon @9:37
Too many times these races are single file affairs and knowing who is in the chase with 2 weeks to go is appealing to a wide audience. There's more passing here than in your average cup race, so it might not be the same at the end. It is a less intrusive way to demonstrate who's in, who has a chance left. the alternative would be a large rectangular graphic in the middle of the screen. I'll take the colored ticker.
Sophia, WT is a show with drag racer John Force.
Even tho Jr seems to having a gd race tonite, but tooooo much in camera yet again, I have hit it when Cuz Carl's ft has bn mentioned, so I must say gd-nite.I will ck in Mon morn!
I don't have a problem with the colored ticker. I DO have a problem with TV refusing to cover anyone but the 'chasers'. And, since the ticker shows the placings, it isn't really necessary to limit the booth discussions to nothing BUT who's in or out!
The #08 T.Labonte (sorry for the type earlier) finally went to the garage. I don't give them much hope to return.
Terry to the garage. :(
Bobby 19th. :)
If they want to start talking placements with, say, 50 laps to go, then it might be more relevant, and they could still cover the actual racing on track.
JD -
I may be mistaken, but didn't aerial shots went away around sundown? ...guess the pilot couldn't find the way home otherwise or the fuel budget was really tight ...way too many tail lights and in-car shots
I give the #08 team an A+ for effort. They don't pull it in lap 20 & take cash they did not earn.
JD, any updates on the final festivities in Las Vegas for the banquet?
Official: #08 OUT - "Electrical"
@Sophia - Unless I missed a few, the tracks owned by Bruton Smith are all the ones ending in "Motor Speedway", except Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and then add Kentucky Speedway and Infineon Raceway.
The race is too long. I do like The Chase concept, tho. Respectfully submitted.
even with new configuration, the way around Atlanta is the high line (rim riding) ...that always worked for the King, Cale, Pearson and #3
To poor old me, it seems a little more difficult to start and park without any actual mechanical failure when your driver is a two-time Winston Cup Champion.
ok, anyone who says dale earnhardt jr can't drive a loose car needs to watch a replay of that squirrelly back end just then! recovered it and kept his foot in the throttle.
Brunton Smith has promised a new road course at New Hampshire... that's a very good thing.
Robby Gordon 16????
Why are single car shots so important.
Oh yea, that's right, it shows off the HD on your Tv.
Anyone know what happened to the 44,55? They've dropped like stones.
i gotta give a shout out to my driver. Robby Gordon
@Charlie ---
But, I doubt that most of the audience has HD. I know I don't.
ok..thanks. I knew John Force was on.
Did not REALIZE it was for the entire hour. Last time DD did interview with Ray E, they broke it up..beginning and end of show with other stuff in the middle. :)
How many laps were we watching a series of cameras showing nothing but Jimmie Johnson, followed by a split screen with Jimmie's car in one window and Chad Kanus in the other window? It felt like an eternity.
#6 & #31 pass through penalties.
Don't know if FoxTrax says the same thing, but Leaderboard on NASCARdotcom shows Clint Bowyer with 73 driver points, as if he's running his first race of the season.
I don't have HD either but that is what Espn says is the reason for tight shots.
How many here have HD? I don't.
@Dot, I have HD. Makes a real difference in the picture for the races.
I don't either.
@dot: no HD here and none planned.
(no surprise, right jd?)
No HD. Long term plans.
Walter,
The knock on this group is that the Director gets tighter and more disjointed as the race progresses. That includes no big sweeping scene sets coming back from break, no aerials under yellow...nothing.
Tracy,
I called the hotel in Vegas and asked to talk to the person who was in charge of planning the banquet. They put me on hold until I hung up. Sweet....
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