Sunday, October 11, 2009

Live Blogging The Sprint Cup Series From Fontana, CA (2:30PM ET on ABC)


Here we go with a race that is wide open. The Saturday Nationwide Series race at the Fontana track sizzled. Now, the big COT's get ready to try and pass on a track known for aero issues.

It will be Allen Bestwick leading the ESPN production team on the air at 2:30PM with a one hour version of NASCAR Countdown. He will be joined by Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty. There are plenty of topics for Bestwick to talk about and hopefully the TV team will try to balance the stories of the race with the stories of the Chase.

Jerry Punch is next with the race coverage. He will take over slightly before the 3:31PM green flag. Punch is going to have a very long day calling the action. This is a 500 mile race and covering all the stories is going to be crucial.

Now in year three, fans are used to watching these races without a true play-by-play call. Instead, Punch offers minimal information, no excitement and begins to lapse into asking questions of his broadcast partners about halfway through these races. Fans still email me about his total silence during the Logano accident two weeks ago. How much longer ESPN will tolerate this remains to be seen.

Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree look and sound like they have had a long season. Jarrett has worked with Punch, Marty Reid and been also asked to handle the play by play alone several times this season. As a result, his formerly crisp and interesting comments are not as well-placed because he holds back.

Andy Petree is the one who has just stepped up and let it fly recently. His ability to step in and point out action on the track that Punch and the producer are missing is key to these telecasts. Petree often calls out the accident location and then fans wait while Punch and the TV cameras try to find it.

Tim Brewer is about out of new things to tell the fans. Saturday, he detailed for fans who have watched the sport since February what a driver has to unbuckle to exit a car. It was painful. Who ever is producing this venue needs to understand fans want knowledge, not repetition.

Shannon Spake, Jamie Little, Dave Burns and Vince Welch are the reporters on pit road. Last week, this team was forced to ask post-race questions to everyone except the security guards as the network had to fill over thirty minutes. Amazingly, once the reporters got away from the questions they were forced to ask by the producers, they did a great job. Hopefully, a lesson learned.

Fontana is rough for tight camera work. It is rough to show the cars racing away from the camera. On the backstretch, only a wideshot shows the pack fanning out to set-up for the passing zone. In-car cameras work best for replays. How much of this is followed and how much is disregarded is about to be seen.

This post is going to host your comments on the ABC presentation of the Sprint Cup Series race from Fontana, CA. 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. Thank you for stopping by The Daly Planet.

724 comments:

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Vicky D said...

Anon at 6:45 - like the Nobel prize too.

Dot said...

Touche girlfriend.

Patrick said...

Junior, "If they want to rig the finish, they can rig it"

Dot said...

....@VickyD.

red said...

petree wonders what's going on w/the #1 car on that pit stop and, as the camera stays on it, dj starts talking about the decisions to stay out/come in.

are they even in the same booth? do they listen to each other? can they HEAR each other?

that #1 car is this close to blowing up: dj's right -- it just sounds so flat. ugly sound.

Martin Vincent said...

@Jonathan - Any small decal forward of the car number is a contingency decal, meaning it's a NASCAR sponsor that funds the race payout for each team. When a primary sponsor, like Miller Lite, chooses to run an uncluttered car, they usually pay the team more money to make up for the additional race purse they could have picked up by running all the small decals. I think the only ones that are required are the "NASCAR" decal and the "Sprint Cup Series" decal, any other one is at the discretion of the team.

Usually, the team's minor (or associate) sponsors are seen on the lower panels in front and back of the rear tire or on the roof pillars.

Jonathan said...

lol w AP I dont know why the hoods up (truex)???? You dont know and you have all the resources to know????? Hell someone left a comment about that about 2 min before he came to pit road. LOL what a joke, this sounds like a bunch of high school kids calling the race

Dot said...

@ Patrick, Jr has NASCARs # doesn't he?

kbaskins said...

ri88grl, LOL, good point. Probably your view is closer to the truth.

--KarenB

Anonymous said...

Jr. just said if they want to rig the finnish let them rig it. I'm surprised he is being so openly vocal also about the 'debris' cautions, he called them out too. He hasn't been this ungarded in quite a while

Karen said...

Now, that in-car for Kahne was great.

Newracefan said...

So we watch a wreck from the inside of the car you are f.... kidding me.

kbaskins said...

Dang, that sucks! That's it for Biffle's and Kahne's Chase.

--KarenB

Sally said...

Didn't Nascar warn them they should 'be mindful' who they were racing around?

red said...

@ri88girl: the man has nothing to lose. i mean, what are they gonna do to him -- take away points and fine him? pshaw. he's been feeling a bit more feisty of late and i'm liking it.

Dot said...

How dare those Chase drivers race each other.

Anonymous said...

Nascar gets what they want with their phony-baloney cautions and double file restart. Does one of the drivers now hit another with a folded metal chair?

This is very embarrassing to those who respect real sports and think drivers are athletes. No wonder my friend have quit watching

Jonathan said...

I wish I could hear JR.. this is the one race hes not on Hotpass ughhhh..... Thanks for the Jr radio updates

Sally said...

Junior may end up more like his daddy after all. Speaking out about the phony stuff...I like that! Is he taking over for Tony?

kbaskins said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jonathan said...

Hey they showed the debri on the track this time so that wasnt a mystery one

kbaskins said...

Actually, let me rephrase that. Johnson has asked the #5 to give him a push on the restart. Not really orders. Sorry.

--KarenB

red said...

@karenb well, i know the 48 WANTS the 5 to push him up but i'm not convinced the 5 will play nice.

Sally said...

This long late caution is going to play hell with the top guys that came in for tires planning on more time to catch back up.

DrTeplisky said...

Even Francis Ford Coppola couldn't direct THIS "Hollywood" trainwreck

kbaskins said...

He chose the outside so he could get a push from Martin. Duh.

--KarenB

Newracefan said...

Karen not going to happen 5 behind the 24

kbaskins said...

Holy sheep poop!

--KarenB

Patrick said...

there goes Junior's good run.

Sally said...

CRAP!

Patrick said...

Junior had a flat tire.

Anonymous said...

Y'all spent too much time talkin' about the 88 I told you it was like a no hitter

Anonymous said...

Jr had a flat

Vicky D said...

Dang our CAT car.

Steve L. said...

These guys SUCK!!! Missed a wreck while watching the leader lead!

Sally said...

A replay already!?

red said...

oh . . . well.

ok, so everyone, feel free to talk about the 88's run now.

nascar fan-dom isn't for sissies, that much is for certain.

Newracefan said...

OK so we get a debris caution to bunch the field and now we have a bunch of cars that are now debris. Good decision, I'm not so sure.

Sally said...

We need an overhead shot to see how that started. No definitive shot so far.

Tom said...

red flag out

Anonymous said...

Even I could see something was going to happen. I saw someone smoking but BSPN decided it wasn't important to follow up on And then the wreck happened.

Anonymous said...

4:00 straight up and lost the feed in Northern Cali... anyone else?

Sally said...

Yeah, if you were the director, wouldn't you have had a camera fine that smoke and stay with it?

Beating A Dead Horse said...

Still not enough video to determine the cause. Ya think ESPN missed that one completely?

Vicky D said...

Maybe Denny can tell us what happened.

Tom said...

ABC station in SLC still on air. Don't care, though...watching and enjoying Montoya channel on Hot Pass.

Patrick said...

How do you miss that when they're all together.

Don't fear the reaper!

red said...

88 believes the 29 got into him and popped his tire and then the 88 just had no where to go with a flat.

BUT . . . this is one dale fan who is NOT going to turn off the race just b/c my driver's out.

so there.
(but i am headed for a beer . . .)

Anonymous said...

Went to ABC 7 logo and elevator music....

DrTeplisky said...

Watch for a truncated post race (unlike last week) now that the PTB have set up a green-white-checker, or so they hope. As to the action...they must be affected by the fumes from the old Kaiser Steel mill near the California Speedway plot.

red said...

if i were the 24 or 48, i wouldn't bank on the 5 giving me a push so that i could run away with it.

Sally said...

I see they have given up trying to get any more infor on what caused the caution?

Anonymous said...

Why done they just run the green-white-checkers every week and save us all alot of time?

ESPN can have a 2 hour pre-race and a two hour post-race to sell stuff.

Jonathan said...

Hey everyone dont forget the last ARCA race is on speed tonight.... Should be a good one! so whos everyones pick to win this w the red flag

Daly Planet Editor said...

AB has to be going crazy watching his sport run into the ground by Punch.

He did fire a shot across his bow in the pre-race and Punch caved like a paper tiger.

Wonder if something might change before Charlotte next week?

I might just run up there and cause a ruckus.

Martin Vincent said...

Speaking of ARCA, has anyone heard about James Hylton's condition?

red said...

well, rusty, you have that flat out wrong! sadler wasn't trying to "help" dale at all: he was trying to whoa up when dale slowed b/c of a FLAT TIRE!

how come we have learned this much and espn is without a clue? maybe b/c we're forced to rely on sources other than espn for information and have developed a skill set to deal w/their ineffectiveness?!?

Sally said...

Would you like to expand on that a little, JD?

Tom said...

Spake saying anything legit to Allmendinger? Like "How do you feel?"

red said...

hey jd? for you, i can have bail money available, dude!

Anonymous said...

hmm in shades of kansas a few years back, we may be about get dumped off ABC at 7:30 for funnies, one more incident on the restart, which is likely at this point, may run us past 7:30...

Jonathan said...

Red that just shows your a true fan. im a big jr fan as well while it sucks, i hate those who turn off the race just cause there driver is out. Screw that im a fan of Jr but also Im a fan of good racing and will never ever turn off a race no matter what happens! NASCAR NATION ALL THE WAY

Tom said...

Yeah, JD...what did he say??

Anonymous said...

Can we outlaw that phrase "It is what it is" ?!?!?

Sally said...

Come on, JD. Cruel and Unusual to leave us hanging like that!

Daly Planet Editor said...

You guys weren't here for the pre-race? Shame.....

Ann_Ominous said...

Do those crew helmet cam video shots give anyone else vertigo? They make me want to puke! I have to shut my eyes.

Charlie said...

I think it is about time JD writes his post race opinions first and let us comment to it.

Sally said...

Expecting us to watch the entire pre race really IS cruel and unusual...

PammH said...

Reed Sorensen has gained a bunch of weight!

Newracefan said...

JD I was here but the blond kicked in and I missed it so help a girl out will ya

red said...

well, the chef i'm married to has declared dinner is ready so -- have at it, gang. i'll catch up afte rthe race and will be multitasking between the phillies and arca tonight.

Glenn said...

Kasey Kahne just called "Debris caution" on NASCAR to bunch up the field. He's not too happy.

Daly Planet Editor said...

From 3:24PM...

whoa! was that just a subtle shot at the booth by Bestwick?

Anonymous said...

I think Dale took the blame for the wreck cuz of the flat but he was bugging the spotter to tell the 29 and 14 to wheelup. Guess they did. He seems to think their done, and Lance, is still working on the car. Jr said it was against the rules to backup down pit road is that true and if so would it have mattered? Lance didn't seem to think so. Dale Jr is obviously disgusted with the whole concept of racing and NASCAR as it stands, I'd hate to be him if he really feels that way all the time.

dara2K said...

I say watch the 14 and the 5 on restart! 24, 48 are probably gonna points race! The last 5 laps are always worth watching. Isn't Jr. still cute, though? Just kidding. feel bad for the kid, really...

Vicky D said...

Now David Ragan is being called "the young man"!

Ann_Ominous said...

I ran out to McDonald's during the pre-race. Got in line at the drive thru and discovered that my wallet wasn't in my purse. Raced back home to get it. Came into the house just as Jesse started butchering the anthem. Was out before he finished. Got my burger and even had to wait a bit and still made it back before the green flag.

Now what does this say about the pre-race show?

Daly Planet Editor said...

Charlie, I got in trouble for that in the media.

Apparently, you are all somehow my slaves and just agree with me all the time.

If they only knew! So, I let you talk first on the Cup races.

Working so far, one column was read over 22K times.

glenc1 said...

when did California turn into Talladega? I guess Michael Waltrip got what he wanted even without restrictor plates.

Anonymous said...

Ouch!!

Kasey just threw race control under the bus ... and ran over them many times ...

glenc1 said...

did I just hear Kasey say...OMG! Wonder if he'll get called into the trailer for that?

Vicky D said...

Kasey is the man.

Charlie said...

Thanks for the info JD. I do miss you reacting to a telecast after it finished.

You got to do what you got to do.

Anonymous said...

7:30 in the east is gonna be an interesting transition, 1 more yellow here forcing a GWC, and we're in trouble.

Jonathan said...

They showed the debri why does everyone say there wasnt any???????????????????????????????????????????????

kbaskins said...

"What does Juan Pablo have to do on this restart?"

Well, you dumba** ESPN pit reporter, first he'll slam on the brakes, and then he'll run his car into the wall. That's what I'd do if I was a racecar driver. Never do the obvious. Confuse the opposition.

Geez. Really. What a stupid question.

--KarenB

Unknown said...

Way to go Kasey!

Tracy D said...

Well, Kasey is really ticked about the nonexistent debris caution. And AJ slamming RPM for not giving their engine dept enough resources? Wow, gloves are off!

Anonymous said...

Brad D went from the voice of the fans to the NASCAR puppet.

Anonymous said...

Guess my race day is over.... no feed on Comcast in NoCal. Second thought.... might not be a bad thing to not watch.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Jonathan,

It may have been there for many laps before that or may have simply been plastic or a water bottle.

Either way, its NASCAR.

Anonymous said...

Kasey is my new hero!! Watch the Nascar shills cover up.

Anonymous said...

Jonathan - The last debris caution was for what looked like a ball of tape. Should have been no caution.

7:30 will be very interesting...

dara2K said...

Does anyone recall if ESPN/ABC showed the debris for the caution about which Kahne is referring? I don't recall because there's been a few cautions for debris where they didn't show the debris...

Sally said...

"Better safe than sorry"? Unless there's a car dead in the middle of the front stretch and the field is coming thru turn 3?

DrTeplisky said...

@Martin Vincent--On the James Hylton incident at the Rock: saw nothing on Fayetteville (NC) Observer website, nor ARCA's, nor James Hylton's website or Facebook page. Hope the airlift was precautionary, but sounds a bit more serious from the Tweets.

Anonymous said...

Maybe they can be like the NFL and fine Kahne for questioning the officiating . . . sounds like an action detrimental to stock car racing to me.

Tom said...

Dara2K,
I remember that they did show it on the most recent one before the carnage...

Anonymous said...

Lance is hurding cats in the 88 pits with folks who can't tell the differene between right and left.

Ann_Ominous said...

Kahne was refering to an earlier debris caution, the one before his wreck with Bush, as the fake debris caution. That one they did not show on tv.

The most recent debris caution they did show on tv. It looked like a ball of tape.

Vicky D said...

On ARCA website they said that James Hylton got out of his car under his own power and took him to the infield care center then he was sent to the hospital.

Charlie said...

Why did they not keep the camera on 2nd place with the three cars racing?

Sally said...

Hmmm. Keep the camera on the leader all by himself as there are several cars battling for finishing spots. brilliant.

Ann_Ominous said...

awww pooper scoopers!!

Can I hop on the "anyone other than JJ" bandwagon?

Anonymous said...

I see closing credits 30 second post-race show?

Daly Planet Editor said...

OK folks, take a minute to jump back to the main page and let us know what you think of the last four hours.

Anonymous said...

Gotta go watch Patriots at Broncos overtime--at least one real sports event today.

Tom said...

Love him or hate him, Jimmie loves Cali.
Vince Welch to Chad Knaus: What does this do in your chase for another championship?

Oh, I don't know...it HELPS? DUH!!!!

Becky said...

Charlie said...
Why did they not keep the camera on 2nd place with the three cars racing?
======

Because that would make sense. And has ESPN/ABC done ANYTHING that makes any sense? LOL

Sally said...

What does this do for your championship hopes? Hello? Idiot alert!

Anonymous said...

why the heck did espn took the camera off from the battle between montoya and martin to focus on Jimmie Johnson.

Anonymous said...

Brad D thinks this is Jeffy's "best run of the season" !?!?!?

Did he miss the win at Texas ???

Jonathan said...

Good for Jeff,im not a big fan his but glad to see him finish 2nd

Tom said...

Thank God for Hot Pass...showed the battle all the way to the line.

kbaskins said...

Oops! My TV accidentally changed to "The SPEED Report". I guess it didn't want to watch yet another Jimmie Johnson celebration.

Hey, there's Bob Dillner! Hey, Bob!

--KarenB

Sally said...

I can skip Victory Lane tonight.

Anonymous said...

Ok, so did Mark finish th or JPM? ESPN seems confused. oh my!

Anonymous said...

Jeff Gordon was drinking water when the TV crew caught up with him...he tried to hide the water bottle and show the Pepsi bottle that hadn't been tasted yet.

Ah, product placement! follow the money...

Daly Planet Editor said...

Thanks again for sitting with us through this stinker.

No clue why the TV is so bad when ESPN can do everything from college football to golf with few problems.

Love to hear your comments after watching this sport for eight months.

Tom said...

And now we head to Lowe's, the last race with the name attached to the track.
Think Jimmie will expand the lead now that he has it?

Anonymous said...

4:30 on the button.... Feed came back on Comcast NoCal... just in time for the sign-off....

Tom said...

Transformers Victory Lane? Ai-yi-yi!

Daly Planet Editor said...

OK, let's move comments over to the new post. thanks.

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