There are just not that many new things out there for NASCAR's TV partners to cover. Drug testing was a new topic this year and the Jeremy Mayfield show was interesting for a while. However, most of the other stories like silly season, sponsor issues and the Hendrick dominance are old hat.
Both SPEED and ESPN have an opportunity to be involved in something tremendously historic. It may not seem that way right now, but five or ten years down the road what happens at the Charlotte Convention Center on Wednesday will be huge.
NASCAR Chairman Brian France is set to unveil the first class of Hall of Fame inductees shortly after 4PM ET. Both SPEED and ESPNEWS will carry the announcement live.
Mike Massaro and Brad Daugherty will handle the ESPN telecasts. After the announcement on ESPNEWS, the duo will return at 5PM for a regular edition of NASCAR Now with additional interviews and information.
Update: Massaro and Daugherty will be joined by Jerry Punch, who is also a Hall of Fame voter.
As one might expect, SPEED has a cast of thousands split between their North Charlotte studios and the TV trucks parked outside the downtown Convention Center. They also have some surprises in store as Darrell Waltrip and Kyle Petty take center stage on the coverage.
The network starts with a morning warm-up at 11AM. The familiar team of Steve Byrnes, Jeff Hammond and Larry McReynolds will be in the SPEED studios. At the convention center will be DW and Petty. That combo should get things warmed-up for later.
After a replay of the California Cup race, SPEED goes live at 3PM for three hours. A one hour final preview of the nominees will be followed by the announcement and then tons of interviews, reactions and memories. The guest list should be pretty special.
In addition to the TV team that handled the morning show, SPEED will add Mike Joy, Ken Squier, Wendy Venturini and Randy Pemberton. Joy and Squier will provide the historical perspective while Venturini and Pemberton provide the interviews.
Voda and Byrnes put a cap on the day at 7PM with a one hour version of NASCAR Race Hub. This casual show is brand new and trying to make a dent with a new spin on racing conversation and news.
The publicity surrounding this announcement will be a real shot in the arm for the sport at a time when one is desperately needed. Media outlets that have routinely ignored the Chase will be carrying this NASCAR story about who has made the first Hall of Fame class.
TDP will start a live blog at 10:30AM and continue it throughout the day as the TV shows continue to unfold. We welcome your comments on all the NASCAR Hall of Fame coverage. We will also be providing updates on Twitter.
You can access those free of charge at http://twitter.com/TheDalyPlanet anytime. There are hundreds of NASCAR teams, drivers, journalists, bloggers and thousands of NASCAR fans who use Twitter everyday. I encourage you to take a look!
Thanks for taking the time to read about the big Wednesday for both the sport and its TV partners. It should be fun to watch.
It will indeed be a historic day. I've only been a serious fan for a dozen years, but it seems a lot longer, maybe because I've read and watched a lot of the history. I hope the events of the day are reported well; they need to be preserved. Today I watched "Together," and "Dale," which I've seen before, is on now. I've had a couple of good cries.
ReplyDeleteJD as you know I'be been involved, not any more, in NASCAR from the mid 60's till I got out of the radio TV thing, but continued to be a fan till now. Today should be a GREAT day for NASCAR. My picks are Richard and Lee Petty, Bill France Sr., Jr. Johnson, and Joe Weatherly. Can't wait to see the outcome. Needless to say I'll watch Speed...Can't do the espn thing. Todd
ReplyDeletei don't think so
ReplyDeletenascar has said all they will do is announce names
no hof's will be at press conference
it's just - here are the names
nascar needs another lesson for the nfl
Last night Race Hub was epic, as I expected. All 4 panelists worked really well together and I enjoyed the various viewpoints. The chair department always seem to be 1 short though...
ReplyDeleteToday I will be watching Speed for sure. DW, Steve Byrnes, Kyle Petty, Mike Joy, Ken Squier, Larry McReynolds, Wendy Venturini, etc. will be fun to watch. Decades of knowledge and great reporting.
Of all the people ESPN could have brought with Mike Massaro, they bring Brad Daugherty? Did they bring Jamie with them to ask how it FEELS to be in the HOF? ESPN has plenty of talent that has been around the sport for over a decade. Too bad they aren't using them.
Glad to see SPEED covering today.
ReplyDeleteThey truly do respect and cover the sport as their name depicts.
Mike M and Brad D's selection reflect ESPN's "could-care-less"
attitude of the sport; thanks to
Brain France.
On Hub last night they never explained the voting procedures unless I missed it on the show Monday so I don't know how they will do it. Is it secret ballots, handheld machines or hand votes? Maybe someone out there in Nascar land knows. Guess I'll see some of it when I get home. Wanted to comment on two things from last weekend's Nationwide race that were on tv this morning but I'll wait til the weekend.
ReplyDeleteA NASCAR HoF has been a long time coming and I'm glad it's finally here. I already made my choices but I have to say while I agree with Richard Petty's argument that "foundation" people need to be first, I voted for him. I kind of think this was mis-thought out, 60 yrs there should've been more inductees for the charter class, especially considering deserving people's ages. I always prefer an honor to be bestowed on a living person, and if we draw this out 5 at a time every year, some aren't gonna make it.
ReplyDeleteI'm still puzzled as to why the announcement is in the middle of the work week, and the middle of the day (for some folks) since I live in Denver, Colorado?If it was such a big deal, they would have broadcast it in primetime. Just curious...
ReplyDeleteRichard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Bill France Sr. are guaranteed locks for three spot. The drama will be who gets the final two spots. Those will come down to Junior Johnson, David Pearson, Lee Petty, and Bill France Jr. Most people, including myself, think the other two spots going to Johnson and Pearson with France Jr. and Lee Petty being locks for next year. The bigger drama will take place over the next few years.
ReplyDeleteThe voting procedure is described as:
ReplyDeleteThe voting will entail a total of 48 ballots. Twenty ballots will be from the nominating committee; 27 ballots will come from a group consisting of former drivers, former owners, former crew chiefs, manufacturer representatives and media; one ballot will represent the results of a nationwide fan vote.
So, 48 ballots, one is the fan's. So I think that every ballot has five choices and they just count them up, top five are in? Is that how it works in other Halls?
We are now live blogging the HoF voting TV coverage. Please move your comments to that post.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
JD