Friday, November 6, 2009

Live Blogging The Camping World Trucks From Texas (8:30PM - SPEED)


A long day of NASCAR TV on SPEED will cap with the Camping World Truck Series race. Krista Voda starts the pre-race show at 8:30PM with The Setup. Ray Dunlap and Adam Alexander are the pit reporters.

At 9PM, it will be Rick Allen, Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip calling the action. This should be a dynamic event for the series. The field is a good mix of veterans, Cup driver cross-overs and some of the young guns.

SPEED's telecast may go a long way toward answering some of the issues raised when ESPN and NASCAR had problems this last week after Talladega. The truck series TV team covered the Saturday race from the very same track and had an outstanding telecast.

The coverage tonight should be straightforward, simple and effective. The high speeds and fast action of TMS mandate no excessive in-car cameras, no soundbite playback under green flag racing and quick transition into and out of commercial.

SPEED uses the racing TV fundamentals to put a comfortable telecast on the air. Voda sets the tone in the pre-race and Allen carries it through the on-track action.

This post will serve to host your comments on the Camping World Truck Series race from TMS on SPEED. To add your TV-related comment, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet and contribute your opinion.

SPEED's Big Friday From Texas


Once again, SPEED stands front and center on a Friday as NASCAR prepares for a big tripleheader weekend. SPEED will be handling all the on track action and offering all the NASCAR TV programming for the day.

The first order of business for SPEED is to acknowledge the tragedy just down the road at Fort Hood and keep the tone respectful. There is little doubt that the mood in the garage will be tempered by the reality playing out for many soldiers and their families. The military has a significant presence in motorsports with most eyes Friday on Ryan Newman and his Army sponsorship.

As the Sprint Cup TV networks have come and gone, SPEED has been a consistent partner for NASCAR fans from the opening weekend in Daytona. The trio of Steve Byrnes, Larry McReynolds and Jeff Hammond has logged more hours on the air than any other in the broadcast booth.

Byrnes is a consistent presence with a deep knowledge and love for the sport. His pairing with the intense McReynolds works because of the relaxed style of Hammond. In the casual setting of the TV booth, McReynolds and Hammond have called endless practice and qualifying sessions for both the Cup and Nationwide Series.

Quietly this season, SPEED has built a core of racing reporters that may be much stronger than some TV networks use to cover the live races. Wendy Venturini, Bob Dillner, Hermie Sadler and Randy Pemberton are inquisitive and informed.

SPEED's reporters know when to step into a situation and when to leave someone alone. The result is the ability to get spontaneous interviews with many NASCAR personalities. Over the last eight months there has been a trust established that no one will get thrown under the bus, embarrassed on TV or ambushed about an issue just to create conflict.

The highlight of the day starts at 4:30PM Eastern with back to back Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series qualifying. Then, the Trackside show welcomes Juan Pablo Montoya and Brad Keselowski as guests at 7:30PM. With Byrnes, McReynolds, Hammond and Elliott Sadler asking those two questions, it should get interesting.

The evening caps with Krista Voda offering the Camping World Series pre-race show at 8:30PM. Rick Allen will then call the race with Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip. This series has been enjoying higher TV ratings and popularity because of the quality of both the racing and the coverage.

This is a huge day of NASCAR coverage for SPEED. Between Danica, driver changes and multiple storylines unfolding in the garages, it will be SPEED on location with no competition all day long. After a strong week of Race Hub and a great truck race in Talladega, this network is on a roll at the right time.

Please use this post for updates on the SPEED programming from the Texas Motor Speedway on Friday. TDP will live blog the race at 9PM. To add your opinions on the daytime coverage, just click on the comments button below.

This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thank you for taking the time to stop by. Let's hope for good weather and great racing on Friday.