Sunday, May 30, 2010

Live Blogging Indy 500 (12PM - ABC)


Every year we live blog the Indy 500 because there is simply nothing else like it. Over the past several years the event has seen its ups and downs, but this year the race has come roaring back into the global spotlight.

ABC goes on the air at 12PM ET with a fast-paced one hour pre-race show. Unlike NASCAR, this program is actively coordinated with IndyCar and contains several elements including live driver introductions.

Here is what ESPN put out to the media about the coverage:

Brent Musburger hosts the telecast, while Marty Reid will call the race with analysis by former IZOD IndyCar Series star Scott Goodyear and 1998 Indy 500 winner Eddie Cheever. Reporting from the pits will be Rick DeBruhl, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch.

ESPN will use 59 cameras to televise the race fully in high definition, including a 360-degree rotating onboard camera mounted behind the driver on multiple cars. Unique views will be provided by Track Cam, a high definition camera running on a cable over pit road and the frontstretch that can move at more than 80 mph. All 33 cars will carry GPS boxes for the Sportvision RaceFX system to provide telemetry and pointers to help identify the cars for viewers. And ESPN will use a radio replay system that can record, playback and edit radios from any of the 33 drivers.

The one-hour pre-race show will include interviews with many of the 33 starting drivers as well as special features, including a look at the up-and-down past year of polesitter and defending race winner Helio Castroneves, from beating tax evasion charges to winning Indy to becoming a father. Ryan Hunter-Reay is featured in an ESPN Sports Science piece comparing driving an IndyCar to flying a fighter jet and drivers who have and have not won at Indy talk about the Blueprint for Success at the famous track. ABC Good Morning America host Robin Roberts, the pace car driver for the Indy 500, conducted a unique sit-down interview with Danica Patrick that will appear both on GMA and in the pre-race show and another feature looks back on ABC’s 46 years at Indy with on-camera interviews with some of the iconic announcers who were part of the history. The telecast also will include a Memorial Day tribute salute to veterans.

ESPN International’s networks and syndication of the Indy 500 will reach more than 252 million households. In addition, U.S. troops serving overseas and on Navy vessels around the world will watch via a broadcast agreement between ESPN and the American Forces Network, bringing the total to 213 countries and territories.


How about that for an attention-getter? ESPN's NASCAR team plays a prominent role in this special live event. Punch returning to Indy for the first time in many years is a great story. Marty Reid has also been putting in solid work on the NASCAR trail and he is tuned-up for this one.

Indy is a mix of strategy, luck and skill. Racing is done on the straightaways and simple mistakes can cause disaster in the corners. Translating this to TV has always been a challenge. Wideshots down the straights have served to be the most efficient camera angle for decades. Restarts in this series often tell the tale.

This post will serve to host your comments about the ABC coverage of the Indy 500. To add your 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.

310 comments:

1 – 200 of 310   Newer›   Newest»
Daly Planet Editor said...

Afternoon folks, here we go!

OSBORNK said...

It will be an interesting same day comparison of how different networks do a major racing event. We will see how the cameras are used, how the booth monkeys handle the telecast and get a general overall impression of the success or failure of each telecast. I hope ABC does a good job and it motivates Fox to "step up to the plate" and also present a good telecast.

Daly Planet Editor said...

booth monkeys! Yer killin me already!

Daly Planet Editor said...

Well, this is getting weird early on....

E-Ticket said...

Weird that is a nice way to put it.. What a cheesy worthless opening...

Daly Planet Editor said...

Maybe a little of the entertainment boys in on that one? Not a sports tease/opening for sure.

Anonymous said...

Was that to prove the point that ABC's lead announcer always hosts the Indy 500?

Jim McKay, Al Michaels, Brent Musburger . . .ok and our friend Paul Page

Unknown said...

Kind of liked the opening. Not the best one in the world, but it was pretty good. Not sure about the DP commercials. Can't deny her marketing appeal, but she has to start contending for a win really soon. How much longer can her charm carry her in the sport?

Daly Planet Editor said...

As long as Bob Parsons writes the checks from Go Daddy!

There is a great article about the reality of Danica in the New Yorker magazine.

Anonymous said...

Bob Parsons is the presenting sponsor of the whole broadcast. Even these days that still costs real money.

Daly Planet Editor said...

You know he must be getting a good return on his investment.

Anonymous said...

JD, this is the one day this year you can post a UStream link without risk of lawsuit. The official Indycar.com link to the IMS radio broadcast is on that service.

JS said...

(Tunes guitar)
Make the girl...go away...
Get her off, our TVs...
She's said the things...she wanted to say...
Now make the girl...go away...


Indy 500 Pre-Race Show. 60 minutes long. Which means ESPN's gonna drool over Danica for 45 minutes. At least they acknowledged the other females in the field this time.

Daly Planet Editor said...

How do you find that in the search?

Anonymous said...

"Radio information" on the Indycar website . . .then the webcast link

Daly Planet Editor said...

Thanks! Got friends overseas who need to watch online. That will be great.

Ben Florance said...

that interview with danica was a joke, that is all they talk about

Ben Florance said...

bring back paul page...marty reid sucks

Daly Planet Editor said...

Happy Sunday to you too B!

Unknown said...

Not sure what to expect from the Danica interview, but that was not not even close to the mark. I think her 15 minutes is about to run out...how much longer can she hang on with a major win?

The Loose Wheel said...

best part about Indy, driver intros.

bevo said...

Just got up from my nap after the F1 race.

Favorite race day of the year. Weird not having Monaco to bat lead off but the Turkey race was a blast. Teammate drama in F1 to go with Kyle and Denny :)

Dannyboy said...

In the "old" days we used to make fun of Jenkins on TV. Now I'd PAY to have him or Paul over almost anybody else that ABC/ESPN/DISNEY shoves down our throats.

OSBORNK said...

So far,Danica is the only that got substantial boos.

Dannyboy said...

Hear the "boos" @ Danica's driver intro?

Anonymous said...

Not long before we hear from our good friend, Jim Nabors

Daly Planet Editor said...

Danica got boos! Wow.

red said...

gotta say, i like these driver intros MUCH better than the nascar intros. you get to see the drivers & there's no sponsor/endorsement stuff to clog up the flow. i would imagine it also makes sponsors happy, seeing their logos on the driver suits.

so, there's the first change i'd love nascar to consider.

bevo said...

Just turned on the pre-race. ABC really going after the person who has never seen a car much less a car race before.

Sad.

Anonymous said...

If you'll tolerate the posting of a link -- to the Miami Herald about what Izod is doing here

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/30/1655380/indy-500-changing-its-image.html

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Hotaru1787 said...

Thought I'd join in for a bit today.

I'm really put off by this pre-race show. Seems like they think we've never watched this event. Not a good start.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Daly Planet Editor said...

That is a big issue. Appeal to those who only watch racing once a year and also those who watch all the time.

Daly Planet Editor said...

No prob Anon, thanks for checking.

Shirley Buttacavoli said...

Am I the only one that feels this entire pre-race is being dedicated to folks other than race fans?

Oh, I forgot, the start was moved so 'everyone' could watch. Yep, this will keep 'em until the green flag.

I knew I should have taken a nap after the F1 race. Guess I still have a few minutes.

Dannyboy said...

Nice piece on the 1960 Rathman-Ward battle. I met Rodger in SD @ what was supposed to be an annual event but it never panned out.

red said...

hotaru, while we've watched indy 500 for a few years now, i can tell you there are a multitude of folks for whom this is the ONLY time they watch any form of racing. there was a time when wide world of sports carried only this race in its entirety.

so, if irl did a pre-race like this each week, i'd be irritated. but for this one race, with all the history behind it and with so many "rookie viewers," i'll take it.

(that, and since i don't watch nascar pre-race, it's an interesting moment for me personally!)

Daly Planet Editor said...

Jack Nicholson wearing his Lakers cap in the flagstand. Hope it does not get blown off his head.

OSBORNK said...

Brent will wear on me as much as DW does before this day is through. Both in the same day will be difficult. Brent is a fish out of water and DW is like a duck (as in quack) under the water.

The Loose Wheel said...

Thanks for the link, interesting article. It's good to see IndyCar have a title sponsor because they have value. New new heads of IRL seem to have a plan too. Give them a few years and they could recapture a bit of the glory they lost in the split.

Hopefully once the race gets going things will pick up steam, this is why I really cant watch any pre-race stuff anymore since it's all garbage. Looking forward to the Pocono pre-race though. (Dear god did i just say that?!)

Dannyboy said...

Sorry if my earlier comment was unacceptable. Can't stand people talking down to me on TV of all things.

Anonymous said...

I consider this pre-race much like the run up to the Kentucky Derby. I watch horse racing a maximum of three times a year, and only twice if the Preakness has a different winner than the Derby.

Daly Planet Editor said...

In the New Yorker magazine, it reports that Danica's home in Arizona is 9 thousand square feet under air....

Daly Planet Editor said...

I asked an ESPN source if Punch might replace Brent as the host in the future. Not as long as Brent is still working.

The Loose Wheel said...

Danica is on the other side of town from me....I'm on the poor side lol.


Good to see a NASCAR tradition make it to Indy hahaha

Dannyboy said...

TK is the BEST! Hope his luck improves. Lots of drivers I'd like to see win. Biggest downer: PT is not int he race while some of these rookies will be lucky to make the 1st fuel stop.

Anonymous said...

I can't see Brent being fired the day before a national championship game, again.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Nice analogy to the Derby, I agree for sure.

Daly Planet Editor said...

The story of how Brent got to ESPN in the first place is a good one.

Dannyboy said...

ABC is cranking the volume up about 15db on the commercials. Makes me wanna shoot the Tv ;-)

red said...

Daly Planet Editor said...
The story of how Brent got to ESPN in the first place is a good one.

care to share or provide a link, jd?

The Loose Wheel said...

JD, share it.

Jewel...oh dear god....kill me now.

bevo said...

Can we get a little breathier singer next year???

Daly Planet Editor said...

Not in this forum, but maybe down the road. His brother is his agent.

West Coast Diane said...

A little behind, because unlike you brave souls who watch live I rely on my DVR :-)

Just finished a fun F1 race, although needs to be in Monaco.

Just used my DVR to FF thru intro. What was that?? What a waste. (Just FF'd thru Danica commercial)
Why can't they just do the racing stories. Tony in last row. Helio going for four. New women in the race, etc, etc, etc!!

The PTB are slowly sending me away from the sport. This from someone who can say only 2nd race in 14 years we've missed 500 in person and have attended 6th straight Daytona 500 this past February.

We motorhome to both from Northern California. No "casual fans" here. They are killing the sport of racing for us.

Unknown said...

Didn't have a speed gun with me, but I don't think those jets broke the sound barrier while flying over the speedway...

Dannyboy said...

"Beaking the sound barrier?" hey Muss: that's now 2 things about which you know nothing and are getting paid to talk about!

The Loose Wheel said...

Ah, interesting.

I can imagine ESPN won't change anything as long as any major hosting gig is out there, he will be there. Think if ABC had the Daytona 500 JD...

Daly Planet Editor said...

Just a heads-up folks. We are looking at the TV coverage of this event and talking about it.

Thanks for joining us today.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Things are not working out too well for Brent right now.

Dannyboy said...

Jewel, honey: It's about freedom, not sex.

The Loose Wheel said...

Is Richard Petty at Indy today and doing the double or is he in Charlotte?

Sophia said...

What was the sound guy doing, giving Jewel a second mic mid song!? Wow, what a distraction but she was unflappable about it..sounded good on our two tvs!

Daly Planet Editor said...

If there was ever a time when we needed a military band or person for the anthem, that was it.

red said...

ahhhh, man. not taps. heartbreaking.

Anonymous said...

Why doesn't the Purdue marching band do the anthem? I know they are there.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Goood question.

Unknown said...

Please take a moment and say a thank you (even a silent one) to the men and women that are serving in the military that are protecting our "rights" to sit and watch this race and chat with each other all day long. Without them, we would not be doing this.

Thank you to all the men and women of the armed services!!!

Andrew said...

Why can't Jim Nabors sing the anthem instead of Jewel?

red said...

asked our 18 year old daughter if she knows who jim nabors is: i got a shoulder shrug & "nope."

and she's a major irl fan . . .

generational, indeed.

Daly Planet Editor said...

They told me she was great in rehearsal. Oh well...

bevo said...

Good, no more Brent for awhile.

Anonymous said...

If I remember, Eddie and Scott disagree rather frequently.

bevo said...

@JD- Jewell is never "great" :)

Daly Planet Editor said...

Scott said it was interesting to be working in the TV booth with the guy who gave him the most trouble on the track!

Russ said...

This maybe a dumb question, but are the announcers on the inside of the track? That shot looked real when they showed Marty, Scott, and Eddie for the first time.

P.S. Nice to see a big crowd at Indy

Anonymous said...

Russ, yes the booth is in the Pagoda on the infield.

The Loose Wheel said...

I'm pulling for the underdog Tag's team!

Dannyboy said...

Speaking about driver disagreement on-air: missing Bobby Unser right about now....

red said...

note to jamie little: a coupla of us think that sarah fisher might be great first choice for female indy winner.
just sayin' . . .

bevo said...

Maybe it's just me but Dr. Punch looks so much better working down in the pits again. He's the best.

Andrew said...

I *really* hope they don't use the floating heads for the whole race. Please.

Andrew said...

@bevo - I completely agree, and if he's been assigned to cover Penske and Ganassi the whole race, that's brilliant too.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Great to see Doc back at Indy.

The Loose Wheel said...

I hate my 12 year old tv. Can barely see any of the graphics

PammH said...

Jewel ought to be ashamed of buthering the anthem that way. And she even laffed during it!

Russ said...

Thanks Anon at 1:10. That's interesting.
I wish they still did the silent last pace lap

The Loose Wheel said...

That was an ugly start

red said...

anon@1:11: it's similiar to flyers fans with kate smith singing god bless america before home games. a major tradition more than a musical moment.

Andrew said...

Nice wide camera angle there to catch both the leaders and the action. That's what HD is supposed to show. You watching, FOX?

Dannyboy said...

Oh, Davey!

bevo said...

Well I guess Davey is free now to join the radio broadcast...

The Loose Wheel said...

great wreck analysis by Goodyear! THAT'S what NASCAR needs from it's booth monkeys

Unknown said...

One thing about Indy coverage, they always get to a spin/wreck almost immediately. Gotta love that!

Anonymous said...

And now for the annual Daly Planet postings about the side-by-side commercials . . .

Anonymous said...

Has anyone else noticed that the ABC HD picture is blurry for a few seconds when they go from reply to live? I've never noticed that on the other networks.

Anonymous said...

Damn, why do they have to put Cheever in the booth, He is such a know it all ass. I still remember when he was leading the 500 on a restart, Michael and Mario were second and third. As soon as te green flag waved they blew buy him like he was standing still!!

Waht is wrong with sticking with the boys who have done it all year and are GREAT!

Dannyboy said...

Can't believe thay green flagged THAT mess of a start! Whatever happened to 3-wide?

The Loose Wheel said...

Dannyboy, I agree that was a horrible start. Very stretched out and should have been waved off

JS said...

The Brand got booed...wow.

IZOD has the worst commercials in racing. They don't quite beat the GEICO cavemen for worst overall, but I'm going to get tired seeing them today.

Interesting that they've got Cheever and Goodyear in the booth together. I know they were last year, but weren't they teammates one year in the 500 (2001, maybe)?

And why is it that ESPN doesn't have Paul Page covering this race (or the IRL, for that matter)? Anybody have any idea?

Hotaru1787 said...

That start did look a lot sloppier than from what I've seen in past years. Ouch, a mess!

Daly Planet Editor said...

Trying to find out why they went green. No comment from race control.

Dannyboy said...

NICE video of TK passing so many on the start ;-)

JS said...

Kanaan got 8 spots in two turns. That's a Tony Stewart-esque start! Props to ABC for showing that perspective of starting last & moving up.

bevo said...

Wish Davey would tell us what he really thinks :)

Daly Planet Editor said...

JS,

Marty, Scott and Eddie are the team and have been. ESPN loves that line-up for some reason.

red said...

what a GREAT camera angle that was! sweet!

Unknown said...

Got to agree, the constant (picture in picture) coverage is great. Why doesn't everyone do that during a race?

JS said...

(Showing the about 12th place battle)

Reid: "And there's Danica in that mix, too!"

(Danica is 25th at that point, dropping).

...maybe the IndyCar Series coverage is why I'm not a Reid fan on the NASCAR side.

Andrew said...

8 laps until a Danica update? Shocking.

red said...

ok, THAT commercial made me laugh! "shut it, pinky!"

The Loose Wheel said...

Bummer for Bruno. I gotta say the analysis sounds pretty solid so far on both wrecks. Danica is the chosen one so I won't get so up in arms over that. Best thing we could see is one of the other ladies get up there and have a great run to steal the thunder

Dannyboy said...

Well shut my mouth: Bruno is the 2nd vet who crashed before any rookie. Looked like he just lost it.

If Indy want's to bring fans back they have to figure out how #1) to make the cars sound more exciting than my 1/8 scale RC car, and #2) give them more than 700hp so you have to LIFT - and maybe even brake - to take the corners.

JS said...

Andrew- It could be worse. I think it was an average of every five laps in 2005 and 2006 before an update on The Brand.

(shudders at bad, bad memories of Todd Harris doing PBP in 2005...the horror...the horror)

Shirley Buttacavoli said...

Even with caution laps, I love Side-by-Side. David Poole & I used to argue about this all the time. Hate he's not here to debate with me, but I still believe it can be done in NASCAR. Wish ESPN could get sponsors to agree (if that's the issue).

Anonymous said...

Paul Page makes Cheever sound good, I almost cried when they moved Reid off of the NHRA coverage and installed Page. I really enjoy Reid, he is doing the best p2P out there right now. I think the NHRA is sufferin with Page there. It is just hard to listen to the nice guy and knwledgeable Dunn with Paige trying to make it sound as if he had been THE man in NHRA or years..

Daly Planet Editor said...

Shirley,

It's 3 different TV networks who hate each other trying to get together on one issue.

That's Disney, Time Warner and News Corp. Not gonna happen.

The Loose Wheel said...

At the cost they paid for the NASCAR package, side by side ain't happening....

That's just my firm belief. Celeb interview #1...

Daly Planet Editor said...

Anon, most of us thought that they would put Page on IndyCar, keep Marty on NHRA and let Allen Bestwick step into the NASCAR role.

Oh, well!

bevo said...

Love this concept of analysts analyzing during a race

The Loose Wheel said...

Reid is the weak player here it sounds like. His calls have been backwards

Anonymous said...

Don't forget Paul Page's gig for the 4th of July last few years, lead announcer of the Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest.

Shirley Buttacavoli said...

I miss Paul Page, but IMO, I believe Marty Reid is doing well. I think calling NASCAR has helped. Don't think he would have mentioned "off road racing" during Indy 500 2 years ago.

Anonymous said...

Is it just me or do we get t0 see the actual cars racing on about a third more of the screen than with NASCRAP. Not near the on screen commercials and banners as FOX uses. I like it!

Also, I think they have shown and talked about more different cars in the first 15 laps than FOX will in the entire race

red said...

love seeing the cars coming AT us instead of away from us. yes, jd, you're right: it does make a big difference.

well, moraes being out makes the field a bit safer . . .

Shirley Buttacavoli said...

JD, thanks for taking over DPs forum. One can only hope.

Anonymous said...

Marty Reid definitely would make off road racing references. He founded and owned CORR.

Shirley Buttacavoli said...

red, 'safe' was when Milka Duno got a DNQ. ;-)

red said...

shirley: absolutely! she is more than "a moving chicane": she is a danger beyond comparision.
but moraes just slays me with his frequent stupid racing.

Shirley Buttacavoli said...

Anon - what? Reid founder/owner of CORR? A friend of mine works for Michelin & provides tires for CORR. He never mentioned that tidbit.

So much for NASCAR helping Mr. Reid. Tnx for bringing me up-to-date...........back to the race......

JS said...

I'm surprised the ABC guys aren't referring to Fisher, DiSalvestro & Beatriz as "Not Danica".

Dannyboy said...

Anybody got a handle on what the attendance is? Looks better than I expected.

Daly Planet Editor said...

That's where Marty came from, the off-road world.

JS said...

"Oh, by the way, we had a lead change".

Wow.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Hey, leading is over-rated......lol!

OrangeTom said...

Like the race coverage so far. Nice to have three guys in the booth working together and not trying to push their own personalities on the viewer. Pre-race, on the other hand, was a joke. Focus on Danica was an insult to real race fans

Anonymous said...

I can figue out what is going on in the race easily even when in the side by side coverage. I am willing to bet i have a better sense of what is going on during the side by side parts of the 500 than I will all night with the 600...

anyone want to bet me on that one?

Anonymous said...

Is GoDaddy just sponsoring every ESPN element? The helicam too?

Dannyboy said...

WOWWW! Debris: shown on TV but NO CAUTION! Whoops! There it is ;-)

Dannyboy said...

WOWWW! Debris: shown on TV but NO CAUTION! Whoops! There it is ;-)

Charlie said...

I think the race so far is chopping, no real flow. Lots of commercials and we also have the Danica show.

Dannyboy said...

Sorry 45 dbl post - Sticky finger synadrome! At least the markets are closed ;-)

Anonymous said...

Did anyone hear in the back of the head DW coming up with three different stories of how it happened and then claiming he was right and knew it all along????

Daly Planet Editor said...

Poor DW. I think he is in for a wake-up call when he takes over "RaceDay" on SPEED.

Andrew said...

On-board telemetry's not something you see in NASCAR much anymore.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Is Danica lapped already? I missed the scoring crawl.

Daly Planet Editor said...

We need a BIG field reset out of the break.

JS said...

Can we start a motion to get ABC banned from interviewing Ashley Judd if Dario wins?

Her interviews are like nails on a chalkboard. She sounds like she's trying to put on a play to the ESPN audience & is accepting an Academy Award.

Andrew said...

@JD - She had to make a green-flag pit stop somewhere around Lap 25, and I don't think she got back on the lead lap after that.

Anonymous said...

Dumb question, I know the answer but it just won't get out of my head......isn't it weird that Indy cars can run 220 - 230 every year and NASCRAP can't get over 190 without the world having to change....

One would like to think a heavier less areo dependent car would not fly as easily.......or is it a just a better use of simple areo principles that keep the Indy cars on the ground???? Hard to believe NASCRAP spent millions of dollars and years of development on the car they run today and couldnt find a way to keep it on te ground and look like decent. Most guys would have been fired for presenting that turd as the new solution, atleast they should have been.

bevo said...

43 forgot he's not running in NASCAR today. Good replay and explanation.

JS said...

Lap 58- The Brand, 19th, on the lead lap 25 seconds back

Anonymous said...

Looking forward to the day this once again is not a spec engine series.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Anon,

It's not a bad question. These cars are basically vaccuum cleaners due to the aero.

It really is apples and oranges with NASCAR and IndyCar.

When you see an IndyCar in person, it's amazing because it is so tiny and low-slung.

Daly Planet Editor said...

oops, sp!

Dannyboy said...

Anon 2:02 - Indycars used to run 240.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
red said...

jd said (in part):
These cars are basically vaccuum cleaners due to the aero.

and that's also why blocking earns a black flag: at these speeds with this aero profile, a block can be a major safety moment.

Daly Planet Editor said...

red,

We had two big accidents last year due to blocking. The TV just does not give a real view of the speed, but that Andretti replay of the block sure did. That was close.

bevo said...

About the only thing Indy cars and stock cars have in common is four tires. :)

Listen to any driver who's driven both, I remember Stewart saying that driving a Cup car was like an old farm tractor compared to an Indy car.

Anonymous said...

I have seen Indy and F1 cars many times in person which is why I wonder about it. They do turn sidways and sometimes upside down, but the don't seem to go over the walls or up into the fences. The theory used in NASCAR was that the wing was great moving forward but when the car turned around backwards it created lift. The entire Indy car is wing, so going backwards it should lift that light car up like a piece of paper.

If only i had a clue...

Andrew said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Daly Planet Editor said...

This should be intense. Pit stops.

Andrew said...

As someone who is primarily a NASCAR fan, I had no idea that blocking was illegal until pretty much just now. This is one of two races where the broadcasters might just want to throw casual viewers a bone or two about things that are obvious to long-time fans (the other being the Daytona 500).

Anonymous said...

WOW, that pitstop coverage was as bad a FOX's

Andrew said...

AGH. I'm double-posting all over the place. Maybe I need to check my connection.

No wheel!? That's something you don't see every day!

Nice work on those pit stops.

Patrick said...

With 59 cameras, how did they miss everything. The triple split failed, then no capture of both incidents???

Anonymous said...

Now with Andretti out, the only 2 drivers that I have seen race on a short track have crashed, the other being Davey Hamilton. Anyone remember when the field was dominated by short track racers that got to Indy the "hard" way

Daly Planet Editor said...

Thank goodness for replays, because that was a total swing and a whiff live! Horrible.

Anonymous said...

Remeber when Penske should up with the different engine package than everyone else. What was it, an overhead cam or something.

I just don't have memories like that about the 600, even the one I was at..

Ken-Michigan said...

Give some love to Ed Carpenter in top 5 !!

Will Tony George even be mentioned today ??

Shirley Buttacavoli said...

I'm not planning on watching RaceDay on SPEED, but if anyone does, can you tell me how long it takes Kenny Wallace to mention that Dick Trickle's - "you must first finish to finish first" - was mentioned during Indy 500 as a Rick Mears quote.

I figure within the first 30 minutes.

Daly Planet Editor said...

This is Kyle Petty's last "RaceDay" show for six races.

Should be interesting.

Anonymous said...

What a dream weekend it would be without Wallaces and Waltrips...God that would make the day so much more enjoyable.


Well....maybe let Steven race, it's always fun to watching some kid over his head in what daddy bought him crash all the time.

The Loose Wheel said...

Good to hear them interview everyone today

bozo said...

maybe indy needs "shootout style" restarts...

Daly Planet Editor said...

So, the surprise of the moment is Ed Carpenter in 4th. The others are all the regular cast of characters.

The Loose Wheel said...

Helio singing, now that is entertainment.

Dario is on rails right now though but it is good to see Carpenter up there. Kanaan too

bevo said...

Nice checking in with everyone coming out of the care center

Daly Planet Editor said...

Little drama going on right now.

Daly Planet Editor said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
red said...

bevo, agree in re: interviewing all racers out of care center. it may take them a while to get it on air but at least i know it'll happen.

JS said...

Never thought I'd say this, but I think Kanaan may be a sleeper today.

...and what is the deal with restarts in this series? Is there any other series where the leader can have a 10 car length lead before the green flag drops?

Anonymous said...

you would think they would have learned from Nascar and not try to control everything.....black flags for blocking....what's next, black flags for improper passing....

I wonder what penalty Zanardi would get for his pass in the dirt of the corkscrew these days....

Anonymous said...

If Ryan Briscoe gets up from P3 to P1, I wonder if ESPN will start up with the "Kim Burton" style split screen.

bevo said...

Barnhart had been pretty lax on blocking the last couple of seasons - glad to see him cracking down

red said...

@anon: again, blocking is a major safety issue with these cars and at these speeds. a black flag is appropriate penalty and every driver knows the consequences of it.

so, one major miss here is that the booth isn't explaining it well enough to fans. that video from weldon's car would be the perfect tool.

Anonymous said...

to bad go daddy doesnt sponser tony stewart, he would be great in those comercials.

they could title them, the return of the woolly mamouth

Andrew said...

Nice to see one of the non-regulars running so well. (Again, something you rarely see in NASCAR.) Doesn't seem like there's a lot happening on the track right now.

Ken-Michigan said...

This "blocking rule" is terrible.

Does it also apply on the FINAL LAP of the race ??

I'd block my own Mother on the last lap.

Daly Planet Editor said...

I wish we could know when one of the drivers is using the PTP button.

Shirley Buttacavoli said...

This is what I don't like about the 'new' IRL.

Drivers have to "hold their line."

Isn't part of racing attempting to make a pass around the vehicle in front of you, who is trying to keep their position?

Good grief.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Ken, these things are so into the ground effects, that if you block it could really cause a huge crash.

Shirley Buttacavoli said...

Okay....one POSITIVE. At least EVERYONE can pronounce all the drivers names correctly.

And that I truly appreciate.

Keselowski - you're in the wrong series.

Andrew said...

@Shirley - Kez'd be getting black-flagged every other lap here!

Anonymous said...

since they can go 100% throttle is there a restrictor plate or rev limiter to keep their max speeds down?

Shirley Buttacavoli said...

Ken, I agree.

John, not so much - but understand.

The Loose Wheel said...

Remember the old ESPN scoring ticker? The NASCAR one that would update position, intervals, points etc. That would be great in updating PTP's. Or even listing how many each driver has left under their name on the ticker....

-sigh-

Daly Planet Editor said...

Pop-off valve!

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