Update: The lights went out at Gateway near St. Louis, MO and never came back on. NASCAR was forced to postpone the Camping World Truck Series race until Saturday at 1:30PM ET.
Rick Allen, Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip call the action on the track. Adam Alexander returns with Ray Dunlap on pit road.
This post will host your comments on the CWTS coverage from Gateway 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 stopping byt!
140 comments:
Hi folks, happy Friday!
Happy Friday Night Pick 'em Ups racin' Planeteers <3
Glad to have a good excuse to be in the AC tonight. Been REALLY hot here in MI all week.
OT Did you get a piece of those storms last nite Sally?
Not sure they are playing this on Sirius-I may have to listen to MW tonite...:(
it'll be fun to see how Jeffrey does tonight :). He talks just like his daddy
SPEED goes live at 8:30PM with pre-race show.
Pamm...yup. Had a real frog strangler last night. Lots of thunder and lightning. It was so dry that you can hardly tell we got an inch of rain.
Nice to see Adam back on trucks.
Is Michael Waltrip going to have a voice by the race later. He hasn't taken a breath since this qualifying broadcast started. So much talking I'm getting a headache.
Wow a tie for the last spot! Cool stuff, would love to see Rick Allen say in the TNT booth in 2011? ;)
Ole Mikey was sure throwing it down during quals.
Woot! Quals were pretty exciting this time around. Ready for the Set Up now out here in (hot) California!
Yeah, Mikey's non stop prattle gives me a headache, too.
You know, Krista might just be the most consistent presence on SPEED. Know what I mean by that?
Hey gang. #3 almost made the pole again, didn't he?
Austin Dillon is looking pretty impressive the past couple weeks. So has his brother, for that matter. Nice to see that the 'legacy' aspect of Nascar is still alive and well.
For a very young driver, he sure has poise and a professional attitude.
I thought he was great in the booth watching his brother in the ARCA race! Wish Mikey would take some hints that sounding breathless the entire race is exhausting to listen to.
He really does Steve! He can school many of the older drivers on that!
JD
When did you add the beach chair pics to the top of this blog?
Just now noticed.
Whenever we did the most recent redesign.
Hurrah! Sirius IS broadcasting the truck race, so I can listen there! Except this is a Fri nite after a looong wk & it's almost my bedtime. Good grief, getting old SUCKS!
YIKES!!!!!!!!!!
I like the occasional instrumental anthem.
Hope they never do that music again!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Welp, the anthem is cracking the drivers up, from what I can see!
Okay, maybe I spoke too soon. He was okay through the bridge, but the last stanza was a bit much.
Great pre-show yet again.
Awesome Hendrix revisted. How flippin sweet was that?!
Reading for racing. :)
And for our moderator, I thought her ensemble looked the same as last time.
That was totally annoying imo. Jimi H did it years ago, not sure great to try to be wannabe in these times..but what do I know.
p.s. I was SLOW noticing the beach chairs!? shazaam.
For a minute I thought I was at woodstock! Holy Flashback, Batman!
That stunk! I didn't like Hendrix version ... I didn't like this "Christian Music" guy either ... Esp since he decided to showboat it ...
'Bear bond' some flashlights to the hoods and let's get it on!
Wow....all I can say about that.
Would've been nice had NASCAR released the practice speeds for Practice #1 BEFORE the end of Happy Hour ... Both sets of speeds showed up about 1/2 hour AFTER Happy Hour ended ... NOBODY had the speeds ...
How do ya lose the lites at a sactioned race??????????? wth?
S&P prediction tonight: 72, 87, 89, 93 and 95
I actually liked the anthem, but I'm afraid he blew out the power there. Well we need some cars to turn towards the track with their lights on - how hard can it be to get the power around the track?
Texas had light problems last year ... or was it Vegas??
The heat and power surges are something the track can't control ...
MV, I agree. The only wild card is Setzer.
there is your answer, the area is dead
tia- It was Vegas
Kyle in a mullet? Too funny !!! A very bad look for him
Sally, we got four inches of rain on Wednesday night. Lots of flooding. Nasty weather. Really messed up Road America for the motorcycles this weekend.
The thing is Ameren is the power company there. They run on their schedule not NASCAR's schedule....could be awhile.
I hope this does not go on too long. Tough night to keep a TV crowed.
@Buschseries61 - Usually, Team Gill Racing's #46 races and #95 parks. Plus, Setzer usually races only when he drives the RBR Motorsports #92. With this truck, I'm pretty sure he's parking it early.
Hey, did any of you hear the guys on Sirius yesterday, talking about how they can't figure out why all the fans are complaining about the racing? The announcer had the cojones to say "I don't get it. The grandstands are full and maybe the viewers have gone down a tiny bit, but I don't get all the complaints". What races is he watching? Every venue has tons of empty seats. Heck, Phoenix even re-numbered their seats to give us big butt Americans more seat room, but it lowered the number of seats available.
Midnight?!? Sorry Krista, not a cool idea.
Darcie - NASCAR should really force the media to sit in a locked room and watch the race from out perspective. Not from the pits, not from a billboard by the track. Their opinions may change
The guys on Sirius are like the gatekeepers from the complaints. Every caller that criticizes NASCAR is treated like they belong in an institution.
Darcie, to be fair most all of these tracks are overbuilt. Expecting sellouts at Lowes, Daytona, Talladega, Texas, Vegas, Cali, etc is unrealistic. 100,000 is about the breaking point for most tracks. Fortunately Texas does very well despite the economy
Kind of sad to see what Sirius has become right now. Used to be a place for open discussion and great debates on NASCAR topics.
Now, it's just kinda sad...
Kind of strange. Looking at Ameren's outage map page, it's only showing 3 customers in Gateway's zip code as being out of power. Gateway must be one of those 3.
HA! reaction to the bird on cmaera and what it did!
:-D
What en embarressment for NASCAR. They have two races this year at Gateway. Don't they check this tuff ahead of time? And didn't this occur at the same track previously ?
Cautions out. One of the competitors is dropping fluids.
Yep, sure did.
Sirius / XM has gone downhill. All the hosts are NASCAR pawns. It is an extension of MRN which is owned by ISC.
Ameren's outage list totals to about 75,000 customers. Not sure how many are near the track - but this could take a while.
Speed interviewing the odd wads. If only ESPN could get a clue.
This kind of thing happens. I can't really point the finger at Gateway or NASCAR here.
Stuff happens.
If it's as muggy there as it is in Ohio (dewpoints in 70s! Yikes)..probably a power drain on electric.
can't help that.
It's been feeling like NOLA weather here & I hate dewpoints about 65. Above 70 is OPPRESSIVE. Least some guys are getting face time on tv :)
I hate to blow my own horn, but I think they need to get some CAT standby gen sets and crank 'em up and get this race started! I really like that Brad Sweet kid!
So is it a track issue or more global in the St Louis area ?
Time to hear from a track spokesman I think...
This is beyond Gateway's control. Not sure what TV is saying, but MRN is saying a power pole went down in East St. Louis and that line affects Gateway. With all the stuff that has to run under power to do a race, not much can be done.
Haven't really listened to SIRIUS lately, but I did really get irked the other week when Moody was talking about guys in NW that performed that weren't out of rides. Saying if you ran well, you could keep your job. Ask Steven Leicht that, and Eric Darnell. They both have been great the last couple years and neither has a ride.
I never used to call him a shill, but I'm starting to change my tune some...
Remember when Stacy was the ESPN studio analyst back in 2007 and 8?
Crowd look dismal - heat index is over 90 degrees. And folks are wondering why interest in NASCAR is waning.
Moody is about the only one that will give callers the benefit of the doubt....but he still leans towards NASCAR. The problem I have with Moody is he waits until he hangs up on the callers and then starts making fun of them.
Oh look, that's where all the fans are!
Rick Benjamin is the WORST most condescending host ever.
Rick Benjamin is white noise. He just likes to hear himself talk.
this is fun w/interviews w/other guys that don't get face time, but I'm WAAY past bedtime in MI & old gal. I'm taping, but I will see what I see Sat. Nite all!
I like Moody, but he has problems admitting he is wrong. Either he is always right, or has no clue. When someone calls him out, he tries to dance around it in some way, shape or form.
But yes, It is the best show of a weak lineup though I think Baker's show may be the best if they are still doing it. Kernan and Baker were the best duo they had IMO. That show was all about the callers. No egos.
And Chocolate Meyers is a homer for RCR. Terrible show at 11 am - Tradin Paint. The only host who gets along with callers and can respect their views is Pistone.
Kernan had a pretty big falling out.
Pretty sunset..but audio has cut in and out a few times on SPEED in last few minutes..anybody else?
Yes he did. I remember the sirus backstage forum. He pretty much made it clear he felt some folks were pawns for NASCAR and he didn't totally like the direction it was headed...
Sophia our audio has been cutting in a out too. Where's this race????
I imagine they'll wait it out about another hour before finally calling it a night.
If you guys Google blogtalk radio and the "racin on dirt" show, you can listen to my interview that touched on a lot of NASCAR and racing on TV points.
Just click play on show 13...
YEP - Kernan saw it coming. Whi is Daniel Norwood with Sirius? Isn't he the guy in charge of all NASCAR talk shows? Either he is an idiot for not seeing it or his hands are tied too.
John: didn't you use to do a weekly gig on Sirius? Did you get "blackballed" ?
Did you guys see the new column over at thenascarinsiders.com?
Not big fans of TNT!
No clue. They put the emphasis back on having drivers and NASCAR personalities interviewed.
I think anyone in charge on the Sirius side probably has their hands tied. Having MRN's people doing the shows pretty much probably keeps costs down since Sirius is already paying an UnGodly amount for the rights. And for NASCAR, they know the MRN guys will keep the positive vibes flowing.
David, the point was not about the size of the tracks, but the fact that these announcers are so out of touch, they seem to believe that the seats are filled at every track. It doesn't matter why they're empty or that the tracks are overbuilt, but these guys are continuing to whistle a happy tune and are spewing falsehoods to make Nascar look good.
JD, you are correct. It used to be that you could have an honest discussion about Nascar, but now if anyone calls and starts to talk about how bad the racing is, or how empty the seats are, or how bad the TV coverage is, that person is ridiculed to no end. On Tuesday, a man called and said he was sick and tired of hearing the drivers complain about how there are too many races, too long races and how hard they work. The guy said he wished these guys would work real jobs, get paid a normal salary and have to live on two weeks vacation a year. Boy, did they trash that guy. But you know, he had a very valid point.
Mike C. - correct on all points.
So... they might run this thing tomorrow in the heat of the day? Ughhh
Yeah, they do seem a bit out of touch.
I get NASCAR doesn't want to portray a negative image of itself, but if someone raises a good point, lets have a real discussion!
JD I just saw that an hour or so ago....I was shocked! But TNT did seem down this year. AA was such a bad choice, coupled with Parsons it made NO sense
I miss John Kernan. He was the only guy I could respect on Sirius.
That's a shame Darcie :( I'm glad I don't pay for that it would frustrate me to no end to hear that all the time.
Gymmie, Mercedes gives Sirius as part of their price, so that's why I have it. Not sure if I would pay for it otherwise. They really ruined the channel selection when they merged with XM.
I think anymore I listen to Sirius NASCAR so I can laugh when they try to embellish on things. I remember the Pocono race in June, with Kahne going airborne and the stuff that happened on the last lap, how they were trying to sell that the entire race was like that.
I wonder if the power outage has to do with the heat? We've been in the 90's here even in Wisconsin, and we've had rolling brown outs for two days.
I'm glad we got to see David Starr interviewed a bit ago. I think they need someone from Nascar or the track to give an update on this.
YAY finally a word from Brandon even if he wasn't on TV just what Ray tells us....hope all the East Coasters had their naps. Already lost Pammmmmmmmmmmmmm :(
The CBS affiliate in Springfield (IL, a bit north of the track) is reporting a major outage caused by lightning that is closing a major highway for several hours. I mention this only because Springfield is also in Ameren's service area. Those guys have their hands full tonight.
No....MRN is saying the power outage is from an accident in East St. Louis and it knocked down a power pole and the line with it. Evidently, Gateway is on that particular that's affected.
Darci, Kevin Harvick Tweeted car took out a pole
I don't care about the non noise ordinance. In the interest of fans, competitors etc. they can't wait past 11 pm.
Gateway power outage is from car hitting pole on highway near track per multiple people on twitter
Car in pole? That'll do it
We had an outage a few weeks ago when a cat jumped into a major transformer. That was nasty.
MRN is saying they're going off the air. They say where the pole is that got knocked down is down in a wooded ravine area and having problems getting to that pole with it being dark and what not.
MRN is going off the air until 11p.m. Eastern. I say the race gets called by about that time.
So much for a one day show.
TJ Majors, a spotter for the 18 tweeted "Dear Power Company. The check's in the mail. Love, Gateway"
I know they can't help an act of nature but I bet Gateway is not on the schedule for 2011. Same company that owned Memphis track that closed up due to lack of attendence and no Cup race. They can't be profitable.
Trying to decide if should add A LOT of time to the DVR or assume they call it or what but getting tired here and I have to get up early tomorrow.
How long is "a little while longer?"
Dover owns Gateway and owned Memphis so I doubt they are going to keep closing tracks unless they want all of their dates at dover and nashville
Gymmie, now that is the million dollar question unfortunately no media Tweeting the real answer like those cup race rain delay/pot hole repair delays
None of this helps NASCAR, their image and falling TV ratings.
@newracefan--yup which makes the fans restless. If you can stay up/sleep in it's fine but folks need to know what to do if they need to get to bed/get up early. And not have to fire up a computer to find out in 30 seconds that the race will be on Saturday AM since sometimes the TiVo/Cable schedules don't always update properly :(
Sorry but ESPN and national media could care less about a truck race that gets postponed because of lights
They will care tomorrow when they share a doubleheader with SPEED and the trucks!
I dont i have ever seen sportscenter show truck highlights unless its daytona or a big wreck.
Ryan,
ESPN and SPEED have a good relationship. You might notice that the trucks and even the SPEED network gets promoted on "NASCAR Now."
SC highlights are the decision of the SC producer. Depends on action, names in the race and quality of the race.
I wish FOX and TNT could hammer out a relationship with ESPN as well...
Remember when Cup qualifying at Talladega happened in the dark? in 2000?
That was nifty. Ask Kyle Petty about that one...
I agree that Nascar Now does good job promoting truck races on speed, but my point was related to the post that mentioned this would hurt nascar's image. A truck race getting ppd due to no lights will not damage nascar's image, ratings etc in national media.
Time for m to bail too. Keeping a TV audience waiting this long for a decision on whether the race will go on tonight or not is incredibly rude.
I just can't imagine they'll start the race anymore tonight. Be one thing if they had already started.
Wow, ummm I applaud them staying with this. Not much of a fan of making decisions in 30 mins or an hour like others may be.
SPEED doing great with filler too
Hey, thanks for trying to hang with us. Always interesting...
I hope we get this in tonight. A daytime race tomorrow: Sunlight + excessive heat = empty grandstands, horrible handling and a spread out field.
reading on twitter looks like tomorrow per Pistone
Why don't they hook a generator up to Mikey's jaw?
I'm thinking they might be able to do like a 10 or 11 a.m. eastern time start....9 or 10a.m. central time start at the track.
That's two pencil, errr Peter, uummmm Pistone references in one Daly blog. That won't endear you to our fearless leader. Pete comes off as really arrogant to me. He's hard to take.
Delayed to 1:30PM ET on SPEED Saturday because of the lighting problems.
Drive home safely!
Well, thats a bummer. Day race should be very interesting. Also I imagine they will honor tickets for the entire day which means they might actually do really well tomorrow! hope so!
Well, Speed made the best of the delay. I will have to DVR the race tomorrow though. :(
Will check back with ya'll tomorrow. Stay cool!
Looks like a 1-ticket for all deal tomorrow. Nationwide Practices from 10 to 11:15 and again from 11:45 to 1:00p.m. Trucks at 1:30p.m.....Nationwide qualifies at 4:30 with the Nationwide race at 8p.m.
Yes, it's too bad for the delay. On the West coast, I still have daylight in my windows.
I switched to MLB after the initial delay anyways. Better to stay proactive than negative.
Cheers.
I bailed at 10:30. Anybody know if they have fixed the lights? Will the Nationwide race be affected?
Buschseries61, it will help fill the stands if the track offers to admit fans to both Truck and N'wide races with a ticket to either event. At least let the N'wide ticket holders in to both. It's been done before. The Truck race probably wasn't reserved seating anyway.
@David - From a Gateway International Raceway press release: "Fans will be treated to a true double feature Saturday as ticketholders for the CampingWorld.com 200 will also be allowed to use that ticket for tomorrow’s Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 and likewise, those who bought a ticket to the NASCAR Nationwide Series race can be in the stands for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race."
woohoo alright music to my ears as I work friday nights so im ready for this double header of racings from Gateway ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yeah!!
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