Michigan International Speedway is the stop this weekend for the Nationwide Series. ESPN is the TV network. 1PM ET for the pre-race show and 2PM for race coverage.
Allen Bestwick is set to host the program from the Infield Pit Studio. He will have Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty alongside and Tim Brewer in the Tech Garage. Danica Patrick is back and making news with a Hot Wheels sponsored car and solid times in practice. These are the new Nationwide Series cars and they look great.
Marty Reid, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree are in the TV booth. Mike Massaro, Dave Burns, Vince Welch and Dr. Jerry Punch are on pit road. Jamie Little is off the NASCAR beat this weekend.
The new Nationwide Series cars have been causing a quite a stir. Complaints were everywhere in practice and the tech inspection before qualifying was a disaster. This is an impound race, so drivers will be running exactly the set-up they had after qualifying.
TV has several stories to cover including how many cars are going to start and park on this big track. Meanwhile the cross-over drivers from the Cup Series are in a brand new car and perhaps do not have the advantages they normally enjoy in this series.
SPEED handled the practice and qualifying coverage for the NNS series. ESPN is only covering the race. There may well be a bit of a information gap in terms of the stories that have been unfolding this weekend. That is going to be a key point to watch, especially in the pre-race show.
MIS is a huge track with few TV coverage issues. Cameras on top of the tower work well for racing action. Low angles show the speed and the pit road is straight and wide for easy TV coverage.
It's yet to be seen exactly how the NNS cars will race in a pack on this big track. One thing is for sure, the cars look great and the fan reaction has been positive. This may translate to higher TV ratings as Saturday viewers click by the race.
This post will serve to host your comments about the ESPN coverage of the NNS series at MIS. 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.
78 comments:
Happy Saturday Race Day Planeteers :)
My wish is that we don't get all Danica all the time. Seeing that it's sprinkling on Twitter hopefully it'll stop or won't rain where they lose the track :(.
Wow, ESPN on the air from MIS with NNS pre-race and SPEED on the air from MIS with Cup practice.
What an interesting Saturday!
At least SPEED is staying OT to cover it all and not rushing off like BSPN would do so they can show Poker from 20 years ago or some gorge fest.
Today you will probably see the fewest number of driver interviews ever done on a pre-race show. Just cant seem to prop up the NW guys. Nothing but preproduced pieces and studio talk. In about 20 minutes after Cup guys have time to debrief and change then you will see driver interviews aplenty
I'm watching Speed and the Cup practice in the background as I do other weekend stuff. Looking forward to the NW race though when it starts.
It's going to be a miserable day to race. I'ts extremely hot and humid in MI today. Can't imagine sitting in the stands getting cooked...or being parboiled in a race car!
More Danica, as much Danica as possible. Please.
Danica was pretty honest. Her main goal is to avoid being lapped early.
@Sally- Could be worse, could be at Texas. Today is 15th straight day above 100.
The pre-race show has been a bunch of useless drivel. We find out the Dodge is "pretty ", Tim Brewer can't explain suspension to the layman and Danica doesn't have the problem of adjusting to the new car because she never got accustomed to the old car.
Wonder if having Tiger back in the PGA golf mix today will hurt NASCAR ratings?
Tigerpalooza and Danicapalooza at the same time! My picture in picture may just explode today.
I don't think Tiger will make a difference unless he does better or we get Danica overload.
It only takes a moment to sign-up for a blue Blogger name.
Anon posts cannot be attributed to someone if we do not know who you are.
Sorry for the technology, but the price is right for bloggers. Free.
Nice piece by Brad Kez but how many times will he have to explain the fact that he is and will continue to be agressive?
ok, rusty? let's try this one more time:
brad kez-LOW-ski.
3 syllables, not 4. middle "el" is not pronounced.
so embarassing that a supposed professional can't master this, week in and week out.
If Brad Daughtry were Pinnochio how long would his nose have grown during all those nice things he said about Brad K?
Still don't get what Brad brings to a broadcast
@Bevo...Brad is the official Nascar cheerleader. He is there to remind us that Nascar is infallable, has never made a stupid decision, and always listens to the fans. His 'enthusiasm' is there to set the example for the rest of us that this is the 'best racing in the world on the most exciting tracks.
All this talk about the unknown...didn't the Nationwide cars practice for like, 6 hours on Thursday? Shouldn't they have figured some of that out?
The clueless in the booth are talking to us like we have never seen a race before or even know what a car is. WE'RE NOT 4 YEARS OLD!
I have to say that Ifind it somehow appropriate that Joie Chitwood, of driving cars sideways and in the air, is now in charge at Daytona.
I think Rusty should pay Brads salary for ESPN. As long as Brad is around Rusty isn't the most hated man on the broadcast. It would be nice to hear an honest straight forward answer from any of the talking heads on tv but I don't think that will happen any time soon.
How cool was that flyover!
Wonderful National Anthem. How it should be done.
Just about ready go get busy. I like the look of these cars on the track and on TV.
Can someone explain the "unique" characteristics of MIS? I didn't realize it was so different.
Those cars look good.. They have a little style now
Scroll back through the story pages to see the Roush airplane accident story.
We have talked about it for years now. Great racing on the track and ESPN zooms in on one or two cars and mixes in the in-car cams until we are all confused about who is where and what is going on.
What a horrible start to the racing portion of this event IMHO.
Na, someone would of told me if you had put my question up and stirred a little conversation. Not likeing this closed blog during races. See ya monday for the review of the Cup race.
Serious question here - how can the ESPN coverage of a race be so schizophrenic from week to week?
ESPN trying real hard to get me to leave the screen on golf. the first 10 laps after a green flag is the best time they have to get great "racing" and we get tight shots and incars followed by commercials. Way to butcher it boys!
This is absolutely awful.
I noticed you are moderating even fr the live blogging session John
Cool looking race cars though.The mustang and the challenger.
One thing that has always bugged me about Marty is he takes it upon himself to recite a drivers inner monologue during his commentary. One Example that just happened
"Newman says 'wait a minute I want to get my lap back'"
I just find it irritating when he talks as if he were the driver and inside their head.
Unfortunately, it's been pretty bad on the blogger side of my little world.
Got several folks who are just determined to continually post obscene and profane comments on the blog.
I might just end the live chats, but going to continue for this weekend. Just real life.
I don't get it either bevo :(. One race it'll be perfect the next race they act like they just started broadcasting the races and don't know what to do :(
@Brendan- A pet peeve of mine too, seems to be a crutch a lot of tv announcers have adopted in the last decade.
JD...it will be a real bummer if we have to give up the live chat because of some infantile twit. Maybe it's Nascar trying to block all our 'negative comments' that are being so detrimental to the sport. ; )
Things seem to be coming to a head. We will see.
I started live chat because I watch the races live. That might not be the case any more after this weekend.
I wish they'd open up the engines on these things...
So do they fine the crew guy?! lol
Wow, Danica is a disaster in this one.
Oops ESPN let a swear word on TV on a replay? Shouldn't someone have checked the audio before it went to air?
Danica imploding and no excitement in NW race. At the PGA, Tiger and Phil playing themselves out of contention. guess I might turn off the tv. Maybe tomorrow will be better. Good luck with the trolls JD.
Danica's performance has almost eliminated Danica mania. I think her novelty is quickly wearing off.
How do you think the Hot Wheels folks feel right about now?
Brenden-that was a live f bomb.
Another hum dinger of a race from MIS. Field stretched out, almost half the field a lap down and we're not half way yet. Fuel mileage anyone?
We have a caution and we see nothing? They only tell us a car was smoking?
We have a caution and we see nothing? They only tell us a car was smoking?
Deep sighs from Marty Reid....
Stay awake people!
oh noo great racing and commercial?
That was some good racing & they showed it. An improvement for today.
"we've got action everywhere"
really? may we see it please?
as i say: i'm outta here at 3:30 to watch philly union soccer pre-game show.
crappy tv just sucks the life out of this sport in a very big way. it's not the economy, it's not the cars, it's not the tracks that are killing interest in nascar.
it is bad broadcasting. period.
What happened to the first-class camera work from last weekend?
This jump, jump, jump is making me nauseous.
Will changing the schedule for 2011 make more fans come to the track, make more people watch it on Tv and make the telecast better?
Is this what Nascar is hoping for?
This race coverage is horrid. It was great last week, but this week sucks. I have lost interest in this race. Maybe Showtime is replaying Twilight again.....
NO!!! tight shots and in car cameras are NOT the cool way to broadcast NASCAR!!!!
Charlie, those cdlowns haven't aclue as to why fans will or won't attend/watch a race. It's like trying to get more younger fans. They don't realize that many fans attend races bacuse their parents (you know, those OLDER fans that Nascar and TV disregard?). Alienate the older fans, and they keep their kids home. They don't watch on TV, and their kids don't either. They don't get it that placing all the emphasis on the last 10 races of the year sucks the life out of the first 26.
@Sally & Charlie -
That's why the sport is in trouble come 10 years. Kids aren't attracted unless their parents are. Baseball finally wrapped their head around that concept back in the 90's.
Well, I sure do appreciate you guys hanging out today and watching this mess.
I thing we all missed a pretty daggone good race and lots of racing for position back in the pack which we never saw.
Exactly. Nascar and TV just don't get it. If parents aren't taking their kids to racdes when they're young, chances are they won't go when they grow up and have discretionary income.
That's it, keep the camera on the leader alone, in=gnore the racing behind him.
At least they showed the start/finish line...
Thank goodness that wasn't a longer race
BK winning at his home track should make the folks happy.
They just said it was a close one. Wonder what race they watched?
Thanks again folks, see you tonight at 7PM for Camping World Trucks from Darlington, SC.
JD
when are they going to start interviewing the other drivers that finished a million laps down :(
I'm sorry I haven't been involved lately. Been having some serious laptop issues. Today was not a good event. Although, I was distracted by having a tree cut down in the front yard during the race. I'm getting tired of these Cup guys dominating these races. It's just not fun when nobody can catch them. Whether it's Brad or Kyle, I'd rather it be anyone else. And why do they even bother interviewing Kyle after the race? He's just an "appendage" if he doesn't win.
I have an opinion on the blogging issues. If I have the time, I'll drop an email.
Hope to see you guys later for the trucks.
Came home from lunch and hubby forgot to record the NW race. Really disappointed as BK is one of my favs and would have liked to have seen it. Maybe it'll be replayed sometime this week so I can't comment on broadcast. Very hot and humid here in Houston too can't imagine it being hotter anywhere else in the whole country.
Didn't see the race but just got finished watching my recording of the tennis match on ESPN2. The ticker at the bottom just showed the Nationwide results and listed the names of the top 5 finishers and the 27th place finisher. I guess its like Tiger, no matter how badly she does people want to know where she finished.
@Vicky D,
According to Zap2it Tv guide the Nationwide race will re-air early Sunday Morning at 2am to 4am on Espn2 and later in the week on Thursday 12 (noon) to 2:30pm on Speed.
The times in my post are Eastern time.
@Vickie D I missed the race as well for the same reason you did!!
ESPN2 is replaying @2AM on Time Warner in Cincinnati area.
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