Last week the Sprint Cup Series put on the kind of show at Talladega that used to draw a full house. Instead, the stands were noticeably empty and the TV ratings fell almost 25%. This has been a very tough year for NASCAR, ESPN and the Chase.
Today, the later start time for the TMS race will allow both the pre-race and the race coverage to be on ESPN. There have been no changes in the network's on-air line-up despite the struggles with the ratings. That has been the style of ESPN for the last four seasons. Changes are made in the off-season.
In the NASCAR Countdown pre-race show, Allen Bestwick and his endless enthusiasm for the sport are mixed with the offbeat comments of Rusty Wallace and the politically correct words of Brad Daugherty. This trio has accomplished little in the past four seasons.
Wallace arrived in the infield after a fractured stay in the broadcast booth. His role as the lead analyst was quickly changed after his comments proved to be driven by his personal relationships with the drivers, teams and owners involved. In the end, ESPN removed him for the fresh presence of Dale Jarrett.
Daugherty came along in the new TV contract and was quickly dubbed "The voice of the fans" by Bestwick. Daugherty may be politically connected and a current Sprint Cup Series team owner, but on TV he is a dud. His enthusiastic back-slapping for the sport adds nothing in terms of information and he has worn out his welcome.
Bestwick ends his segments by passing the telecast to Marty Reid, the new play-by-play announcer for NASCAR on ESPN. Taking over from Dr. Jerry Punch, Reid came in with support from fans and the media, including this blog. After a relatively harmless Nationwide Series stint, the wheels came off for Reid once the Sprint Cup Series coverage began.
Now openly taunted by fans online, Reid's issues with the longer races and his lack of NASCAR knowledge surfaced quickly. When Jarrett and Andy Petree are not providing him information, Reid struggles to provide the kind of exciting commentary for which he made his name. Whether driven by orders from the management of lack of chemistry in the TV booth, Reid has simply been watching the TV monitors and talking about what he sees.
Jarrett and Petree continue to provide solid information and analysis, but have not meshed with Reid in terms of creating dynamic live sports television. It should be interesting to see what ESPN shakes-up during the winter.
As most readers of this blog know, the veteran NASCAR on ESPN producer was terminated after being arrested in Connecticut several weeks ago. ESPN's other line producer had already left the series for personal reasons. Now, the producing of the races is up to a young lady who was serving in a management role.
Last week at Talladega it became very clear from communications overheard from the TV truck that things were a mess. The producer was unclear several times on who was leading the race. The situation on the last lap left her in a lurch. Her lack of leadership and problem solving ability was the buzz all week long.
Texas poses the challenge of action that unfolds quickly on a track that will test the patience and the tires of the teams. Goodyear is nervous because of the speeds, NASCAR is nervous because of Chase implications and ESPN is nervous because of the ratings.
Dr. Jerry Punch, Jamie Little, Dave Burns and Vince Welch are the pit reporters. For all the drama in the booth and the TV truck, the pit reporting team has flown under the radar. No incidents with drivers this season, no big errors and no hype-driven agendas. It seems that the presence of Punch has brought this group together.
While SPEED is making all kinds of changes in on-air personalities to set-up next season, ESPN is going to finish the season with this team intact. It should be very interesting to watch the chemistry and hear the conversations between all the participants in this ongoing soap opera.
Thanks to Martin Truex Jr. and his team for the picture of the special car that he will run today in support of a $250 thousand dollar donation to the Susan G. Komen For The Cure Foundation from NAPA. The car has the names of over 2400 survivors and victims of breast cancer written in pink on it.
This post will serve to host your comments on the ESPN coverage of the Sprint Cup Series race from the Texas Motor Speedway. 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 by.
431 comments:
1 – 200 of 431 Newer› Newest»Here we go, hope it's a good show.
Very good Preview JD. Now in terms of the broadcast I don't think that a lot are going to change. It's going to be the same old coverage we've seen. Unfortunately the race itself will be in the way of the chase.
Hello to everyone. :)
Wishing all the teams a safe race! These speeds make me raise my eyebrows.
Hoping we all get to see a great race!
Watching football until race time. The bucs are losing and looking bad, but it's less painful watching them than listening to Kenny, Rusty & Brad
Has anyone else noticed that Jayski is linking less and less to this site.
Couldn't be that Jayski sold is soul to ESPN does it???
Just goes to show ya, show a poor guy some money and morals and values easily become compromised..
Well JD got blacklisted at Sirius, maybe Jayski is next?
Nope. I have not been linking to Jay. Nothing on him, just my choice.
I wonder what those poor Sirius guys are going to do next year?
They really took a turn for the worse.
Just thinking about that. I used to listen to Sirius all the time. Now, I never even turn it on.
your not linking??? Help me here, we are trying to get ESPN to change and you stop sending them the links to our comments??
That makes no sense? What are we doing here then???
Jay is owned by ESPN. He had nothing to do with them other than that. They just sell his ads and put video on his site.
Just so you know, I've been here since 2007. I got a clue.
Brad is rocking it today!
anyword on a nascar.com stream?
wow that arrogance is worthy of NASCAR brass......I'm done here
Nothing from anyone involved and no stream online. Guess that sums it up huh?
Isn't the Internet fun?
Its time for DJP to get another tour of duty in the PBP booth. Him leaving hasn't improved anything.
It's time to turn Rusty down...
OMG, I am soooo sick of the Chase talk, I could scream!!! All I want to do is watch a race. Guess that's too much to ask...:(
I'll take AB in the booth and Nicole in the infield with Ricky and Ray next season please.
Dear Daly Planet Editor,
Just found your cool blog when searching for why the time was changed for todays race. I am a long time Nascar fan, but I am getting ready to try and give it up "Cold Turkey" style next year. I am getting really tired of NASCAR fiddling around to determine the race winner. I was really discouraged by how Clint Boyer's team was treated after the first chase race. Maybe Nascar wanted to make it up to him last week and waited until the computer showed him ahead before pressing the caution button. Anyway, even a small thing like this change to the race start time is really starting to upset me. I can't see how alienating the loyal fans who expect a consistant start time is going to help their long term issues. The pretender fans are leaving in droves, and now the loyal fans are going to follow as the racing and teams and cars are plastic copies of each other. Where are the Cale's, Wards, and Dale's. Anyone who has a face for radio cannot be a NASCAR driver anymore due to the sponsors appearance obligations. It's just time to for me to let it go and support the local short track races.
Thanks for the forum to let go a good rant.
A.R.E.
(Anal Retentive Engineer)
Awesome!
Nice piece on Bud Moore. Suprised to see a non-Nascar regular do the interview tho.
Does Brewer get bored saying the same stuff over and over again?
What a totally weird pre-race show with the season on the line and only a couple of races left.
Just me, or is 3 p.m. the worst possible start time?
Late in the 1 p.m. NFL window. Anyone who has good football games in the third and fourth quarters will miss the start.
I think this whole "Back to the Basics" plan by NASCAR with the fixed start times needs to be scrapped. Its done absolutely nothing with the TV ratings. In fact, its probably hurt them.
JD, Are you sure you are thinking straight with the decision not to link to Jaski? His site gets 400,000-550,000 page views a day and above 70,000-90,000 unique visitors a day.
I find that decision by a great internet asset like yours not to be in the best interest for the site and your Planeteers. We need more folks to be involved with policing the TV peeps and this hurts more than helping to build followers. Plus most people in racing know it's not good to burn bridges because next week in the garage you might need to borrow a lug nut or something from the team that p.o, ed you the race before. Jay has always supported you, so what if he is finally making some decent money from a sponsor that insisted to have ownership with Jay in the seat? Yes, it's changed a little, yes it's not as bold as before, we all know that. We are hoping you can too one day make some good dough form your hard work and untiring efforts, and that's why we are all here. I'm just saying!
WTH was that Sports Science segment for?? Horsepower makes cars fast-duh!
I thought the Bud Moore piece was well done.
I thought the "Sports Science" piece on horsepower was uninformative and simplistic.
The 3:00 start time also means that if the race is not going well, viewers will have an opportunity to switch to the 4:00 PM game from the start and stay there if it is good.
I agree JD I've used the FF an awful lot today will be caught up befre the race even starts.
rf,
Easy man. Not burning bridges at all. Just a touchy time right now for a wide variety of reasons.
Regardless of my linking to Jayksi or not, I average about 10K a day and 25K on the weekend.
TV is such a small slice of the NASCAR pie that I am just a small player.
Let's see how today plays out and then what the week will bring. I have taken a break with him before and no one said a word.
It will be OK.
JD
I don't hold out much hope for this race. I'm sick of the 'chase' talk to the exclusion of everyone else in the field. I'm figuring it will be a typical Texas race...exciting for 4 or 5 laps after a restart, then the leader runs away from a strung out field. Or that's what we will be allowed to see. Sigh.
On PRN there interviewing drivers in the race. How groundbreaking
Half time. Checking in. Just turned on the pre race. Boy they really have to drag it through the mud on these late(er) starts. For the love of all things good and holy , start racing.
It's a bunch of edited packages today. Not live interviews and updates on what is actually happening.
If that is all they're gonna do, why bother with a prerace show.
I agree with you sally. The racing is only gonna happen on Restarts.
Most of which were shown yesterday. If this is all they have to offer, cut deown the pre race and 'drop the rag!'
This is not a pre-race show. It is a pre-packaged Hendrick infomercial. What a total waste of time amnd electricity.
Agree, John...way too much time spent on pre-produced stuff. If I didn't know better, I'd think there was a rain delay.
Anyone else appreciate the irony of the ESPN camera showing the Menard's car on the TV at the Lowe's race shop?
He with the most trophies wins?
On TV, drama programs often will place the first commercial break a longer-than-typical interval into the program in the hopes the viewer will be caught up in the program.
On ESPN, the drama is how quickly they will go to the fist commercial...
@ anon 2:47 p.m.
Rusty might remember that differently.
He with the most trophies wins? Isn't that mentality what got us this stupid 'chase' to begin with?
so far from this pre-race info I have obtained:
1. Bud Moore is a hero
2. HP makes cars go fast
3. Only 3 drivers are in this race
4. Rusty & Brad are useless (I already knew that)
5. Willy Nelson can still sing
That is all.
@Pamm,
At least they picked someone who can still sing!
Apparently they picked TWO entertainers who can still sing. I'm surprised very pleasantly by the second!
Great anthem!!!
there you go
B-52 for the fly over, very cool.
Nice Anthem twice in a row!
Nice anthem but he needs a haircut.
Now lets have a great command.
Lighten up, JD. Having survived the 60's myself, I have no problem with the hair as long as he does a good job with the anthem! Lots of guys with short hair have murdered it!
Why do they have to show that Chase Intro twice, at the beginning of the pre-race show and at the beginning of the race coverage. I think once would be enough.
I predict the #66 and the #09 will park and the #87 will run the whole distance. A lot of S&P teams were outqualified on Friday.
Two different issues! All this long hair stuff going on these days is like a flashback. Kind of like Foreigner!
Ehh...weak!
I'm quite disappointed that Dick Vitale is not the grand marshal.
Have spent the last two hours after the F1 race watching Mythbusters instead. Infinitely more amusing and entertaining (and informative, but well, that's a given :p ).
If given this kind of alternative you would still watch an ESPN pre-race show, you either don't know better or your tolerance for pain is rather twisted. Or both!
Let's hear it for the most disinterested sounding Gentlemen, Start Your Engines ever, by the way.
In-race reporter = Changing to check football for a couple of minutes.
Sirius ?? Gave up on them a while back - ever since David Poole passed away. The hosts are all NASCAR shills.
NSCS at Texas presented by Danica!
Who cares what his hair looks like it's the anthem that is more important right now. And the flyover was timed right too. Let's see how this broadcast plays out . . . . . .
I can't believe ESPN did not do a deal to let Dick Vitale do the starting command. He would have been great!
ANON @ 3:12 - totally agree, most are employed by MRN / ISC. The other is employed by RCR and he sure is a homer for RCR. There is zero objectivity on Sirius any more.
plenty of empty seats
How about some excitement. Have a start and park take out the 48 and the 11.
Start your engines, Baby!!!!!!!!!!!
Dickie V would have been great.
Trevor Bayne to the back for a transmission I mean to park it!
Hi, Planeteers, I'll keep my fingers for a decent broadcast today. Good recap of the ESPN TV issues right now, JD. Hmmm, so they had an inexperienced person in the truck last week -- well, it sure showed. Let's see if they can do better this week.
Hey Ancient Racer -- you cracked me up. Yes, I did hear Gordon's radio traffic last week -- I can usually tell how good the car is by the number of cuss words he uses in any given radio transmission. I'm hoping that today will be better, but heck I've hoped that every race this year with not a lot of results.
Sorry I wasn't here yesterday for the Nationwide race - had stuff to do on Saturday.
so far the pre-race has been mostly the same stuff. Although I think it is very funny that the 11 picked the pit right in front of the 48. That could produce some interesting moments on pit road.
lap 2 in-car cam.
Camera shots can't avoid showing empty seats. Does anybody think this has affected what we see as they are told to avoid showing this?
The conversations that were relayed to me from the TV truck last week would just make you shake your head.
The last lap thing was awful. Kind of like not replaying the restart yesterday.
Clueless.
YESSSSSSS , there is one camera shot today where they begin to show it but director quickly changes from that camera !
I can confirm NASCAR spoke to ESPN about not showing the empty seats at Dega. No clue about today.
Charlie, I'll drink that that! Heck, I'd send MONEY to the team that does that.
Such tight camera shots! They had a nice wide shot of the backstretch showing 3 cars on the screen, and cut to a tight shot of 1 car.
Hello all! Well lap 11 and no commercial not bad so far! Hey Gina whats up with you
Kind of a weird mix today on cameras so far.
A missed opportunity. The race is on ESPN and we get nothing from the most recognizable personality on that network. What a joke! and as for Sirius, since March the weekday shows are just an unadvertised cheerleading session for Nascar. Sirius Speedway was awesome before it became the Nascar Channel!
Tight shots keep the stands out of the picture.
Caution on the racetrack!! (as we watch Greg Biffle's head)
Give me a break
Go David Ragan in 3rd right now bout time we see some UPS colors up front!
JD, I wonder if they are trying so hard to avoid showing the empty seats that is affecting the way they show the racing.
Wide shots on the camera -- this is a big track.
Tight camera shots make the race so exciting. You don't have to see any cars in front or back with a tight shot to confuse you.
I see cars racing around the speedway but I can't for the life of me tell WTH is going on. Thanks, ESPN.
well, since the caution came out as ESPN was going to commercial and caused them to stay live. How long do you think it will take them to get the ship righted. Confusion already!!
I'm confused already and its not even lap 20!
I thgink the tight shots are an attempt to minimize the number of empty seats but with the large number of empty, it doesn't help much.
Wow thay stayed with it at the yellow flag. impressive. and the pits stops, very impressive Wow this is like a professional broadcast
Wow, blaney was down a lap already after only 14 laps?
Nascar telling ESPN to not show empty stands is complete garbage. Wide shots show better racing.. Fans know there are empty seats whether you show them or not.
Lousy job of covering the pitstop. Did not get pictures of the action at all
Ummm no shot of the 98 hitting the tire ?
Guys, ESPN has been using this type of directing for years.
It might be great in HD as was mentioned in an interview, but it lacks any kind of perspective.
Not knowing what is going on in the race itself is driving fans away.
If you watch other sports on ESPN, they do the same thing. It's a network deal and it stinks!
no replay of the #48 pit stop? who is running things in the booth?
Let's see what they cue up out of break.
This ESPN crew has been incredibly SLOW at re-racking the replays.
Talladega was awful at the end of the race & the pit stop trouble today is terrible.
The Truck is awful !
Hi, Jonathan. Busy weekend so far - trying to get things cleaned up in the house and yard before winter. Since I went to the races at Charlotte and Martinsville, I lost 2 weekends in a row to get any work done.
Things OK with you?
Tracks need to make the close seats cheaper, maybe 10 dollars... it would look better on tv and more people would come. better than making nothing on those seats and have em empty
We get wider shots on the front stretch, since the stands by the start/finish line are usually full.
If I was ESPN, I would get Dick Vitale into the infield pit studio pretty soon.
Big ESPN personality like that and not on TV?
@Jonathan - They really need to take out some sections of the grandstand. These places are really overbuilt.
yeah all good here, I know havent seen you here so figured you were at the races awsome! Was on vacation last week so I got a lot of work done around the house and just relaxed!
JD:
Right at the drop of the green at the start I spotted a big empty patch of seats toward the turn 1 end of the frontstretch stands.
Mike at 3:27 - but ESPN still has a long time to still go downhill today!
But does he know anything about racing, or is he just another 'name' they use to get attention?
Lots of folks here today. We are taking about NASCAR TV and media issues.
Lots of them to discuss for sure.
What's up with this no caution deal?
Perhaps a replay of Busch catching the wall here? Oh yeah, they probably don't have one.
A.R.E,, you're not alone in your thoughts about all that you just posted.
I am cancelling my sirius radio subscription. They don't say anything useful and I realized that I don't listen enough to justify the cost of keeping it. Plus I figure there are places I can get abused as a NASCAR fan for free, paying for it seems silly. LOL
Wow, what are they doing with all the single car shots? They are not giving me much reason to keep watching this.
NASCAR tells ESPN not to show empty seats today.
ESPN told NASCAR not to throw the caution flag, even with brake rotor parts littering the track yesterday.
At least NASCAR and TV are starting to work together.
Why are we just watching the 2 car go around by itself??
well JD, your Fins have had a modern day melt down but they are still alive because the Browns are puttin it on the Patriots and Detroit is ahead of the Jets. Back to the confusion of the ESPN booth.
Today it is obvious the production truck runs things.
Nobody looks out the window. We hop around the 3 Chase contenders and whatever battle the truck is able to catch.
A big track and 43 cars. Split boxes on the Tv screen and you only see two cars.
At last, a meeting of the mini minds?
OK, so of course Rusty is talking about the 2 car. Did you all hear the KuBu is going to the 22 car next year?
I do wish the booth would slow their roll when it comes to drivers making their way to the front. They've already made comments about a couple of drivers that started towards the back not making a charge to the front. They're 20 laps in, still 300 long laps left.
What do you guys think of this so far? Got a clue of who is where and why?
I'm getting dizzy watching this 2 car go around by himself!
Are Nascar that stupid they think we race fans, who occasionally go to a race, do not know there are empty seats? Give me a break!
I am wondering if this kind of thing from Nascar regularly makes ESPN pick poor camera angles all the time.
Nope, not a clue, JD. Seeing one car at a time just doesn't get it. After watching this SNAFU of racing on TV, why would anyone who hasn't attended a race before ever decide to go to the track?
Jonathan, that's a good idea. you should send it to Gossage -- he seems pretty open to good ideas.
Of course, for me, I always try and sit up as high as possible so I can see the whole track
I am not even sure the truck and booth have the same storyline rundown today. They are all over the road and confusing. Usually takes longer to get that lost!
I don't have a clue about what is going on on the track. I don't even know why I am watching this.
2011 has to bring some serious changes all the way around in NASCAR.
Agreed Vicky D I wondered how they(ESPN) would make up for all the commercial time lost there. It just suprised the hell out of me that they at least stayed with the race. I almost fell off my chair.
@Delenn,
Give ESPN credit...they can pick their own useless shots all by themself.
RWar24 said...
Nascar telling ESPN to not show empty stands is complete garbage. Wide shots show better racing.. Fans know there are empty seats whether you show them or not.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So NASCAR NOT wanting empty seats to show up on tv, means SCREWING us out of better VIEWS of race (Meaning we NEED more wide shots to enjoy a race)
So if NASCAR gave those orders, they OBVIOUSLY do not care or understand the butchered product that passes on tv as a 'race telecast.'
I am so over NASCAR if that's their attitude. I knew they were clueless but this is getting outta hand (tight shots, split screens, in car cam, bumper...lather, rinse, repeat)
Sophia on different computer :)
getting ready to head out but came by to read the early 'reviews'.
Same old same old. GORGEOUS day today here.
Bengals didn't lose.
.
.
Course they play Steelers oN MNF! Hope they make Cincinnati look gorgeous. One of my tweeps lives in Condo that overlooks stadium :-D
Safe race everybody. Catch the comments here later.
JD, nope, if not for trackpass, I'd have no darn idea where anyone is on the track. Single car shots do NOT make me want to sit here and watch this broadcast.
Jonathan, yeah, I just wish that my driver had better results at both those races. I turn into a serious cranky person when I spend all that money and time and he either wrecks or gets wrecked.
Oh well, that's the nature of the beast.
I wonder if DW will come back in 2011 for FOX with a new attitude? His failure to be selected for the HOF this year goes back to his mouth and self promoting attitude.
Hey, they actually showed the debris! Gave us the S&P but no follow up.
Sorry folks, takes all kinds to make a world.
Anon 3:43: I don't know if DW will do that, but if Fox would just go back to doing what they did best when they first got the TV contract which was SHOW the race and talk about the race, for me, it would go a long way toward making me enjoy their broadcasts again.
When they went into the Cult of Personality mess with DW and others, it stopped being as much fun to watch.
Most of us race fans are pretty easy to please -- show the race, talk about the action on the track and don't spend so much time on gadgets and BS.
Essentially for me, that applies to all the TV networks. As JD pointed out earlier, ESPN has their own "culture" for all their sports broadcasts not matter what the sport. The trouble is that doesn't work for me
Went to post and I was signed out. Had to sign in again.
Were about due for a long green flag.
Wow, Hamlin is in 24th? Did they say why?
Have they mentioned Earnhardt Jr yet today.
Suggestion for the "Triple Split" on the pit stops.
Since the 48 & 11 are pitted next to each other, give me one video box with BOTH the 48 & 11 in same shot.
This will be something to watch all afternoon with them pitted "side by side". haha
This is a complete mess
I tuned in to watch a race and basically I've gotten a working documentary of the 48 and 11 with a bit of the leaders and trying to get off pit road. What a let down.
Caution out for Debris
Ken-Michigan -- yeah and they could then use one of those triple splits to show other teams.
Caution came out while ESPN is in commercial
All ESPN needs to do is zoom out, put their toys away and just cover the race.
Now a caution for the #77 hitting the wall. If this was Darlington, the entire race would be under caution.
They need to take that AT&T Fastest Pit Crew of the Year crap and file it with the DraftTracker. Yellow air bad..
This is ridiculous. I have the over under for the ratings drop today at 30%. what say you??
What a sad, sad broadcast. No flow, tight shots.
How are the tires wearing?
Who is fastest on the track?
Did two tires work or are 4 the way to go?
My god, these commercial breaks. The last one felt like it dragged on forever and now here's another one.
Makes you wonder what the people in charge in the truck think the "race" is as opposed to what the "commercials" are.
woo hoo, the Vikings may pull this game out after all!
@Gina,
DH got boxed in his pit box by the 48 pitting behind him and the 82 pitting in front of him. The 82 has agreed to work with the 11 by having the 82 pull in and park as far forward as possible to give DH more room.
I agree. This is the same deal as last year. What story to cover and how to cover it?
The race? The Chase? Tire situation? Cars out of race?
I think Kyle Petty calls it a cluster.
A "Rolling Cluster"
Kyle Petty would be correct. Except that if this weren't a family site, I'd add an expletive behind that word.
JJ took 4 in case we missed it? Well, if they didn't tell us, how the heck would we know? that's just the issue in a nut shell, isn't it?
NorCalFan - thanks for the info on the 11, I appreciate it.
I guess all of us here should remember that, (as the media scolds us), if 'our' driver was running up front, we would hear about them, right? Heard anything about E. Sadler aor Reutiman lately? Running in the top 10?
I think DJ is out of steam already!
Yep! TV just jumps around rather than stepping back and following the race like a fan.
It has not worked since 2007.
maybe we should start talking how much we love this race coverage and maybe ESPN will change it! LOL cause they seem to be fine with showing us what we hate maybe we can play some mind games with ESPN cause nothing seems to change year after year after long a#* year
looks like a bird to me!
gluck just tweeted it's harder to follow the race at home....duh.
This is terrible. Just terrible. The best camera shots come just seconds before commercial break.
Enough is enough. For the first time, The Colts trump Nascar. I'll check in here and there.
Ah yes, the leapfrog method of broadcasting a race. Works so so well.
I'll be back when the OT is over in the Vikings game.
I hate this 48 Kobalt commercial - someone could get killed in real like if this happend and these guys are laughing.
You know they could do some really high and wide shots. They did show us this shot once.
Ok, who had lap 82 in the pool for the first "points as of now"?
zzzzz...getting sleepy
17 pitted during break - trash on the grill. No mention yet.
Geez, can gluck state the obvious any more clearly? When I am there in person, I watch what I want.
If you want to get the fans at home interested, they have to show the race. Not this "rolling cluster" and Mike from Detroit said.
Plus the booth is back to its "useless yakking".
@ Charlie - Please foward that to ESPN. They apparently didn't get it.
Were just a bit more then a quarter of the way through this race.
Up to speed and only 5 cars?
and the 17 is a chase driver - they usually at least mention them.
Hamlin appears to be making a comeback, too - at least according to trackpass since I'm watching the ball game.
and they stop right before Reut's place. Terrible.
Close drama in a lot of NFL games and a train wreck of a broadcast not doing Nascar any favors again today.
Sure does make it tough to hang in there with NFL on at the same time.
Anon -- were they the 5 most important cars per ESPN? I assume the 48 always makes the cut.
The ESPN "director" has a bad case of froglegs.
Jump
Jump
Jump
The best comment we had in a long time was from someone who said watching a NASCAR race on ESPN was like watching through a telescope.
You knew what you wanted was there, but could not see it because the view is sooo narrow.
The vikings just won in OT! Yeah, baby. Brad, as you said, good games will trump poorly done race broadcasts every Sunday.
They aren't just showing me enough on TV to keep me watching.
Is Jr. in this race?
Explain to us the bonus point situation ESPN, we don't know eight races into the Chase.
And nice of Rusty to throw in what worked for him when he won a championship. Humble guy.
another commercial???? wtf
I went and checked an NFL game just a few minutes ago and it is a good one. Not my team, they play tonight but it is better then this. Be back in a bit.
Man ESPN is just terrible.My god.
Well, I just went over to see what was going on and AB was doing a wrapup and going to commercial.
As much as the 'other 31' are...which is NOT at all. Don't bother to cover anyone or anything but the top 5. Sucks.
mmm love that Aarons commercial sexy ;P
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