Sunday, November 7, 2010

Live Blogging Sprint Cup Series From Texas (2:00PM - ESPN)


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:

«Oldest   ‹Older   201 – 400 of 431   Newer›   Newest»
Sally said...

If Nascar wants to know why so many fans hate the chase, all they have to do is listen/watch any TV broadcast from Bristol on. When you ignore most of the field, why watch? That is, after all, one of the things that makes Nascar different. But they don't want different, do they?

Daly Planet Editor said...

They mailed it in yesterday. Today, no leadership and a cluster on the air.

Paul Brooks at NASCAR must be out of his mind. These are the playoffs.

Anonymous said...

This is a huge NFL day - couple of OT games. Ratings for the race will really suffer.

Anonymous said...

Monte Dutton crowd estimate only - 91,000 ewwwwww

Jonathan said...

is this a 5 car race?

Charlie said...

ok, back. That was a fun football game to watch.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Kind of feel bad for Marty. He can only do what the producer tells him.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Junior is 25th. What the heck?

Anonymous said...

Sorry folks but this problem with NASCAR is more than a "normal cycle" of disinterest. It really pains me to see empty seats, poor TV coverage, a lack of good racing. Can attribute it to CEO BZF !

brad said...

Nascar can only dream of the drama that has been occurring at the end of the NFL games this year and it's just their regular season. But yet all ESPN can do is put on a confusing debacle for their playoffs. It really is a disgrace to the fans!!! You cant script or plan a good close event, just cover what is happening!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I get a sense from the three in the booth that they don't really understand how to call this.

Talking about this pit stop for the 48 when the race has over 200 laps to go.

And the constant updates on the top three in the Chase is tiresome. How do you say "let's get an update on the 48 or the 11" when you've just been talking about them the whole race?

Charlie said...

36% of the race is done.

GinaV24 said...

Sally, same thing as always. JD has made the point several times, race fans don't change their favorite and point of view just because of who is or isn't in the chase. Plus I want to have them show the RACE!!

Daly Planet Editor said...

Yep. Call the race and let the Chase sort itself out. Otherwise, you have this. No updates on drivers outside the Chase, no updates on popular drivers, no follow-up with cars out of race.

12 are in, 31 are out. It just does not work.

Martin Vincent said...

They might as well call it the "AT&T Most Popular Driver standings", cause that's what it is. It has nothing to do with being the fastest pit crew, it's just an excuse for AT&T to make money on text messages.

Vicky D said...

And these Gander Mountain commercials are crazy!

Sally said...

This entire 'closest points race' BS is really annoying. It's only close because Nascar arbitrarily 'resets' the points to pretend they have a playoff. It really is a cluster when you add this awful coverage.

RWar24 said...

Real shocker..flip it from a football game to the race and the race is at commercial.

GinaV24 said...

Well, if Paul Brooks is going out of his mind, he needs to get pull his head out of the sand and FIX the problem.

Even if it is a blowout at an NFL game, the coverage still shows us the whole game, not just part of it.

Anonymous said...

"Kind of feel bad for Marty. He can only do what the producer tells him."

Yet, if he lacks the spine/sense to try to do much better, I would say the producer is only half of the problem, don't you think?

Anonymous said...

Bet ESPN is glad to have a new influx of money from Gander Mountain.

Anonymous said...

Is Paul Brooks part of the problem ?

NorCalFan said...

I'm kinda feeling sorry for all the sponsors who have cars outside the top 10 running cars. They are definitely getting no return on their investment. It doesn't take an Einstein to figure out why sponsorship is so difficult to come by.

Martin Vincent said...

@Vicky - I bet Gossage's monkeys could write better commercials for Gander Mountain, those ones are terrible.

Anonymous said...

In fact, this just occured to me. How many problems in the booth at ESPN do you think would be solved (zealous producers notwithstanding) if Reid was sent back to NHRA, Paul Page moved over to Indycar, and Bestwick taking Reid's place?

Seriously!

Daly Planet Editor said...

Nope, he is the NASCAR exec in charge of TV. He had a meeting with ESPN just a short time ago.

NASCAR sold the rights to cover this to ESPN. It's up to ESPN to telecast the races.

NASCAR cashed the check.

Martin Vincent said...

I think that was the first time Truex's NAPA car was shown today.

GinaV24 said...

Anon - I'm thinking these guys are all suffering from "team orders" and it is producing an awful product for the TV viewers.

I say fire Brainless France.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Gina, if you could buy NASCAR that might be possible. Otherwise, it's his playing field.

Remember, he went ahead with the Chase despite the other exec's not agreeing with him.

Sally said...

It seems that much of what is the trouble with Nascar these days comes down to what you just said, JD.

Nascar cashed the check. that's all BZF cares about.

Sally said...

OMG! I just heard Ambrose and Speed mentioned! first time today!!!

RWar24 said...

Then B.France deserves all the grief that's given to him. If he want his legacy to be the one that killed Nascar as a top notch sport, then he's well on his way. I don't see how any of the team owners do it anymore.

GinaV24 said...

Well, then NASCAR sold its soul and ESPN is able to do whatever they want and can essentially screw NASCAR if they want.

I don't know why they would choose to put such a lousy product out there since it impacts the ratings, but that is what they've been doing since 2007.

the ratings are just catching up to the awful product on TV

brad said...

Your right about switching back and forth JD. Only now Nascar seems to be in the little box more often if not gone all together for 2 close football games. Used to never turn anything else on until after the race but ESPN has driven me to more and more NFL games lately.

Vicky D said...

After the stop, I wish the pit reporter could have shown us what was on KyBusch's grill.

Anonymous said...

The Tim Brewer segment just seemed so freakin' fake. The fake laughing. Ugh...

Vicky D said...

Yeah, after that Tim Brewer segment, it was so funny I forgot to laugh.

GinaV24 said...

Oh I know you're right, JD. Brainless thinks he's right and of course the sport is wonderful and healthy. The fans are excited and the chase only needs tweaking to make it great.

Just ask him -- he'll tell you, if he could figure out how to put a few words together in a coherent sentence.

RWar24 said...

They're showing the Truex car now.

Roland said...

When is Brewer gonna learn that WE DONT USE THE GRILL ON THE BUMPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For 2 years now the cars have only used the opening below the bumper. Thats the 5 or 6 time hes had one of his show-and-tell segments using the wrong grill opening.

Vicky D said...

Lucky dog, Matt! YAY Let's see what Matt can do, although we might not see it since he's not one the chosen 3.

Anonymous said...

They have to stop saying things like "disaster for so-and-so" if they lose spots on pit road at this point of the race. Who do they think they are broadcasting to? Makes the coverage extremely laughable when I know so much more than the booth as a casual fan.

Charlie said...

I bet this is a good race to watch at the track. There are enough cautions to keep things interesting.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Marty knows drag racing, IndyCar and off-road. I thought the NNS races would help him this season, but when the Cup events on ESPN rolled around he went right in the tank.

Does not know how to put things in the right perspective. No frame of reference.

At times cars have been in trouble on the track and ESPN has just left them. You never know what happened unless they crash.

It's like they are rushed to always keep up with the leaders or the top Chasers.

Realy bad decision making.

Vicky D said...

I haven't heard so many driver's names today, Jr, Bayne, Smith and a lot of others. Hey ESPN these guys have a lot of fans too!

saltsburgtrojanfan said...

These posts about BZF are reminding me of a killer tune of the 70's called Sunshine

One verse fits King Brian and us fans well

How much does it cost
I'll Buy it
The time is all it cost
I'll try it
He can't even run his own life
I'll be damned if he'll run mine

NASCAR and ESPN basically to me are extinct.

My Steelers are on ESPN tomorrow but i won't be watching.

I'll be listening to them on the radio.

P.S. WTAE will have the steelers on but it will be muted

GinaV24 said...

Charlie, it probably is good at the track, but they need to "sell" this to the fans at home if they ever want to get the fans interested again. I don't think that will happen with any of the TV partners.

Geez, not even halfway yet? It feels like eternity.

Sally said...

Okay, I'm not going to gloat.

Martin Vincent said...

With how long these races have run in the past and the 1-hour pre-race show, this is 5 hours of NASCAR TV, and not good TV at that. We'll be losing viewers way before this thing is over.

brad said...

all those camera angles and the booth monkeys can just say I wonder if so and so hit him. Come on folks!

Charlie said...

They changed the right side first, not the left. How did that get past them.

Vicky D said...

We have been to TMS to lots of races, mainly trucks but to cup & NW and they put on a good show. Only bad thing is that it's a long ride home to Houston afterward!

GinaV24 said...

So many cameras, so little perspective. I swear that I could call the race better, if I could only SEE it.

Anonymous said...

JD,
Did you hear about the story a couple of weeks ago where the ESPN on field TV guy went to a head coach in an NFL game requesting him to burn timeouts as ESPN still had commercials that needed to be run?

RWar24 said...

Good work Ky. Busch.. I'm sure you make Joe Gibbs proud with your one-finger salute..

brad said...

About time one of Kyles temper tantrums cost him.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Yes. TV needed the regular commercial breaks and the game was not allowing it due to the nature of play as I was told.

TV encouraged a commercial. Bad decision, will not happen again.

GinaV24 said...

wow, are they talking about Menard?

Daly Planet Editor said...

This disjointed coverage makes no sense. I have no idea who is where and why unless I look at the ticker.

GinaV24 said...

Yeah, Joe's drivers are always a fine example of sportsmanship.

Charlie said...

That segment about trevor was a good one. Imagine that, a story on the track.

GinaV24 said...

thank heavens for trackpass. I can't wait for the ticker on TV. They stop and start that, too.

Jonathan said...

what happened w Kyle I didnt get to see it came back and he was getting held a lap????

brad said...

I think its great that Kyle is screaming that he is the only one to stand up to Nascar. News flash Mr. Busch, YOU sped on pit road. Kyle doesn't get his way and he has a meltdown. Some thing never change!

GinaV24 said...

Jonathan, he had a problem and had to go to pit road, got a speeding penalty and flipped the bird to the NASCAR official -- LOL - TV showed it (and apologized). NASCAR penalized him 2 laps for unsportsmanlike conduct. I've never heard of that one before.

saltsburgtrojanfan said...

Well one post about a coach burning time outs due to TV commercials needed shows ESPN's greed

Anonymous said...

This puts it in perspective. As Logano passes Biffle for the lead, Rusty Wallace is droning on about the points as of right now. Call the freakin' race!

Sally said...

@Gina,

I'm sure it was for "Actions detrimental...."

Anonymous said...

How long until they spend 5 minutes talking about how Kevin Harvick hasn't led a lap yet. Oh the drama!

Daly Planet Editor said...

I can't seem to find "unsportsmanlike conduct" in the NASCAR rulebook.

RWar24 said...

LOL @ JD. It's in the revised rulebook that comes out tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

JD:
Where exactly do you obtain a copy of the rulebook? :p

GinaV24 said...

Sally - probably true, but they definitely said unsportsmanlike conduct on TV. But then again, that's because Marty doesn't know the NASCAR rules either.

Daly Planet Editor said...

I get it sent to me every year. Kind of funny, it's on notebook paper and in crayon.

GinaV24 said...

Anon -- take a chalkboard and write whatever you want the the rules to be on it. Then you can erase and re-write the rules as it suits the sanctioning body.

Jonathan said...

ugh oh ugh oh stuck like glue, Jimmy Johnson is stuck like glue lol

Anonymous said...

"Look what happens if this doesn't change"

There's 140 laps left at a 1.5 mile track! My god....

Vicky D said...

Boy, hadn't seen Jeff Gordon today at all.

rich said...

It's a shame that Trevor Bayne is not getting the TV time he deserves for a great race so far

Anonymous said...

How did they miss that? Unreal! Gordon and Burton completely wrecked on the track in front of them and they didn't even know!!!!! WTF!

Sally said...

"...the ebb and flow of the race"? There IS no flow. And there's a huge wreck that they don't know a thing about. Problem with not looking out the window.

Better use the 7 second delay button.

brad said...

How in the world did ESPN miss all that wrecking?? that is ineptitude at it's finest! RIDICULOUS!!!!

Charlie said...

They are so surprised to see another wreck.

Anonymous said...

It's never good when the booth says they have no clue what happened or what led to it...let alone not even knowing it happened in front of them.

rich said...

Boy, when you watch the monitor in the booth you just don't see the race do you

Vicky D said...

Will someone in the booth, please look out the window for updates pullllleeeaaaseee!

Martin Vincent said...

Five years ago, Shane Hmiel was penalized 25 points in a Busch Series race for that same inappropriate gesture he gave to Dale Jarrett during a red flag at Bristol. Wonder if NASCAR will consider it penalized Kyle enough already or if he'll lose some points on Tuesday.

GinaV24 said...

OMG, did Jeff Gordon really do that?

Sally said...

Holy cow! I've never seen Gordon go after womeone without his helmet before!

Jonathan said...

good that was AWSOME thats what the sport needed alright!!!!!!!!!

NorCalFan said...

Chad is getting a little testy--what with the bad pit stops causing Jimmie bad track position--he just told the ESPN pit crew to get their MF camera out of his pit box.

Now Gordon and Burton are having at it. Maybe a hockey game will break out any minute.

hehehe

Sally said...

This almost reminds me of the OLD Nascar!

Charlie said...

Will they go back a lap or so and see why the two got mad?

brad said...

Now that was passion right there. Holy cow! that is what Nascar needs right now!!

Vicky D said...

Sally, the last time Gordon went after someone was poor Matt a few years ago, but he had his helmet on.

rich said...

what happened to boys have at it? Why did they step between the two Jeffs?

RWar24 said...

They want Boys have at it, but yet there were two officials in the way. They blew it.

GinaV24 said...

Considering Burton just drove right into him and wrecked him, I can understand that reaction.

i don't know that I'd have put them in the same ambulance though.

The only thing I can think is that Burton didn't know the caution was out? But still, you can see out the windshield, right? And there is a brake pedal in the car?


OK, I'm mad for my driver right now, but the only time I've ever seen Jeff go after someone like that was with Stewart and that was years ago.

inkthatpaints said...

Ahh to be a fly on the wall in the ambulance.

Charlie said...

Isn't reviewing the last wreck more important then seeing JJ pit stops.

GinaV24 said...

C'mon Charlie -- where are you priorities? it's all about the chase!

Anonymous said...

Brad and Rusty are insufferable

Anonymous said...

Look for Burton to be suspended because he got in a fight with Gordon!

Anonymous said...

Big wheel NASCAR official by Burton's side during interview.

brad said...

Jeff Burton... That is a real racers man right there. Kudos Burton!

GinaV24 said...

Brad, I don't care that Burton took responsiblity. It doesn't matter! That explanation from Burton was crap.

GinaV24 said...

how is the 48 team helping put the 24 back on the track destroying the morale of the 48?

Sally said...

Burton isn't known for taking out other drivers for no reason, however. Made for some interesting TV. Amazing that ESPN actually got it on camera.

brad said...

what more do you want from a driver than to say "it was my fault". 'I dont't blame him for being mad or coming up ready to fight." whether he wrecked him on purpose is another discussion.

GinaV24 said...

oh,I see, the 24 team is going to pit the 48 car because they are BETTER on pit road while the 48 team works on the 24 car to get back on the track.

Charlie said...

62% of race is done.

Ginny said...

I keep hearing that Gordon hasn't done anything like that before. Was it that hard to recognize him with his helmet on when he pushed Matt the exact same way?

Jonathan said...

Championship down the drain for Jimmy wow I cant belived I saw what I just saw and now on top of that there swapping crews????? I dont agree this should happen DURING a race! Harvick did it during the week thats ok w me but this isnt

GinaV24 said...

Sally, that long walk Gordon took down that way gave them time to get their act together.

brad -- what I want is for other drivers to quit thinking they can wreck Gordon with impunity. Of course, he's been his own worst enemy lately because he's acted weak and it is the law of the jungle out there on the track.

He can't keep saying he's got it coming without these guys thinking they can just do what they want.

Just my opinion and as you can tell, I'm biased.

Anonymous said...

sportscenter is going to love this. its all going to be kyle's middle finger, and the fight. forget the racing.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Wonder who made the crew swap call?

Jonathan said...

think this will help the ratings at all???/

GinaV24 said...

Jonathan, the TV commentators are overreacting. The 24 pit crew has been doing better stops than the 48. Chad's still in charge and he's going to call the shots just with a different pit crew.

Martin Vincent said...

@JD - I'd like to know what Chad just told all the 48 and 24 guys that were gathered around him.

sbaker17 said...

With the crew swap, the 48 team just lost the chamionship unless the 24 crew stays with the 48 for the last 2 races.

Newracefan said...

JD nothing on scanner until after I saw it on Twitter. Thinking Rick may have called that one

NorCalFan said...

Jonathan,
According to Nascar's rulebook, swapping pit crews during the middle of a race is not detrimental to the sport, only to the morale of the crew.

Anonymous said...

um, the green flag is out.

Martin Vincent said...

Green flag racing is NOT the time to be showing a pre-produced piece, let alone one they already showed in the pre-race show.

Charlie said...

Want excitement. Take JJ out of the 48 and put in Jeff Gordon next pit stop.

GinaV24 said...

JD, according to what is being posted on Gordon's chat, it was Rick.

brad said...

This is not a slam on Gordon's crew but... How do you go tell the 48 team, "you are the 4 time defending champions but we are gonna replace you with a crew that cant close out race wins." I think they knee jerked and fixed a problem that isn't really a large problem. It could be now!

Anonymous said...

ESPN has lost the handle on this race.

GinaV24 said...

Charlie, as fired up as Jeff is right now, that would be awesome, use the 24 pit crew and driver for the 48 car -- heck, Johnson would still get the points since he started the race.

Could be interesting.

Anonymous said...

ESPN should have put a green tarp over the empty seats, and superimposed a crowd shot. Sort of like how special effects are done in the movies.

GinaV24 said...

brad, it could have interesting ramifications for the next 2 races, that's for sure. If they start believing they aren't good enough, this may be the chink in the 48's armor.

Debby said...

Well if the 48 & 24 changed pit crews, why can't Speed & ESPN do that mid-race? HAHAHA

GinaV24 said...

in case anyone is interested, they are working to get the 24 car back on the track.

Can you say payback time anyone?

Daly Planet Editor said...

Debby, one person on Twitter suggested the 48 pit crew go to the TV truck and take over for the ESPN crew. Double-switch.

NorCalFan said...

I'll bet Sadler and Truex are having a little chuckle over Gordon's misfortune even though it was Burton who served the payback. KuBusch served his own at Martinsville.

Martin Vincent said...

@GinaV24 - If the 31 was still out there on the lead lap, I could see that happening, but they're both going to finish where they're at now. There's no point in retaliating now. Plus, I just don't see Jeff Gordon doing that once he's cooled off.

Anonymous said...

Since this site if focused on the coverage, I think we should look mostly at how ESPN is handling it.

I say...FAIL. Marty Reid trying to create drama instead of the booth saying "let's see how it works out" first before judging the decision.

Anonymous said...

How many times can a guy who is runningn the race sponsers paint scheme suddenly run really well and dust the field before everyone figures out something fishy is going on???

Jimmy at Lowes, Sharpie cars (who ever drove them) at Bristol and this one is blatant....

Martin Vincent said...

@Anon 5:58pm - This is the AAA Texas 500,... are you talking about Sam Hornish Jr.?... I don't get it.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Anon, all the cars are clocked in practice and in qual. The Roush Fenway cars were at the top.

Biff loves these kind of tracks.

GinaV24 said...

Martin-Vincent, I was thinking that payback would be in order for oh say, Kurt Busch, not for Burton as you say there would be no point. Gordon like most racers has a long memory. He's usually better at making it look like an accident, he's not quite as crude with his wrecking as others -- except for Sonoma when he was really a one man wrecking ball.

NorCalFan -- Sadler & Truex may chuckle over Jeff's "misfortune", but Sadler will be driving a truck next year.

I agree that Marty hasn't got a clue what he's talking about -- wait and see how it works out for the 24 pit crew to work with the 48 instead of jumping to conclusions. Of course, maybe the 24 crew will remember that the 48 hasn't always been THAT great a teammate and screw the pooch.

Anonymous said...

What a disjointed coverage from ESPN. What they are doing is not helping Nascar in anyway. It looks like people are leaving the race track.

Sally said...

22 cars left on the lead lap.

Anonymous said...

"Doesn't seem to be any battles for position as we scan the monitor." Fixed It For You, Marty.

GinaV24 said...

Well, it sounds like the 24 pit crew did a great job for their temporary driver, doesn't it.

Marty had to backpedal a bit there. Of course, it may make for a problem when the regular crew comes back over.

Martin Vincent said...

@GinaV24 - I just don't see Jeff doing anything like that.

Sadler was just signed to a full-time Nationwide deal. He'll be running a few Truck races also, I think, but he'll spend most of his time in Nationwide.

MeekloBraca said...

Where is Elliott Sadler? You know, he only started 1st.

Vicky D said...

Meek, as soon as Sadler lost the lead he was soon pushed aside by ESPN. He's a lap down, but I only noticed that from the ticker.

rich said...

I think that they will keep the 24 crew at the 48 pitbox for the remainder of the season

Charlie said...

81% of the race is done.

Vicky D said...

What is all this lovefest with JJ???? Why don't you line up the #48 pit crew and name names for heaven's sake!

GinaV24 said...

well between the lousy race coverage and the fact that my guy is out of the race, I think I'll go eat dinner.

I'll check back with all of you later. Have fun.

Sally said...

Once again, Dr. JP shows why he is oncomparable on pit road.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Vicky, they have the technology to record every pit stop and every single action like changing tires and putting in gas.

It was supposed to be done for the #48 team if JJ was in contention.

I thought we would see it last time when he pitted after the crew change but they almost missed the whole stop.

Charlie said...

I use to wait for a commercial to go get a snack or whatever but now when I feel like it I just get up and go whether the race is on or not.

Jonathan said...

why would you come to a race if your going to leave early??? I looks like a lot of people have left why???? you pay all that money, you know your going to a race its not like going to a movie and you dont like it you leave. I never understood that concept why go??? If all u wanna see if cars going around spend a heck of a lot less and go to pratice

Sally said...

The stands definitely look as if lots of people are leaving. I guess that proves that, unless the majority of the race is worth watching, people aren't going to hang around to see if the last few laps will be made exciting by a late race caution.

GinaV24 said...

Jonathan, Maybe they were all Jeff Gordon or Earnhardt fans?

Sally said...

@Jonathan,

Ever had to deal with after race traffic? I used to go to Bristol. I usually left before the post race burnout so I could actually get out of the parking lot.

brad said...

@Sally: I understand leaving before the burnout but 50-70 laps to go?

Anonymous said...

The fans that are leaving before the checkered flies are the ones Brian ruined NASCAR to appeal to.

Jonathan said...

Sally nope when I go to a race i go for the full experiance!!! I always have beer in the color and I sit by the car listen to country music and watch the cars fight to get out!!! LOL I'd rather have more fun after the race and hang w the die hards its fun!! once i see the traffic fan I out I leave and its easy to leave!

Vicky D said...

Jonathan hubby would be leaving this race early if we were up there, but then again, we have a 4 1/2 hour drive home to Houston.

terri said...

I held my tongue on here, when the booth was watching the monitors and not the track and missed the Gordon/Burton dustup. Then they played some stupid tape about the crews under green flag laps. Then they almost peed themselves with glee with the 24/48 crew change - and the imaginary "morale" problem they have made up. Now all they have to keep themselves occupied is the championship points "if the race ended now." My God. Someone just shoot me.

Vicky D said...

According to Ken Schrader, the points as of now are meaningless til the end of the race so why bring it up with 50 laps to go?

bozo said...

wouldn't a good graphic to throw up right now would be the time of JJ's pit stops with his crew vice the 24's crew..to show the wisdom of the switch

Sally said...

@bozo,

Why do something innovative and useful? This is ESPN.

Jonathan said...

bozo they did that already 13.something to 12.somthing lol

Martin Vincent said...

@Vicky - If we get to Homestead and the top 3 is as tight as it is now, be prepared to see the "points as of now" graphic all race long. I can see ESPN doing that.

Anonymous said...

they did show a graphic right after the green flag pit stops

MeekloBraca said...

How predictable. A phantom debris yellow.

Jonathan said...

COME ON Nascar seriously??? SERIOUSLY debri caution none to show Seriously not again


I guess this is why people leave!!!

A.R.E. said...

Ha, The NASCAR Shenanagans begin,

A.R.E.

Jonathan said...

ok nevermind they showed it im ok

Charlie said...

Of all the things happening today at the race, aren't you glad to know that a record was broke for most lead changes.

Anonymous said...

BRAVO!! ESPN showed the debris! Best thing they did all day.

sbaker17 said...

Mssr Jacque Debris

Jonathan said...

sbaker they showed it this isnt a phoney one chill

sbaker17 said...

Sorr, missed them showing it. Who threw it out of the window?

Anonymous said...

That restart shot really showed the empty seats.

Charlie said...

Marty is having a hard time.

Sally said...

Yu[. The fans are so enthralled with how close the chase points are they don't care about seeing the end of the race. Great call, BZF!

brad said...

Marty has been having a hard time since The Brickyard!

Anonymous said...

Call BZF ??? He could care less. HE IS THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM.

Sally said...

Did I miss it, or have they even mentioned that junior is running (near the back) today? great way to keep the Jr. Nation happy.

terri said...

MartySmithESPN Marty Smith
I'm standing in 48 pit. After a 12.3-sec stop, the 48 guys were patting the 24 guys on the back, cheering them on.
9 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

*Tweet from Marty* Eat it, booth monkeys.

Sally said...

Anon 6:36

That was my point. guess sarcasm doesn't come across well.

Vicky D said...

Sally, I said earlier that we've seen Jr's Nationwide Ins commercial more today than seeing him on the track!

Anonymous said...

BZF should have gone ahead and purchased an NFL team. Maybe that is still potentially in the works.

Sally said...

Good point, Vicki! I guess they figure that should be enough! ;-)

Anonymous said...

Wonder how Eddie Gossage is going to spin the attendance. He may need a trained monkey to sell tickets.

Sally said...

They already have on running nascar.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Lots of folks reading your comments today. Just FYI.

Anonymous said...

Meaning muckety mucks ?

Charlie said...

Yes Marty the high camera shot really shows you how the cars are working.
To bad they don't use that shot more.

Anonymous said...

REPLAYS FDURING GREEN FLAG! STOP IT!

Anonymous said...

ESPN needs to be sure to get a pit reporter to shove a microphone in Kyle's face to force him to comment. Can't let him off the hook.

PammH said...

I have listened to maybe 5 mins of the race broadcast, listening to PRN. The pics haen't been great tho. "watching" the race thru twitter.

Anonymous said...

with denny leading, Im suprised a yellow came out. Seems that Nascar wants him to win.

Anonymous said...

I didn't even know Carpentier was in the race til the spin.

«Oldest ‹Older   201 – 400 of 431   Newer› Newest»