The season is winding down and all three of NASCAR's national touring series are at the Texas Motor Speedway for some high speed action. TV coverage begins on Friday and SPEED has it all.
The day starts at 10AM with Nationwide Series practice. Steve Byrnes will be teamed with Larry McReynolds and Jeff Hammond all day long for coverage.
Ray Dunlap is next with NASCAR Live at 11:30AM. Dunlap will have Phil Parsons, Hermie Sadler and Randy Pemberton working on this show.
After a break for Formula One coverage from Brazil, Steve Byrnes is back at 1:30PM with Nationwide and then Sprint Cup Series practice. Bob Dillner and Wendy Venturini are the reporters.
The first featured telecast is Sprint Cup Series qualifying at 4:30PM ET. This is a big session with a lot on the line for many teams for a wide variety of reasons.
The gang is back together on Trackside at 7PM with Elliott Sadler added to the Byrnes, Hammond and McReynolds trio. Early Thursday evening reporter Jim Utter of thatsracin.com broke the story that Sadler will be leaving the Sprint Cup Series in 2011 and running for the Nationwide Series championship for Kevin Harvick Inc. It should be interesting to hear what Sadler has to say on that issue.
Terry and Bobby Labonte are also guests. So is Steven Turner. He is the powerhouse business executive behind the emerging Turner Motorsports. He purchased Braun Racing and seems set to present a strong multi-team presence in both the trucks and Nationwide Series next season. Justin Allgaier is rumored to be joining that team full time for 2011 as well. Talk about a jam-packed hour!
Trucks are next with the pre-race at 8:30PM and the racing underway shortly after 9PM ET. The SPEED crew are coming off one of the best truck telecasts of the season at Talladega. With Texas always hosting great racing for this series, it may be that the TV gang is peaking at the right time. We will live blog this event.
Nicole Briscoe and the ESPN2 NASCAR Now gang end the night with a midnight ET edition of preview and review. Highlights of the day's action will be mixed with reporting from Shannon Spake and a preview of the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races on the weekend.
As we watch SPEED go through the TV day on Friday, please feel free to add your comments about the coverage. Just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for stopping by.
35 comments:
If Shrub is out of the way, the Truck race will be a blast.
The Nationwide series is dragging itself to a conclusion. I'm really hoping NASCAR makes the right changes. Several teams look like they are jumping off this sinking ship at the end of the season.
Cup qualifying will be a battle. K Automotvie and R3 Motorsports look to be preparing for 2011.
Cool, I really prefer when all the NASCAR programming is in one place. It will be a blast having Steve and the guys together again and that guest list sounds great.
I know that not everyone is a fan of Hammond, but I enjoy his commentary. It will be fun to have Steve back at the track, too.
Don't know that I'll be home in time to watch qualifying, I'll probably have to find out who winds up starting where via internet.
I have to say that I'll probably enjoy the truck race if KyBu isn't in it.
Oh my. Read the headline as "Forget It: Friday at TMS on Speed." But that was before my coffee.
The weather will NOT be in play this weekend.
It is absolutely gorgeous here in Texas and promised to stay that way.
Finger crossed the racing equals the weather forecast -- FABULOUS.
JD, have you heard anything about Sadller going to KHI fulltime in the Nationwide series next year?
@ BuschSeries61 & GinaV24
Ya'll sure have started your trash talk early. FYI KyBu is on the entry list for all three races. Sorry to ruin your weekend! Now, repeat after me: "Kyle Busch will win" :D
Happy Race Day Planeteers! I'm able to go to the races so I'll be watching from the track but I know the TV Police(tm) will do me proud *giggles*
no dw mentioned...looks like i will enjoy today, muting the truck coverage for sirius...of course
Orange you glad that Hammond is on the tv today!
I love seeing KB run the trucks. I know all you old farts hate him, but Rowdy has tons of fans.
@AncientRacer - It's not meant to be trash talk. I just don't understand the fascination of Kyle running in a lower series and dominating. I believe Kyle would have a Cup championship by now if he didn't stretch himself too far in the lower series. What is he proving?
Is an Olbermann/Kilbourne reunion on ESPN SportsCenter in the works?
Maybe they could fit Keith Olbermann into their wacky NASCAR coverage as PxP guy for 2011?
Im guessing that the back-to-back Nationwide and Sprint Cup practices are tape delayed. The results from Sprint Cup practice are already available on Jayski. Dont want to spoil it for anyone but I will say this, them boys are fast today. Qualifying will be fun to watch to see if anyone breaks the record for fastest lap run in a COT on a non plate track. Enjoy having Steve back it just feels like old times.
Id love to mute the truck broadcast tonight but its MRN and im a PRN kinda guy. (MRN covers all truck races regardless of who owns the track).
Glad everything has been on Speed, mainly because I dont have to hear Marty Reid's voice.
AncientRacer -- LOL -- I know you'll forgive me if I root against Shrubbie. What fun is it if we all like the SAME driver?
Plus I just have to root against the Toy teams. I'm a Chevy girl.
AncientRacer -- LOL -- I know you'll forgive me if I root against Shrubbie. What fun is it if we all like the SAME driver?
Plus I just have to root against the Toy teams. I'm a Chevy girl.
JD.....got a question.
The person calling the camera shots today during practice, are they employed by SPEED, FOX, or ESPN?
I am looking forward to the Truck race tonight and remembered we get Racebuddy to. Hurray.
Lisa, the director works for SPEED.
TRL, the news about Elliott is right in the post today.
Thanks, JD.
Good job today....should have known that it was the SPEED crew! :)
I did miss John Roberts today.
Can't keep up with what is on which channel this time of year and end up missing most of it. Can't wait for Fox to get back (apart from DW)
I'm confused. Isn't Trackside supposed to be on?
FloridaMatt - I think it's delayed 30 mins.....
SPEED suddenly shifted the TV sched to get NNS quals on the air.
Trackside on at 7:30PM. Trucks as scheduled.
Love to be a fly on the wall for that meeting. Same day change in TV sched.
SPEED suddenly shifted the TV sched to get NNS quals on the air.
Trackside on at 7:30PM. Trucks as scheduled.
Love to be a fly on the wall for that meeting. Same day change in TV sched.
Steve - we've missed you - welcome back!
Very upset with Speed for going to Trackside instead of staying with NW qualifying especially with our fav coming up. Dang.
They are all so screwed up....
ESPN apparently had not scheduled any coverage of NW qual. Question might be when Speed obtained the rights. Tough call about how to fit it in -- coverage of a series that isn't on Speed vs cutting Trackside or Truck setup.
I just don't see the attraction of Trackside. Let's see the trucks!
I think speed should have simply passed on doing the NW qual, leaving espn to take the heat from the few who might have cared about it (with apologies to Vicky D). There will likely be more people irritated when their dvr stops recording trackside at 8pm than by missing the end of qualifying.
They could have shown the qual tomorrow at 7 or 7:30 in the morning, but nobody would have known about it.
While the decision might not have been ideal, I'll still credit speed for at least trying to bring us coverage espn wasn't going to bother with at all.
I agree with FloridaMatt--at least they gave it a shot. And they updated it.
As for Trackside--listening to Terry & Bobby tell stories was exactly what I want to see more of.
I have been enjoying Terry & Bobby's stories though. Let's go truck racin'!
That was one of the best Tracksides of the year. Of course it helped that DW didn't once interrupt anyone.
Matt....someone with a very big stick swung it.
Had to mute the anthem.
This Trackside / fall Texas N'Wide quals fiasco happens every single year and it's embarrassing. Tape Trackside and air it after the Truck race when there's no time on the Nascar on track schedule for it to air live during the afternoon / early evening. Simple. Done. Just like you do at Richmond, Phoenix, Darlington, etc. during the other fully loaded Friday nights on the calendar. Why is this week treated different every year?????
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