NASCAR Media Group Wins Sports Emmy

Remember Inside the Headsets? That was the TV special from the All-Star race that basically took tons of footage and made a mini-movie of the event. Using video and audio gathered live, the NASCAR Media Group "turned around" the racing into a complete show by the very next day.

Well, the end result was pretty good. Here is the official information:

NASCAR Media Group, the creative, media, and production services company of NASCAR, has received an Emmy Award for “Inside the Headsets,” a television program which aired following the 25th annual NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race last May.

NASCAR Media Group and its broadcast partner SPEED were presented the award in the “Live Event Turnaround” category at the 31st Annual Sport Emmy Awards on April 26, 2010 at Lincoln Center in New York.

This is the third time in the past four years NASCAR Media Group has won the Emmy Award in the “Live Event Turnaround” category.

“Inside the Headsets,” which aired on SPEED on May 17, 2009, was one of the most ambitious programs capturing the full dimension of a major sporting event. NASCAR Media Group employed an additional 13 shooters to capture supplemental material and used four slow motion cameras.

With an eye on crew chiefs, in-car communications and unique camera angles, 184 tapes documented the all-star race. To meet a stringent time constraint of 30 minutes, the race was recorded live-to-tape with ancillary material added overnight. The program aired less than 24 hours following the conclusion of the race.

“ ‘Inside the Headsets’ embodies the best parts of an action movie and a sporting event,” said Jay Abraham, chief operating officer of NASCAR Media Group and vice president of new media and content for NASCAR. “Every important moment is captured, from the pre-race preparations and fly-over to post-race driver and crew chief interviews, fireworks and Victory Lane champagne showers.”

“All of us at NASCAR are very proud of our award-winning team working hard to produce world-class content from our new state-of-the-art facilities at the NASCAR Plaza in Charlotte,” said Paul Brooks, president of NASCAR Media Group. “We’ll continue to make the investments to bring NASCAR fans groundbreaking shows like 'Inside the Headsets.'”

Other NASCAR-related programming was also recognized at television’s most prestigious awards ceremony. FOX Sports won for Live Event Audio/Sound for its NASCAR broadcasts and HBO’s “24/7 Jimmie Johnson Race To Daytona” was recognized for Outstanding Sports Promotional Announcement – Episodic.

Give the NASCAR Media Group some credit. They have been doing a lot of the heavy lifting for SPEED where NASCAR is concerned for a long time. Although series like NASCAR Confidential and Beyond the Wheel are gone, there are new NMG shows now airing on SPEED.

Sounds of NASCAR is a dynamic thirty minutes that follows a NASCAR personality through a race weekend. The stories are not just focused on drivers and crew chiefs. From spotters to wives, it's fascinating to explore the real people behind the names many of us know so well.

Race in 60 is a simple but effective video recap of the Sprint Cup races without flash or hype. Missing a race is easy to do and Race in 60 is an easy way to catch up on what happened from green to checkers. SPEED normally replays this show several times each week.

We have been trying to open up the NASCAR TV doors and let fans understand how much work goes into a typical telecast or program. As mentioned above, 13 camera crews wound-up with 184 tapes to create a show that has only 22 minutes of content.

Seems like this time, someone other than the NASCAR fans noticed.

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David Poole Remembered One Year Later

It's been one year since David Poole, the NASCAR writer for the Charlotte Observer, passed away after falling ill at home in Stanly County, NC. Poole was only 50 years old and had been covering the sport for some 13 years.

The NASCAR media has seen many changes since Poole's passing. The struggles of the print media and many newspapers downsizing in order to survive has meant less of a national profile for the sport. The rise of NASCAR on social media like Twitter and Facebook has been interesting, but not particularly meaningful or profitable.

It seems ironic that many remember Poole for strongly criticizing NASCAR over the Carl Edwards accident at Talladega that sent two spectators to the hospital. Click here to read that column in full. Sunday, NASCAR had perhaps the most exciting Sprint Cup Series race in a long time at the very same track after changes to the COT that included removing the rear wing.

Back in 2007, Poole encouraged me to start this blog. He liked the idea of focusing on the billion dollar NASCAR TV contract and the thousands of hours of annual TV programming that surrounds the sport. In the first couple of months, he also offered a little tough love along they way. That was part of his charm.

In the past twelve months, over one million visitors have stopped by The Daly Planet logging over three million pageviews. It seems that Poole was right. Some fans wanted a place to read about NASCAR TV and offer their opinions on the coverage of the sport.

Like many, I wish Poole was still around. The atmosphere at times this year has been very strange where discussing NASCAR on TV is concerned. Media doors open to me in the past have been firmly slammed shut. TDP opinions that do not contain the sport's new "positive message" philosophy have been attacked as anti-NASCAR. It has certainly been an interesting season so far.

So, on this day we take a moment to think about NASCAR and free speech. About the pivotal role television, radio and journalism played in bringing the sport to the national level. About how our new media world will influence it in the future.

Here are some story links talking about Poole's passing from one year ago:

Open Comments On The Passing Of David Poole - The Daly Planet

NASCAR Media Icon David Poole Passes Away - Yahoo! Sports From The Marbles

NASCAR Loses Its Most Authoritative Voice - Sports Illustrated

Charlotte Observer Motorsports Writer Dies At 50 - thatsracing.com

We All Have A Little David Poole Inside - The Speed Freaks

Like Earnhardt, David Poole Mastered His Craft - ESPN.com

David Poole Leaves A Void, Professionally And Personally - NASCAR This Week

Click here for Poole's Legacy.com guest book of 422 comments.

As we move forward, perhaps you could take a moment to leave an opinion on Poole's passing one year later and your take on the NASCAR media scene. Just click the comments button below. Thank you.