The NASCAR on FOX team comes out of the gate in 2011 trying to get different results from exactly the same personalities in front of and behind the cameras. It's going to be a tall task to get the momentum flowing in the right direction where NASCAR fans and TV are concerned.
As you can tell from the picture above, the theme of this one is going to be Dale Earnhardt Jr. trying to win the race on the 10th anniversary of his father's passing. Fans will once again hold up three fingers on lap 3 of the race. Keep an eye on how FOX handles this topic during the event.
Chris Myers is back in the Hollywood Hotel and it should be interesting to see if he continues the same act of being Mr. Confused. In fact, Myers is now in his second season of hosting Inside NASCAR on Showtime. Myers has a long history in TV as an informed and sophisticated on-air professional.
Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Hammond join Myers for the pre-race show. Hammond has been outstanding this season with focused TV comments and an informed presence. Waltrip has been overused by SPEED and the result has been a tired guy who is talking too much. A well-rested Waltrip is going to be needed for this race that promises to have a very different dynamic.
Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds join Waltrip in the booth for the race. This mix has been effective for many years, but Waltrip's non-stop chatter last year at this event set the tone for what was to be a rough season. If the producer allows Joy to take charge and direct traffic, things should be fine.
Steve Byrnes, Krista Voda, Matt Yocum and Dick Berggren are the top of the heap in terms of pit road reporters. A diverse group of professionals with other interests and TV projects, FOX has failed to effectively use their talents for several seasons. Hopefully, a new focus on information will allow them more air time.
There is no RaceBuddy for the FOX races this season. That means during TV commercials fans have nowhere to continue watching the race. NASCAR.com has a live leaderboard but no free scanners. Basically, FOX and the radio are the only two information sources for the event.
FOX has not embraced social media and there is no focused location for tweets or Facebook conversation with fans during the telecast. Darrell Waltrip has an active Twitter account, so it should be interesting to see if he will be interacting with fans from the TV booth during the race.
The network has FLIR technology, new in-car camera angles and a race where two cars can pull away from the pack. It's an interesting combination of elements where making TV is concerned. FOX has a long history of overusing in-car angles, trying to build drama and focusing on the winner instead of all the finishers.
There are four years left in the current TV contract. In reality, FOX may well have only four more cracks at covering the Daytona 500. After last season's pothole issues and the erosion of TV viewers, the pressure is on to deliver a memorable and informative telecast.
We will use this post to host your comments on the TV coverage of the Daytona 500 on FOX. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thank you for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet for the fifth season.
543 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 400 of 543 Newer› Newest»This is why drivers don't need to be talking to each other while racing.
Laser focus on the front pairs again. This is getting old.
I'm just a patsy. It was everyone else's fault.
@Sally
That is Nice. John Kay and Steppenwolf. Nice
could see some boring race for a while now.just a bunch of pairs giving everyone some space..with 26 cars only you won't even have a pack behind
zoom out and show the race under green.
Sally...
Assuming you mean the famous Steppenwolf song by that name, pretty appropriate considering the word that comes before the title in the chorus. ;-)
DW please SHUT UP!
Like someone else said, normally these wrecks happen much later in the race. FOX needs to find the best racing to keep viewer focus until the last 100 miles.
@ KoHoSo
Actually, I think it is sung as two words.:)
Kind of weird. DW has defaulted to his "other" personality, the one we do not like.
All of a sudden, he is making excuses, spinning the racing on the track and defending what is going on.
@Ancient - I love the bonfire!
AncientRacer...
In retrospect, I think you are correct. Also, considering JD's tweets earlier today, ironic that I once saw Steppenwolf and Foghat together in concert together in 1987. 8-)
@ Erik it can't be that hard to focus on the rest of the field now
Ancient, Gordon's in the garage - they are working on the car so I don't think he's gonna win it today, darn it!
So you don't bring him any more luck wearing his hat than I do! LOL
Its just not very interesting...not sure what they can do but this isn't going to work. I kinda feel bad for Nascar.
Some fans obviously never watched when there were 43 car freight trains for 198 laps .;-)
jr is saying the same thing as jeff gordon..we stil have 350 miles it stupid to run 3 wide at this point need to find place where you have room to keep getting air
@KoHoSo
Ahhh, Slow Ride.
So much for the theory that the pod racing is safer, no?
JD, I stopped listening to DW as soon as he started making excuses -- carcar, I don't feel bad for NASCAR - they created this mess, they can also fix it, they just can't see past their own stupidity to do it.
Dannyboy I was at 2004 500 when Dale Jr won and that was a boring race. Follow the leader freight train racing.
Just not sure if this is an improvement.
It took Barry a good 5 seconds to go to that wreck. Bet somebody yelled!
DW should realize that the last 3
races have been run in the sunlight
on the track! DUH?
I'm getting the sense the casual fan is starting to tune out at this point. They have to be feeling confused. There's not a compelling storyline for the race developing and the TV booth isn't helping matters.
They had their chance to fix it when they repaved the track. I guess NASCAR thinks that real race fans' money isn't as green as the ghouls' money...
I just realized that the only "official" HMS car that wasn't in the wreck was the 88. maybe his luck has changed. what caused the last caution since I wasn't watching.
mullhern is reporting that JJ came out but couldn't maintain speed..where is fox on that? does that mean he is done? one chance right.
Use to be when they restarted a race you could be doing something else and by the voices on the Tv you knew the race went green.
Not today.
Carcar,remember that there's racing going on that the TV isn't showing. It's probably fun to be in the stands today.
I'm impressed with Trevor Bayne. I think we're seeing the start of the next great driver.
Gina -- You've forgotten that ESPN believes that the race is fixed in favor of the 88. Of course he's going to survive the big one!
The whole thing is ridiculous. Two of the sports biggest races are not watchable. Again not sure what you can do but who in their right mind would pay to go see this?
@ carcar
The answer apparently is me.
MikeC, I'm not a casual fan and they have lost me - at least as far as watching this nonstop. I may come back closer to the end, but I have no particular reason to watch for the next hour and a half listening to DW and watching commercials.
Tracy D...fair point...but in the end its not individual competition...
Gee, Mike Joy, that's what they USED to do before the 2 car tango! and all of a sudden, Mike doesn't LIKE that kind of racing.
@carcar
Then again nobody has ever accused me of being sane. Ask my exes
Anonymous 2:33 I agree freight train racing gets boring, but what I was saying is its not like we have always had great shows.
NASCAR obviously has to fix this, and Im sure they will.
interesting - M Joy says that five-time is in the garage but Hot Pass has video of him taking laps.
DW, please tell me what the heck does contact under green has anything to do with the knowing when the caution comes out. Again, you make zero sense.
Ancient Racer.... something tells me there is always fun when you are there>>>>
Kudzu -- LOL, that's right, I forgot about that. Well, maybe he will after all, he's a good plate racer and surviving to the end of the race is half the battle.
Restrictor plate racing needs to be non-point races.. That's the simple fix.
according to what I heard on Gordon's radio - they are getting ready to come back on the track -- Alan told him to run a lap or two and come back in and they will check everything, so I guess it's not one try to get it all up and running.
I used to feel like I knew the rules, but NASCAR changes them too fast for me to keep up.
You bet they will be working on a new package for July.
@racingfool
The movies were a bit of buzz today. Someone sed they were like those grisly car wreck movies we all saw in driver's ed. BZF would not have been there because it was not about mixology. Jus sayin
Halftime.
Bring out the Cheerleaders, Pom Poms and the Marching Band.
Janet Jackson too! LOL
I do not understand the hatred toward the new style of drafting, it is far more compelling than staying in place in a massive convoy
AR - you cannot depend on the opinion of exes regarding sanity.
You sound like you're having fun - that's all that matters.
Even the restarts suck which spaces being left open to get in the 2 car draft. Pitiful.
At this rate fox will have to preempt their animation lineup
Ok, I give up. Had to mute the TV and switch to MRN. I've had enough DW already. Jeez give it a rest DW!
I would like to believe they can "fix it for July" but I really don't believe that they can. Today, for example, shows that 43 cars on the track results in different racing than the smaller numbers on track we've seen earlier this week. I'm sure they'll take a swing at fixing it, but I'm not sure that anyone knows what "fixing it" means as far as restrictor plate racing goes.
Nice little graphic about Logano's steering wheel.. Not sure why they waited to lap 62 to show it.
Yep Vince, had to do the same thing. No one on TV was telling me what anyone is doing. Frustrating...
Zoom out and show the race under green.
FOX Heat Seeker is as useful as ESPN Draft Track.
AncientRacer
It seems really insulting to show Crash movies to pro drivers at this level getting ready to go 200 plus MPH around the track.
Probably took a lot of the fight out.
Shame they did that.
A Full screen Acid trip picture under green flag? Really? Shades of bspn, and a commercial break
Carl, they will just slow them way down so no one can get away.
Three RCR cars up front again.
Wondering if MRN & Fox worked out a deal to air their commercial breaks at the same time under green flag racing. Seems to be that way today.
The heat cam was interesting, but an actual temperature reading associated with the graphic would have been better than "Yikes!"
JD -- that puts us right back to three wide and 14 rows deep. Which is OK with me but apparently not to many fans.
anyone know if the backstretch is open for fans or only the frontstretch? just curious as to how many tickets they sold?
JD, but if they slow the cars down, nobody can build up the momentum to pass.
The racing isn't terrible. The problem is there is just no urgency to race as hard as possible.
Showing that piece of rubber going forward was great. Something really meaningful and enlightening.
@GinaV24
Everything is open. Had walk up tickets too. But the place is jammed as is all of East Volusia County and west all the way to Mouseville and Ocala. Big year. Biggest I've seen in 3 to 4 yrs.
Of course the weather is nice and tomorrow is a fed holiday.
Gina they use all seats for the cup races both front stretch and back stretch
travis kvapil sp? hit the wall DURING commmercial ..sigh. NEED side by side greedy NASCAR &
Hey, let's go to commercial break.. cause, it's not like we've gone to commercial before with all the green flag racing we've had.
Went over to my moms house for Sunday dinner. Watched the prerace and about an hour of the race. Mom is 86. She enjoyed Paisley, Martina + Bentley. Mom doesn't swear, but her response to the "race" was more or less, "you have got to be f'in kidding me. Those people in the stands actually paid money to be there?"
Fox missed another caution.
TJ did not spot for Danica yesterday. He spotted for Junior.
jr does not want to be near anyone until the end of the race..no sense doing all of this now.
more listening to MRN than tv. GLAD I missed more gimmicks Fox is adding.
sigh.
Will somebody please sign up for a spine donor's list to ADDRESS to the WORLD (aka TPTB of NA$CAR) that better camera work, more wide shots, headlights coming AT US, means a better picture for tv viewers.
Why I am repeating myself, I dunno.
Fox would rather push their new angle agendas & gimmick video :-(
others like mullhern tweeting that fox can't figure out how to show this racing...to give us the big picture
They are slowly reverting to the old ways. We just need wideshots and some good commentary.
2 by 2 by 2... aaaaaagh
Go Jr. and I'm not even a Jr. fan...
junior to point - did he get the call? what will PTI say about this?
Does fox turn up the crowd mics when Junior takes the lead?
thanks, Ancient -- apparently it's only cold at Daytona when I've been there.
Since I work for a company that doesn't have Pres day as the holiday, I'd forgotten about it being a fed holiday.
do they turn the crowd mics on or is that really natural sound coming through their mic's
I AM SICK OF FOX PUMPING UP THE CROWD NOISE EVERY TIME JUNIOR LEADS A FREAKING LAP.
Fox need to stop acting like they're rooting for Junior to win.
They don't pump up the crowd noise when someone else is winning.
JD, the old dogs can only stay with the new tricks for a while. Once they get going, its easier to fall back into old patterns.
I have it muted and am channel surfing since it seems that Fox is in commercial as much as at the track and I do NOT watch commercials
What are the points if the race ended now?
It's a combination of turning the mics up and adding faux crowd noise.
I caught on to it a few years back when Jr. took the lead in a race and you heard the crowd noise get loud....a second later, Jr. lost the lead, and the crowd noise didn't fade naturally....it stopped in a split-second. LOL
Ancient...you're there, so tell us...did the crowd really get that much louder when Jr took the lead? Or is it all TV effects.
Maybe I am missing something.
Do most fans like all the cam shots and the tight only two cars in a shot view.
For me it is harder to follow the race this way but I must be odd man out. FOX must think this is what the fans want.
JD sed
They are slowly reverting to the old ways. We just need wideshots and some good commentary.
My responses:
1. Dang I hope so
2. Nachos and fresh beer have arrived
3. Did you guys know that Howard Cossell and Don Meredith made Nachos and sports a big deal?
Gotta go now for awhile. Paid for a ticket and a camper spot so I suppose I ought to watch the race.
@J.J.:
I guarantee you that if the crowd cheered when a Toyota driver took the lead, Fox would crank it up to 11...
@Anon3:10 - not sure of leaders points - but DW actually said that Kevin Harvick only got 2 points for the day lol
Charlie said...
"Maybe I am missing something.
Do most fans like all the cam shots and the tight only two cars in a shot view.
For me it is harder to follow the race this way but I must be odd man out. FOX must think this is what the fans want."
No! Fox does as they please, and if we don't like it, tough!.
Charlie, Fox may think its what the fans want, but if they read this blog, they'd know it isn't.
Most fans want wide shots and decent PXP - but Fox can't seem to handle that.
@Sally
Yes. No effects. And, you can feel it. It is like a collective wave.
First thing is that I'm not a JR fan. Can't stand him and his mediocre talent. 2nd thing is, if you decide to get off the computer and actually go to a race and witness it, you will see and hear the throngs of robots who think JR is truly baby Jesus. Sad, but true. My point? I don't think Fox is over emphasizing. Find something else to whine about folks.
according to the ticker, harvick got 3 points since they must have missed that yeley was a start/park
uh-oh childress engines
Nice coverage.
I'm enjoying the racing.
As the grip deteriorates on the racing surface,( months & years to come), pack racing will return.
But this racing is really making the teams and drivers do a lot of thinking. You can gamble on 2 tires or no tires... I like it.
I'm not denying that Junior has fans. All I'm saying is that he is the only one they raise the volume for. What, are they booing when Jimmie Johnson takes the lead?
That doesn't seem very fair and balanced.
Settle down, Francis.
@kiteman...I know. spent 7 years going to Bristol, so I've heard it for myself. Just that some don't/won't believe it happens.
@JJ...all drivers have fans...just not as numerous or vocal as Jrs.
FOX says they did not turn up the mics and have never added crowd noise to a NASCAR race.
The reporters in the infield media center said the ovation when Jr. took the lead was overwhelming.
Take all that for what it is.
FOX needs to let Digger go.
Doug Yates claims the new Ford engine will live longer at higher temps -- giving them the advantage today. Interesting to see if more Chevy's blow up or if it's just the ECR engines.
Would somebody please get that retarded rat off my screen - and Digger, as well...
yep, gotta hand it to Jr fans -- there are lots of them and they are loud.
Funniest thing at dover one year - Gordon & Jr in the same car. The Jr fans were very confused -- they couldn't boo Gordon with their guy riding with him. Made me laugh my bu** off!
It took some time but we no longer mind the seven second delay; MRN is nearly opposite than the rodent picture box. Robby Gordon coverage, to boo ... T.
finally to half way -- could it rain now and end this earlY?
Halfway.....ouch. And it started out soooo well. Daggone.
JD, right and they don't boost the volume on commercials on all the channels either.
The only thing I can think of that would make NASCAR on Fox any better would be if they would put Terry Bradshaw in the booth with Darrell Waltrip for a major league talk-a-thon.
Shocking fox missed it again
If only Daytona had taken half of the banking out when they repaved.....they had the opportunity to get rid of the plates, spacers, etc. but they certainly blew it.
Good drivers spinning today.
And spotters not able to pay full attention to their cars because they're too busy running from one end to the other to make deals.
Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous.
stewart asking jr if he wants to team up, stewart agrees he doesn't want to mix it up at this point just ride back... they have radio communication
Robby Gordon winning would be great! na$car would have to acknowlege him, that would be priceless!
Ooooh..another lap leader record broken. BZF should be happy!
zoom out when the race is under green please.
just amazing listening to scanners and hearing these guys communicating at 200mph with each other
WHY??????? These interview segments baffle me.
My surround sound luvs "crank it up"
Artie ( FOX director) cuts it great too!!!
jmac problem, engine?
I love seeing Robby G doing well!
good point, Terri. Reducing the banking would have allowed a lot of changes to be made, but it wouldn't let them have the crashfest that I still believe NASCAR management enjoys even though they say differently
@Anon 3:32:
Nah, they'd just find something wrong during post-race, and then take the win saying that they've decided to "get tough..."
Man talk about commercials and two car draft racing is not helping me at all watch this race. Two car draft is kinda exciting for a few laps but after that it get boring.
Man talk about commercials and two car draft racing is not helping me at all watch this race. Two car draft is kinda exciting for a few laps but after that it get boring.
I've reserved comment till now, but let's not forget, that many if not most Dale Jr. fans were Dale Earnhardt fans. How can you expect us to not cheer for his son? :)
Dale Jr. has had great expectations set upon him all his life. The moment he casts those expectations off, and says "Dang it all", will be the time he takes it to the next level. Maybe today.
There is no greater burden upon oneself, than one's own expectations.
There is a Samurai saying :
"No doubt,
No hesitation....
No regret,
And no expectation."
It was the attitude they carried into battle.
***
Ha, Ha, I kinda wish they would just show the whole race from the blimp!
I am so sick of DW making excuses for nascar's screw-ups.
All this engine stuff is NOT because the temperature is up, for heaven's sake.
Why is Trackpass Scanner not working today? I had it all year the last 2 years and i renewed it today for $29.95 and it loads but no audio. I tried Chrome, Explorer, nothing's working. I called some friends and they have the same issue. I reported it to NASCAR and they said they would look at it by tomorrow. Lol.
What happened to Hammond's toys?
Has anyone seen a cut away car segment?
Or did I miss it?
Or did they take away his toys?
To think 2 years ago now the 500 was just starting. How much better things are with this earlier starting time!
still 70 plus laps to go. this must be what hell is like - eternity at a RP track with your favorite driver wrecked and DW talking all the time.
we are all bored. i know they have talked about making the races shorter. Would you guys be ok with that?
Way to many commercials - I've been able to cook dinner & clean in 3-4 min. breaks...
Are we all struck demb with boredom, or have we given up?
wow, look an aerial shot!
LOL, gordon's spotter just said "we'll have room to miss it when they wreck".
Gordon's answer -- that's easy for YOU to say.
looks like there's still stuff hanging off of the 17
Sorry gang, had to deal with a little problem.
The yellow dye in the Nacho cheese has stained my red AC/DC hoodie. I think the dye may be radioactive.
Also, since I cannot have Jeff #24 for the win I now want Robby.
I know I should want KYBu, but I don't Not today. Not this year.
I'm fickle.
Of course, another caution while TV is in commercial.
another wreck apparently? but Fox is in commercial so I don't know who/what
'Das alright, JD. You haven't missed a thing. Another caution when in commercial, that's all.
We'll see what happens when we get back to the race.
ah never mind -- Kenseth wrecked
You had me worried there, JD. Glad we're all back. ZZZZZZZ.
Does DW call the material in the safer barriers, "styro-phone"?
Ancient -- those darn cheesies will stain things for sure.
Wait, you're NOT rooting for KyBu?
So Kenseth's teammate hooked him into the fence? now that's teamwork, baby.
Just think how many people would still be watching this if another major sport was being broadcast at the same time.
An exciting finish will save this race.
During the week NASCAR made the restrictor smaller & all cars had to close off more air intakes to reduce speeds "for safety" & they wonder why cars are overheating? This race is longer than shoot out/ duel/ practices. NASCAR got what they dictated.
DW can't even remember he thought it was good for racing!
We shut off the radio for one commercial break and what do you know, missed the tenth yellow. We hate thinking of spending a season without the AM dial or a digital stream.
I'm rooting for Bowyer since my guy is out. Stuff it up NASCAR's nose with a rubber hose after that silliness with the penalty last year.
The ONLY thing that is going to save this race is if Junior pulls it out. It is his to lose, especially with Tony pushing.
What happened to the Cut away car?
Anybody seen it?
"That green flag they're waving lets the drivers know that pit road is open."
Thank you Captain Obvious... or should that be Captain Oblivious?
I think it would be poetic justice if every driver that is worth anything got spun out and some field-filler, like Robby Gordon, won.
But I do want one of those Camaros, though. 550hp would be DA BOMB.
Well hopefully next week we'll see some real racing.. Because it sure isn't happening this week.
Anon, that's the philosophy that NASCAR has been working with now for too many years -- a good finish- they think - will make the fans forget that 95% of the race was a waste of time.
I have to agree with JD -- if Jr wins it, there will be rejoicing in Daytona.
Hope we get to hear an interview with Matt soon.
Just about fell asleep on the couch.
Showing the cars there under caution, they look like they've ran 500 laps at Martinsville or Bristol. Crazy.
I think it's time to retire the "The Great American Race" moniker.
While luck in racing plays a part, this is silly.
You think this field has one more "big one" left in it?
Ah, just had bean dip and a cold Heineken. That was awesome!
Time to stretch out on the couch, peek thru the eyelids and watch the finish.
It's gonna be BIG!
Thanks to my sponsors.
My bean Did and Heineken. LOL
When the race is under green show wide shots.
Hey, they caught a caution!!!! Except that they went to Kenseth behind the wall went it happened. At least it's an improvement. Maybe the next one they will catch without breaking away.
@Anon 4:09
Iy IS the Great American Race. Problem Is It is run by THE GREAT AMERICAN IMBECILE!
@GinaV24
I am always for KyBu, but not at this race. Not yet. ;-D
jr is watching the super slo mo on the big screen at the track
haven't we seen this movie before? All the wrecks look the same? The back car wrecks the front car.
EXCUSE ME, looked at TV for XMO slow motion? WTH? Regular slow motion is good enough. ANOTHER thing to waste time with gimmicks.
Internet radio was few seconds ahead of tv..now behind. Drag but how does that happen??
Being told Elliott Sadler will be joining the "Race Hub" team on SPEED. He starts Monday to offer his analysis of Daytona 500 with Larry Mac. Hmm...
if jr does win, it will be interesting to watch PTI on monday
AR -- you said you were fickle!
Okay. 2x2 racin'. I'm stayin open-minded about it 'cus this what it apparently takes to stay up front.
But doesn't the front 2x2 break up the air for the 2x2 behind them?
Maybe ya gotta give 'em 10 feet or something. How different is this from the former "high-line, low-line or middle-line" with 3 to 17 cars lined up?
Mind you all, these comments are made from a purely observatory, watchin' and beer-drinkin' perspective. :)
***
Do they have to show the crowd every time jr is in the lead?
and the fans go wild
Does anyone know if ESPN going to have Ol' Horsey-Face on their post-race show again this year?
JD & others, sorry for the rant:
KEEP THE WIDE SHOTS LONGER & STOP INTERRUPTING WITH A LAME IN CAR CAM. RUINS the perspective & the flow
*steps off soapbox though Fox Truck is not giving a whit anyway :-(
The shots from the blimp make interesting viewing. You get to see how the two car pairs try to move up. Bumper cam does not show this.
Strange.....any race Jr takes the lead for the first time we hear the loud crowd. Then after that we don't hear it again when he takes the lead, even though we see the crowd cheering.
Be funny if Regan Smith pushes Robby Gordon to the win.
pizza hut fan fave for Earnhardt? of course. cap't obvious
@Anon 4:21
Noise was there (here).
Sophia, I like the XMO. But I'd still rather see the whole field, LOL.
Where is Vodka Vickers? I've been doing ebaying during the endless commercials. Why can't we have side-by-side?
Side by side aint gonna happen deal with it! The commerical load has been pretty good due to all the yellows
Troll!!!!
Awwww! There he is! I wondered where our little troll had been hiding!
No, Jr. has a CD player. Try to keep up, guys...
FOX just lost all the intensity of the race promoting their own toys.
vickers is in the back working with Jeff Gordon
Sally , you talking about digger...heehee
wow, there go the brakes
I don't think fuel will be a problem.
I bet we get a few more cautions.
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