Sunday, June 26, 2011

Live Blogging Sprint Cup Series From Sonoma (SPEED - 2PM ET)


TNT heads into Sonoma with a track record of producing solid races and then leaving the air earlier than fans are used to seeing this season. This road course can bring all kinds of issues that are not seen with the ovals.

Lindsay Czarniak announced this past week that after the TNT races she is going to be joining ESPN full-time and moving to Connecticut. There is absolutely no indication that her role will have any contact with NASCAR programming at all. Czarniak is a veteran anchor, reporter and is closely associated with the NFL.

Czarniak will host the Countdown to Green pre-race show with Kyle Petty and Larry McReynolds from the TNT infield rig. In the past, this set has been located at the top of the drag strip. It should be interesting to see where TNT chose to locate the anchor position this season.

Adam Alexander will call the race with Petty and Wally Dallenbach Jr. from the TV booth. Matt Yocum, Chris Neville, Marty Snider and Ralph Sheheen are the pit reporters.

Last year Jeff Gordon ruffled some feathers as the race quickly took on a "bump and run" feel with no slack given to other competitors. Paybacks were promised at that time by numerous drivers. It will be interesting to see given the "boys have at it" atmosphere that continues in the sport what happens today on track.

Road course coverage is a mix of single corner cameras mixed with in-car cams and aerial shots. The issue in this type of coverage is not what angle to choose, but what group of cars to follow. This is normally the leaders, but can be a tight bunch that has been racing hard for position. Keep an eye on who TNT chooses to follow.

Pit road strategy is completely different on a road course and often tough to explain. Luckily, TNT has a solid team of reporters who will need to keep on top of this task as the race goes on. Often, it seems to make no sense when cars pit to fans at home.

McReynolds will have to be on his game as the new racing fuel blend with Ethanol has resulted in lower mileage. This changes the race from a two to three stop strategy as teams literally cannot make it on two stops anymore. We originally heard from the Corn Ethanol group that there was no loss of fuel mileage, only better performance.

The day is clear, weather is not a factor and the track president is reporting that ticket sales are up for this race. The green flag is scheduled for 3:18PM ET.

This post will serve to host your comments on the TNT coverage of the Sprint Cup Series race from Infineon Raceway. To add your TV-related opinion, just click on the comments button below. Thank you for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.

198 comments:

OSBORNK said...

I'm not a fan of road racing in NASCAR because I don't think it works well on TV. With different pit strategies and camera coverage that necessarily bounces around to different turns, I don't know how anyone knows who has the advantage. I hope it doesn't come down to fuel mileage like tne Nationwide race yesterday. Nobody, including NASCAR knew who won the race until they did a review. The GWC finish on road races is a mistake that needs to be addressed.

Fireman17 said...

They should do away with GWC on road tracks if you ask me.. Yesterday was crazy at the end.. Today i got a feeling is going to be the same.. I remember when NASCAR had local yellows on road tracks you don't see that anymore..

saltsburgtrojanfan said...

Hoping for a good race.

Hopefully no screwjob like Ricky Rudd had 20 years ago.

Spencer said...

technically you could make it on 2 stops, it's just going right to the edge of fuel mileage on both stops, and by then you might've lost 20 seconds because of the old tires to the leader, so you might not stay on the lead lap, so most likely 3 stops
i sure hope this is better than the f1 race today.

Roland said...

The TNT pre race really doesnt do it for me. Its kinda bland. Dont get me wrong its way better than Fox, espn, and Raceday, but it really seems to be lacking energy. I will take that over the other three any day though.

Anonymous said...

Fireman, you still see it if a car is sitting somewhere out of danger. But if a car is still stuck and the cars are coming around again, they have no choice. The odds of someone wrecking and hitting in the exact spot where that car is sitting is slim....but if it happened, it could be bad (particularly if someone had, say, lost their brakes and hit that other car at near full speed.)

iworkhere said...

Lindsey looks awesome today! Makes the show very nice!

Anonymous said...

Rex White is one of the nicest NASCAR stars of yesteryear. Very humble even after all he accomplishments.

Anonymous said...

Kyle Petty has seen so much in his lifetime. I think he does a great job of mixing the past with the present.

iworkhere said...

Kyle does a great job as an announcer. He has always been on the cutting edge with a motor mouth and now he's getting paid for it. He has something that the Fox gangs lacks. Modern Race Car knowledge.

Anonymous said...

To get the PRN feed go to tunein.com & type in WBXQ 94.3. It's an FM station and it booms loud and clear.Also 99.3 the wolf out of traverse city MI is broadcasting the feed. For all you multitaskers,enjoy.

Debby said...

don't look...but you should listen to this rendition of our National Anthem!!! Outstanding!!

glenc1 said...

she may have looked ridiculous, but she sang great. I missed the reason, must be she's in some show?

Vicky D said...

Not a terribly bad anthem, I've been to that show in SF - Beach Blanket Babylon it's pretty funny. Missed the pre-race show and but am hoping for a good telecast.

Charlie said...

Last week RaceBuddy would not work on Firefox 3.6 but it does now. Last week I was only able to watch RaceBuddy on IE 8.

Anonymous said...

pretty sure that was not Eva Busch next to Kurt

Roadgeek Adam said...

She did a good job, but the hairstyle and dress look like the met the 20s then boomed 5x.

PammH said...

Eva is history...this is someone new...

Roadgeek Adam said...

What the hell, did they not show the command callers?

Anonymous said...

How do you not have a camera on the command?

bobbydjr said...

Yea! What's up with not showing the folks who gave the command? Somebody it the truck is asleep at the wheel.

Vicky D said...

That was a cute commercial with the M&M's!

Vicky D said...

Pamh Eva Busch is history? No wonder, she probably got tired of the raving and ranting at the house!

Roadgeek Adam said...

Time for my favorite road course of the season, I just wish we used the old alignment a bit more. Hard to believe we've had Save Mart as a sponsor of this race for 16 years. Goody's is nearing 30 years of sponsoring NASCAR races at Martinsville or Bristol.

John said...

Yeah TNT blew it with the command, or is it because Ratzenberger is a Disney/TLC (or whatever channel his show was on) employee?

Anonymous said...

I, too, thought it was NOT Eva next to Kurt. Why haven't we heard about this 'development'?

Daly Planet Editor said...

Still waiting on an explanation from TNT on what happened.

That was a huge commane with Cars2 and Toyota contest winner.

Big miss...

Charlie said...

I know teams make money changing the color and look of the car they are driving but it makes it hard for me to pick out my driver each week.
Wish the car would somewhat stay the same each week.

Daly Planet Editor said...

She has been MIA for a while, that is one reason that Penske was a little more understanding when Kurt was blowing up on the radio.

Vicky D said...

Yeah, I also agree why didn't we see the Start Command folks. Sounds like Kyle has a cold or something he might have his voice going away by halfway!

Roadgeek Adam said...

Cold? Psssssh. Benny Parsons and Darrell Waltrip have done announcing with worse health conditions.

Otherwise, we're doing real well with the pit reporters so far. I'd love to see them get used during the race. Hell, I'd love if they planted them in Turns 1, 4, 7 and 11 for a part of it too.

Vicky D said...

John Ratzenberger was on Trackside the other night and he looks terrific. Must be where he grew up another one of my homeboys!

PammH said...

Vicky-noticed KuBu has been alone at the races most of this yr. Did a little digging & came up w/Eva disappeared from the scene shortly after little bro's wedding. That's all I know. First ime I've seen him w/someone else at the track.

Anonymous said...

It's 114 degrees outside here in Phoenix. I'm in the AC with TDP & PRN & Racebuddy on the laptop to the stereo, TNT on the big screen and a cold one. What a way to enjoy the first NASCAR roadrace. Information overload?

Anonymous said...

Maybe Kurt's new girlfriend is the reason he's been performing so well lately??? Three poles?

Roadgeek Adam said...

What's so important about the woman standing next to Kurt Busch?

Daly Planet Editor said...

The anthem lady is from a show in San Fran and was from a bunch of actress/singers that were dressed up.

Normally, when someone appears in costume the TV network sets it up in advance.

They did not do that and did not handle the command well at all.

Weird start to coverage.

OSBORNK said...

They missed the command but I thought they handled the Anthem well and the flyover coverage was outstanding. Showing the people during the Anthem is better than showing the singer.

Kenn Fong said...

Beach Blanket Babylon is a local musical which has been running for more than 30 years. It does topical satire songs and costumes.

But that's not the biggest culture shock for NASCAR fans this weekend. If you came from the Southeast for this race I hope you didn't go to San Francisco. It was Gay Pride Day with the parade on Market Street.

Still no RaceBuddy. I refreshed over and over.

West Coast Kenny
Alameda, California

Roadgeek Adam said...

12 Laps and Biffle pits already, bleh.

Good news, Ambrose and Allmendinger now both in the Top 5 :)

Kenn Fong said...
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GinaV24 said...

Glad to know it's not just MY problem with RB. I can get the 360 camera and the leaderboard but nothing else.

Hmmm, Eva bailed out on the keebler elf, huh? Interesting.

Daly Planet Editor said...

The Eva thing will come out when Kurt is ready to discuss it. Heard it is a sad tale.

Not an easy life with hubby on the road 40 weekends a year. I give credit to those who can hang in there.

Once again, TNT feels like a big commercial!

Roadgeek Adam said...

The Live Leaderboard on NASCAR.com, which is what I use weekly, is very laggy this week. (I gave up on RaceBuddy because of the immature people on the chat room.)

GinaV24 said...

great big picture of feet little picture of race

Roadgeek Adam said...

They always did that with Boris Said, because of his road course techniques. Not a surprise. Sometimes you'll see it at other tracks.

Charlie said...

Are you trying to get RB working on Internet Explorer or Firefox.
Last week I had to roll back to IE 8 to get RB to work.
IE 9 has a new filter that stops ActiveX by default.

Anonymous said...

I like that TNT uses the full width of the HD screen when they go with a 2 box display, instead up putting up bars on the side.

Kenn Fong said...

J.D.,

RaceBuddy works on Google Chrome. Of course I'm one of those Mac guys, so I don't know what others are dealing with.

WCK

Daly Planet Editor said...

Charlie, those guys told me they have to tweak it all the time.

I told them to put a list of browsers and tech info online.

OSBORNK said...

Charlie, Racebuddy is working fine on my laptop with IE9. I didn't have to make any changes to make it work.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Just asked Kyle via Twitter and he said he is battling a cold.

Love me some social media...

GinaV24 said...

green flags are underway and we are STILL in commercial! I think I'm going to go back outside and watch the grass grow.

Sally said...

Bad commercial timing...missed 2 passes for the lead. Definitely concentrationg on the front of the field. Looks like Fos and ESPN.

Roadgeek Adam said...

I obviously disagree with that opinion on social media, JD but heh. :)

I've never seen the leaderboard this bad, except for the times where it stops period. Now its 3 laps behind, going on 4.

Sally said...

I got nothing on Racebuddy either. Big, blank black screen and stupid comments.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Adam, Twitter and Facebook have totally changed the sport.

Ultimately, I hope it leads to new media formats and even sponsor exposure.

NASCAR is in the middle of changing over to a social media based PR structure.

It's been the best thing in years in terms of fan interaction.

Charlie said...

I liked the camera angles they used yesterday. Really showed the speed on the track. This camera work is same old, same old.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Sally, you should be able to see it. Those are just basic video streams.

Sally said...

JD, I've never had trouble before, but today I'm getting nothing.

Charlie said...

Like I said last week. Would be nice if TNT or Nascar.com would put up a RaceBuddy you could go to during the week to make sure you have your computer setup right to watch it.

Roadgeek Adam said...

JD, I'm 20 and I use a lot of equipment older than me, but at the same time, I don't feel like wasting my time with Facebook and Twitter, because I don't want to know what you did last night or what you are cooking or whatever. I don't have the urge to post on these sites or listen to brand names, etc. I tried both, I lost interest in both. Hell, the picture tube in the TV I am using is slowly going.

Back in the NASCAR department, this Sears Point race has been, well, boring so far. No people going off tracks, no sign of the blue flag. Just going around 1.99 miles again and again and again. Where's the spinning?

Anonymous said...

Racebuddy not working with Firefox 5.0, which was just released this week.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Adam, one moment of getting on Twitter and you would be hooked. Has nothing to do with that kind of BS. Just hardcore racing stuff.

As with every online experience, it is what you make it.

GinaV24 said...

holy mackeral, look at the lead that the 22 car has! No one even near him.

Sally said...

@Roadgeek...I'm with you. I have no interest in any of those 'social media' sites. I guess I value my privacy too much, and don't have much interest in other's lives minutia. Maybe it's from being around a teenager who spends every waking minute texting. I mean, I don't know anyone I would WANT to communicate with that much! A tremendous amout of wasted time, and not being present 'in the moment'.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Well, at least we get a reset now.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Sally, you could customize your Twitter feed to be on your phone or any computer and just have your fav drivers, teams and media.

It's pretty stout. I don't do any of the lifestyle stuff or other discussions.

Roadgeek Adam said...

@Sally, I call texting the devastation of the human mind and the English language. When I have kids someday, they ain't getting a cell phone until they are 18, like I did...and I didn't even want one. I am stuck with one because my father wants me to have one.

@J.D. - I said I tried Twitter, it just doesn't work for me. Just honestly, I prefer being stuck in the 90s and earlier. It just works nicer for me. Hell, I like Bob Jenkins's intros in the 90s so much, they are fun to replicate. Technology nowadays doesn't interest me.

@Race - OMG CAUTION OMG. Can finally reset this 40-acre barnyard problem here.

red said...

anon 3:56: i'm using FF 5.0 and raceBuddy on my Mac with no problem.

Charlie said...

I use twitter and hardly ever tweet back to anyone. I like twitter. I follow a few Green Bay Packer players and it was neat getting extra comments and pictures when they got their Super Bowl rings last week.

GinaV24 said...

I use twitter the way that JD describes. I follow various sites and race related stuff but don't do any of the lifestyle stuff since it doesn't interest me and I never use it for personal stuff.

I do have to laugh at the people who post what they ate for breakfast and every piece of trivia of their day, but that's just me.


Man this is a terrible race.

Anonymous said...

Penske has a strong ride so far with Kurt & Brad. Can they have a strong finish with their strategy?This restart should tell us who has a horse to win today.

Vicky D said...

I can't believe how far ahead KuBusch is before the caution.

Vicky D said...

That's a good camera angle of the cars almost hitting the wall. I still think that road racing is a little boring.

RWar24 said...

TNT is horrible with coming back from a commercial break.. Several times already since they took over coverage this year they have come back and you over-hear a comment by someone in the booth. Kinda unprofessional if you ask me.

red said...

hey JD? do you know how many cameras they use at a road course for RaceBuddy? how does it compare to an oval course.

glenc1 said...

I tried looking at Twitter, got bored, rarely look anymore. Not addictive to all of us. Have no interesting in knowing when Juan's kid is sick & he has to stay home from school (not that he's a particular favorite). Only way it has changed my racing life is you occasionally hear things more quickly, like if it's raining. But a lot of disinformation goes out too, and it keeps going out even when it's false. As for Facebook, my life is no one's business, and I don't usually care that much for knowing all about someone else's. Nice place for people to share stuff with family & friends, but that's about it.

Sheesh...thanks Vickers.

Roadgeek Adam said...

Rwar24: In fairness, if you've seen on YouTube, we have raw feeds of ESPN, which are very interesting. I personally don't mind hear them talking coming back. Sometimes you hear juicy stuff. :)

Roadgeek Adam said...
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OSBORNK said...

Has anyone else noticed that nearly every recent race has been impacted by fuel mileage issues? It's probably just a coincidence that it became more common with the introduction of ethanol but I run dry about 10% sooner than I did with pure gasoline.

Daly Planet Editor said...

red,

They are the shared cameras with TV. The RaceBuddy stuff is just a feed from existing cams.

red said...

osbornk: i think it's a combination of the fuel as well as the new method of fueling. the impact of either may not have been so noticeable but combined, it's visible.

Roadgeek Adam said...

I would put it more on the new fueling. How many times this year have we heard they didn't get enough gas in due to it.

Also missed restart didn't happen. Thank god.

Sally said...

JD, I have a cell phone that I use only for emergency calls...mine. I don't even have it turned on most of the time, and do NO texting with it. I guess I just don't feel the necessity of knowing too many things too quickly. I'll find out eventually, at my own pace. I'd rather read a book. But that's just me.

Roadgeek Adam said...

JD ^^^^

Anonymous said...

Denny just spoiled Martin's day

Roadgeek Adam said...

{Reposting the latter half of that}

This race has gotten interesting in the who is where department:

Gilliland - 3rd? This is quite a race for him. Let's hope we can do well with this opportunity.

Said in 15th, Harvick in 32nd? :S

GinaV24 said...

OK considering how much grief Jeff Gordon got last year for his rough driving, I hope that people are going to give equal time to the drivers who are driving pretty ragged this year -- like Stewart?

Fair's fair.

Roadgeek Adam said...

Gina - He's up to 14th again, maybe he might have a later race car, since it seems that way.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Sally, I understand. My 80 year old mom was like that.

Now she has an iPad and cellphone and is online with her grandkids and friends all the time.

Online technology is not for everyone, but to say it is just a bunch of useless stuff is really not the case.

You never know what you might find for yourself.

Roadgeek Adam said...

Leaderboard says we're under caution? TNT?

Anonymous said...

Maybe it's me,but since the switch to TNT, they don't show the debris for debris cautions????

Anonymous said...

Jr earlier said he doesn't like road racing. Today validates his statement. On fire and in the garage.

GinaV24 said...

who could tell if we're under caution with all the commercials?

Jeff has a terrible car today. I'm depressed and ticked off. So much for the testing they did in ohio. Blech.

Anonymous said...

Junior's out!

Daly Planet Editor said...

Man, this race is suddenly a mess.

Vicky D said...

My RB is locking up too so I'll just watch the telecast getting ready to leave for dinner in a few minutes anyway. My guy is have a good day, but let's hope he finishes that way.

Anonymous said...

The sky cam,Joey dumps Robbie. What a shot. Who couldn't see that coming.

OSBORNK said...

We just now hit halfway. It's a short race but it already seems forever.

I also don't recall seeing a piece of debris since TNT took over.

Anonymous said...

In my opinion,the 'mess' started when JPM ran the #18 off in the dirt. Everyone took evasive action and Stewart turned Vickers. Junior and a bunch of others got damaged cars and it went downhill from there. JPM must have picked up some tips from Villeneuve yesterday

Daly Planet Editor said...

Yea, you have to wonder how much Vickers is thinking about 2012?

GinaV24 said...

OsbornK, I agree, this race feels really LONG. Of course the fact that they are racing the brick on wheels on a road course could have something to do with it.

Be nice if NASCAR would pull their heads out of the sand and put a race car back on the track. This spec car stuff was old the first year and gets worse every year.

Anonymous said...

Good camera shot by TNT on the 78 thrashin the 47

Roadgeek Adam said...

Now that is a wicked hit by Labonte, and very unnecessary on McDowell's part.

glenc1 said...

anon 4:53...JPM didn't need to learn anything from JV. Ask Scott Pruett about Mexico, lol. Or anyone who was in the 24 hours of Daytona.

Taking out my frustrations said...
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Anonymous said...

I'd like to see what,if anything happened earlier between McDowell and Bobby Labonte. Been around this sport too long---looked like payback for something that happened earlier. But of course,we can't expect TNT to investigate just like they didn't show what happened earlier between Logano and mild-mannered Robbie Gordon. Maybe TNT doesn't have enough cameras????

Daly Planet Editor said...

Suddenly, I am not liking this very much. Racing is one thing, this BS being tolerated is another.

OSBORNK said...

The pre-race shows concentrated on Denny Hamblin and now he is in the garage for repairs. It sorta messes up the script.

Roadgeek Adam said...

I'm getting a bit bored with the constant commercials. They better be wide-open next week to impress us all. Better yet, with all this, go wide-open at Kentucky as well.

Anonymous said...

I am not impressed with Wally,Kyle and AA. AA has been the worst in my opinion.

Buschseries61 said...

Adam Alexander is putting me to sleep right now. No chemistry with Wally or Kyle.

Not sure McDowell took out Labonte for something Labonte had nothing to do with yesterday.

Matt said...

Unfortunately, without any additional replays or analysis or reporting, we have no idea whether the 66 misjudged or intentionally took out the 47. We get none of the above with TNT.

RWar24 said...

Road racing is different but it can be a blast to watch. But the Nascar sanctioning body has no clue on how to officiate one. Therefore you end up with this ______________. You can fill in the blank. Time and time again whether it's Cup or NNS, something is always screwed up.

glenc1 said...

Hard to believe Bobby did anything to deserve that.

KoHoSo said...

I'm having a hard time watching this race and I usually like Sonoma. :-(

glenc1 said...

Kyle's voice is going downhill...he's a trooper.

Roadgeek Adam said...

ANOTHER COMMERCIAL? :|

GinaV24 said...

JD, I agree. I think NASCAR made a huge mistake in their "boys have at it" mentality. Now they don't have racing, they have all out mayhem with a demolition derby on every track.

Of course, I guess NASCAR just thinks that its wrecking the fans want. they have missed the boat.

GinaV24 said...

hmmm, I like that M&M's commercial. It suits me.

Sally said...

I usually find the road races very interesting. I haave no idea why this is so bad. Not seeing a lot of skill here. Of course, it could be that now the raod courses are substituting for the leating and banging that used to be Bristol?

Anonymous said...

That's right! I forgot about Scott Pruet down in Mexico. I've long felt that in the Cup races that JPM is the dirtiest driver out there.For some reason, maybe because Nascar is courting Latinos, the media and TV folks look the other way. In Cup, Brad K generally behaves himself,but in NNS, he's the dirtiest in that series. Sorry folks, but I call them like I see them. I could provide a long list of examples to back up what I'm saying.

Buschseries61 said...

No radio communication from the 66 or 47?

Anon/J said...

Y'know, I'm frustrated enough that I don't really care if TNT/ESPN/Sprint, or...whoever...has to pay for this stuff and thus sells ads...

Enough with the nonstop commercials. Seeing the same pointless junk 900 times during a simple, niche broadcast does not make me want to buy products.

It's an annoyance, an insult, and why most of the other fans I know of fall asleep, get drunk, or go do something else.

Heck with cawsandjaws - contrast commercial time vs. program time since the advent of TV until now, and you will be shocked.

What we're inflicted with now amounts to highway robbery.

Just my opinion, y'all. Don't take it personal.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Fans on Twitter are just being brutal about the TNT effort today.

Debby said...

@Gina - the M&M commercial was funny!

Sally said...

Have they done a 'thru the field yet? Have no idea what's going on back in the field...again. No flow to this race at all.

Sally said...

Did anyone know Terry LaBonte is racing today? apparently TNT doesn't.

Anonymous said...

What really concerns me about "boys have at it" is that one or more drivers is going to make a mess of the Chase by believing that they get to wreck other contenders without fear that Nascar will come down on them. I really hope I'm wrong.

GinaV24 said...

JSaid - I don't think any of us will take your comments personally. The commercial load is distracting to say the least. I enjoy road course racing, but I'm not seeing much here that's worth watching. A lot of bad driving, but not much racing.

I'm going to go make dinner.

Anon/J said...

Gonna disagree, Gina. Want to see racing? Here's the track, glad you entered into the race, here's the elementary rules, handle your own business.

Works for short/local tracks, worked for Nascar when it wasn't worth a wooden nickel and spit.

Too many cooks spoil the broth, and rules tend to multiply exponentially...the second a rule is contested you gotta make 5 more to account for that. It's an unpleasant slippery slope.

It's their money, cars, points...let them do what they want, and hopefully others don't get caught up.

That's racin' - ask anyone inadvertently wrecked on a track. You buy the ticket, and you take the ride, and what happens, happens.

red said...

i know we've said this before but in relation to brewer's segments but they REALLY need to have tight shots when larry mac's explaining stuff on that car. from where that camera is, what larry's pointing at is invisible.

and i have decided to keep RaceBuddy camera on turn 11

Buschseries61 said...

Really? This segment..now?

Has Adam done any play by play? All I see is a studio analyst directing traffic.

Charlie said...

After all these commercials we get fill in coming back from commercial about a crew chief talking to a driver - under Green.

Anon/J said...

Thanks, TNT. Got a huge shot of the Stay-Puft Monster clearly eating his own sponsor's food, let's jam racing into a tiny little video box that doesn't even fit on a SD screen.

Otherwise, it's tough covering this - not that anyone is doing a great job on the ovals - and I don't have a huge amount of complaints about the camera work.

Could use more long shots - see Aussie V8's or Rolex or whatever...but to be expected that this will be awkward stuff.

Nascar ain't built for road courses, and the people that film it ain't used to this, and there isn't too many opportunities for practice..haha.

Anonymous said...

JD,Denny dumps Martin from 5th to 33rd and now Martin is 4th with Denny in the garage. Joey takes care of Robbie.Dale on fire and in the garage.78 and 47 incident.Penske Dodge loud and proud(so far).And there is still 40 to go.I like NASCAR road racing.

I love you Ricky Rudd said...
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Cathy said...

Maybe it's just me but - they refer to Kevin "Bono" Mannion (sp?) all the time as Kevin "Bono" Mannion... Isn't the point of a nickname to just refer to him as "Bono"? ESPN does the same thing (every week!) with Mark "Hollywood" Armstrong. It makes me crazy.

As for the (constant) commercials, maybe it wouldn't be quite so bad if they weren't the SAME tired commercials every break. And who cares that Kevin James is in a new movie? What does that have to do with this race? OTOH, that M&Ms commercial is welcome. Wasn't that from a few years ago? Or was it with Schrader......

Zetona said...

RB NEEDS a static camera on Turn 11. That's where all the action is.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Did TNT ever explain the McDriver punt of Labonte?

Buschseries61 said...

Nothing JD, just nada.

jerry said...

DPE, no they did not.

GinaV24 said...

JSaid, don't misunderstand me. The drivers USED to handle it, on the track and off themselves and I was fine with that. Then NASCAR got in the middle of it with all their PC garbage AND their spec car and so many rules that they have killed all the innovation and advantage for the teams. BUT they still want to have it wide open as long as it doesn't affect some unwritten rule that only NASCAR knows about.

I would have no problem with it being bring your best car and have at it, but that's not what we have - way too much selective deafness from NASCAR.

Buschseries61 said...

"We're not just gonna ride with him, we're gonna ride with the race leader"

Why can't he just lay out in plain English what he wants to say instead of his odd elaborations.

GinaV24 said...

gee finally getting to a through the field with 20 to go.

Daly Planet Editor said...

From the Kurt Busch pit area: Gotta say the tv camera crew in our pit is super rude & in the way.

GinaV24 said...

Adam's voice is a total waste of sound emanating from the booth.

Roadgeek Adam said...

That is a nasty wreck for Stewart.

GinaV24 said...

Wow, Tony Stewart is JACKED up!

Buschseries61 said...

BTW there's a new leader...COMMERCIAL

GinaV24 said...

Obviously that is boys have at it!

Daly Planet Editor said...

This is not why I watch auto racing.

Anonymous said...

Just one person's opinion,but I think that the three guys in the booth and the folks in the production truck need to stifle themselves, just tell the major stories happening out on the track and being more thorough. If something happens between two drivers, go back through the tape and climb the pit box to complete the investigation. There's just too much chit chat and half azzed reporting.

Roadgeek Adam said...

I cannot blame Vickers for wrecking him. Vickers was given a mistreatment by Stewart earlier. This is good payback.

GinaV24 said...

Well, Tony got what he deserved that time.

Buschseries61 said...

Remember when they used to race at Sonoma? The point of boys have at it was to encourage hard racing, not this payback stuff.

Anonymous said...

I'm not a fan of Vickers or Stewart, but Tony asked for it. Wait until the Chase and you'll see some really stupid driving.

jerry said...

47 is back out, the bank is probably still open for paybacks

Roadgeek Adam said...

BS61 - Remember in 1991 with Allison and Rudd? I wouldn't say this is the first. This happened 20 years ago.

OSBORNK said...

Some objectivity and actual facts would be welcome from the booth. We already have DW and Crusty to make up stuff. We need a break from that.

glenc1 said...

but JD...I hate to say it, it IS why some people watch, although I am not one.

wow...shades of Ricky Rudd...I think it was him, anyways...someone got stuck backwards up on the armco like that at the Glen about 12 years ago. It was practice though.

As for the 'taking care of it on the track'....short track around here has a policy....you wreck a guy, you both go to the back. Been that way forever. And I've talked to others; lots of tracks are like that.

RWar24 said...

I get the whole payback deal and what not, but every driver out there acts like they have never caused a wreck before in their life. So when it happens to them, they act like they've been wronged and have to go make it right. Sometimes you have to realize it's racing and get over it.

Anonymous said...

Vickers wads Tony. Payback on the road course is bittersweet. Can't wait for the Tony interview. Road racing is cool.

Buschseries61 said...

Adam, there's a difference between the last lap & all day long. We've seen payback, pitstops, and follow the leader. Just race each other!

GinaV24 said...

be interesting to see if TNT stays with the broadcast after the race. I'll bet the garage cam could show us some intersting stuff. BV has that red head temper and we all know about Smoke.

Anonymous said...

Did Vickers get sent to the Infamous NASCAR Double-Secret Penalty Box?

Debby said...

There just may be a "secret fight" coming up. Stay tuned. LOL!

GinaV24 said...

ok my heart rate just went down since Gordon and Truex did NOT wreck!

GinaV24 said...

they did NOT just go to commercial? zazoo pits

Charlie said...

TNT I have an idea for two screen shots. When your showing a pack of cars racing and the racing is good and a car spins out on another part of the track, put the 2nd screen up with that car in trouble and keep the racing pack in the Big screen.

Roadgeek Adam said...

You were looking for objectivity?

Anonymous said...

Where did Carl come from.I guess staying in Sonoma may pay off for the Ford f9. At 7 to go look for the show to heat up.

Charlie said...

12 Laps to go.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Just a tough race for Adam Alexander. Lots of stories not updated.

Anonymous said...

There you go! Another bonehead move by Montoya! Even Kyle Petty called it for what it was.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Lull before the storm.

Roadgeek Adam said...

For Jeff Gordon, to quote DW: "WHERE DID HE COME FROM?"

Gina is probably smiling, I definitely am.

Anonymous said...

Oh no, he's back. Tony is on the track and maybe on a mission.

Roadgeek Adam said...

Montoya just got what he deserved.

Debby said...

JD - how much do the producers of the broadcast "offer" to the stories on the track to the booth? Do they rely only on the pit reporters or have the producers add to the mix? This type of race has to be hard to follow. Just wondering.

Buschseries61 said...

If you take out the GWC fails, the Nationwide drivers drove a better race than the Cup drivers.

GinaV24 said...

Brad gave JPM some of his own medicine. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy IMO

I do wish Kyle would quit apologizing for his statements. I think Wally made the best comment -- Brad gave him room, JPM gave him no respect, so Brad said "see ya"

CaseMoney said...

Adam was surprised to see _Brad Keselowski_ dishing out payback? Seriously??

Daly Planet Editor said...

Deb, there is a pit producer who deals with the reporters.

They talk back and forth with the producer to get the stories relayed.

GinaV24 said...

CaseMoney -- yeah, that really is the pot calling the kettle black.

Stewart is so full of bull, it is hard to believe he could say that with a straight face. Of course it's BV's fault for blocking!! right

Roadgeek Adam said...

We got like 14 cars at the start finish? Not bad

Daly Planet Editor said...

This is going to be one interesting post-race show.

Anonymous said...

You frikkin' idiots! They post the first 10 finishers and then cut to a full screen of Kurt celebrating in the car for one minute! Unbelievable! Tough luck for the other 33 drivers. The people in the Production Truck just showed us all what idiots they are.

OSBORNK said...

The race is FINALLY over. It is sorta like back when King Richard was in his prime. The drivers were racing for second because first was not in doubt. Richard either won, wrecked or broke.

Anonymous said...

AA, Kyle and Wally were terrible today. Close your eyes, listen to them and you'd think you were in a bar listening to a bunch of guys watching a race. Just way too much chit-chat!

Anonymous said...

Tony interview: He was blocking. At the point in time,Tony was just too hot coming in to the corner and was over driving his ride. For him to say Vickers was blocking is a question. We didn't see any blocking on the TNT broadcast to verify his statement, therefore I say crapola to Tony

Daly Planet Editor said...

Good questions from the pit road reporters in the post-race.

Anonymous said...

Kurt's first road race win. What a ride for that Penske Dodge. Good for Kurt.

Kyle Petty said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Daly Planet Editor said...

What a difference a full post-race show on TV makes!

KoHoSo said...

Nice tip of the hat to Nick Charles at the end.

Daly Planet Editor said...

The TV Police post is up! Please make sure and sum up your feelings about the coverage today for us.

Lots of folks read this post, make it a good one!

Thanks for staying with us today.

JD