ESPN has pulled out all the stops for the Brickyard 400. Allen Bestwick is in as lap-by-lap announcer. There is a new graphics package. Nicole Briscoe is hosting the infield studio. Dual-stream technology will allow two in-car camera views from the same car. The "Bat-cam" that runs 80mph on a wire above pit road is back.
The big question is will all that make a difference if the production of the race is once again horrible?
Since 2007 ESPN has struggled with this event. It's really not clear why. The network produces all different kinds of live sporting events around the world. What is the challenge at Indy?
Briscoe will kick-off the coverage at noon ET with Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty alongside. Wallace is coming off a disjointed Nationwide Series telecast on Saturday night that saw him pick his brother Kenny to win the race and then watch as his son Steven destroyed both of the RWR cars in a violent wreck of his own making.
Daugherty has become increasing isolated on these telecasts, especially once the actual racing begins. At one time, Bestwick called Daugherty "The voice of the fans." It may well be that next season Daugherty is a fan on a full time basis.
Tim Brewer will once again be in the Tech Garage. It should be interesting to see how ESPN gets him into the telecast if long green flag runs are the order of the day.
Putting Bestwick in the booth was a hint to the reality of the continued struggles of Marty Reid in that position. There was never a mention by ESPN that any change was coming, it just did. Over the past five seasons, Bestwick has been the best thing that ESPN has going for it on the NASCAR trail.
The pressure on Bestwick is to balance the reality of this "no passing" style of aero-driven racing with the spectacle of the Brickyard. He has been in these situations before and makes no bones about being a pro-active supporter of the sport.
The two items that Bestwick repeats over and over again are simple to understand. NASCAR cars racing at speed on any track are not boring. Secondly, every race is not over until the checkered flag. When some media folks offer boring racing as a problem, Bestwick disagrees. His checkered flag scenario has proven itself time and time again.
This is a big shift for ESPN. Bestwick is not "their man." The loyal soldiers Jerry Punch and Marty Reid were used long before ESPN took a glimpse at Bestwick. The only reason this move happened is because ESPN realized the coverage was at risk with Reid at the helm.
The big story overshadowing this race is the status of Carl Edwards. Lee Spencer of FOX Sports reported Edwards is going to the #20 for JGR with a huge signing bonus and contract. Now, media outlets are reporting that Ford Motor Company is trying to out-bid JGR and keep Edwards at Roush. It's no secret the Roush sponsorship picture is not a pretty one for next season.
The vast majority of passing will be done on pit road. Jamie Little, Punch, Dave Burns and Vince Welch will be the reporters. Bestwick is a stickler for information, so look for him to ask a lot of questions and want details from the four TV veterans patrolling that area.
Saturday night, it only took ESPN about ten laps to return to the problems of last season in terms of directing the coverage. Rather than open the cameras and show all the racing on the track, ESPN zoomed-in tight and showed two-car battles all night long.
Late in the race, the network went to commercial with Justin Allgaier's car on fire and still circling around the track. By the time the coverage returned, Allgaier was gone and the entire complexion of the race had changed. ESPN missed everything.
The top challenge for the network today is to keep the larger perspective in frame for the fans, especially if passing is at a premium. Just like ESPN does for the Indy 500, use the wideshots and aerial views to continue to keep fans interested.
This post will serve to host your comments on the ESPN coverage of the Brickyard 400. To add your TV-related opinion, just click on the comments button below.
446 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 400 of 446 Newer› Newest»Talking to crew chief's after stops? OK, whi is televisiong this race, and what did they do ti ESPN!
Mr Editor -
Might ESPN productions values be elevated now that PXP has raised the bar ...perhaps the director is now in the booth ...telling the story is the race itself, not opinion
Walter
producer - not director -
Oops, was that the 'tread cam' we just saw?
Multiple pit reports & a reset before the restart. After years of complaining...FINALLY!
Junior Nation stand up and cheer!!
Right on the money as usual Walter!
At least we're rodent free on graphics and in the booth for the rest of the Cup season, eh?
And Junior proves that track position beats anyone anyday anytime.
yeah, Sally, this is like a major sea change -- hopefully it is not a flash in the pan!
@SALLY sometimes the blind squirel gets the nut
Have to keep Hope Solo around - I think she drank all the production team's booze this weekend!
This is actually an enjoyable broadcast.
That "Bat Cam" is so cool!
As DW tries to backpedal on the Gordon statement! LOL
The Brickyard is never going to have as exciting racing as Bristol or 'Dega. But the racing today has been decent and ESPN has delivered for the most part.
Man, what a difference Bestwick makes. I actually know what is going on in this race.
They are covering the race as it happens, rather than trying to promote a 'storyline'. Makes a huge difference.
" Bat Cam " ? ? ? What is that?
J.T.
I'm blessed to be watching housemates 52 in tv.
how did that cool quad cam w pit road in the middle look on smaller tvs? I hope ok.
Many still have SD
This is amazing. ESPN is actually covering the race. I know there's a long way to go, but good job right now.
it's crazy, but it just feels weird to hear a race covered...well, correctly. Not perfect, but still...
So it was not important to replay how Gordon took the lead. I guess the script said we are doing a Up to Speed.
JD, you are so right! If ESPN keeps this up and stays away from Chase-centric coverage down the stretch, Fox is really going to take some heat in 2012.
OMG NED JARRETT COMING :)
Bat-cam is the cable that runs above pit road and down into turn 1.
The tiny camera looks like a bat and it can run at up to 80 mph on the wire.
Indy 500 uses it for restarts and pit stops. NASCAR guys still trying to work it in.
Glen1 I agree about Hobbs was so funny?
Almost don't mind the commercials because I'm not confused. This is what Mike Joy use to do and could again if FOX would let him
have to agree with the consensus here: it's as if having Bestwick in the booth has made all components of the broadcast step up the game. pit reports are informative, race is the focus, we get a set-up every time we come back from commercial.
i think i'm liking this!
So far its good, I really enjoy listening today. Great video, mixing it up. Great commentary, letting the race unfold.
Something I've wondered about - if Nascar is such a lucrative franchise to buy ad time on...why doesn't ESPN perhaps reduce the frequency of ads and charge more for each?
Fans are happier, less technical trouble, and they make possibly the same money.
Awesome, Ned in the booth!
Why is this done under green? Is Pinkard and Bowden in the production truck again?
Ok, mysterious umpires left the field, two of them..not explanation (not to watch a HR call or ball related)
Then came back. No explanation.
But the high praise here is making switch to the Race
Two generations of Jarrett's commenting together. I love hearing Ned doing his old job. :)
Geez, JD, I didn't even think about people not knowing who Ned Jarrett was when I was reading your tweet.
And good for Allen, bringing us right back into the race.
Listen to Ned ...taking the focus off himself to call the pit stop ...ever the Gentleman
Rusty could take a lesson from Ned about announcing races with his son running. It took a while before I realized that Dale was Ned's son, not just a distant cousin or something, because Ned stayed so professionsl.
Red,
I kept listening to Reds & race on mute & turn on Reds tv during commercial. But the comments here are making me want to watch the race live over ball game.
I hope ESPN keeps this up during the race & the season. I've never seen such high praise since TNT.
Gentleman is the correct word to describe both Ned and his son, Dale.
Anon, the networks can only charge what they can get. Reducing the inventory is not going to drive up the price.
It's the tail wagging the dog because unlike stick and ball sports, there is no place to put the ads without interrupting the action unless the side by side is used.
This would have been great in the pre-race. It's just awkward now.
Nice wide shot there... Seeing all the cars come down the front stretch and off into turn 1.
anon@2:37: we had the chance to watch the racing while listening to ned speak. i have no issue with that. none.
i will listen to a racer like ned jarrett all day, every day, no matter what's happening on the track.
you can't honestly say you can't follow the racing while this segment is running, can you?
So if the rights fees go up in the next tv contract, we can expect the commercial load to increase?
I can pretty much say two things. I do not expect the fees to go up and I do believe NASCAR will mandate side by side commercial format for Cup races.
Nice shot of pit road and the track at the same time.
I agree they are doing a good job of balancing talking to Ned with following the race. they haven't gone to full screen on it and they are paying attention.
Hey I'm watching a bit of it now and I am glad Ned is in the booth. Our old buddy Vince would have loved to hear his voice again. ESPN is going to amazed at the response from Ned being in the booth.
When the Ned Jarrett interview went to audio only it became good at that point.
Love that Ned stopped AB's questioning to ask if 1 car's stop was a "scheduled pit stop." Took me back to the 90s... Half expected John Kernan to jump in there :)
Add Racebuddy and this would be a good telecast. I could watch the race during commercial breaks.
Appreciate the explanation, JD - can't exactly call down to ESPN and ask...haha.
Guess scarcity vs. demand doesn't apply to ads?
What I envisioned was an event like this - come up with a set number of slots, sorta like the Superbowl, and if you want time, highest bidders get it.
Can see how that would be deadly for any network gambling on that, though.
There is a big difference bewteen working the show and trying to BE the show
I also loved the gentleman Ned pointing out the surprise pit stop...paying attention to the race over his OWN interview.
CLASS ACT, Mr. Ned :)
Ned is certainly worthy of being interviewed during racing (he's there as an ambassador for the Hall of Fame, so....interviewing him is kinda the point...) But I loved that he called Jamie Mac's pit stop!
Charlie, RB would be icing on the cake for sure!
Anon, NASCAR wants to split the TV and online video rights.
That way, the TV nets can still do their thing but NASCAR.com can offer a live video stream.
Might be pay, might be sponsored, who knows?
Sophia
A Class Act Indeed!!!
BTW...I think this is not the first time Dale & Ned have been on together. I seem to recall they were both on once during a Charlotte NW race. I hope the HOF gets themselves out of financial trouble. Just lousy timing with the economy.
Just showing the pit stop of one car while under green. Guess the other cars are single file.
Maybe Tim could tell us where the wrapper came from and the proper way to dispose of it.
I can see the networks fighting tooth and nail against online offerings they can't control.
Pretty likely Nascar would charge quite a bit.
Even if not, it'd be a large risk to advertising revenue/viewer numbers for the networks.
Sure France et al will try...but I suspect we'll see what we've had so far, with it being a complementary offering by the network.
a negative: no need for that brewer "moment" on paper on the grille. it's insulting to fans. IF the mythical casual fan is watching, he/she can turn to the nascar fan seated alongside and ask. but the booth explained that the 42 was running hot because of the paper & that should be enough for even "a casual fan."
JD, I hope you are right about the side by side commmercial change for the new contract.
It needs to happen for sure. I hate commercials every 10 laps.
Has Kyle Busch resorted to throwing plastic sacks out the window now?
I still believe the Ned Jarrett piece should have been done in the pre-race. They could have asked all the questions, let him tell stories. The early pit stops interupted his conversation. There wasn't a thank you or goddbye so I wonder if he is still there?
Even if the commercial format changes in the new contract we are looking at 3 more years of this.
There he is!
anyone else really enjoying the throwback feeling with Ned Jarrett in the booth?
Busch, he is making the media rounds and TV is just one stop.
Can we get Tim Brewer to explain to us why those cars are driving so fast? And why do they keep going down the same road all day?
Do you notice that every other word is not HOF out of Neds mouth
Red, I think they have it in the contract they have to use Brewer X number of times per race, even if it makes NO sense at all.
Ahhh, did Kyle throw something out of the car again?
In all fairness Tim Brewer was and may still be the winningest crew cheif in NASCAR
Debris caution. ha ha. Car hits it and it is gone.
Cautions out. Papercup on track
Was that a red sippy cup that caused the caution?
Brewer must go nuts, just sitting there and waiting for the producer to yell at him to talk about something fundamental and dumb.
Gina - Kyle is just doing his part to help his crew get out of there faster by taking care of their trash!
He's a gentleman and a team player, I tells ya!
AB in the booth, hearing Ned Jarrett, and ESPN again shows a caution-causing piece of debris and how it got there?
Somebody pinch me so I realize this is not a dream.
Looks like the pit off graphic has been recovered from the dumpster.
Ned needs to visit the booth more often...only turn up his mic! :)
Not only a gentleman but a soft spoken one.
I treasure seeing the class acts from days gone by...that kept the race about the race...not them or their colleagues. I never even watched NASCAR when he raced but appreciate the man he is, aside from racing...from all i've read and heard.
Gives a warm, fuzzy feeling to the booth for me :)
off of JPM's car this time.
See Allen is saying goodbye - he would never be so impolite as to just let Ned leave without a proper farewell.
dammit, what happened on the 24's pit stop?
R. Wallace just left the infield studio carrying Ned Jarret's jock strap
Enough commercials??
If anyone wants Tunein.com WBXQ 94.3 is the place for the radio feed.Kinda late but there you are multitaskers.
SB17, only in Rusty's dreams!
They got it cued up just in time on that one, Busch.
Showed the 18 backing into pit to repair the hit from leaving, but didnt say who he hit?
JM
I just saw a green drink bottle on the track!
Jimmie, Chad...whatever.
James - that is probably so true, but it would be nice if they had him talk about something useful during his segments.
Anon/J - LOL -- where's ancient been I wonder? he's a kybu fan, too.
The restart is the most action on the track and we get bumper cams.
Thanks.
JD, LOL, my reaction, too. Voldemort and Weasley, over it.
Thank GOD for double file restarts
Good question, Gina...perhaps has concluded that all is well with the universe and taken up a Zen monk lifestyle?
More seriously, hope he's okay - guy's usually around for the chats.
Anon/J, yes, I hope he's OK, too. It seems like a long time since Ancient's been on the blog.
There's a long list of improvements I am noticing here, and the cherry being Ned Jarrett. Now why can't NW Series races be done this well?
I see they are still advertising Bristol as though it races the same as it did before the repaving, the chase and the brick on wheels.
Sorry folks, it isn't the same bristol it once was. I'll watch it on TV and go to bed,
GinaV24 said...
SB17, only in Rusty's dreams!
July 31, 2011 3:03 PM
GinaV24
I apologize. I gave R. Wallace too much credit.
Man, the NNS cars are going to be a disaster on this track.
I haven't heard an update on Carl Edwards "surging? problem with his motor on the tv broadcast. Anyone have an update?
Prolly see a lot of them parking - if any show up.
LOL, SB17, well, you are doing more than I will since i don't give Rusty any credit at all.
They seem to be focusing on just certain drivers. So far the coverage is not that good and the commercials are too much.
That is a yellow?
So was brushing the wall now cause a caution to come out?
I do not believe this causes a caution, talk about NASCAR and created yellows
Anon 3:18 - seems to not be a problem or cleared up or something. Was a mention that it wasn't affecting anything.
I do not believe this causes a caution, talk about NASCAR and created yellows
I do not believe this causes a caution, talk about NASCAR and created yellows
Boy that was a reach, even for Nascar.. Wow!
You having fun yet James.
Agree on the "reaching" for a caution. Honestly. Guess they needed to give the 48 time to come in and get some work done.
Bowyer's team set a new record for tires changed. Nice job changing all 255 tires! lol
twitter says it was for debris unrelated to kyle in the wall
LOL, that multiple posting thing has happened to me, too. Sometimes the computer freezes and I hit "go" again and dang it, more than one appears.
Bozo: That's what I thought. Still miffed that we had this caution period because now Jeff is mired back in the 11th-ish area.
Kyle ran out of stuff to throw out the window and had to load back up...*grin*
Sorry > posted 5 times
do posts about cautions breed posts about cautions?
with about 40 to go, i can honestly say i knew what was going on without having to rely on twitter or RaceTrax. this has been great!
Wow. Great driving to avoid a major pileup!
It's a wonder Cassill didn't get T-boned! Lucky break.
And they wonder why they call them the best in the world
know what else i'm enjoying: the excitement in the booth! energy is still up.
Well, we saw it and they replayed it. Big improvement over last year where we never saw it and sometimes they replayed it.
Red headed stepchild much? Landon Cassil's presence in 4th completely ignored by the booth until he nearly causes a big pileup.
I think it's telling that unlike previous live blogs, we're just discussing the race and not howling epithets about the broadcast.
Speaks to the quality of this one.
This coverage and race is strange. Other than a few fabricated cautions, I have seen nothing wrong with the race or coverage today.
A pleasant surprise.
Having AB in the booth sure changed things for the better, just like putting Punch back on pit road picked that group up to.
Sprint Cup lawn mowing service. Where the grass gets cut at 180 mph.
I think we need to plant more grass at the edge of the racing surface. Did you see all that grass covering the track? Between incidents like this and pit road collisions, it's really taking its toll on the momentum of the race.
This is a top of the line telecast for what can be one of the most boring races to call, albeit today it hasn't been boring. Indy's known for massive wrecks from time to time, anyone expect one today?
Rambo M...that definitely is an area on which ESPN will need to improve. Still, considering what we were getting out of them before, I don't think we can expect perfection this first time out.
So far its been a great production best camers work all year energy level very high we are in for a great finish
Oh, I'm waiting for a big one - these restarts are pretty wild.
Remember this is ESPN race #1 - can they keep it up?
Let's see what kind of post race they bring (after Indy)
anon/J:
your are so right....isn't this fun, finally.
Makiki
Honolulu
For some reason, Landon Cassill just can't get any positive coverage. I've noticed that the Busch haters are active again today.
I'm gonna put a front splitter on my riding mower.
Anon 3:36...a very good question since most here were happy with the first race on TNT and then it went straight into the toilet after that. JD seems confident that AB won't let that happen with ESPN so I'll stick with being very hopeful that the rest of this season will be OK.
Thank God for not all the Air time wasted on chit Chat of where every driver is in the Chase at the moment consently. Anyone else notice this ?
J.T
Rusty, I believe that's called a cooling problem, not heating.
With the group in the booth do we really need the group in the infield studio during a race.
Anon 3:40...I noticed no Chase or points mentions about 1/4 way into the race but didn't want to say anything here or on Twitter so I wouldn't jinx it.
Anon 3:37 - no one's been hating on KyBu. We were talking about him throwing something out of his car and his almosts wreck bringing out a caution. if that's what you mean by hate, you need to rethink your definition.
comments are not hating.
I feel bad for Landon, he got put into a tough position.
@ CHARLIE > RIGHT ON> no need for Nicole and Brad
Very nice job by Nicole & Rusty in the infield studio.
Was that a trunk cam where the screen went dark?
I think AB has made this telecast better than previous cup races.
KoHoSo, they did give one chase update but it was pretty subdued and discreet. Works for me.
focus on the race, let the chase take care of itself IMO
ok, here's where espn needs to have an intern monitoring twitter during the race. they're wondering why harvick came down pit road while delana's tweeting that it's for fuel only.
OK, now I'm worried about this whole strategy thing.
GinaV24...thanks for the correction! That must have come when I couldn't wait to make a "pit stop" any longer. ;-)
Goody gum drops another race
decided by Fuel miles and the
good folks from Sunoco.
Why don't the officials stand further out in the middle of pit road.. Not very smart.
This ending is wide open as of now.
R that's what I was thinking those Nascar officials could get run over very easily!
I had plans of spending lots of time here, but AB in the booth doing what he does best, has kept me glued to the TV.
Is it just me, or does this race seem more exciting than in the past?
20 speeding penalties since 06 at the Brickyard WOW!!!!!!!!!!!
I think I just noticed one of the major differences between AB and ol' Marty. AB just now noticed Burton struggling to get on pit road, even though the director had switched to another view.
AB's watching the race outside the booth window vs ol' Marty staring at his program monitor.
Allen has slowly taken control of the telecast. Not the guys in the truck are working for him.
It's been a pleasure to watch.
Bill AB is a race fan not a talking head
Amazing how, when they cover the race rather than 'storylines', and keep viewers up to date on ALL the action, I find I'm not even tempted to take a nap. They have managed to keep a rather boring race (other than restarts) exciting, because they are giving lots of useful information! Great job!
BTW Where's Dr Punch
I don't think it's going to be fuel mileage race. Not with all of them pitting, most of them can make it from here now.
texasracelady, AB is making a big difference. I just hope that it continues this way. TNT started off well and fell off as they did their races.
I'm hoping that this doesn't happen to them.
JD > at least it proves if you complain long enough they will listen. AB sure make Marty look BAD
saltburgtrojanfan: i didn't think that was a lot. i mean: 5 years, 2 races per race and 20 speeding penalties seems low to me. that's about 2 per race. sounded like more but when i think about the actual number of races run here, it fell apart for me.
red...hey only race at Indy 1ce a year. Double the penalties per race.
Get ready for a fule mileage duel to the finish!
Anon 3:54: Anonymous?
Bestwick has kept a focus on something the entire race, instead of helplessly following the pictures on the screen thinking of words to add. The booth keeps its energy & nobody gets bored.
Jerry is on pit road, but it does not seem that his assigned cars are in the mix.
Started a list, checking it twice, so I know who is naughty or nice.
The true test of the AB broadcast will come when Victory lane and post race interviews start. Lets see how long ESPN sticks around...on the main channel.
anon, whatever dude, as you can see by my screen name, I cheer for someone else, so I'll happily be on your list. As a long time Gordon fan, I can tell you a lot about people hating on me because of my choice.
If you compare Dr. Punch's tone from 2007 to today, it sounds like two different people.
ab corrected jerry without being obvious..jerry missed the meaning of the conversation... tony is going to have to stop
Way to Go AB ! You have changed NASCAR TV Race coverage already. This is the Best Ctelecast of a NASCAR Cup race in years.
J.T.
AB is great at getting you up to speed after a commercial..
oops! thanks, sally and apologies to saltsburgtrojanfan. obviously, i'm mixing my racing series and coming up with a cumulative number!
This is going to be interesting.
15 Laps to go.
@James - Amen. Gina- I hope you're right, but if it does fall off, I doubt if it will be AB's fault. Seems like all the on-air talent is responding really well to AB.
The novelty will fade, but AB's enthusiasm and love for the sport equals that of his booth partners and race fans alike. I think that will last a good while, but then ESPN (FOX, CBS, NBC, ABC Sports, etc) seem to be able to screw up most anything.
Good stuff, seems like they are hauling azz. Tight racing in the corners, and they'er showing it !!!
OMG Trevor Bayne is 5th
NO! no driver interview w/12 to go even if it is in the small screen. it just is the wrong time for it.
Deep breath Red.
I don't remember IMS being a fuel issue track.
James, I am a big fan of AB's too. I have high hopes!
Red, I agree, stupid time for that interview do it if he wins,
Mike(Detroit): wish i could be 1. the booth is making it exciting and 2. i only have my right lung working right now!;-)
This has really shaken up the running order! guys we hardly heard from all day now leading....
gordon's spotter is saying that the guys in front of him are shutting it off to save fuel.
C'mon man, do it!
Sooo the last laps are AB's to call right?
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