There are a lot of tidbits flying around today involving various kinds of motorsports media types. Here are some items crossing the TDP desk.
Peter Windsor is back on SPEED's Formula 1 coverage. You may remember his ill-fated US-based F-1 team effort. SPEED promoted it endlessly and then slowly crept away as it fell apart. Windsor is now based in London and will be contributing to the SPEED.com website expansion of F-1 content. He will not be a pit reporter. Will Buxton remains in that role.
Click here for a link to the Jalopnik.com story on Adam Corolla. He is currently fronting the new Car Show series on SPEED. This is the network's attempt to clone the popular Top Gear franchise. Unfortunately, Corolla is still stuck in his Man Show character and his sexist behavior toward women on the program is amazing. Now, he may just have a little bit more to deal with after his most recent rant.
Back on the NASCAR trail, two items are being discussed today. First, after perhaps the most memorable interview on NASCAR Now in years, ESPN executives made the incredible decision to cancel the only re-air of that show and instead re-air the entire Watkins Glen Sprint Cup Series race.
Greg Biffle had called into NASCAR Now live at 6PM Monday and proceeded to unleash his feelings on Boris Said. Biffle referenced incidents from the previous year's race and also explained what went on during and after the race with Said. This interview featured some of the most memorable NASCAR quotes in recent memory.
Since the re-air of the Biffle interview was cancelled, SPEED was quick to get Biffle into the RaceHub studio today where he will be speaking with Steve Byrnes on the 7PM ET show. Byrnes has a good interview style that gets the most out of guests, so it should be interesting to see what Biffle has to say now one day after the fireworks.
ESPN has confirmed it will be sending Rusty Wallace and Ricky Craven to Montreal this Saturday to team with Marty Reid on the Nationwide Series race. As usual, there will be no coverage of practice or qualifying. ESPN certainly has a love/hate relationship with the Nationwide Series once the network's Sprint Cup coverage begins.
I'm a fan of Jayski.com and the dedication of the small group working on that website. Big honor today as Time included Jayski.com on the list of the 50 best websites of 2011. Click here to read the story.
The full three hour scheduled re-airing of the Sprint Cup Series race from Watkins Glen will be on SPEED, as usual, at noon ET on Wednesday.
More items will be added to this post throughout the day, please check back later and make sure to give us your comments on these topics.
I used to enjoy watching Peter walk the grid. I'm sure they'll find a good way to utilize his knowledge...very unfortunate that the effort did not work out; but I think it's cool that they gave it a shot.
ReplyDeleteI am a fan of *both* Greg & Boris, and I try and look at things objectively. There are probably things that happened between them that have created this 'situation' that we never saw. And then it gets to be a back & forth thing (a bit like KuBu/JJ). I don't think Boris shouldn't race people hard under the right circumstances. You owe that to your owner and your sponsor, and to the fans. My guess is Ragan was aggravating him and he was just as guilty in that part of their deal, the 00 an innocent victim.
But I'd like to know more about what Boris is saying Greg did *before* the cameras rolled, and I look forward to hearing Greg's version of the story. I did find it interesting to hear Rusty say on NNow that he was also very bothered by any driver that gestured at him during a race. You'd think these guys would be immune to that sort of thing, but it sounds like that was something that just pushed Boris' buttons. Can't say I haven't done it myself. But I know it's wrong. :) . I know Steve Byrnes will be his usual professional self in trying to be fair. Greg has been kind cranky lately with the whole 99 deal--I'm usually more impressed with his knowledge about his cars rather than his rants on other drivers, but he usually has something interesting to say one way or the other. And you know NASCAR is smiling, no matter what they claim, the more highlights the better!
My wife and I, watched portions of two of Adams' show. I kind of sat up when he and they were talking about "chicks" (pleased to meet you and you and you). Obviously sexist, maybe a joke, maybe not the norm. Next show it was more of the same, it is the norm. I'm not outraged, we are paying for SpeedTV and did what anyone else can do, we changed the channel and don't bother with it anymore. Advertisers can check to see who's watching and if the precious 18 to 34 age group is watching then it will stay. We aren't in that age group and don't really matter to the focused group the advertisers are trying to reach. That's fine with us.
ReplyDeleteBut with that said: Good luck to the disenfranchised and marginalized amongst us in pointing out the obvious hateful remarks to the said advertisers.
You know, I don't get why people think stuffing 'hotties' into a Mini cooper is amusing. I've never seen the show, but I would *think* that SPEED would prefer not to revert to such stereotypes in order to grow their audience. There are plenty of women who are 'gearheads' themselves, so you're deliberately offending a potential chunk of viewers (I have no idea how many it would be, but still...why would you do that?)
ReplyDeleteWow, I just read the Adam Corolla article. Aren't comedian's supposed to be funny?
ReplyDeleteAdam who? I guess he's so famous that I've never heard of him. Reality/lifestyle shows......yawn.
ReplyDeleteWhere can I find more information about Greg Biffle's call to NASCAR Now? I must know. It sounds very interesting.
ReplyDeleteOK, NASCAR Now is forgiven for not re-airing yesterdays show.
ReplyDeleteToday they have covered it fully.
Back to the discussion on Adam Corolla’s show: My wife and I watch every lap of every race together, in addition we watch the shows covering the sport together and of course TV in-general together. We chose to not watch the show, it's not "Family" programming.
John,
ReplyDeleteNow I am being told that ESPN aired NASCAR Now after showing a re-air of the entire Sprint Cup Series race.
So, that must have been like 3AM Pacific Time.
How weird was that decision-making?
JD
ESPN has usually shown Montreal qualifying in years past. I don't really care about practice, but qualifying will be interesting with 49+ entered and road course qualifying rules. It's sad ESPN drops the ball on their last Nationwide stand-alone weekend of the season. SPEED will be there to pick up the tab for the rest of the season.
ReplyDeleteJust like Top Gear Usa I gave the Car show a watch. Adam Carolla is the same preteen goof he always has been. The show is utterly unwatchable.Speed has introduced several shows in the last few years that fill into this category.Other than the CWTS, Rolex Grand Am and F1 races there is very little to watch on that channel anymore.
ReplyDeleteI also sent several emails to various sponsors of shows like the Car show, Hopefully more people wikk do the same and restore some dignity to a once proud channel.
Is the Biffle interview on NASCAR Now on Youtube or anything?
ReplyDeleteAs much as I want to watch his show, Corolla is a pig. If I needed more exposure to the objectification of my gender, I'd watch G4. And I'm someone who enjoys the presence of the F1 girls as much as most guys. Beauty is beauty. Sick pig stuff ain't pretty. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI feel sorry for Craven this weekend, caught between Reid and Rusty.
ReplyDeleteMr Editor -
ReplyDeleteAlways interested in Peter Windsor's comments, but Will Buxton doing credible job ...Biffle over-matched w/Boris Said; nothing like live TV with strong personalities and stronger comments ...Boris brings back memories of those masters of the 'chrome horn' - Joe Weatherly, Curtis Turner and Dale Earnhardt ..of course, I must add Jimmy Spencer, but it was usually that he lost his composure, not strategic, when he applied the chrome horn ...as for Adam Corolla, his role on The Man Show was pointless and he hasn't lost (or found) his place.
Walter
No offense to NASCAR Now, but that race was one of the best races of the year. It deserved a re-air. Live events should always trump studio shows, especially great ones.
ReplyDeletedont get me wrong, jayski serves a purpose and i look at it everyday. but jayski is no longer a rumor site. it has become media and pr release clearinghouse. i havent seen an actual rumor on jayski in years.
ReplyDeleteThe general public discovers and lauds most things related to NASCAR long after what made them great has passed. And so it is with Jayski. I visit everyday. It's the Google News of all things NASCAR but there isn't a lick of original content there. The ones that shhould be on that list are sites like TDP who supply all the great writing that Jayski capitalizes on. Maybe his is in the top 50 from the advertiser's point of view but as has been said, it's nothing more than a listing of today's press releases.
ReplyDelete