It's the biggest night of the year for the NASCAR on TNT bunch. This is the "Wide Open" coverage that allows the commercials to be run in a video box while the live racing is still on the TV screen.
The trade-off is that the sponsors get extended commercial elements and lots more signage on the screen. Some folks love it and some folks hate it. Either way, the racing is rarely interrupted and it makes for a very different telecast.
Lindsay Czarniak has confirmed that once the TNT package is over she is off to ESPN to be a SportsCenter anchor. Good luck to her, she is a very professional and hard-working journalist/reporter. She hosts the pre-race show at 6:30PM.
Kyle Petty and Larry McReynolds are alongside. It should be very interesting to hear their opinions on the tandem racing we will see tonight due to the current car rules and the new track surface.
Once things get underway, it will be Adam Alexander with Petty and Wally Dallenbach Jr. in the TV booth. Ralph Sheheen, Marty Snider, Matt Yocum and Chris Neville will handle the pit road duties. It should be rough for these guys since almost all the green flag pitstops will be tandems.
RaceBuddy is once again free and open at NASCAR.com with ten video sources. The pictures should be great from the track after dark. RaceBuddy has been a wonderful addition to the live races on TV this season. If ESPN chooses to pass on this technology, it may be a rough Chase once again this season.
TNT told me the goal again this year is not to miss a lap of green flag racing. It seems this is the only network and this is the only race where we hear that sentence. Let's hope a smooth race and good coverage can serve to motivate others to move in this direction.
This post will serve to host your comments on the NASCAR on TNT presentation of the Sprint Cup Series race from Daytona. To add your TV-related opinion, just click on the comments button below. Thanks for taking the time to stop by!