It's a hot day in Daytona. Before the race, NASCAR fans who use Twitter gathered for a pre-race meeting called a "tweet-up." It's an opportunity to speak with many media members and sometimes special guests who attend. This time, rock group Train showed up after flying into town to perform in the pre-race show. Classy move on their part on a very hot day.
The executives at Turner have decided to simulcast the race tonight on TruTV along with the primary telecast on TNT. Tonight is the "Wide Open" coverage that features all the national commercials run in a side-by-side format that lets TV viewers see the race. The only time full-screen commercials appear is when the local cable TV companies go to break.
It was a tough week in Kentucky. Lots of commercials, long green flag runs and a rather lazy performance from the trio in the TV booth led to a lot of fan feedback. Little of it was good. Tony Stewart will join Adam Alexander, Kyle Petty and Larry McReynolds in the TNT infield stage before the race.
The Countdown to Green show has been solid this season as it uses the pit reporters, a featured interview an several edited features including the new "NASCAR Generations" discussion. Ned Jarrett, Bill Elliott and Jimmie Johnson talk about topics in an informal setting.
Alexander and Petty move upstairs to call the race with Wally Dallenbach Junior. This trio is very different and while Petty continually offers opinions, Alexander does not call the race in the traditional manner and Dallenbach is long since removed from the sport. It's a combination that rarely offers excitement.
The pit reporters have been solid. Chris Neville, Marty Snider, Ralph Sheheen and Matt Yocum are veterans who have worked in many different roles in the TV world. This crew works hard to supply information and excitement but often when Alexander returns the conversation quickly returns to low-key.
If there was ever a combination of ingredients that could get TNT back on the right track, Daytona can provide it. If the racing is sharp then fans can tolerate a lot. If long green flag runs become the order of the day, then expect to hear the groans begin. As much as TV can surround an event, it is the action provided by the athletes that dictates the excitement level.
We are going to be live tweeting the race on Twitter using the #TDP1 hashtag. Please consider joining us. Twittter is easy, most NASCAR personalities are on it and we talk with media members and fans about the TV coverage as it happens. There will be a new post up for your comments after the race, in the meantime please feel free to leave any opinions on this page about the TV coverage today.
Comments may be moderated prior to posting, thanks for dropping by The Daly Planet.
WOWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!! Just as NASCAR could throw Mayfield off their back, they have a brand new problem. This is BIG compared to Mayfield when he was busted hanging onto his career as an owner-driver. The pre-race will be interesting.
ReplyDeleteHoly cow. I wonder if this will put the #22 into play for Silly Season.
ReplyDeleteAnd the pre-race opens with happy talk and a canned retrospective, ignoring the story of the hour.
ReplyDeleteCharlie. Yes. I say Logano will wait to resign even longer now. AJ only had a one year deal.
ReplyDeleteTNT stuck in script, did not lead with this story. Also nothing on NASCAR's site...
how long before talking heads mention #22 - sure not in their canned start
ReplyDeleteTNT clueless about Allmendinger. Still have his name on their pit scroll...
ReplyDeletePit road assignments still show Allmendinger in the car. Keep dancing around that elephant.
ReplyDeletetook 11 minutes
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly what I find interesting about the media covering NASCAR. The AJ story is MAJOR news and TNT just goes with the official party line with no further commentary. Really??? With the 2 most opinionated commentators in Kyle and Wally yet they say NOTHING???
ReplyDeleteAny other sport leads with that story and gives us commentator opinions on it. Why not TNT? What are they afraid of?
Put Kyle in the car!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, if Hornish can't get there, Kenny Wallace is standing by for Harvick.
Instead of news we get MUSIC! Great start TNT
ReplyDeleteWatching NASCAR on TNT is like sailing in the doldrums-----BORING. The Sprint Cup races have suffered enough without this trio. Give us compitent, concise commentary from the booth. Adam, Wally and Kyle?? Really??
ReplyDeleteCharlie, not that simple. The seat won't match Kyle. That is why they are bringing Sam in. They already have his inserts and such and he is a similar size. That's why RCR asked Kenny. He is the same size. Seat change is not simple to do
ReplyDeleteI can't believed they covered baby watch before they got to the real story. But--I get why they (and NASCAR) have to be careful; it could be a false positive. Wendy said the drivers wouldn't talk.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the end of Raceday (6:15), Sam is on the plane back to Daytona (they had to send it up for him.) Should be there in time.
They should send someone to the airport....
Don't judge AJ yet. Wait for the dust to settle and for the facts to be known. Good chance for Sam Hornish Jr. but bad circumstances. Here's hoping for the best.
ReplyDeleteI normally avoid pre-race shows as a waste of time. I only turned it on this time because I anticipated coverage of a breaking story. Instead I get a concert and no more information than I received from Jayski. This is EXACTLY why I don't watch these. I sure an organization the caliber of Penske must have a spokesperson; why isn't he or she featured, either live or via phone? Why are we being informed on NASCAR's drug policy, testing procedures, appeals procedures, etc? How about discussing how much trouble it is for a team to find a driver on such late notice, what changes must be made to the car, adaptations the crew chief and over-the-wall crew make, etc?
ReplyDeleteGeez, is there an Emmy for "Best Sports Coverage Ignoring an Issue"?
Charlie, Roger is not there...he's in Europe. So he might have simply chosen not to have anyone speak for him. And what are they going to say? They have to wait until AJ okays the B sample.
ReplyDeleteNow, I agree, they ought to be recounting the procedure. But you have to do that without making the assumption that the person is guilty. Kinda tricky...
Oops, that should have been, "Why AREN'T we being informed..."
ReplyDeleteThis is where the NFL policy is better I believe they retest the B sample before it is even announced. Just a sucky deal all the way around. As I said to JD on facebook, I just don't like the timeline. Exact same timeline as Mayfield...
ReplyDeleteReading twitter has been a lot more interesting than the pre-race. Allmendinger/baby Harvick/Kenny Wallace news > Larry Mac's Toolbox.
ReplyDeleteThis could have been a goldmine for TNT and their #NASCAR twitter program that they have been promoting the hell out of.
Correct. You had a ton of ability to free-style this pre-race and make it good. This is why I miss the old late 90's ESPN. They ran with what was around them. Instead we scripted a pre-race and are acting it out. Kyle Petty could have an incredible take on this topic but he is being handcuffed.
ReplyDeleteLoose Wheel...I was wondering about that. Maybe it's because they want to give a guy a chance to 'throw himself on the mercy of the court'...so to speak. IF a guy chooses to enter rehab, say, he could be let back in...just like JC France after what, six months? Of course, I think being a France didn't hurt, but it was his first offense & he entered a program. Of course, for most sponsors, that would be the kiss of death.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe they haven't mentioned if Sam has arrived. At least *that* much...
ReplyDeleteOTOH...does anytone think it's possible NASCAR went to them & 'suggested' they not dwell on it....
okay, at least they got the update now. Might have taken that long for Penske to issue the statement.
glen, I imagine that is exactly what AJ will have to do if the B sample comes back positive. Finally got a statement from Penske.
ReplyDeleteSuch a wasted opportunity. They could have discussed the technical side of this without expressing opinions of guilt or innocence. They could have discussed possible reasons NASCAR waited until less than 2 hours before the race to inform the team.
ReplyDeleteLoose Wheel, I wasn't serious about Kyle and understand it's a real pain in the rear end housing to change seats. You and I know, but that's the kind of information that would benefit the casual fan more than Carl and Kyle paddling around the lake. Talk about how much trouble it is for a driver to climb into a car stone-freakin' cold when he was chillin' at the house two hours ago.
Hornish at the track. Got a half hour to get ready
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely Charlie. They really had a chance to make some lemonade out of this. Still run your Generations promo, cut out Carl and Kyle. Offer some insights and explain the policy and proceedures AJ will have to go through and leave it at that. But instead they fluffed. A crying shame.
ReplyDeleteAhh Damn Sam made it. I wanted to see ol kenny W get a shot tonight. In any other court in the world your innocent until proven guilty. But not in the world of NASCAR. I hate to say it but A.J. is dead meat.
ReplyDeleteSadly I agree with Avery. Remember Randy LaJoie last year? Boy was that a mess.
ReplyDeletethey ought to show Sam running to the car.
ReplyDeleteCharlie, he was in the SPEED studios...he was going to work with Diffey tonight. Guess Leigh will be talking to himself.
For once, Raceday was actually informative...
for anyone wondering,Bobby also said he didn't want to drive the dadgum pace car...at least he made it his own.
ReplyDeleteHow many laps till the big one?
I watched SPEED Center so when I heard Sam's name I was curious. He was in a suit and tie 2 hours ago
ReplyDeleteDanica made her way into this race afterall...
ReplyDeleteglenc1, my point is I'm not the producer but in less than ten minutes I can come up with a half-dozen ways to cover this breaking story. Instead we get canned fluff. The concert should have been dumped; the paddleboard advertisement should have never been filmed.
ReplyDeleteCharlie...I understand....Train might have been part of the sponsor deal, but the paddleboards, I totally agree. It was dumb to start with. And it wouldn't have taken long to just go over the procedures & what not. But the opinion part; well, they all get their credentials from the same place....
ReplyDeleteWe'd like to know why didn't Hornish have more time to get there? Was that his jet landing going to commercial earlier, just turned on the tv and house mate had come in from dinner so got interrupted. Loved the jet camera shot.
ReplyDeleteYou mean NASCAR just found out a couple hours ago?
Hate hearing this, really like AJ :-(
Wow! The racing gets more screen space than the ad!
ReplyDeleteThe pit reports have been great so far. Not much on the track for the booth to talk about right now.
ReplyDeleteI don't think NASCAR would mess around with something like this...my guess is, it just took this long to get the results. They would not want to make Penske scramble on purpose; as bad as NASCAR can be, I don't think they would intentionally try to hurt teams.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me or did yesterday's race with the two-car tandem feel more exciting than tonight's with "the draft"
ReplyDeleteI loved the tandem....
ReplyDeleteThis is gonna be a snoozer until the end. No one is going to risk the engines to pass
Hey John. You keep singing the praises of Twitter, yet when I finally decide to check you out, I get this: "Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup."
ReplyDeleteSo much for that.
Wally's right...they're just riding around. The pack is spread out.
ReplyDeleteI kinda liked the tandem too.
Wide Open coverage has been great so far.
ReplyDeleteI had a two car tamdem with the high school cheerleaders and did some drafting with my penis
ReplyDeleteHow about the 16 & 17 getting back to the front? About time somebody decided to race tonight. These guys can race, they just chose to ride 40 laps in cruise control.
ReplyDeleteThe 16 and 17 should be inspected, this is just plain out unfair.
ReplyDeleteRA & LW, I agree about the tandem. I don't like it, but I've always preferred it to the pack.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me or has the ticker been wrong several times tonight?
The ticker seems to refresh after each lap. The had wise leading like five laps. When in reality he only led three before his stop. I feel like this style of racing Is 02-06 type. Ride around until ten to go. Not too exciting. Last night was a blast
ReplyDeleteat least there's no KFC this week....I hope I didn't jinx it...
ReplyDeleteThe intensity picked up around lap 50, then the drivers went back single file. I don't know why others haven't tried the tandem to get out front like the 16 and 17 did. They aren't cheating, they just took a risk.
ReplyDeleteI really like the ticker with the running order during the side by sides. Runs much quicker than the crawl!
ReplyDeleteI sincerly hope that AJ's drug test is nothing severe but that usually isnt the case. More than likely the end to a promising career.
ReplyDeleteI feel like we continuously whine about the racing here or at frys. But pack or tandem it beats this. It's follow the leader. And the poor outside line has only moved up to forth, even with Junior pulling them
ReplyDeleteAnd somehow someway Nascar needs to get together with its TV partners and the advertisers and figure out how to make every race "wide open"
ReplyDeleteThe small screen ads are great. Notice the camera is not focusing on just one single car! Great job.
ReplyDeleteBobby,
ReplyDeleteThere have been no problems with Twitter all night. I have several hundred folks in the stream and thousands talking NASCAR.
Check the app you are using.
JD
A CAUTION!
ReplyDeleteBS61...because they don't want to blow up. They're just gonna experiment with what their cars can do until there's about 50 laps left.
ReplyDeleteaw...poor Sam after all that.
Tough break for Sam. But saves Tony and brad from going a lap down
ReplyDeleteGood selection of camera angles on the 2-5-39 pit road incident. Glad no one was hurt.
ReplyDeleteTandem > pack. At least with tandem you knew 50 lead changes would happen. So far only one under green flag tonight. They CAN tandem, but not without pushing water. 18 wants to fix something but knows if they do, he cannot pass anyone and will effectively lose the race.
ReplyDeleteIf they made changes that can get that second line going, we could have a whole new race.
ReplyDeleteJD
Kurt must have figured he had to tear one up before he could win last night, so ...
ReplyDeleteI think Kurt is just driving with desperation...in a way, I can understand, but it was still all self inflicted. Put his car in a hole that wasn't there.
ReplyDeleteI dont know how you make the second line better. Put those ridiculous roof fins back on the cars?
ReplyDeleteKurt said he second guessed the move. Crew telling him 21 came down some
ReplyDeleteGood racing so far and lots of good commentary from the booth.No silly tweets cluttering up the screen.John told us about AJ's problems at the top of his blog.What more do we need to know?If AJ wants to act like an idiot, that's his business,not ours.Some of you gossip hounds are missing a good race with your silliness.
ReplyDeleteAnon,
ReplyDeleteI was reminded by a NASCAR reporter that the violation by AJ could be a prescription medication that was not reported or even one taken incorrectly.
Speculating on potential illegal drug use is unfair at this point.
Have a feeling we will hear from Penske this week in a big way. He does not mess around when it comes to something like this.
JD
Ok, so now I get "wide open coverage".
ReplyDeleteIt means commercials All of the time and usually multiple ones.
Just like the "stuff" you have to endure on the internet.
Who are these sales dudes that can sell this for big bucks? Jeez!
I have a question, when Turner ran the #32 at the Brickyard the other year, did that not be written under Turner ownership?
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember we ran Jacques Villenvue running the Brickyard in Turner's #32?
No one wants to race.
ReplyDeleteMy commercial audio is not synched up either...
I hate this stuff....glad the 48 was not hurt.
ReplyDeleteDoes god just want to see Jeff wreck? I almost believe this season is more than just bad decisions....
ReplyDeleteOk, ads are beginning to appear more and more, this is now becoming bothersome.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone confirm the status of the 24 car? TNT hasn't shown the car or updated Jeff's status since the wreck, so I'm not sure how bad the damage on that car is. The replay they showed suggested that maybe the 24 didn't suffer a hit to anything too major.
ReplyDeleteRoadgeek. It was Braun Racing, Turner bought the team mid season but when they ran, they were a start and park. Technically was it a Turner car? Yes, but Turner had no intention of fielding it, it was just a part of the deal when he bought Braun's operation.
ReplyDeletegeez...I called Jimmie by his number not his name. That's really sad of me.
ReplyDeleteLet the wrecks begin. :(
Adam, checked it. Since Braun was the listed owner it does not count as a "Turner Motorsports" car.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lose Wheel.
ReplyDeleteFull screen commercial, just had a wreck...
ReplyDeleteHooray, missed caution due to 90-second break. That knocks this telecast down 10 pts
ReplyDeletetell me again why this racing is so great?
ReplyDeleteglenc1, you tell me and we'll both know. Plate racing stinks. Don't tell me this is a better race than Sonoma was; better covered, but not better.
ReplyDeleteUgh. Green-white-checker finishes are incredibly anticlimactic with this current aero package. I think NASCAR should look into either red-flagging plate races or stop counting caution laps with 5 or 10 to go to try and avoid GWCs.
ReplyDeleteCharlie, we certainly agree on that...
ReplyDeleteum...where did they all finish..?
ReplyDeleteYep: top four cars form two side-by-side tandems, no one behind them can get a good enough run to pass them, everyone stalls out in the order they'll finish with about half a lap to go, then a huge wreck in Turn 4. Daytona GWC finishes since the repave.
ReplyDeleteK. Lee Davis on the finish:
ReplyDeleteDon't have one yet. I bet NASCAR doesn't have one yet either. This may not be sorted out for 15-30 minutes, or more.
I guess I can understand that.
the lips & the words are not matching up for me... I've never understood why that happens
ReplyDeleteJamie Mac finished 15, I guess that the best you can hope for.
The new post is up for comments after the race.
ReplyDelete