"Wrecked" Premieres On SPEED Thursday Night

The transformation of SPEED continues as the network rolls-out another high-profile TV series. Thursday night at 10PM ET will be the network premiere of Wrecked.

This follows the series Super Bikes, PINKS, Living the Low Life, Pass Time, PINKS All-Out, 101 Cars You Must Drive, Drag Race High and Supercars Exposed as the most recent additions to this type of non-racing TV programming.

This is the full page on the SPEEDtv.com website that hosts the information about the TV series and the background on the family-owned Chicago area towing business being profiled.

In the same vein as Deadliest Catch on Discovery and The First 48 on A&E, Wrecked is a reality series that explores the non-traditional employment role of a specific group.

As we detailed in this column, Wrecked follows the family workings of the O'Hare Towing Service. This is the official website that will help to orient viewers as to what services the company offers.

It has been several years now since SPEED abandoned the original network format of focusing on "real racing" and moved into what the network refers to as "automotive lifestyle" programs on weeknights.

That began a long list of programming failures as the network struggled to re-define itself between Monday and Thursday when there is no actual on-track action to cover. These included Texas Hardtails, I Wanna Date A Race Car Driver and Shooting Cars.

The multi-hour Monday presentation of NASCAR programming was also dismantled. That left This Week in NASCAR as the only racing-related show. The Tuesday night block of motorcycle content was completely cancelled and the Wednesday evening replay of the previous week's Sprint Cup race was moved to the afternoon. The change was complete.

Although never admitted publicly, the purchase of SpeedVision in 2002 by Rupert Murdoch and his Fox Cable Networks group was with the goal of changing the network into a full-time NASCAR channel. The name was changed to SPEED Channel and the network offices were dispatched to Charlotte, NC where they remain today.

In 2005, Jim Liberatore was dismissed as network president after he apparently objected to the increased amount of NASCAR programming that he was being forced to carry by his superiors. The network subsequently re-branded itself as SPEED and brought-in veteran TV executive Hunter Nickell to right the ship.

He inherited an interesting problem. NASCAR fans wanted more programming from the NASCAR Media Group like 7 Days and NASCAR Confidential. Non-NASCAR fans wanted WRC, Formula-1 and other racing series to take center-stage as they had done with SpeedVision.

Meanwhile, Nickell faced a wasteland of weeknights with declining viewership and a hodge-podge of programming. After throwing many programming concepts at the wall, SPEED finally found PINKS. This TV series made the cross-over from cult hit to mainstream success and has now provided the genesis of a new effort toward more lifestyle program series.

If Wrecked resonates with the fans, TV viewers will no doubt see SPEED continue to fill the weekdays with this type of programming. The shame for NASCAR fans in all of this is that somehow things have come full-circle in this TV equation.

While The NASCAR Media Group produces the weekend shows from the SPEED Stage and TWIN on Mondays, there is no longer any NASCAR in primetime on SPEED during the week. It seems ironic that the very network that moved to Charlotte to embrace NASCAR and is an official NASCAR TV partner will not invest the time and resources to develop one new original weekday program series for the fans.

The last time SPEED did this was for a show called Beyond The Wheel. It won several national Sports Emmy Awards and is still being produced today for another cable network. SPEED cancelled the series to focus the network's resources elsewhere.

SPEED has the perfect right to produce whatever TV programs increase the audience and grow the business. Unfortunately, other than one hour on Monday nights, the lack of weekday NASCAR programming has forced fans away from the network and directly over to ESPN2 and the Internet.

It seems a bit ironic that a TV network that moved to Charlotte and is surrounded by NASCAR shops, personalities and the many NASCAR support businesses has to travel to Chicago to find a new source of reality TV programming.

The premiere of Wrecked will not be reviewed on this NASCAR blog. If you want to comment on that program after it airs please follow this link to the SPEEDtv forum. If you would like to offer your opinion about the topics in this column, please feel free.

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Nice Guy DJ Copp Gets A Reward

There have been few stories more interesting than the continuing fan reaction to Bobby Labonte pit crew member DJ Copp.

Added originally to NASCAR Now for tips on pit stops, his plain and simple style of presenting NASCAR issues to TV viewers caught-on immediately. Copp has outlasted two show hosts and one studio analyst on the ESPN2 TV series already.

Copp has worked for several teams during his career including Ultra Motorsports, Roush Racing, DEI and now Petty Racing. A recent profile on the Internet says his most memorable racing experience was winning street stock races at Canandaigua Speedway in New York. It also says he is a New England Patriot fan.

Last season on NASCAR Now saw Copp brought into the studio to add commentary. That experiment went very well. This year, fans have seen him return to add expanded features and to carry a live camera and microphone on pit road during races. Some of his conversations speaking to the fans during pit stops have been memorable.

Now, on the final week of racing before ESPN steps back into the Sprint Cup Series, Copp is getting another opportunity. On Saturday night from Gateway International Speedway near St. Louis, Copp will be filling-in for the vacationing Tim Brewer in the Tech Center.

Copp began as a fabricator with Ultra Motorsports and works in the auto body business in North Carolina during the week. His perspective on issues associated with racing at Gateway should be very interesting.

Viewers may see Copp during final practice coverage on Friday night at 7PM ET and during qualifying on Saturday at 5PM. With Allen Bestwick also on vacation, it will be Dr. Jerry Punch hosting the pre-race show from the broadcast booth. Look for Copp to contribute in that program as well.

With all of the high-priced on-air talent and big names swirling around ESPN's coverage of the sport, it is nice to know that a 30 year-old guy from Ontario, NY who just loves NASCAR can make his way onto national TV and be successful.

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ESPN Adds Another Sprint Cup Owner

Just when we thought the silly season was limited to drivers, it was ESPN's own Brad Daugherty who announced he was going to be joining the ranks of Sprint Cup Series owners.

Appearing on the Tuesday edition of NASCAR Now, host Ryan Burr introduced Daugherty and his 2009 Sprint Cup driver Marcos Ambrose. Daugherty has partnered with the JTG team to create a new racing entity that will campaign in the Sprint Cup Series full-time next season.

Burr spoke with Ambrose and Daugherty and touched on all the points of the deal. Originally, Daugherty was rumored to be entering the Craftsman Truck Series. Now, the news has come that JTG-Daugherty racing will be moving up to the big time.

Starting as a single car team, it should be interesting to see how Daugherty progresses. Burr did a good job of pinning Daugherty down on exactly why he got into a situation like this. Daugherty was not shy in mentioning that it was ESPN and his exposure that helped to keep his NASCAR profile high and enable this type of deal.

Burr turned to Andy Petree to ask about what being an owner will bring to Daugherty at ESPN. "Credibility" was the response. Petree is not one to mince words and as a former owner Petree could speak to the subject.

As for Ambrose, Petree said there is going to be a pretty steep learning curve for the Aussie. It was a diplomatic response, but it seemed that Petree was a bit surprised that Ambrose had come along as a part of the deal. Perhaps, fans will remember that thought for next season.

Burr continued the show with a good interview with media-friendly Joey Logano. Still very young in many ways, it is nice to see a fresh face being promoted as the future of the sport. Burr tried to ask his sophisticated and news-oriented questions, but ultimately Logano is a teenager and this adult approach did not work.

The entire purpose of Logano being on the show was Burr having the ability to ask about the Home Depot car in 2009. "Do you think you are ready?" asked Burr. "I think I am ready," said Logano. It is times like this that the naive side of the NASCAR Now crew comes out. Every driver is ready for the opportunity of a lifetime.

It was nice of ESPN to give a slot to the Kyle Petty charity motorcycle ride. Even nicer was to hear the mellow voice of Harry Gant calling-in by phone from the tour stop in Lexington, KY. Gant showed once again the "old school" NASCAR style that is sorely missed in the sport today.

There is no doubt that once the Daugherty news gets a bit older reaction will begin. Along with Ray Evernham and Rusty Wallace, ESPN now has three active owners with teams in either the Sprint Cup or Nationwide Series on staff. Whether he likes it or not, whatever Brad Daugherty says on-the-air from now on will be run through a very different "filter" by viewers.

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