Saturday starts with a very long day on-air for the SPEED team. 11AM ET starts the day with both sessions of Sprint Cup Series practice.
Steve Byrnes anchors SPEED's Atlanta coverage. His versatility and ability to talk about any team or issue within the sport is well known. Byrnes has been working the NASCAR trail in one form or another for well over a decade.
Larry McReynolds has quietly specialized in providing specific information and strategy advice to NASCAR TV programs and networks for years. McReynolds networks with seemingly everyone in the garage and puts pre-production notes together that really help to make practice and qualifying sessions interesting.
Jeff Hammond has carved a unique place in the sport with his Hollywood Hotel role on Fox and his partnership with McReynolds on SPEED. Hammond has a knack for asking the right questions and raising the right topics as things happen on the track.
Wendy Venturini and Bob Dillner hopefully brought their walking shoes to the Atlanta Motor Speedway. They are going to be the two pit and garage reporters for the entire blog of SPEED's programming that runs from 11Am to 6:30PM.
Dillner is well connected behind the scenes with his activities in other forms of short track racing while Venturini is the backbone of SPEED where reporting news about the sport is concerned. It is a shame that Venturini was not given a chance to co-host The SPEED Report on one of NASCAR's off-weekends.
John Roberts will be standing by to originate NASCAR Live from the SPEED Stage between sessions and any possible rain delays. Roberts continues to be one of SPEED's on-air talent who fly slightly under the radar. This weekend, Roberts will host NASCAR Smarts, NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane in addition to his Saturday duties.
This post will give you an opportunity to offer comments throughout the morning and afternoon on the SPEED coverage. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly site, please keep that in mind when posting.
TDP will live blog both the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series races later today. Thanks.
75 comments:
I've heard that NASCAR wants to see how things go this weekend at Atlanta, as this may be the wave of the future. Minus the Daytona 500, instead of 3 days of on- track activity, do everything in 2 days. They think this might be a way of saving the teams some money. Practice & qualify, and run whatever companion races there is on the first day, and then the Cup race on the 2nd day.
Sure makes for a VERY LONG day.
MikeC, Impound races were the "wave of the future" about 3 years ago...
Its interesting thats for sure, but not feasible for all races due to scheduling conflicts and trying to make the NW races 1 day shows if possible.
I wish Richmond was a 1 day show, they've done it a few times in the past when weather came in and it was fun to see to say the least.
Bet ESPN is not liking that idea.
Im sure they are dialing the phones JD.
Never been a fan of the sanctioning body making changes to "save teams money" because it all gets spent somehow in some way. If not at track personnel, will be spent in R&D I think.
New tire combo this weekend too? Gonna be quite interesting now.
Hate that I'm gonna miss the first 3/4's of the race now
Having everything today, not sure I like it of course I'm on call so the pause button will be a big part of my life. What it actually means is I'll DVR the truck race and watch it Sun am or Mon am, may even do the same for the NW race. Trucks because I'll be tired NW because it's easier to watch using FF. The big problem with cramming it all into 2 days RAIN. We been havong enough problems what if it rained today, no practice, no qualifying. It kind of reminds me of the all eggs in 1 basket, not a good idea.
Im with NRF.
Too beautiful of a day, 77, to sit through 13hrs.
I have DVR set and will FF through most. Practices to just see who is fast. Quals to just see fav drivers. Both because of time, not coverage.
Trucks, just commercials as racing, booth is great.
NW...commercials and blah, blah, blah from booth & TB and big screen interviews over small screen racing, etc.
Based on the Frontstretch article nothing is going to change so why should I waste my time with NW race.
two news items:
Tony Eury Jr. might head to Penske next season with Brad K.
Smoke says Danica is coming to NASCAR and it is just a matter of how she decides to do it.
This rain could be a problem.
JD
I'm watching race live, but will listen to radio & scanner but no ESPN for me.
Dont get what is so hard for ESPN to say what network practice and qualifying is on. SPEED always mentions where the race will be whether that be NW or Cup...
david, ESPN avoided promoting any Sprint Cup Series race this entire season on NASCAR Now until their coverage started.
It's not a problem for them to dis practice and quals when "they" don't air them.
JD
Sounds like the TV guys do not like this 2 day setup very much.
JD, I understand we've discussed it here many times. It was an ego war between FOX and ESPN pretty much which is unfortunate because the only people that lose are the fans.
Just wish someone would eat their ego like SPEED did and just do their mission at the track and that's cover the sport.
Come race time tomorrow, am afraid ESPN will only cover the chase guys.
JD
I think it would be really good for Tony Junior to go with Brad K.
I do think he is good crew chief, and will prove it with someone else. Nothing against Dale Jr., I am a huge fan of his, but sometimes it just doesn't work when you work that close with family.
On another subject, during this time of year, I have learned to record about an hour past when Nascar Now is scheduled. That way I usually don't miss it.
Marilyn
I can't believe they did it several times this week and kept shows that were reairing before it.
Man, that is adding insult to injury. The should have aired NN on ESPNEWS right after SportsNation. Big mistake.
JD
JD I have given up on NN if I have a recording I'll watch if not I don't care, I'm not about to keep adding time in hopes that I might get it all.
Yep, I'm w/nrf. If NN isn't on at 5, I'm not about to bother to hope it's on later. If there's anything really inportant I need to see, I go to the website at the library.
ESPN sort of reminds me of a sports bar I used to frequent. They'd start out gung-ho by hosting a Daytona 500 party at the beginning of the season, and had banners hung up saying they were the place to be for all of the races. But come September, every TV would be on a football game, and the owner of the bar said, "no one's interested in NASCAR anymore". And the following February would again have a Daytona 500 party and his banners back up and I'd ask him, "are you really going to have a party for all of the races, even in the fall?" and got the response of "oh yeah, that won't be a problem"...but when September and football rolled around again, NASCAR was put on the backburner.
At this time of the year, it just seems ESPN wishes the NASCAR season was over with....yet the irony of it, is their portion of the schedule involves the Chase!
In the Tv viewing area I am in there are two stations that are showing the Michigan college football game.
WBUP an ABC station has the time slot for the Michigan game from 3:30pm to 7:00pm.
the other is
Espn2 with a time slot for the Michigan game from 3:30pm to 6:30pm.
It is a half hour difference of Tv time showing the same game.
Look out Nascar Countdown I don't think your show will make it on Tv.
Charlie, I have been trying to get that message across for three seasons now.
You did a very good job of presenting it to NASCAR fans.
JD
Racing coverage sucks with no car sounds whatsoever... We're getting just the voices from the booth since the beginning of qualifying.
I think that we are forgetting what the first letter in ESPN stands for, entertainment and to heck with sports especially where NASCAR is concerned.
this CANNOT be happening! i swear by all that is holy that i just flipped over to speed to see what's up with n'wide qualifying and heard the pit reporter begin an interview w/brad kez by introducing him as . . . "brad kes-el-ow-ski"!
i despair!
I have to say, for the parts of practice I've seen Larry Mac and Hammond have really been quite informative in their explanations and have tried pretty hard to talk about several drivers so far. And guess what, THEY HAVEN'T USED A CUT AWAY CAR AT ALL!
Tech Center = over-rated.
Hammond is really coming into his own in the booth I feel.
Happy Saturday Planeteers :)
I hope they don't try to keep this in the future too many opps for disaster! Plus I was SO bored yesterday! Dark at Hotlanta and my favorite site was down all day :(
My heart is sad for Mr. Jesus :(. I wish I were a gazillionaire :(
Red, you have to just let it go.
Do you go off on Larry for calling Jamie McMurray, Jamie MACMurry?
MV, you seem to have ways of getting info what is the story on Danny O'Quinn? Any further reason why he left JDM and does he have anything in the works?
You guys are cracking me up. I also have no news on Danny, that has been on the DL since it happened.
Did you see over on Twitter that Ed Hinton almost got into in the media center with a photog?
I have got to get more info on that one!
@david: here's the issue for me: these guys are the "professionals" (at least in theory.) part of being a professional in this business is to pronounce the name of each and every driver correctly, especially the driver who is in third place in the points in this series. kez has been around long enough now for these guys to get it right. their continued failure to do so is yet another example of what another planeteer called "an unforced error." and it's not just the booth guys: it's now happening on pit road as well. with all that kez has been in the news this week, i would expect that the memo got around on how to pronounce his last name correctly.
apparently not.
it is laziness and/or sloppiness on the part of certain guys and that's not acceptable. as someone with an unusual first name, i accept that most people will stumble over my name. but the folks with whom i interact several times a week over 40 or so weeks a year? THEY manage to pronounce it correctly. why should i be tolerant of anything less from nascar tv people?
(and i haven't heard mcmurray's name mentioned on tv in so long that it's entirely possible that he's no longer "jamie macmary.")
and speed makes note of the fact that SOME drivers actually DO manage to take their sunglasses off for an on-camera interview.
and they also note that "the only cup driver" to do so is carl edwards. (not sure i agree with that, tho'.)
and here i thought nobody noticed our kvetches here on tdp!
red, they talked about jamie this morning.
what is your unusual first name? lol
This pre-dates brad tho all the way back to his father. I imagine since Brad makes no huge fuss over it that its really not a big issue though I do understand your point.
note wendy was "that pit reporter" =p
Just an FYI: Syracuse and Minn is in overtime on ESPN2.
@david: actually, the pit reporter i heard introducing kez was a male. i haven't heard wendy make that error. the end of the kez interbiew did lead into wendy's next interview, however.
and your point that this mispronounciation goes back to kez's dad is EXACTLY my point: this family has been around this sport for a long time, long enough for these guys to get it right!
was busy this morning so didn't heard the mcmurray moment. did larry mac get it right or is he persisting in the "mac mary" moment?
take a wild guess red.
WOW, Leffler, GREAT save!
@Red,
Re: Brad's name. One of the first things they teach you in journalism is to spell (and say) names correctly. A San Francisco Chronicle editor gave me a polite lecture for that about 25 years ago.
West Coast Kenny
Alameda, California
the booth guys are right: it could be a LONGGGG night if these cars go out the way they are right now.
What's crazy is the ABC-ESPN does "mirror" coverage at 3:30for college football....so, the game on ABC is supposed to be different than the one on whichever ESPN network they're using. Yet, on Dish Network what game do I have on ABC? The same one that's on ESPN2!
Just for info -
The Espn college game, Navy @ Ohio State scheduled for a time slot on Tv from 12:00pm to 3:00pm ended at 3:04pm.
The Espn2 college football game, Minnesota @ Syracuse scheduled for the same time slot on Tv from Noon to 3:00pm ended at 3:45pm. This game went into overtime. Each team only had one possession to end the game, which is a bit rare.
Mike, here is what Charlie said earlier about how crazy it is:
"In the Tv viewing area I am in there are two stations that are showing the Michigan college football game.
WBUP an ABC station has the time slot for the Michigan game from 3:30pm to 7:00pm.
the other is
Espn2 with a time slot for the Michigan game from 3:30pm to 6:30pm.
It is a half hour difference of Tv time showing the same game."
JD
after that pre-run speed intervie, it's nice to see my driver smiling and running to sign autographs! guess sitting on the pole can do that for ya'!
Haven't heard anything about the Danny O'Quinn Jr. / Johnny Davis disagreement.
Sad to say, Morgan Shepherd is the slowest go-or-go-homer so far. His team might be done after this.
they have spoken on air to Larry about McMurray's name...yet still...apparently it's a hard habit to break. I'm over it.
Same with Keselowski. Speaking of pronunciation, it's Seeer-a-cuse, not sara-cuse. But what do you expect from a guy who says 'has went'...I just try and focus on what he says & not how he says it...but it's hard.
check out jeff gluck's tweet in re: JWT's lap . . .
He always gives us spoilers. JWT's money cannot hold out.
@MikeC On my ABC channel at 3:30pm they had on the Georgia @ Okla St game on but once the Minn., Syracuse game ended they switched over to the Michigan game.
What a mess.
@ jd: in re: JWT -- one would think so but he's wadded up so many cars so far this season and he still shows up (this week in a NEW car) that i wonder. sure wish his dad would give that ride -- or at least some of his $$ -- to morgan shepherd.
(by the way: i just didn't want to give away what happened with his run in case someone wanted to catch it on the tv. i started to wonder when the fox leaderboard didn't change for an extended period.)
Charlie...wait until about 6:30PM ET. We might have a whole lot to talk about.
JWT is the worst driver in NASCAR.
He makes Steve Wallace look like Mark Martin.
I just can't comprehend why someone leaves a kid like that in the car when it destroys the team. Look at what Brent Sherman did to BAM...they were a top 35 team, Brent came in and ruined that, then the bottom fell out.
Oh look, Chase Austin...
@david in re JWT:
"He makes Steve Wallace look like Mark Martin."
now THAT'S funny right there!
David, I'm late to the game, but I had tickets to that Richmond race last year that was both in one day. Had to be on the road, couldn't stay for the NW race. Gave my tickets away. Major bummer. NOT fun.
How to make a small fortune in racing. Start with a large fortune and put John Wes Townley in your car.
Frank in Sebring
anyone remember Buckshot Jones? I think it was LaJoie or Pressley or someone who always pointedly called him 'Roy' (his real name.) I looked him up a while back and I think he was working in the family business....hopefully he's putting back in some of what he took out whle racing, lol.
@David - Hilarious!
Michigan is up 21-0 over WM on ESPN2 and yet they're still not even halfway through the second quarter. Not looking good for the pre-race show.
Glen, it was LaJoie
Every time he co-hosted The Drivers Seat on SIRIUS (before they killed it) they would joke about Buckshot and how they never got along.
Tracy, I was referring to 2000 when Richmond had Opening practice, qualifying, happy hour and the Cup race all in the same day. THAT was cool, and ESPN televised it all! That was cooler!
Hold all applause until after Steve makes a donkey of himself...
Steve Wallace on Twitter:
"We qualified like hammered crap hopefully the race will go better wish me luck."
Love it...
"hammered crap"?
is that some sort of N Carolina-ism? never heard that one before!
"Hammered crap"? That's a new one!
I miss Danny he was my favorite from the Gong Show :(. I like the idea of "Bubba" racing. Heck many fans especially in the South are "Bubba" yet sponsors are "scared" to have one behind the wheel.
@red--I agree! It's one thing if it's a shortened or a nickname like they do for Coach K from Duke because his name is easy to butcher but it's another when the man has said a billion times HOW to say it. It's how it's spelled just that the second "e" is silent!
@glen--Yup I remember Buckshot and IIRC he was behind Elliott's ambulance abuse at Bristol in 2K2.
You can't make this stuff up...
David, thanks, I was thinking it was probably him. They had quite the fued going for a while. I was at that Richmond race. Have to confess I don't particularly remember it that well though!
I have cable and on my Espn2 is the Georgia @ Okla State game.
Half time has just started at 5:08pm.
Michigan game on ESPN2 is 33 game seconds from halftime.
I still enjoy Jay Sauter and Biffle at Richmond in 2000 as well I believe. 2000 was a very eventful season lol.
160-something laps down and Sauter takes Biff right out, then Biff punched him. Awesomeness.
Western Michigan @ Michigan halftime started at 5:14pm.
Scratch that, make it 2001
Charlie, so if they start the second half around 5:35PM, it should not be a problem to play the second half in 55 min...right?
I would suggest NASCAR fans locate ESPN Classic on the cable dial at this time.
Michigan is way ahead in their game at the half so probably no OT in this game but the Georgia - Okla. State game was tied with just a few seconds to go before the half, then a field goal has the one team up by 3 points at the half. A maybe OT here.
Not mentioning scores for those that are taping these games.
Western Michigan @ Michigan 2nd half kick off was at 5:37pm.
Looks like we might not see that replay of the "Rumble in the Jungle" on Classic!
With all respect why do they call this sport football. Am from europe so i get confused. I always thought soccer as football. Anyways am looking forward to the nascar nationwide race.
max always an interesting interview ...he did say, 'lot of improvisation' didn't he?
@Anon 5:48 - It's a good question. It's probably because American football split off from rugby, which was called rugby football when it split off from association football (soccer). But no-one's really sure anymore.
OK, folks. It is 6PM and we now have the Nationwide Series post up for the live blog of the race.
We are going to switch comments over to the new post.
All of us will work together as a group to keep everyone updated as to what happens with NASCAR and college football about to meet once again.
Thanks for all your help, the new post is up.
JD
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