What an interesting day we are going to have Friday from the Monster Mile. There are breaking news stories, weather issues, and TV personality comments. On the track two series are qualifying, three are practicing and one is racing.
Brian Vickers was a story on both NASCAR TV shows Thursday. Vickers is out and Casey Mears in in the Red Bull #83 Sprint Cup Series car this weekend. It was disclosed that Vickers began to feel ill in Washington, DC during the week and has been hospitalized. The Red Bull team will update the Vickers situation on Friday morning. Look for this information on NASCAR Live that airs on SPEED at 9:30AM ET.
Update 10:30AM ET: Here is the link to the Brant James story on Brian Vickers and his health issues. Click here for the story.
Weather is again going to play a role in a NASCAR weekend. While the high on Friday will be in the lower 80's, there is a 40% chance of thunderstorms during the afternoon hours. Currently, Sprint Cup Series qualifying on SPEED is at 3PM and the truck race will be run at 5PM. As most fans know, NASCAR and SPEED delay showing that race until 8PM ET.
Showtime sends us clips of the Inside NASCAR TV series each week. Thursday, they sent along a clip of Michael Waltrip, Brad Daugherty and Chris Myers. Daugherty and Myers quickly became props as Waltrip stole the show with his words. In one segment, he addressed the next inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame and shared his answer on whether or not Dale Earnhardt Jr. would win a race this season.
Click here to view the Inside NASCAR segment. Thanks again to our friends at Showtime.
Fans have also been asking for the official race information forwarded from the tracks to the media. Here is some from Dover for the truck race:
Honor Guard: Fort Drum, N.Y. U.S. Army Color Guard
Welcoming remarks: Denis McGlynn, president & CEO, Dover Motorsports, Inc.
Honorary Starter: Heather Lehman, Miss Delaware 2009
Grand Marshal: Bobby Allison, 1983 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and a seven-time Dover winner
Chaplain: Pastor Bill Roberts, New Life Family Worship Center in Camden, Del.
National anthem: Corp. Matthew Barlow, Georgetown, Del. police department
Flyover: Two U.S. Coast Guard Mighty MH-65C Dolphin helicopter, Coast Guard Air Station in Atlantic City, N.J.
Again, the Dover racetrack does not have lights. The truck race is run at 5PM and carried live on the radio and Sirius 128. Unfortunately, the powers that be made the decision to hold the race for TV and tape delay it until 8PM ET. That allows for the biggest possible audience, but perhaps those fans who are not at work would like to see the race live. It's an issue that gets visited every season. So far, without any change.
One final note. Our friends at FOX and SPEED have been kind enough to respond to your requests to be informed of the post-race plans on Sunday after the Sprint Cup Series race. The NASCAR on FOX crew will be switching to SPEED after the event for a live extended post-race show. That should be around 5PM ET. This does not take the place of Victory Lane on SPEED. That show will air at 8PM as scheduled. Thanks to those two TV networks for the heads-up.
We will use this post to host your comments on the topics above and also the daytime TV coverage from Dover on both SPEED and ESPN2. The complete TV schedule for the weekend is on the right side of this page. To add your comment, just click on the comment button below.
This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thank you for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.
26 comments:
JD,
Is your Michael Waltrip filter malfunctioning? He didn't say anything surprising or even controversial: He would induct his brother ahead of Cale? Their records are nearly identical. He doesn't think Junior will win this year? He hasn't won in almost two years, and he is currently out of the Chase. He thinks JPM will make the Chase? Yeah, so do I. And lots of others.
Then after watching the clip a second time I realized MW didn't even come close to monopolizing the airtime, Brad did. You don't have to go back & watch it: I timed it. MW, 51 seconds, BD 1:18. That's over 50% more than Mikey. Hear that MW on TWIN haters?
Can you explain your tease on this clip please?
Dannyboy,
Nice try. Michael has so many hats to wear it's always going to be interesting when he speaks.
As a current multi-car owner in the Sprint Cup Series, it certainly got the attention of many when he said Junior was not going to win. I bet it got Rick Hendrick's attention.
In terms of DW, the criteria for the Hall has been making for an interesting debate. Looking back over the past, there are so many deserving personalities who ended their career even before Waltrip began. Michael coupled his pitch with the fact that DW has been on FOX for ten years now as a broadcaster. Currently, there is no category for broadcasters or journalists.
I would be happy to explain my tease on this clip. Showtime thought that this one segment was so interesting that they clipped it off and forwarded it along with a note.
Thanks for the comment.
JD
I've never been a Michael fan but I liked him in this clip. To me, Brad was the one who was wearing on me before the end of this little clip. Michael admitted his bias "and because he is my brother". His prediction that Jr. will not win a race this year is logical and most likely accurate but his Montoya prediction is wishful hoping.
I think Showtime sent this clip to show that Michael can be a reasonable talking head.
Ugh, Mikey and Brad. Sorry, but I'd take Cale over DW for HoF induction, but that's me. Pearson should have gone into with this group and why just do 5 in the inaugural class? Over 50 years of NASCAR and they decide to only induct 5?
It's overcast here in NJ this morning, it should be interesting to see if they can get all the activities in around the rain that is predicted for the afternoon. I hope they can get the truck race in - it is really frustrating to have tickets and not be able to see them run.
the good news is that the forecast for Saturday & Sunday is great weather.
We NASCAR fans have been screwed by TV networks for years in the name of "ratings" and it's never been right and never will be.
ESPN tape delayed Cup races in the 1990's until Monday night "prime time" because of "ratings". That wasn't right.
IROC races were tape delayed 4 months at a time in the name of "ratings". That wasn't right either.
The Thursday Daytona 125-mile qualifiers were tape delayed until Saturday afternoons until the early 2000's in the name of "ratings". That wasn't right either.
Tape delaying a live Nascar race in 2010, not for a scheduling conflict, but instead for absolutely no reason but GREED damn sure isn't right either.
I pay a hell of a lot of money for a ridiculous high tier package just for one channel - Speed Channel - so I'm not going to listen to any kind of "I should feel priveleged just to get to see the race at all" argument from David Hill either.
Michael Waltrip on Twitter this morning:
"I said on Showtime Dale Jr. wouldn't this year based on how he's performing right now. Look at how Gordon has run and he hasn't won. My favorite race car driver besides Martin, Jr. or Reutty is Dale Jr. always has been. I hope he wins soon, dont yall?"
I love how SPEED is trying to pass it off that the Truck race is going to be shown live. They keep saying "tonight's race". As if people don't know otherwise that it'll be shown on delay.
Can you say "CYA"? Mikey probably got a boatload of tweets about his comment.
But in response to his question, no, I don't care if Jr wins a race this season. He's NOT my driver.
JD,
I personally think SHO sent the clip to show MW being upstaged by his panel-mate ;-)
Seriously, predicting that Jr won't win this year is like predicting politicians might lie to get elected this year. Over half the drives IN the Chase don't have a win yet (my mistake saying he's out of the Chase earlier, I'm really glad he's back in).
And Jr is one of the drivers I'd most like to see win, so don't anyone call me a hater.
Blood clots from racing would be extremely unlikely. Anyone who reads about it and thinks that sitting down for a 500-mile race is what they mean by "long period of inactivity" are missing all the information. Blood clots are extremely rare in a young person like Vickers, especially a healthy one.
What's more, it's an incredibly serious condition that could have killed him had he not caught it right away. A blod clot gets to your brain and you are either dead, paralyzed, or semi-vegetative. Vickers is lucky he had the chest pain symptoms to get him to a hospital - many people don't find out until it's too late.
I've seen a few outlets wonder allowed why he can't simply turn one lap in his car before handing over to Mears so he can keep his drivers points. People who say this don't understand the medical condition. The man is hospitalized and they aren't going to let him move until they are sure they've removed all clots. He gets up and starts running around and BOOM, one clot can get to the wrong place and it's life-affecting.
I hope they diagnose the underlying condition - but I guarantee you it wasn't sitting in a race car for three hours on Sundays. If it was, everyone with a long-hours office job would get blod clots in their 30s. Sorry, doesn't happen.
Glad to hear Vickers is getting treatment and is okay. Blood clots getting to your lungs, heart or brain can kill you.
Get well, Brian. As to Showtime, I, like a lot of people simply can't afford it. SPEED I can afford. A nas$car show on a premium channel show how disconnected my sport has become in regards to interaction with fans. lad
My mother had a blood clot in her leg. She spent 10 days in the hospital lying down to get it disolved. Granted she's an old lady, but I don't think age plays that much of part in getting a clot disolved.
Furthermore, a clot is disolved with lots of blood thinning drugs. Brian will not be allowed in a car until those drugs have had time to completely be out of his system. One hit and what would be a little bruise could cause you to bleed to death with enough blood thinners in your system.
I worked for a short while with a guy who was partially paralysized. It was due to a stroke from a blood clot at age 28.
Wow, serious stuff for BV. I wish him a speedy recovery.
After much testing and treatment for what was "believed" to be wrong, it was discovered that my son-in-law's problem was blood clots in his legs - possibly hereditary - and he is and was quite active, and about 10 years older than BV. At some point during his saga the possibility of his having a blood clot problem was dismissed by the doctors involved because "he is too young." Part of what I understand is the standard treatment involves blood thinners, which then inhibits clotting in the event of a cut. In fact my daughter was instructed to throw away my son-in-law's razor and get him an electric shaver.
Jaws is not a doctor, but he just
played one on TV. (qualifying)
51, he has been doing it all day and he needs to be quiet about it. This is where a PROFESSIONAL needs to speak, DW is not qualified to speak on behalf of BV on what he may or may not be on. Just wish him a speedy recovery and carry on.
Also, Larry Mac on stand by to tell Papis to back it down? TV is really interfering with the teams and how they do business....it kind of irks me.
ESPN was pretty solid today though, Brewer was a bit over-used though informative.
Hope Brian Vickers gets healthy ASAP and gets back on the track soon!
Unequivocally the most embarrassing NASCAR TV Friday of the year to-date.
Live coverage of the truck race is nonsensically being pre-empted for a re-air of qualifying for the very same race, the announcers purposely lied all day about the race being live, Darrell Waltrip was completely out to lunch (the "Dover has produced as many first time winners as Talladega" line... yeah that would be an incredible total of 2 DW... and analysis that some drivers' speeds in the only pre-qualifying practice were only slow because they were waiting until next practice to switch to qualifying trim particularly stick out) and they skipped several qualifying laps for no good reason since there's nothing but filler re-aired crap immediately following. Worse yet the old ESPN came back - the announcers were camped in the infield instead of the booth and we saw nothing but Tim Brewer's toys and video presentations during N'Wide practice.
Speed is turned off for the day. I'm not gonna hide from the world to avoid hearing who won the truck race and I damn sure am not going to spend 3 hours watching a pre-race show and race coverage of an event whose outcome is already given away. Brilliant move Speed, I expected nothing less with Clown Hill pressing the buttons.
Ummmm, it doesn't even make ANY sense why the Truck race is tape delayed. We lucked out last year I think because of the rain, but this is really annoying. They are re-airing Truck quals, and the Richard Petty bio from last week, then showing Trackside? How any of this makes sense in an effort to pre-empt the truck race is beyond me. -sigh-
Since the Truck race is taped delayed will it end at 11:00 pm eastern time even if the race runs long or short?
so, in an attempt to maneuver this discussion about BV's health into a media contemplation, here's my frustration:
someone askes frye why BV can't just get in the car for one lap on sunday, thereby (theoretically) keeping his chase hopes alive. frye dodges a direct answer and . . .
(wait! wait! just wait for it . . .)
NO ONE follows up with a doctor for any sort of explanation! no one. not one single blog, column, tweet, stand-up, smoke signal that dealt with the story has followed up to explain to fans WHY it would be so dangerous.
yes, as evidenced by planeteers here and on twitter, many folks understand and some even have life experience in dealing with this condition. but here we had a room full o' media folk, fed information by frye, who sidestepped a clear question and not a single reporter has followed up with an explanation. they all just took that presser, ran with it and didn't call around to get more info or maybe even walk over to aj's wife in the coach lot and ask. maybe edwards' wife is in dover and could answer. hell, how about place a phone call to the local hospital!
do something to give readers/fans more information. not saying they have to try and diagnose why it happened but at least do the grunt work needed to explain why it would be such a monumentally bad idea for BV to strap in for even one lap. the question and frye's lack of answer just hung there, unanswered and uncontested.
the failure to do the followup, fellow planeteers, is poor reporting.
(now stepping down from my soapbox and hoping i haven't mortally offended the nascar media folk who i generally appreciate. . . )
HA I would never describe Waltrip's (either one of them) words interesting. Nauseating maybe, but never informative or interesting. When will FoxSports, Speed, and Showtime realize that the Waltrips run more people away than bring them in?
Richard, I thought you were going to say - your daughter was not allowed to throw anything at your son-in-law! Glad it wasn't that. Clots can be very dangerous.
JD, I love the photo of MW and Brad. To me, it looks like the newest installment of NCIS---Nascar.
We have a new post up for your comments on the tape-delayed truck series race on SPEED.
So,if any of you don't like MW's comments on DE jr,get over it.That is not what this this is about.
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