As we approach the holiday weekend, here are some topics and notes that folks have been asking about:
Update #1: SPEED tells us that Casey Mears is going to be the featured guest on Race Hub tonight at 7:30PM. He will update info on the health of his friend Brian Vickers and also talk about his feelings at getting the Red Bull ride because of the Vickers health issue. Steve Byrnes hosts tonight's show.
Update #2: David Caraviello from NASCAR.com passes along an amazing motorsports story. Formula 1 is returning to the United States and this time, it's coming to Texas. Click here to read the entire story. Here is an excerpt:
Formula One World Championship Limited and Formula One Administration Limited (together, the F1 Commercial Rights Holder) and Full Throttle Productions, LP, promoter of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™, announce that a historic agreement has been reached for Austin, Texas to serve as the host city of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™ for years 2012 through 2021.
Brent Musburger will return to host the Indy 500. Jerry Punch also returns to anchor the pit road coverage for the first time in many years. Marty Reid calls the race with Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever alongside. Vince Welch, Rick DeBruhl and Jamie Little round-out the pit road team. 59 cameras, including the cable cam that runs down the frontstretch at 80mph and is great for restarts.
Because Marty Reid is in Indy, Allen Bestwick will step-in and call the Nationwide Series race on Saturday with Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree. Nicole Briscoe will host the pre-race with Jarrett and Brad Daugherty. Dave Burns, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will handle the pit road reporting duties.
The popular NASCAR Now program is not on at 5PM this week. French Open tennis coverage pushes the original airing back to 10PM Pacific, 1AM Eastern Time. Mike Massaro is hosting the late night show.
SPEED's Race Hub has returned to thirty minutes in length. The network is still working on a new Monday night line-up as well as deciding if Race Hub should be one hour in length. We should know more shortly.
The Hall of Fame coverage was a huge hit. Controlled and well organized, we have had many emails asking if the same production team will now be involved in the Sprint Cup Series banquet. We will keep you posted.
More updates added throughout the day, open for your comments as always.
35 comments:
The Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend is always a tricky one for me. Getting away with sitting down for the 5 hour NASCAR race is hard enough...but I usually miss most of Indy because I'm cleaning the house or yard work getting ready for our Monday party.
How do some of you find guilt free time to watch both races?
I don't have a life. Seriously. Even when I was in Cali where my family is we never did anything. Just me no kids/no hubby/no friends. Friday/Saturday I do whatever little cleaning I need to do around my apartment. I have a washer/dryer in my apartment so laundry can be done whenever.
JD-
Sorry that this doesn't relate to the post above, but I wasn't sure where else to post it.
Last week, I came across a show on my local FSN affiliate called Destination: NASCAR. It was hosted by Tony Rizzuti and highlighted the different things fans can do around Charlotte if they are in town for the races. Do you know if this was a one-time special for the Charlotte races or if it is a new series? I enjoyed the show and thought Rizzuti did a nice job.
Brent? Brent? Are you kidding me? I thought ESPN was going to be good this year. Fat chance.
Actually I don't plan to watch the 600 this year (except for maybe the end). If the weather is nice here in NJ, it will be the first holiday I have off from work since New Year's and I plan to take advantage of the long weekend.
Fox's coverage of racing so far this year also doesn't make me inclined to spend that much time in front of the TV for the race. I may watch more of the Indy broadcast than I will of the 600 -- that's a shame, but honestly, time is at a premium, I've been at races 3 weekends in a row so I'm not complaining, but except for the race at Darlington, I wasn't impressed with Dover or with the All-Star race for excitement, so that is another reason that I am not likely to spend much time in front of the TV set.
Sounds like it will be a good TV team at the Indy race, but it will be the same old, same old coverage for Fox.
JD - Who produces what at ESPN? Especially When They Are a Split Weekend?
Destination NASCAR and Totally NASCAR are two new shows on FSN.
The new guys are trying hard to get some additional NASCAR programming on that group.
No info at all from FSN about the shows and no response to emails.
Nice, huh?
My understanding is Neil Goldberg is off to Indy, so James Shiftan and his team are in Charlotte. I will double check on that one for you.
Brent Musberger is good as host. I have no problem with him in that role. He studies up on any sport he covers, unlike some calling sports today.
I'm looking forward to F1 coming here to TX :). Just worry about the turnout. I know Austin has huge music festivals and some other events just not sure how F1 will do.
You know...I've said a lot of nasty things about Jimmy Spencer, but this new Racehub bit might be just the thing...not long enough for him to get in big trouble, but some funny moments. I helped that I agreed with him this week, but still...maybe there are some other people they can tap for those if they want to expand to an hour (remember the Humpy segments on TWIN?, someone else mentioned Brian Vickers....) For that matter, props to Donnie Allison yesterday for saying what a lot of people have been thinking...not saying I agree, but it took some kahunas to say it...
I'll be watching race ALL DAY come Sunday! But I'll be fitting in some other stuff too.
I don't know when/if Race Hub is on today, but my DVR is set for it and I got some peace of crap gameshow. Who thinks up this junk at SPEED?
After his performance on EESPN'S NASCAR broadcasts, the logic of having Brent M involved with the Indy 500 broadcast escapes me, and does not encourage me to want to watch the pre-race.
Unless he's had a real change of heart, I suspect Bernie E (the "White Rat") is likely to give Austin a real lesson in bare-knuckle negotiating. Unless there is a very significant economic recovery, I will be shocked if there is an F1 race in Austin.
Anon 8:26PM,
Race Hub has returned to 30 min shows at 7:30PM as before.
JD
I would rather hear DW than Brent - sad that networks push people off on us because of their inside status and not because they are okay with the fans. Brent, like DW, is past his time.
You must be an adult with attitude. Well this is mad students mother. He is correct about how the school is. I'm a former graduate and the teaching staff has gone completely down hill and the rules and regulations are outrageous. They need to get back to basics and worry more about the kids education then going to work and just putting in time. So the next time your having a bad day and what to take it out on a student you should get your information straight
I'm currently incarcerated. So fk you.
Kathy Muir... enough said
Don't trolls have anything better to do at 4 in the morning? Yikes.
Brent Musberger is just...not a good a host. I love him for football, as he's far better in a play-by-play role, but he's never been good as a host. The rest of the ESPN crew looks good. Is this the booth that called the race last year? It'll be the first time in several years I get to watch Indy on TV (as it's also the first time in years that I haven't been in Charlotte).
I'm actually much more excited about the Nationwide race this weekend than the Cup race. AB, AP, and DJ in the booth? It's about darn time!
So I guess someone left the door to the asylum unlocked again.
and they appear to be talking to themselves, lol.
I have mixed feelings on Musburger. When he's done some research & knows what he's talking about, he's okay. Other times, it's just bad....but maybe I was just so grateful he wasn't doing pxp I wasn't very critical...lol.
Very excited to hear about Austin hosting an F1 event with a purpose built track. I will certainly drive to Austin from Dallas to watch this. to me Brent always does well as the host of the Indy 500, he seems to put a lot of research into what he is doing.
For those of us old enough to remember it, ratingswise, at least, Brent Musburger is one of the greatest pregame hosts of all time. Speaking specifically of the old NFL Today on CBS.
Sending Musburger to Indy is much like sending Costas to Churchill Downs.
Consider one alternative, with AB in Charlotte. ESPN's lead studio host is still Chris Berman.
US Grand Prix in Austin means SPEED will lose the contract to ESPN who will in turn RUIN the american broadcast.
After watching the Hall of Fame show the first thing I though was I hope the same people do the banquet! My only disappointment is I DVRd Storytellers and it ran over so I missed all the Dale stories. Don't watch much Indy but I'll probably have it on the TV as I do other things.
For the first poster I have let Nascar watching interfere with my life on several occasions but thankfully no small children or demanding husband although the garden in the back is looking pretty bad.
Brent oh Lord, thankfully I don't have enough vested in Indy for that to aggravate me.
hmmm may have to rethink the Indy think with Munsberger involved. Sorry, he's not a racing guy IMO. It was like ESPN trying to force Suzy Kolber and Erik Clueless on NASCAR and thinking we wouldn't notice they didn't know anything.
Glen -- LOL -- talking to yourself can be underrated -- but you have to watch when you start answering!
Oh well if the weather is nice, I won't be watching much TV anyway.
Brent can read up on racing, do all the homework he can do and it is still obvious he is clueless and not the least bit interested in the sport. He's like a fish out of water. I try my best to avoid him when he is reading his teleprompter before or during a race.
That picture of Brent was so funny I thought, hope Brent isn't reading this. And who brought up Jimmy Spencer's contribution to Race Hub? The other night with his crying towel was a jewel! Loved it, this is his calling, not too long and not too short. That F1 race in Austin sounds terrific I wonder if they will get really it off the ground.
JPM sure didn't sound like he thought it (the Austin race)would happen....
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