Update: For those tuning in at 7PM, the live women's college softball game before qualifying ran long. For that reason, ESPN shortened the pre-race show to 30 minutes and will run qualifying until 7:30PM. Allen Bestwick and company will be on at that time.
It's hot in Nashville, but the NASCAR on ESPN team is ready to go. This week, veteran pit reporter Vince Welch gets the chance to handle the play-by-play duties for a live ESPN2 race telecast.
Welch has a long history in TV, combining local and national duties in the sports world. Friday, he worked with Dale Jarrett to call the NNS practice and did quite a good job.
Alongside Welch it will be Jarrett and Andy Petree. On pit road for this telecast will be Dr. Jerry Punch, Shannon Spake and Jamie Little. Allen Bestwick will host from the Infield Pit Studio with Brad Daugherty. Tim Brewer will be in the Tech Garage.
ESPN has been revamping itself this season with a very different presentation of NASCAR racing. Marty Reid has led a very nice change of pace in the announcing and Welch may well become Reid's back-up as the season progresses. These stand-alone races offer an opportunity for some perspective and serve to show-off the series regulars.
This one should be fun to watch. To add your TV-related comments on the telecast, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting.
96 comments:
Hey all, pre-race was pushed back to 7:30PM by live softball because ESPN chose to show all the qualifying.
Race still starts at 8PM ET!
Awesome ESPN improvising!!!
Yea, gutsy call huh?
Smart call! Especially, when there was an hour long countdown pre-race. Really smart and appreciated.
Do we know if they are going to run Marty's piece on BV tomorrow morn?
No brainer on that call. Cars on track > talking heads. Period.
Same exact situation happened at this race last year and ESPN did the exact opposite so at least they learned, unlike Speed who still screws us every single fall at Texas and forces the talking heads overtop of N'Wide quals and undoubtedly will again this year.
Yes, BV and Marty said in the morning NASCAR Now. I think it's 9AM ET.
Another example of why JP is PERFECT on pit road in that role. Great Willie Allen interview and outstanding piece on the Nashville area.
It just takes a moment to get a blue nick so we can see who is talking.
Hi planeteers! Saw the tail end of qualifying and that was a nice invocation and anthem. Nice landing by the guy with the flag.
I really enjoy Allen and DJ. That whole thing about Brad not being able to pronounce a name was funny.
Nice shift of programming for ESPN.
Hey G! Should be fun.
I still don't see the point of hearing the crew chief scanner stuff though. Out of context it means NOTHING.
Hi, JD - it looks like the weather is hot and clear. I've got my lynchburg lemonade all made and ready to go racing.
I sure hope the broadcast guys show more than the cup drivers racing through the field. I want to see the NW regulars instead.
There ya go, slim crowd tonight with all the sports going on!
good thing the flyers aren't playing or the whole Philly area would be off line!
Vicky, I'm with you. I really want to see and hear about the N'wide regulars. I can hear about the cup guys tomorrow.
Ganassi won the Grand am race...again. I'm onboard with NW...at least for a bit.
Now that was good use of a roof-cam--- it showed how close BK was to the 88.
McDowell can't buy a break this year...
Good calls from the booth so far, the camera angles are okay but a little on the tight side. Looked like they missed where the action was (Mike Bliss)
well that didn't take long - 5 laps and a crash. track is hot and slick.
They said with a hot track and hard tire it could be a long night for TV.
Hi, Glen -- I was eeading your comments over on the earlier blog from today. You made me smile!
I was at Dover in May too -- funny we could have walked right by one another. My brother always seems to see someone he knows -- 100K people and he's standing there talking to a neighbor - amazing.
Vince needs to relax. DJ is starting to take on play-by-play responsibilities
wow, look at that Brad got the name right!
OT-Gina, I have a friend who is like that also. We go anywhere & she runs into someone she knows-unreal.
Back on topic. Pics look pretty good & Vince sounds great! Looks like thru the field now.
hey Gina...I'm actually switching over to Dr Who later, but I'm here for a bit, at least we don't have to worry about anyone smashing guitars. At Watkins Glen (which is 2 hours from where I live) I have run into a woman I worked with and my former next door neighbor. At Richmond one year we ran into a lady who runs tours from upstate NY that we had met the year before. You just never know, I guess, small world.
ESPN:
I like what I'm seeing and hearing.
Wide shots showing many cars. DJ and AP helping out the rookie PxP without stepping all over him. Talking about NW drivers.
Keep it up!
Makiki
Honolulu
Good through the field but had to get all the cup guys mentioned though!
Hi, PammmH -- LOL - it is funny how that works.
It is nice they are doing a real through the field and not concentrating too much on the cup drivers.
Vince sounds good. I'm still trying to get used to his voice.
Oh no, TB in tech center already! Look at those sparkling rings!
glen - oooh, that's right its Dr Who night! thanks for the reminder - I can switch back and forth since I refuse to watch commercials.
It is a small world.
wow, that messes up algiar bad. Poor McDowell, what a mess. So same stuff as always - aero is a problem. Think TB will tell us about it, too?
Vince is not sounding too excited about the crashes..:( We need that.
If Vince can crank up the intensity a bit for the racing action, he will be fine.
Glen - switched to dr who during the commercial -- isn't this episode similar to one done a few years ago?
I don't understand the whole 5 hr energy thing - but I guess its no different than redbull.
Yeah, Vince needs to get away from the monotone. One of the things I like about Marty is that he sounds excited.
Right Andy, let's give some more shoutouts to those cup drivers!
crap, Edwards in the lead.
since we're watching ESPN, did anyone read marty smith's article about Brian Vickers? It was well-done.
vickers is lucky that they were able to help him.
can't really comment on Vince since this is his first night out.
Gina, I read that article. It was frightening how close BV came to disaster.
Red Bull is pretty good at giving good backup for their drivers (as long as they aren't named Mark Webber...cof-cof)
vickyD - exactly!
TexasRaceLady -- yeah, close call for such a young person.
Caution AGAIN!
Just checked in to see how Vince was doing. Haven't heard a lot but I have no complaints. Nice to see some of those non-cup names.
Gina, this isn't really reminding me of one, but sci fi is pretty odd to start with! I think it's all about the crack in the wall.
Since we spent so much time trashing ESPN, myself included, we need to encourage good coverage when we see it.
So far, this seems to be good work.
Makiki
Honolulu
AB is much more excited doing the updates than Vince is tonight but I'm giving VW the benefit of the doubt since this is his first NW PXP gig.
Now that was a great shot of all those cars racing.
AB is trying hard to help him, but Vince just cannot get excited.
Gaughn is fixin to git! nice run!
GlenC - LOL - probably right about sci fi -- sometimes the stories all seem alike to me. I forgot about the crack in the wall.
Ooooh, that was close. Shame for Wimmer.
Maybe Vince is just nervous. He's giving a lot of facts and they are doing a nice job of covering the action, but a bit of change of inflection would add to it.
He is reporting. Have you noticed DJ and Andy jumping in to help call the action?
JD - yes, that is what he's doing -- I guess that's the role he's used to. It's a good thing that DJ and AP are there with him.
you know, when Phil Simms started doing football, I thought he'd never get over the monotone. But he did, eventually.
That's what it is, JD --- he's still stuck in reporter mode.
There was just something I couldn't put my finger on --- thanks.
JD:
Yes, DP and AP are helping the rookie but not steamrolling him.
Very professional of them.
Makiki
Honolulu
We are alternating watching the NW race and Indy race and notice the caution lights at TMS this past yellow but in person last night they were much brighter. And they seem to go at different speeds and down around the track.
Camera work is so so. Announcing is so so. Thus it makes the whole show so so.
Not to exciting.
Charlie, it's like Vince cannot stop reporting and just call the action as it happens.
OK, I promised myself I wouldn't say this, but, I can't help it.
Isn't it amazing how we actually watch a race when we don't have to be distracted by a Waltrip.
Makiki
Honolulu
Considering that there has been a fair amount of action on the track and the camera work has been pretty decent, I'm not finding myself caught up in this race.
Mr. Daly, I'm starting to think a lot of Dr. Punch doing PxP the past couple of seasons.
He too couldn't slip out of reporter mode.
I love Marty Reid and I'm one of the few that apreciates AB in the pit studio. Maybe ESPN should look beyond their pit reporters as back-up PxP.
Imagine if Vince was in the infield with Brad and Allen was in the booth with DJ and Andy?
And please call me JD!
That seems to be a better back-up lineup for the pit reporter to be in the pit studio.
obviously there is an art to doing PXP. Hopefully Vince will talk with AB and other people who have "it".
I'm liking the split screen.
Although, I think the whole purpose of the tryouts of Vince Welch and Dave Burns as PxP is in trying to form a "B" team for when ESPN takes over cup in 6 weeks.
I think they may do better finding a proper back-up PxP man, but who?
I think Vince style will fit Football/soccer commentating.
Yeah, JD. I still don't understand why they don't use AB in the PXP role. It is annoying to me.
Lat year they came up short and did several "backseat drivers" races with no PXP guy.
This season, Vince Welch gets 4 NNS stand-alone races and Dave Burns gets 1.
Bestwick will still call the NNS/IndyCar weekends when Marty is away.
Anon,
Vince was the veteran play-by-play guy for the Ball State TV network in the Midwest.
He is more used to baseball and hoop then this. Bob Jenkins over on VERSUS is just killing him!
That's an irony JD.
When it was announced that ESPN was getting back into NASCAR coverage a lot of people, myself included, was expecting Bob Jenkins as PxP.
Me too! I thought they would bring back the favs to start it off for a couple of years.
Jerry really was a deer in the headlights, God bless him.
Hmm, so Vince is used to calling stick and ball type sports. It must be hard to transition into racing.
I'm really not feeling the vibe from him. 3 more races to go. I miss Marty tonight cuz this is a good race but I am not getting that "what an exciting race we're watching" vibe.
Geez, I'm listening to him just do the rundown now and it is the same reporter mode you mentioned JD.
But I've noticed J.D. that ever since he returned to pit road, the good doctor has regained a lot of energy.
He's back in his element.
And again, kudos to ESPN.
For all the hammering they received for their coverage in the years past, they've made great strides in improvements.
It will be interesting if FOX will follow ESPN's lead, but the comments from some of FOX's personnel are not encouraging.
Anon,
Moving talent like that is kind of like moving a glacier.
Takes a lot of time to navigate through agents, egos, money and personalities.
Been there, done that.
Pretty apparent they need AB in the booth and either Nicole or Shannon or Vince in the infield.
Dr. Punch on pit road is the guy I remember. Lots of energy and professionalism. I'm so glad that ESPN made that opportunity availaable for him and really glad that he decided to do it.
Sometimes happiness is knowing where you belong.
It will be interesting to see how Dave Burns does -- I've never heard him do anything other than reporting.
im not loving vincw welch so far as play by play but it is his first rodeo as nascar play by play
i really see a lot of comparisons b/w him and jerry punch as play by play, not a lot of enthusiasm and stuck in "reporter mode"
i wonder how dave burns will do i think at gateway, he is pretty corny but i think he is good and could do a good job
espn did say they like bestwick as host but he is by far the best lap by lap guy espn has
they should bring back bob jenkins, maybe hire a ralph sheheen who was pretty good as play by play and would be a good host, or as i have been saying move paul page to lap by lap because he is excellent and used to do a great job for indycar before the todd harris debacle
I know that we're all trying to give Vince Welsh the benefit of the doubt tonight, but this isn't working.
I'm willing to give Vince another chance, he did ok for his first race as lead announcer. Nerves seem to be in his way, he just resorts to facts and seems to be holding his emotions behind a montone voice.
but hey vince welch could improve over the next few races...he is just seems to be more jerry punch in moving from reporter to lap by lap than a mike joy
I give ESPN credit for being proactive and giving Vince a chance. Remember in the good ol days they gave Jerry a chance too and he did alright back then....he has been average tonight, certainly not memorable at all. Liking how the more this race has progressed the wider the shots have become
Well, it's almost 11 p.m. here, I'm going to sign off and head to bed.
Nice spending Saturday night with all of you!
Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow for the TNT broadcast.
might need to extend the blog for the indy race..can danica win it?
Should have shown the cars across the line....flying heads es no bueno.
Maybe I'm being over reactive.
It's just I'm geting flashbacks of last year's ESPN.
Sorry it was pretty boring, but the pictures were OK.
Think Vince needs to get a little coaching on the excitement level.
See you all tomorrow for the Cup race!
Totally agree, reporter in the booth.
nice shout out to willie allen.
indycar race has alot of excitement
yeah welch was a little lacking in excitement
is it me but does jerry punch do a great job on pit road or what? just my opinion
i love brandan gaughan's shout out to willie allen, plus espn talking to him after he came back to finish top 15, shows how espn has come a long way with their coverage by showing his experiences with the flooding in nashville
can't wait to see how the tnt gang does the race tomorrow and how adam alexander will do, i think he'll do well he has been great as pit reporter and host of nascar in a hurry
Gosh anytime we get a chance to
hear ralph shaheen it is just like a er ah ... I cant say it here but HE TALKS @#$@#%#^y$&%#*$*$^*$^ LOUD and has done so for year after horrid year.
Clickgone
Vince Welch needs to actually learn the names of the Nationwide regular drivers. I can't count how many times he mangled their names. To me, that shows a lack of commitment and respect for the drivers.
I still remember how he called Jason Keller "Kelly" after interviewing him a couple of weeks ago. How rude...
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