Saturday, July 31, 2010

Live Blogging Nationwide Series At Iowa Speedway (ESPN2 - 7PM ET)


This stand-alone Nationwide Series race gives ESPN an opportunity to split the crew and allow some folks to take new roles in the telecast.

Originally, Vince Welch was coming to Iowa to call the play-by-play. Unfortunately, Welch was in a minor traffic accident Thursday in Indy and has decided to sit this one out. He is uninjured, but a telecast like this would be a bit much for him right now.

Instead, Dave Burns will return to fill that role. He will be joined by Ricky Craven and Ray Evernham. My mistake from the original posting. Working on other things today and I apologize for the error. Probably won't be the last!

On pit road will be Shannon Spake, Rick DeBruhl and Jim Noble. DeBruhl has long been a utility player for ESPN and is a local station reporter from the Phoenix area. Noble worked hard this summer as the Race Buddy pit reporter and is a radio veteran.

Iowa is sold out and the crowd should be rocking. While several Sprint Cup Series drivers made the trip from Pocono, it should be a good opportunity for some Nationwide Series regulars to get some media attention.

The track is easy to cover and basically made for TV. Great lighting and cameras embedded in the racing surface make the track shine in HD. Hopefully, there is an aerial shot available as this facility looks great at night.

This post will serve to host your comments on the ESPN2 coverage of the Nationwide Series from Iowa Speedway. To add your TV-related opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.

283 comments:

1 – 200 of 283   Newer›   Newest»
Ryan said...

I thought Ray Evernham is in the booth with Dave and Ricky?

Daly Planet Editor said...

Ryan, you are totally correct. Sorry for the error.

Ricky, Ray and Dave tonight.

Daly Planet Editor said...

I see tennis on ESPN2 uh oh...

Palmetto said...

If Tipsarevic wins this tie-breaker, they're should be done. If Querrey wins, they'll go to a third set and then we'll be in trouble.

Palmetto said...

Strike that, reverse it.

Fireman17 said...

ESPN already fails today Tennis is on and the pre race is not showing...

Palmetto said...

NOW we've got problems.

Anonymous said...

These meaningless American tennis tournaments dressed up with the U.S. Open name are beyond outrageous!

Daly Planet Editor said...

Someone has some decisions to make quickly...

Wisconsin Steve said...

Countdown is on classic. Great news for the eight people who still get it.

Martin Vincent said...

Countdown is on on TSN2, so American viewers must be able to see on one of ESPN's channels. Have you guys checked ESPN Classic?

Patrick said...

Thank you ESPN for charging Dish too much for Classic. Not that I ever watched Classic. Only when ESPN put too much on their plate and it overflowed to it. Genius.

Palmetto said...

ESPN Classic, where our motto is, "Hey, we're in eight more homes than Versus!"

Daly Planet Editor said...

Yes, ESPNClassic is nothing now. Most of those homes switched over to ESPNU last year.

MikeC said...

I don't mind there's a tennis match on, but ESPN needs to do a better job of scheduling. They should've known there was no way they'd get this tennis match in in 2 hours time. They try to squeeze too much into too little time.

Anonymous said...

I have espn classic on my basic cable package. No problems.

Wisconsin Steve said...

The green flag is scheduled to fly at 47 after the hour.

Anonymous said...

over 80% of the homes with digital cable or satellite that get ESPN2 get ESPN Classic.

W_Rabb said...

Guys Guys Guys .... This is the nature of live sports things run over .... and really So what if you miss countdown as longs as you see the race it's self. I'm sure some of you fussing now are the same ones fussing about all the pre packaged stuff on coutdown last week

Palmetto said...

Pull for Tipsarevic to run four more games. (He's the one in the headband.)

Ironically, the bottom ticker is showing the starting line-up.

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Anonymous said...

Where the heck was qualifying, by the way? I couldn't find it on TV.

Wisconsin Steve said...

Great news: bass fishing can be seen right now on ESPN3.com (no Countdown, though).

Palmetto said...

The question's phrasing doesn't merit an answer, but Vince was injured in an accident and is at home. It was not serious.

Daly Planet Editor said...

That's an old Classic stat. ESPN has been moving homes to ESPNU at a rapid pace. That is the new thrust of programming.

They have spent billions to buy college stuff.

Wisconsin Steve said...

Anyone watching Countdown? How does the weather look?

red said...

anon @ 7:10: guess i'm in the 20% then b/c i get espn, espn2 and espn news but no classic. i'm on comcast outside philly
on the other hand, speed has off-road racing so i'll watch that instead of x-games. . .

Anonymous said...

I don't see how this match will finish by the green flag...

Lisa Hogan said...

ESPN keeps getting more sports to cover when they don't have room for them.

I have ESPN and ESPN2 only.

The booth should be interesting tonight.

Hope everyone enjoys the race! :)

Sally said...

Well, I would have to pay for the 'Sports Vies' with my cable, and since I'm only interested in the occasions that ESPN Classic shows races, it isn't on my to do list. This doesn't bode well for the rest of the season with football coming up. Let me know what's going on once the race starts.

Sally said...

What radios coverage is there tonight...MRN or PRN?

Anonymous said...

Is that Paul Page calling the X-Games?

red said...

wisconsin steve: no countdown for me but the weather in the poconos is just fine. it's been a beautiful day in this neck of the woods (altho' i'm south of long pond, outside philly)

Anonymous said...

Welcome to a season of "where is the racing" on ESPN. Infuriating. Put tennis on Classic. No wonder the ratings fluctuate. No one can find the darn thing.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Paul has always done the summer and winter X Games. Says he loves it.

Palmetto said...

Sally, I celebrated when the Busch races moved to cable several years ago. Previously I could count on my local station overriding NBC's feed every single Saturday to show SEC games instead. With ESPN, there's much better chance of my seeing the entire race.

red said...

sally, wnpv1440.com is already in pre-race, if you're interested. they're my very small, local radio station which has always been committed to broadcasting all nascar. and that's why i'm so loyal to them!

Palmetto said...

Red re: Wisconsin Steve: that's a great weather report, but the Nationwide race is in Iowa!

oldnewenglander said...

My cable provider switched out Classic for ESPNU before college football season last year. In general, a good trade. Just not when this happens.

Martin Vincent said...

@Wisconsin Steve - Weather looks fine in Iowa, the closest rainstorm activity is far away in South Dakota and Colorado.

Anonymous said...

This is why when the next TV contract comes up NASCAR has to find a network that's able to clear enough time for the Nationwide Series to televise it when the event is scheduled for. You never see this problem with the Truck series on SPEED. ESPN-ABC is fine when it comes to the Cup series, because they make sure it gets priority. I'm thinking a network like Versus or something along those lines would be perfect when 2015 rolls around.

RJ_Number8 said...

RUSHED home in time, but saw tennis!! I got upset at first, but NNS on Twitter posted the update that it went to ESPN Classic. I guess that channel isn't available to alot of you? Whatta bummmer. I have Comcast also and pay for their sports package. I would be upset too. Besides, that tennis match doesn't look to be over by green flag ... jus sayin.

Vicky D said...

I don't see this tennis match finishing before the green. What a terrible situation as we don't have ESPN Classic any longer. DirecTV changed it to a higher tier so we didn't opt to pay for that. We're paying for that now!

Daly Planet Editor said...

This is going pretty slow. Hope for no tiebreaker.

Chris from NY said...

@Vicky D

Same here. Usually Speed Channel will also pick up when asked by NASCAR, but apparently they didn't get the memo.

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oldnewenglander said...

Drysdale just does not sound right reading that promo.

Anonymous said...

Jack Roush mentioned in the invocation. Very classy.

Daly Planet Editor said...

That's the best part, hearing Cliff read NASCAR stuff. He hates it!

Lisa Hogan said...

Actually, Cliff reads all of the ESPN promos in the same tone. It's really funny sometimes!

Anonymous said...

watching the race now on ESPNCLASSIC. If you dont have a satellite dish, you might wanna invest in one because more and more nationwide races are gonna be like this. I guess ESPN feels that more people like tennis than NASCAR. It wouldent suprise me if they leave this coverage to show A-Rod at bat.

Last weeks cup coverage was great, they just gotta work this deal out with tennis preempting NASCAR, I dont know anyone who actually watches tennis.

glenc1 said...

I'm glad you all are enjoying the show. I am watching tennis, because, thanks to changes in my DISH tier (like Vicky's Direct), I no longer have Classic. I was looking forward to the race, but maybe now I'll find something else to do.

Palmetto said...

Try to see the other side, folks. If you were a tennis fan, you wouldn't want them to move the end of the match to a channel you didn't get. If the race had preceded tennis, we'd want them to finish it before cutting to the match.

Sometimes you're the SAFER barrier, sometimes you're the fender.

red said...

palmetto & wisconsin steve: my face is now as red as my hair. i blame . . . well, i blame myself for being a nitwit sometimes!
thanks for the gracious correction, palmetto!

Anonymous said...

No rain, sunny, 86 degrees.

Daly Planet Editor said...

As we were saying, Classic was moved to pay by Comcast. Saying it is in homes is misleading.

Comcast wants VERSUS to thrive and ESPN to jump off a cliff.

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Anonymous said...

I'm glad Brian doesn't care I can not watch nascar, because it's not showing on my TV package.

Anonymous said...

HBO is available in more households than ESPN Classic and SPEED. Actual subscribers on the otherhand .....

The Loose Wheel said...

Have I mentioned I hate tennis lately?

Ann_Ominous said...

switch to u-verse and get both classic and versus. (though you might loose the halmark channel if they don't speed negotiations up).

They just started engines. I've been watching X-games rally. 3 of the 4 heats so far have been decided by a car going off course. It's so confusing, no wonder the camera shots are all over the place! Boris Said is doing commentary.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Anon, we are all adults and NASCAR fans here. Want to knock off the 14 year old boy profanity please?

Charlie said...

So did Nascar tell all involved to make sure you say the track is sold out, over and over again.

Palmetto said...

David, the worst part of it is that it's actually a pretty good match. The tennis fans are probably ecstatic about the multiple tie breakers.

You and I, on the other hand...

Martin Vincent said...

S&P prediction tonight: 49, 26, 91, 90, 36, 52, 43, 92.

Maybe: 56, 27, 21

PammH said...

may not swtich to the race. Watching uncut 3rd Pirates movie-BSPN ticks me off!

Lisa Hogan said...

I am a tennis fan and a NASCAR fan. ESPN gets to slap me twice because they moved Wimbledon coverage to ESPN3, which is something else I don't have. :)

Jonathan said...

glad I got Sirius I get to listen to the start. Espn classic are you kidding me, they couldnt give us espn news??? thanks Espn love you guys you rock

grantbob said...

Thanks for posting the WNPV link. No access to ESPN Classic on my Comcast.

Jonathan said...

OH YEA TIME FOR THE START OF THE RACE and I feel as if im in 1970 this is the first time I actually listened to a start on the radio

Anonymous said...

Wreck already. These guys are horrible, can't race.

Chris from NY said...

@Lisa Hogan,

ESPN3.com is an online channel, not a cable channel.

Anonymous said...

Wow - I had a hard time finding Classic - didn't know we still had it. Its not grouped with all the other espn. Its with VS., & Fox sports on standard cable, not HD package so I'm watching on old old TV.

Anonymous said...

Yeah - trucks and busch both have first lap wrecks. I don't know why I waste my time with these amateurs.

oldnewenglander said...

If I had to guess, I'd say this US Open series must be tied in to the ESPN rights to the US Open and these preliminaries must be covered to conclusion.

Jonathan said...

I have Direct tv no classic here, heck even when it was there I didnt have it, i have the middle package and they moved classic to premium?????? ok good move there guys better yet get rid of it all together now thats an ideal

Palmetto said...

Anybody know if I have to refresh 'Lap by Lap' myself, or will it do it automatically?

Pull for Querrey to put it away!

Daly Planet Editor said...

It's just such a clash of cultures it's wild to watch.

Anonymous said...

Jack Roush's one eye didn't look good in those pictures of him exiting the plane.

Jonathan said...

men playing tennis = scarey and strange yikes!

longtimeracefan said...

Just tuned in to watch the race, but I see there are a lot of howls and gnashing of teeth over this latest ESPN debacle.

Pitiful.

Chris from NY said...

Those without ESPN Classic can search for Motor Racing Network on Radiotime.com.

boyd said...

Glad I have Classic, but not in HD.
This is probably how it will play out during football season, too.
I wish I knew if there was language in the contract for give backs to sponsors, commercial buys>
This just ain't right for a sold out race.

Anonymous said...

What really stinks is that this tennis match isn't even live. As I type, it's :41 past the hour at the match, but it's :52 past the hour real time.

Jonathan said...

boyd this is sad very sad, sold out 55,000 crowd at Iowa gets put to the side for a mens tennis match that has what maybe at best 400 people there!!!! ESPN love you

Erik said...

If my memory serves me correctly, this is a first. ESPN never has missed a green flag, even during college football season. They've come awful close, but it always worked out.

Anonymous said...

I got this channel on DISH Network, but I got the premium package and the sports package, so I guess thats why I got classic. Good show so far, lap 2 Morgan Shepard got spun out, so did Mike Bliss. Malsam got damage from running into Shepherd. Kyle Busch is out front

Daly Planet Editor said...

Erik,

Nice to see you again. Super spin.

glenc1 said...

I wouldn't expect them to switch from tennis...the issue is, as its always been, that they don't schedule in any leeway.

They could easily offer it online for people and guess what's on? More tennis.

And then to add insult to injury, I have to listen to Eli Gold....although I'm starting to appreciate him more given some of the broadcasters we've had.

boyd said...

re Jonathon
Twitter is blowing up over this.
True it sucks, it's not a cookie cutter track and has great racing.

Anonymous said...
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Jonathan said...

i dont know a damn thing abou tennis and its muted cause im waiting for the race, is this almost over if not im sayng screw it and watching the Arca race on speed

Anonymous said...

Fall California race in 2008 had the same thing happen Erik so definitely not a first.

Anonymous said...
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RWar24 said...

Finally!!!

Jonathan said...

Anon grow up buddy are you 10 damn you ruin it for us all GROW UP

Anonymous said...
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Palmetto said...

Erik @ 7:55 - I thought it was just me. I don't remember missing one either. As I noted earlier, my local network affiliate used to miss up to 60% of a race when showing college ball.

Frankly, I'm surprised they didn't interview the winner. Race fans would be screaming if they cut away from a race that quickly.

So we missed 10%. I miss that much going to the fridge.

Anonymous said...
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Charlie said...

Tight shots. one or two cars on the wide HD screen.

sbaker17 said...

I redid the colors on my den wall today. I am currently watching the paint dry. Much better than tennis.

Anonymous said...
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Chris from NY said...

ESPN2 wasted no time switching back to the race.

Anonymous said...

anon:

how pathetic your life must be that you are so desperate for attention.

GinaV24 said...

Well, I saw the tennis match was on so I waited to see if they would tell me where to find the race. Finally found it on classic -- Fios has it on what I get so that's nice for me.

Dave Burns sounds pretty good doing PXP and since its Craven and Evernham in the booth, I may enjoy myself.

Palmetto said...

Nice explanation by Craven of the effect of shadows on hitting your marks.

boyd said...

JD,
it may be time to only allow people that have names on the board and no anons.

GinaV24 said...

well they just changed back to espn2! for those of you who don't have classic

Lisa Hogan said...

Chris from NY
Yes, I know what ESPN3 is. My broadband provider does not carry it. :)

Vicky D said...

ESPN2 switched to race in a NY minute!

Nan S said...

Let me speak to the tennis vs racing issue, since tennis is my favorite sport and motorsports is my second favorite.

The length of a tennis match is indeterminate. You can have a 70 minute beatdown by the women or a men's match that goes 5 or 6 hours. The problem is with ESPN's scheduling. They only allowed a two hour window for a men's match. If it goes to 3 sets, it will almost always be more than 2 hours long. Also, as with racing, you very rarely begin the coverage with the drop of the green flag. Tennis start with warmup and analysis before the play starts.

How many of us Nascar fans have watched a 5 or 6 hour race due to red flags or weather delays? I've see plenty over the years and of course the broadcast network has to delay whatever other people are waiting to see while the extra long race coverage is in effect.

Some forms of motorsports have timed races, like F1. Supercross is down to a science and rarely runs late. But Nascar and Tennis are variable and I accept that.

However, I still think that ESPN's window is unrealistic.

Anonymous said...

boyd,

some of us long-time posters chose to not give Google our personal info. I post ANON but I always sign my posts. I suggest this as an option.

Makiki
Honolulu

Palmetto said...

Wonder if I should take Sorenson off my fantasy team tomorrow?

Anonymous said...

to go back - I do not believe tennis is exclusively on ESPN3. US Open is shared between ESPN, Tennis Channel and CBS. My guess is when Tennis Channel broadcasts a match it is also on ESPN3 - ESPN3 is not a cable/sat channel but internet - formerly ESPN 360.

oldnewenglander said...

Unfortunately the moderator is needed again.

Ray and Ricky work really well together on Bestwick's Monday panel. This camber conversation is an example of that.

GinaV24 said...

Palmetto - re sorenson, I would!

Daly Planet Editor said...

Man, that was a big hit!

sbaker17 said...

Really like the interaction in the booth.
Raise your hands.
Does anyone miss Rusty?

Bill said...

NanS-

The clock at the tennis match was better than ten minutes off real time, and that varied throughout the time I waited for the race coverage to begin. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like tennis was tape delayed to begin with? Also may explain their blazing fast switch from tennis to NASCAR.

boyd said...

Makiki,
It wasn't aimed at long time posters, and am sorry you were lumped into that group.
I get tired of the trolls that ruin this site for the rest of us.
By signing your name, you aren't really Anonymous.

Lisa Hogan said...
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Patrick said...

You would think that they would take this red flag as an opportunity to show us that don't have Classic what we missed. How long would it take to show Kyle take the lead at the start and the first caution? 90 seconds? No, let's just go to commercial. You don't need to see everything, do you?

oldnewenglander said...

Jim Noble is on ESPN and is not wearing a firesuit!

Haven't seen this since Dr. Jerry Punch's Wide World of Sports blazer, have we?

Charlie said...

Good point Patrick.

Jeff said...

nope, don't miss rusty OR vince one bit

Martin Vincent said...

@oldnewenglander - About Noble's lack of firesuit, could it be because he was pulled into pit duty at the last minute due to Vince Welch's traffic accident? Maybe he was already at the track and ESPN didn't have a firesuit that fit him.

Patrick said...

Sort of got a video highlight of what we missed, but only as the bumper coming back from commercial before the red was lifted. That's better than nothing, but some descriptive commentary would have been better.

Anonymous said...

boyd,

mahalo....

Makiki
Honolulu

Daly Planet Editor said...

MV, this is the only race I have him listed as doing. Must be a rookie thing.

oldnewenglander said...

@Martin Vincent

I assume that's what it is, but pointing out it is very unusual for ESPN.

Bill said...

I've learned more from Craven in two races than I ever learned from Rusty whatshisname.

boyd said...

Makiki,
had to grab my dictionary to make sure, but thank you.

Wisconsin Steve said...

Extensive coverage of a race for 15th - I like it.

boyd said...

Enjoying this group.
Good information, timely, with good insight.
Rusty needs to buy some more tracks, so he can take time off the broadcats.

Lisa Hogan said...

For the last time....I really appreciate all the posters trying to help. But, I am aware of TV and internet coverage of tennis. A lot changed when ESPN got involved.

Sorry, JD
back to the race....:)

Anonymous said...

boyd,

oops...sorry

Aloha,

Makiki
Honolulu

Martin Vincent said...

@JD - Are you saying Noble was scheduled to work this race? So it's not because of Vince's accident then.

Palmetto said...

I'm with sbaker, o.n.e, and bill - This is a very well spoken, informative crew, and I don't miss Rusty in the least. I'd prefer DJ to Ray, but he'll do. Not a Waltrip in sight.

Nan S said...

@Bill, I rewound the DVR and looked at the end of the match. I didn't see the clock, but the match time was a little over 2:45 and it began with warmups at 2pm so over right near 5pm makes sense. To verify I went to a discussion website for tennis and could see the times of the posts and the match ended right around 4:58 or so. So there was no significant delay.


When tennis runs over like this they almost never interview the winner, they just cut to whatever program has been delayed. Only exception is for majors.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Jim was scheduled to work this race. Dave Burns was going to be a pit reporter for Cup in Pocono.

Vince had his accident on Thurs with his son in the car and the decision was made to fly Dave to Iowa and slot him in the PXP position.

oldnewenglander said...

Following up on my prior firesuit post.

From ESPN:

"When ESPN started covering NASCAR races in 1981, pit reporters wore street clothes. That changed in the mid-1980s when a fire erupted in Richard Petty's pits during a pit stop at Atlanta. Dr. Jerry Punch was covering the pit stop and was wearing an ABC Sports blazer (the race was on ABC). Jerry helped pat down the fire on Petty's gas man, but in the process, one of the sleeves on his blazer melted, the ABC flag on his microphone melted and his eyebrows and moustache were singed. Punch said Jeff Mason, who was the coordinating producer, decided on the spot that pit reporters would wear firesuits."

Sally said...

I don't mind watching the leaders when they are showing someone being set up for a pass long term.

Palmetto said...

Rusty, put up a casino and maybe France will move a date here instead of Kansas. We need more tracks like this instead of another 1.5 cookie cutter.

Wisconsin Steve said...

Wider shots, please.

boyd said...

Good racing is leading to a better than normal telecast.
With good announcers, so far this is a strong A.

Ann_Ominous said...

very interesting watching X-Games Rally coverage. Just a ton of in-car camera shots (sound familiar), most of them showing the driver, especially when they have one of their pit girls riding with him. The rest of the in-car shots usually show a bunch of dust. They have a jump in this course and most of the time they miss showing it! Looks like BSPN does not know how to cover any kind of racing!

red said...

gotta give rusty wallace his due: i really enjoy watching racing at this track. well-executed design that allows for side by side and passing.

and i'm enjoying this booth a ton. intelligent, good PxP, insightful, few cliches.

(by the way, am watching online. tv has been taken over by "man shops world" fans.)

GinaV24 said...

Nice camera work, the booth sounds so good together. And the racing is awesome! Wow

RJ_Number8 said...

I don't think I have heard anyone mention the fact that Ray and Ricky have never raced here before. I really appreciate former drivers and crew chiefs becoming journalists for their first-hand commentary, but I have been listening intently to this like you have. In truth, I think you can tell. They really don't know what that Iowa track feels like.
I'm not complaining mind you. Don't waste time to pinpoint five things I need to know about other tracks or analysts. I'm just saying that when it comes to first-hand commentary, I can tell. It's just an observation.

Sally said...

Thats right...a casino gives immediate acces to a Cup date. Great reasoning. But, it's the driver's opinions that are turning fans off, right?

Jonathan said...

WOW this racing is just off the charts! Like a boxing match that goes back and forth back and forth!!!! I ask why isnt there any talk of the Sprint Cup Series coming to Iowa??? This is just like last year racing like no other love it love it love it!!!!!!!!!!!!! Iowa needs the Sprint Cup Series and the Sprint Cup Series needs Iowa's racing!!!

Patrick said...

A little off topic, but since I wasn't able to watch the start of the race, the X Games were on. And, I can't count how many Rally drivers went off course and were DQ'd.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled NW race. Burns seems a little unprepared (understandable), but is keeping the booth under control.

oldnewenglander said...

Remember when AB had his hockey accident, NBC put Weber in the booth, and Bestwick never returned?

Would hate to see that happen to Vince, but it doesn't seem impossible.

Sally said...

OUCH! Gaughn really piled in there. Hope all are OK.

oldnewenglander said...

Dave just did Marty Reid's announcement of "cars that parked early tonight."

GinaV24 said...

sbaker17 -- My hands are in my pockets. I don't miss Rusty one little bit. The booth is doing a really great job IMO

oldnewenglander said...

Cliff Drysdale is headed for ESPN Classic.

red said...

plus we get a S&P update, even tho' it was stated as "they parked early tonight."

i think craven is doing an awesome job tonight with his observations about things like the reality of having hard tires in trying to avoid hitting someone, the shadows upsetting hitting a mark on the track, the true role of a spotter when the wreck is in front of you -- all those pieces a racer knows.

burns' PxP is refreshing & i keep thinking evernham just has a boatload of info to impart but he's so polite, he's waiting until the others are finsihed speaking -- by which time, we're racing again.

still a great broadcast.

Palmetto said...

Between this and two weeks ago, Brad K. must be starting to wonder if all this travel is worth the bruises.

Colin had no forward momentum left at all.

boyd said...

oldnewenglander
Cliff is a Classic. And old and crusty too.

Wisconsin Steve said...

I wouldn't mind hearing these three call all the Nationwide races next year.

GinaV24 said...

I'd far rather have Dave Burns in the booth doing PXP than Welch. I have not been impressed at all with Vince Welch doing the PXP -- he's boring IMO. He's a good pit reporter but that doesn't always translate over to doing good PXP - we found that out with Dr. Punch. It's fine to let people "stretch" a little but its also a good idea to have people do the things that they are best suited to do.

TexasRaceLady said...

I've been logged in since the beginning, but I'm so enjoying the guys in the booth and the racing, I've forgotten to post!

This has been an enjoyable telecast to this point. Love the coverage of the battles in the pack rather than the usual follow-the-leader.

GinaV24 said...

Carl Edwards is probably happy as a clam - his biggest rival is now off the track and he's still running for the points.

Anonymous said...

Does Jimmy Johnson (football coach) still receive a paycheck from FOX for NFL analysis, and why is he in a firesuit?

GinaV24 said...

Well, an update on the drivers after the wreck. Nice job!

Sally said...

You guys do realize it was BRIAN Keselowski that wrecked, not Brad, right?

GinaV24 said...

I do have to agree that this racetrack is really a good place to race.

Instead of moving a race to a track where there's a casino, maybe NASCAR should consider moving a race to a track where the racing is GOOD. what a concept!

Palmetto said...

Sally, no, I didn't. Now it's my turn to be embarrassed. I'll sentence myself to watching 'Digger' cartoons.

GinaV24 said...

Sally -- sorry, no I wondered why Brad was in a white car. thanks very much for the clarification, I totally missed it since they were just saying the last name.

jennifer6973 said...

Um Brenden, what you just commented on, I've seen at Richmond.


Question: Is Jim Noble just hangin' around near the care center or is he commenting on Pit Road too?

I think I just answered my question

Anonymous said...

Brad drives the 22 in NNS Brian his brother is out

Anonymous said...

Jimmy Johnson- NFL coach not NASCAR champ - and EXTENZE commercial - don't get JD started.

Wisconsin Steve said...

I recall reading that Coach Johnson will also be on Survivor soon...anything for attention.

GinaV24 said...

OK, I missed hearing Dave Burns do the other race he was scheduled to do since I was out of the house with personal stuff.

Dave is doing a great job!!

GinaV24 said...

Wisconsin Steve - doesn't he get enough attention doing the whole NFL thing on Fox?

Patrick said...

Looks like Morgan Shepherd is finally out of the garage. He could make up a dozen spots.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Seriously, I could see Cup guys on this track.

jennifer6973 said...

One wonders if Rousch/Fenway drivers felt bad enough for Jack that they decided to crash all his cars this week to make people forget the plane crash.

Patrick said...

I could see Cup guys on this track

At the rate of attendance decline, it could be just the right size by next year.

Vicky D said...

Dave Burns is doing a great job since he was told he was doing PXP only yesterday! These 3 in the booth are working together pretty well. I can't believe Morgan Shepherd is still out there.

Anonymous said...

Dave Burns is doing another good job in the booth.
JD, will he still be in the pits for Pocono tommorrow?

TexasRaceLady said...

Daly Planet Editor said...
Seriously, I could see Cup guys on this track.

July 31, 2010 9:08 PM

***************
I second that motion, JD. This place has room to race.

Vicky D said...

JD, Rusty can visualize the cup guys on this track too!!!!

Wisconsin Steve said...

Gina- you would think so, but some people can NEVER get enough attention.

Anonymous said...

Best espn coverage ever. Excellent work in the booth. I think theve finally found a B team. This is fun to watch!

GinaV24 said...

JD, I could see a cup race here, too.

ESPN is doing a very nice job tonight -- if it weren't for KyBu leading, I'd be a happy camper. Just not happy with so many cup drivers in this series.

Sally said...

With attendance the way it is these days, it always amuses me when they say a track like Iowa can't hold a Cup race because the seating is inadequate. Wouldn't it be better to have a waiting list for seats (see: Bristol in years past) rather than all those empty seats? just askin.

jennifer6973 said...

I could see cup guys on the track.

I could see cup guys on other tracks also, but Iowa is perfect.

Vicky D said...

I only hope that the Mayo Clinic doesn't have ESPN 2 on their tvs.

red said...

know what else burns is doing very smoothly? tossing a question to evernham and craven and letting them answer. it's all just so refreshing.

Charlie said...

Still to much in car cam stuff. When using the bumper cam don't get joy stick happy. Leave the camera still. When it is moved I don't know if it is the camera moving or the rear end getting loose. What does it prove to move the camera.

boyd said...

I have hi hopes for Pocono if this race is this well done.

Sally said...

They are informative without being frantic and just babbling to fill air time. Exciting but intelligent.

Vicky D said...

I knew Dave Burns could do PXP, he was just so unassuming when he was doing pit reporting. Guess he also read the book, Pit Reporting for Dummies!

red said...

great comment by craven on the value of n'wide drivers racing with cup racers (or in his case, busch with winston!) "i learned alot racing around them. i didn;t want to do it every week but i learned alot."

Wisconsin Steve said...

I just read that RCR is dropping out of the Nationwide Series altogether next year. Was this mentioned on Countdown (I don't get Classic)?

red said...

don't know about anyone else but that exchange between craven, evernham on "what are you going to do now" was outstanding. craven explains what the driver says/feels and evernham leads with "well, we have a coupla pit sops under us now so i'm going to look at . . . " and goes into detail about what a crew chief is working on right now. just seamless and informative.

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