SPEED puts a very familiar product front-and-center to start the All-Star weekend. The Camping World Trucks may have some thin fields, but the TV coverage is solid and the focus is on the racing. This production is so different from both ESPN and FOX that is allows for comparison to both.
Just like the Nationwide Series, the trucks are the playground of the Sprint Cup Series drivers who cross-over and dominate. With some big name truck racers gone this season, it has been a task for SPEED to keep it interesting. The production team has responded by simply covering the racing and nothing more.
Krista Voda starts the coverage with The Setup. A very effective pre-race show that features Voda's corny Midwestern sense of humor and her straightforward delivery. Reporters Ray Dunlap and Hermie Sadler are important parts of the show. Despite the lack of bells and whistles, Voda consistently delivers.
Rick Allen is having a very good year in the truck series booth. He controlled Darrell Waltrip on the air in a recent visit and tonight has his regular team in Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip. This trio is at its best when Waltrip has his head in the game and is not being cute or pushing sponsors.
Charlotte Motor Speedway is very nice on TV under the lights. The trucks seem to enjoy this track and the story often becomes the tale of two groups. The cross-over drivers are out front racing for fun and the regulars are slugging it out mid-pack for the points championship.
SPEED's veteran truck series production team has what some of NASCAR's other TV partners lack. That is perspective. Rather than leap from car to car like FOX or try to create storylines like ESPN, the relaxed style of SPEED simply allows the viewers at home to be a part of the racing on the track.
Many members of the team including Allen, Waltrip, Sadler and Dunlap are active on Twitter. So are the race producer, director and several production team members. It's interesting to watch them all send out tweets and interact directly with fans during the live telecast.
This post will serve to host your comments on the SPEED coverage of the Camping World Truck Series race from the Charlotte Motor 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 stopping by!
98 comments:
Hey folks, let's get the weekend going right! Truck time!
Happy Pick 'em Ups Racin' Planeteers :) <3
Hope Kimi stays out of trouble & uses the time to learn.
Someone I knew eons ago was a F1 snob & LOVED Kimi wish he were still around would like to know how he feels about Kimi coming over.
Kimi in the race could be big ratings for SPEED.
As in BIG! Let's hope he hangs in there and finishes. No pun intended!
Ray got nothing out of that one!
Kimi sounds like he doesn't want to be there. Maybe that is his personality.
Well, sorry Gymmie but I think Kimi will spin early in the race. Too much time spent on him and not enough on our David Starr!
Gene, he is like that all the daggone time.
His nickname is The Iceman.
Krista is quite talented but c'mon who dresses her? She looks terrible! Give her some wardrobe help and look out.
Krista dresses herself for TV and has her own sense of personal style.
She has always been a bit unique and the SPEED folks seem to like that.
Great piece on Clay Rogers
These guys get it.
Good Anthem
Great anthem!
I know Vicky wish David got more love :(
Chicks dig the Starr man!
Is it possible to make it sound like these clowns aren't reading cue cards?
Well corney and not a fashion plate, she is not Nascar material. Send her back to the Midwest with people of like thinking.
Hey, I like her look! We are keeping her.
hello everyone!!!
Ray Dunlap tweeting with me during the race says Kimi R. is a very interesting character.
I told him to chase him down post-race or when he goes out.
Hope it works out!
Hey Jon!
One of the reasons so many wondered why Kimi wanted to try Nascar is exactly the press/personality part of things. He has never been a font of quotes.
Enjoying the Truck Series race on UK TV tonight, first I've seen for a while. Much agree that the gimmick free approach is much more enjoyable than the scripted Cup coverage!
I wanna see Kimi do well...
I have to say that Kimi's car control has been extremely impressive today, from practice to the racing so far. Guy can drive.
terrible spotter for Kimi
Like to see Kimi pit!
Kimi did not pit and was in the top ten. Held his own on the restart.
I think the Kimi coverage is a bit excessive. He passes a truck for 28th and he gets great praise by Waltrip. Let's be real.
Just kidding John about the corney, it has taken her a long way and I am sure will continue to do so. Any one that doesn't like her hasn't met her and doesn't know her.
Well imagine how many people are tuning in to watch this for him so its expected Buschseries
Hi guys. Catching up. Anthem was great. I have no issues with Krista's wardrobe (What Not to Wear is on Tuesdays).
Been a rough week. We're being outsourced to India. Curry, anyone?
You have to admit, there is a curiosity factor with a character like Kimi we did not get with other open-wheelers.
Glen, you should love Calcutta! You into cricket?
OK, that seriously stinks. Got to love American companies these days.
yup...they're pretending we're just transferring, but we pretty much think the Sanskit is on the wall.
It'll take a while. So for now I'm enjoying some adult beverages along with the race.
Let me clarify re: the Krista look...girl next store attractiveness and very pleasant personality. Talented and prepared. My only complaint is the second-hand store wardrobe. Speed is doing her a great disservice by not providing her a clothes budget.
I think I'm on Waltrip overload today!
this is great stuff
Anon, guess we all have our opinions.
SPEED requires the booth and pit road announcers to wear network attire, but Krista has been handling her own look for years now.
Check her website, she has quite the interesting fashion sense.
Nice camera work. Has a flow to it.
Gonna see if we can get some TV peeps from SPEED to stop by chat.
Pretty good racing sofar!!!
and she has photos with Steven Tyler....
We need more Kimi! That guy is hanging in there!
No pop up ads, limited in-car, just racing.
Beautiful camera shots so far. Allen has been excellent updating the first half of the field.
sammy is Sammy Adres, who is in the SPEED TV truck pretending to do some work!
hahahahahaha Just watching this crazy race LOL
Tough luck for the #17, I was hoping he would beat the Cuppers tonight.
Pretty good broadcast tonight. Speed's done a great job catching crashes in progress, something espn struggles with. Theyre doing a good job balancing Kimi vs everyone else and keeping us informed. Booth has mellowed over the years and are doing better than ever. I have nothing bad to say about this broadcast so far. Good job by the Speed guys.
Always fewer comments for truck races this season because lots of fans are watching RaceBuddy online!
yes we do JD! Nice TX lad :)
hi Sammy! Yes he pretends A LOT! He doesn't do a lick of work! Thanks for putting Miss Stella down for a bit <3
Ever notice how SPEED seems to be in the right place at the right time?
From Charlotte Observer reporter Jim Utter:
Hearing Michael Waltrip meeting with folks from Sony Pictures next week. Possible movie off his popular book?
I didn't know there were small people in those cameras.
Good God I Hope Not JD! What actor would want all his lines?
Hehe...those daggone things are expensive!
Great broadcast. Love the shots from the air. Show me the race! I love it!
But put a rag in Mikey most of the time. He makes my teeth hurt.
Aw, dang. Poor Max.
Good broadcast except so many of the same commercials. Looking forward to David Starr win this thing!
Man, this race is wild tonight.
'Fraid I ain't commenting much cause I'd actually miss race coverage, unlike ESPN and Fox much of the time.
Kudos to Speed for an enjoyable and relevant broadcast!
If this was Fox we would be seeing this on replay for the first time! JD your so right Speed is spot on tonight! They usually are in the right place at the right time cause Speed show us what we should see the best action on the race track... Fox you think theres one or two cars on track its such a shame Speed vs Fox is night and day
Feel like I'm watching an ARCA race with all these yellows.
And didn't you tell us that SPEED has LESS cameras than the big boys?
Starr has been invisible on SPEED tonight. So has Johanna Long.
Gymmie, far fewer.
Really lucky Joanna Long's team wasn't changing tires during that stop. Right rear tire changer would have been hit by the 84.
This feels like a sprint race.
Speed did a great job watching that unfold.
Vicki, I swear they showed that Viagra/horse ad about 4 times an hour during Sprint qualifying. Talk about overkill.
This is a long race but not as long as that qualifying earlier!
My nickel's worth: Tonight's SPEED broadcast should be required viewing for the competition. From the setup to the race coverage, they're all hitting home runs.
Re Kimi: He is a global name in motorsports. His presence tonight brings worldwide credibility to the truck series. That helps everybody, including those teams looking for sponsorship. The Kimi mentions are warranted.
All in all, a great night for racing. Go SPEED!
Well said!
Poor David! Dang!
Not like him to lose control like that.
Aerial shots, wide shots, showing where the action is, booth can talk about something and the camera goes there. Nice job Speed.
Maybe the big boys need some cameras taken away from them!
Hate that for David :( not how I wanted him to get TV time
Kimi has a better race than Starr! Good for him!
I agree with fbu1.
I get he is popular, but Speed does not need to read his biography and praise his every turn of the wheel. Just my opinion.
15 Laps to go.
I just can't excited with a cup driver leading a truck race!
How good is that. Do an in-car camera shot and show the car hit the wall - LIVE.
Great telecast, late pass for the lead and crazy Kimi gets a top 15!
Good luck on the All-Star race beating this for excitement.
The telecast was well done all the way around. From start to finish.
Thank you Speed !!
The NASCARonFOX crew watched tonight's broadcast and thought, "Rubes! That's so old school! Yuuuuuuuuck!"
Arggg....Busch wins again. Johnny Sauter remains the sole non-Cup winner in Trucks & Nationwide this season. Cuppers are 16 / 17 this season.
SPEED did a great job. They know what the fans want to see and show the best action on the track. The truck drivers raced hard tonight and put on a great show.
Mr Editor -
Note to SPEED ...F1 drivers are world-class and can handle most any type of race vehicle ...post-race interviews except podium finishers are non-existent in F1, so Kimi should be interesting to hear ...glad to see NWCTS regulars show well ...KB being KB, that is ...FOX & ESPN go to school on tonight's broadcast ...professional all around and with fewer cameras JD? ...Piquet seemed to be handling interviews well, too ...looking forward SPEED to professional work tomorrow A.M. with F1 broadcast team ...nice catch w/Hornaday and Sauter "chat"
...love that Hornaday, too
Walter
I think that WRC experience might have come in handy tonight, Walter!
For sure ...miss that WRC on SPEED, muchly ...wow, vehicle control always makes the difference, doesn't it ...forgot RaceBuddy, enjoying broadcast so much ...Mikey turned in a good effort
Here are the total driver mentions from laps 10 - 134 (missed the beginning, sorry!)
18 - Busch 69
2 - Bowyer 63
31 - Buescher 54
33 - Hornaday 47
13 - Sauter 37
15 - Raikkonen 36
17 - Peters 32
60 - Whitt 30
8 - Piquet 24
62 - Gaughan 18
88 - Crafton 16
3 - Dillon 15
4 - Carmichael 15
32 - Sweet 14
02 - Dick 13
9 - Papis 13
23 - White 13
29 - Kligerman 13
50 - Bell 11
66 - Marks 11
30 - Bodine 10
5 - Kvapil 8
81 - Starr 5
92 - Rogers 5
7 - Paludo 4
22 - Coulter 4
84 - Fontaine 4
93 - Sieg 4
28 - Burton 3
77 - Lofton 3
99 - Silas 1
07 - Yeley 0
20 - Long 0
38 - Garvey 0
39 - Sieg 0
46 - Goess 0
Congrats to Cole Whitt for being first in class tonight. I am getting so disgusted with Cup drivers winning everything. What a joke the trucks and nationwide has become. Great broadcast though and a exciting race, but that doesn't change the fact that a Cup driver wins again.
And 15th for Kimi, thats incredible
Did they interview Kimi. If they did I missed it.
Thanks everybody! That pretty much rocked, I would have liked to hear from Kimi but I guess we will on SPEED Center.
See you tomorrow night for All-star race.
More sucking up to Speed by the good ol' JD. Those checks must still be coming in.
You've bashed ESPN. You've bashed FOX. Is Speed going to get your wrath next year? Then you're out of TV networks, maybe you'll finally do the sport a favor and shut down this pointless blog.
Darrell at 5:49 seems bitter!
You guys remember the good old days when I hated FOX and SPEED and was sucking up to ESPN?
Ah, times have changed.....again!
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