The weather is clearing and the jet dryers are working. Hopefully, the track will dry in plenty of time for the scheduled race start shortly after noon ET Monday.
There is no pre-race show for rain delayed races. Allen Bestwick will call the race with Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree. Jamie Little, Vince Welch, Dave Burns and Dr. Jerry Punch will cover pit road.
This is a big race as 1.5 mile tracks dominate the Chase. There should be a competition caution around lap 30 to check tire wear on the green track. Even though the track is dry, the grass at the track will still be soaking wet.
These Monday races are often better TV presentations than the pre-planned and over-produced Sunday shows. The focus is simply on the racing as most of the bells and whistles are gone. The announcers are tired and the hype is left at the hotel.
This race will feature ESPN Nonstop, the side-by-side commercial format, for the second half of the event. The telecast will also be available online for the first time. Right now it's Time Warner, Bright House and Verizon FiOs users who also have ESPN that are able to use the Watch ESPN app for coverage.
Ultimately, the story of this race is going to be the ability to pass on this aero-style track. If the racing is compelling, the Chase will get another good review as it moves forward. If the lack of passing means pit road might make the difference, expect a reaction from the media and fans.
This post will serve to host your comments on the ESPN coverage of the Sprint Cup Series race from Chicagoland Speedway. To add your opinion on the TV coverage, just click on the comments button below.
170 comments:
Good morning! Hoping the rain holds off today and we get the race in without delay.
Good morning everyone. And thanks to ESPN and Turner for settling the Race Buddy situation in time for this race. Between the radio, Race Buddy, and the comments here, I should be all set.
Weather radar for Joliet looks good right now.
Looking forward to watching a basic, no frills, broadcast of this first Chase race.
Plus the opportunity to also watch online via RaceBuddy is one of the best things to happen in NASCAR this year.
Also, Twitter is really coming on now with instant info from folks at the track. Pretty cool stuff.
I will not mind it if ESPN focuses on the Chasers, they all deserve the extra attention at this time of the year.
This online viewing situation is, as Kyle Petty would say, a cluster.
Morning folks, I don't know how much I will be able to be on today since I'm at work and we have a staff meeting at noon (doesn't it figure?)
Glad it will be a no frills event - if the camera/director can get it right (even on the 1.5 cookie cutters) maybe it will be worth watching.
*cant post from my account on my phone*
I downloaded the watch espn app and got a 4 hour free preview. Just put in your zip and provider. I cheated and used a zip from down state that has time warner. Ill be catching the race in psychology. A racebuddy app would be freaking sweet, but oh well.
RaceBuddy - copy this link and paste it
http://www.nascar.com/multimedia/webcast/racebuddy/?sc_cid=Chase_RB_11_4
Roland, that's an interesting approach.
I just checked my calandar and found out I have the day off! (Actually, I'm retired.Lol). Seriously, I just hope for a clean,no-frills race. That's 'code' for Brewer,Big Brad, Nicole and Rusty aren't seen or heard from.
JD, do you have any resources where posting a chat log with comcast would do any good?
I was just informed that WatchESPN is not avail on comcast, because comcasts "offers" espnGO where you can watch espn online.
How idiotic are these people?!
to clarify, I did confirm that by espnGo they meant the espn homepage @ espn.go.com. I ripped into them, but I doubt it did any good. I really can't wait til FIOS makes it's way into my area.
Anon at 11:38 -- I'm not retired but I own the company, so I have also cleared my calendar. And I'm sure I can still crack the whip on my employees while following the race from my desk.
looks like about a 10 minute rain delay, green flag pushed back from 12:03 ET to 12:12 ET
I don't think it is a rain delay so much as just making sure pit road and the track is dry. I saw a drier on pit road.
RaceBuddy up now.
Race Buddy is up.
Racebuddy is up and running.
If you on the racebuddy page and nothing is happening, try refreshing the page.
RaceBuddy looks good, but no video link on my Sprint Mobile Cup app.
Let's get this party started!
When did GSYE become an opportunity to make a speech?
Ironic having a caveman giving command to start engines.
I wish RaceBuddy would let you pick and choose your cameras instead of having two preset mosaics.
Still looks like it wants to pour down rain any minute
Already don't like one thing about RaceBuddy. Every time you change views, you get the same dumb commercial.
Morning all, clouds look dark but hopefully we get a full race today. The stands are empty, but I figured they would be.
West Coast Diane said...
Heads up to Directv customers. If you DVR'd race by recording all the programs scheduled on guide you will not have race when you get home.
The race is now on the guide.
Got burnt by this on a NNS race once before.
Directv says it is ESPN who is responsible. I don't care who it is. With all the technology we have the guide can't be updated before people take off for work or errands for the day.
That is annoying isn't it. 29 seconds worth.
I already dumped RaceBuddy. 30 second commercials are ridiculous.
No ticker at bottom of the screen. Hope it stays that way!
Did NASCAR send a memo to all tv networks to avoid generalizing the 1.5 mile cookie cutters?
Please standby for live coverage? GRRR!!
JD, Nascar.com is a mess for me right now. It froze up, now it's loading at snail speed. All my other bookmark websites are fine.
Busch, I am on a laptop with wi-fi. Can't get RaceBuddy video to lock up, just green screens. Works just fine for commerials through.
@WestCoastDiane
FYI - When I was working (retired last year, yeah) I would program my DVR at home from my computer at work using DirectTV DVR Scheduler. It worked out great for situations like you described.
Black screen here with "Standby for Live Coverage"
I had gotten back into RaceBuddy, but it froze up again after 5 minutes of choppy frame rates.
Racebuddy working fine here.
Comcast
Gigabit ethernet home network
Vista
Firefox 6.0.2
Flash version 10.3.183.7
I haven't seen a commercial so far with Ad Block Plus enabled.
RaceBuddy working fine via Insight cable here in the Bluegrass state. Images a little jerky but that could be from the weather which is still in the track area.
USAToday's Nate Ryan tweeted a few minutes ago that the media center was having internet issues also.
If you see standby screen, just refresh page and let it load.
Tried RaceBuddy again & so far so good. Miss the battle cam though.
I opened another browser for Race Buddy, no problems on my laptop w/wifi
Happy Finally Race Day Planeteers <3
RaceBuddy is working fine for me. No issues whatsoever.
YIKES Diane! A lot of folks will be upset who wanted to watch later tonight :(. There's the replay but I don't know how SPEED works on DirecTV (i.e. I know with some Cable companies you have to get a sports package for $18 bazillion dollars to watch the ONE channel you want) so hopefully ESPN will replay.
The commercials on racebuddy are way, way to loud.
On IE 9 I get video and sound for the commercial. I click on the 88 car and get audio but no picture.
On Firefox 5 (not 6) I click on the 88 and get both audio and video. Works fine.
Just checking in to say hello to everybody. I'm at work and watching a stream available through, shall we say, alternate means. It's going to be hard to critique this telecast since I can barely pay attention to it but at least there's lots of ways to keep track of the action.
Being told it might be my new Twitter app. Apparently, it stinks.
Can you do a manual timer with Direct's DVR? I do it all the time with my Dish DVR. I pick the station and the times and it doesn't matter what is on the station at the time.
They string out fast. Aero time!
Wow that one camera shot was super dark at the restart....must be super over cast, which is obvious, but then camera's got brighter.
Any way to get the broadcast audio on RaceBuddy? It would be easier than using multiple windows.
I agree the camera shot from the 88 is dark.
Seriously, there must be a curse on the ESPN lead announcer chair - The BINGO CURSE.
Bestwick is as classy and articulate as they come... yet even he has devolved into an upbeat version of Jerry Punch, calling little more than names and numbers "There's the 43 of AJ Almendinger and the 9 of Marcos Ambrose....up front, there's the 22 of Kurt Busch and the 18 of Kyle Busch."
SERIOUSLY, DUDE - CALL THE ACTION, NOT THE NUMBERS!
There is no TV or radio audio on this RaceBuddy app. Radio feed is also only provided in paid part of NASCAR.com site today.
NASCAR shooting itself in the foot. Fans desperate to see and listen at work.
@Osbornk, Yes there is a manual record option on DirectTV.
They went and lighten up the camera shot on the 88. Lot easier now to see.
Hey gang! Wow, these boys are flying!
And the enthusiasm of Petree and Jarrett is noticeably greater when they're with AB as opposed to Marty.
I wonder if Marty is lame duck this season?
It's a hard sell after what TNT offered. I used to love it when they had various battle cams so I could see the best battles while tv was focusing on individual drivers. The tv audio was a great addition this year. Both are gone and instead they added Sprint commercials every time you change views. I tried, but I'll pass.
One or two cars in a camera shot is the was Espn likes to go.
Not sure why.
If they would call the race from looking out the window, instead of looking at the TV monitor, the race calling would be much better!
Charlie, they said in an interview last season that they like to shoot it tight for HD screen that really bring the action to the viewers.
In other words, they are so inexperienced that a video game approach makes sense.
I've said it before, we have a large wide screen at home, but the TV truck has small screens, so they use tight shots of a few cars to show the show that looks good to them. Meanwhile we at home get cheated and suffer with their tight shot.
Thats gotta be their mentality, its all I can figure
I think Nascar has everyone trained well now about debris.
Say there was debris and don't show it and no one cares.
Bogus caution-Nascar knows these big tracks are boring-thus,Mr.Debris makes an appearance.There will be more.
Green flag, and we get to see Mr. Butters!
Now, wait a sec. ESPN is NOT showing a live race. I have scanner running, and its green flag racing, but ESPN is just coming to a green flag about 1.5 min later. DVR anyone?
Jimm, definately on a delay.
The tight camera shots make this race more boring then what I bet it really is.
Ha. This is a TV show about racing. This is not a televised race.
RaceBuddy utterly stripped down and useless - only two stationary non driver cam and no audio - TNT had network audio and audio during TV commercials - but not from the mothership.
@nateryan on twitter is giving some good up to date tweets.
Agree on RaceBuddy.
I shut down racebuddy because of the 30 sec commercials. Not dealing with that BS
It is RaceBuddy in name only. Besides showing the same ad over and over, it looks like they hooked up a couple of surveillance cameras and put it on autopilot. What a waste of bandwidth.
The LOUD commercials ruin racebuddy.
I bet it makes you want to go out and buy their product. Not.
No question JD--This race is NOT live.
Sticking with Race Buddy at work to keep up with the leaderboard and track position of the 14. No TV here. Listening to radio broadcast on local station.
Anon 1:14--Is it really a race other than the last 10 laps (or less)?
That was the point I referenced in my post.
These types of 1.5 mile tracks dominate the Chase.
Going to be a looooong playoff.
It is really something how they can zoom out but it is just a tease.
They just zoom right back in again.
Even the aerial shots zoom into just a car or two.
This is sooooo boring.May go cut the grass.
why a ESPN gameday commercial during a split screen commercial? dont get it. NASCAR Non-Stop - not so sure yet
Thre goes the 48 with the extra horsepower Hendrick bought from Nascar.
Jerry Punch, the credible pit reporter! That is what my friend calls him.
Watching Espn on Tv is like watching Racebuddy but you don't get to pick the single car you want to watch.
cautions out. Timing the delay
Told you all Mr. Debris would rise again during this snooz fest.
Did we happen to see that debris on TV? Just asking...
How convenient. Debris on the back straightaway. Away from prying eyes. I predicted this weekend that we'd have a ton of debris cautions.
OK, its a 2MINUTE DELAY!
Yowsa!
For sure fake debris is what nascar does.
Lets see should I watch my NFL team Sunday or watch tight shots and fake debris.
Pretty good one Jimmmmmm!
I believe that is the 2nd caution in a row that they failed to show the debris that brought out the caution.
You know what kind of "race" we're watching when the most exciting parts are fake debris cautions.
Nascar has got to know that these mile and a half tracks are extremely boring to watch and are the reason many choose to find their entertainment elsewhere.
If ESPN televised the whole race, they would not have to do those mid-race recaps.
She's green again
tight shots, Commercial, through the field, commercial, pit stop, commercial, fake debris, commercial, tight shots, commercial, repeat.
How long before Home Depot demands a driver change,or takes the sponsorship elsewhere?
This race is even boring on the radio. Must be a snoozefest on TV.
another caution
A legitimate caution, instead of one for Pierre DeBris.
JD -
check your Hotmail.
sent ya something....hope you get it.
I am not learning anything additional when they go to commercial and do this side by side stuff.
Why not run down who is where after the pit stop.
Hate "Miss Terri Debris". But am loving the split screen during the commercials.
Not missing all the fluff. Why can't they do this all the time?
The only thing good with the TV delay is I'll know who wins before they show it on TV!
Thanks, Ken. That was great.
the 42 of Marcus Ambrose--WTH.
Jeff Gordon is having a Kurt Busch style meltdown.
Big Daddy is hot!
Who thinks up these stupid...Do anything to win...commercials? Ls
We all know that consistency has been Jeff's problem for a long time. We all, and Jeff, believed that problem was history.
Can't believe that Napa re-introduced that stupid commercial with Mikey shaking what we don't want to see shakin'.
NASCAR is the only sport that interrupts live action to promote itself as if fans are idiots.
Anon 2:15PM, Mikey told me he was embarrassed it was still running. Over it.
So does everyone know where there favorite driver is without looking at the ticker. ha ha
No and the ticker is so small I can' t read it. Ls
With the majority of the chase races to be a continuation of this race,why continue watching.The ratings will tank as these cookie cutter races bore even the hard cor fans.
Charlie, 2 minutes before the TV!!!
A car scraping the wall and continuing is as bad as the fake debris when it comes to phony cautions.
Pretty happy this product did not go up against the NFL on Sunday. NASCAR would have been killed in the ratings.
ESPN just does not get it. Listen to the radio and they are working hard every lap, the ESPN guys are chatting like it's Sunday brunch.
Oh, seeing 5 energy, did Rusty yesterday talk about him losing this sponsor next year?
My driver has recovered from his recent meltdown but I only know that from listening to his scanner.
I'll never understand Nascar's criteria for a caution. Ambrose hammers the wall and no caution. Yeley just skims it and there's a caution. I saw debris fly off Ambrose, but didn't see anything obvious with Yeley. Reminds me of Kurt Busch earlier this year where it looked like he hit the wall, but didn't. But Nascar threw a caution anyway. I guess we get a caution when Nascar decides that we need a caution.
It would be a nice touch during the NonStop breaks to add just a little bit of information graphically on the lower 3rd or above the LIVE video box.
So far I've seen a few unscheduled pit stops during the NonStop break & a little info would be nice.
I'm glad they are doing the NonStop breaks, but a few more tweaks would be nice.
Kurt Busch is a real piece of work on the radio.
once again....NOT HAPPY !
Uverse Houston dropped ESPN HD channel after the previous side-by-side commercials. Had to switch to SD channel. I could call, but race would be over before I got to talk to a human being. And their online chat help is even more useless.
Charlie, he mentioned it briefly but nothing of substance.
He's in big trouble for next season.
another caution for debris
Ann, that makes no sense at all and in a big TV market like that.
Most exciting thing so far. Espn caught a piece of debris flying in the air in real time.
They got to show 2 replays of it.
This is how most of these big track races end--fuel mileage.
I guess NASCAR thinks that there is nothing as exciting as a gas mileage race.
at least you get side by side, here in canada, tsn breaks for commercials, including promos. what a joke.
Any bet on a fake debris or car scrapping the wall to bring out a caution before the end of the race?
A 200 mile race would be much more exciting--no more riding around for half the race.
Racebuddy is so far delayed from the real race it is crazy.
Over 15 second delay on racebuddy. I watch the 88 pass a car and 15 seconds later they show it on racebuddy.
RaceBuddy faded and is useless now it is sooo far off. Can't refresh the screen and make it catch up.
Charlie - it's further back than that compared to the radio. More than a full lap behind.
Why don't they show the interval on the ticker. If gives you perspective on how cars are doing against each other. Without it, we have no idea who is laps down or about to be lapped.
Fire in the pitlane! ...and not a peep from the booth because they can't be interrupted from their goddamn blabbering.
ESPN does. not. care.
the whole thing is in the twilight zone today. A day late, TV is 2+ minutes behind reality.....
Luckily, yesterdays scheduled beers are just as good today!!
Big Daddy is in fuel conservation mode.
Kurts right. This stuff gets old
A nail biter oh ya. Are we all getting excited now.
Uverse in Ft. Worth--only 1 channel not viewable. Can you guess which it is? Can see 2"in inset only...good old ESPN
Racebuddy on the 88 says 20 to go and there are 19 to go.
This one sure has been weird in many ways.
15 Laps to go.
1 more debris caution to go.
I hate fuel mileage races. I know everyone has to play by the same rules....but I HATE fuel mileage races!
Newman needs to spin for tony!
Man, tough to make this exciting on TV. Sounds better on the radio.
Dear ESPN: The race is not over until the last car running has crossed the start-finish line. Please give us the entire race.
They tried "the formula" for the finish and missed everything but Tony.
What a mess. Bestwick was calling cars running out & they changed the camera shot.
I will not feel bad about watching the NFL sunday after this telecast.
Now I have to decide if I should even record the race.
Stewart stopped to grab the flag and immediately ran out of fuel when he went to go. Perfect!
I hate fuel mileage races. what a total waste of time. I had to "watch" via trackpass and pit command.
I know part of the reason I am ticked is because my guy finished so badly even with saving fuel, but still, that crap isn't racing.
How can the 88 be standing there talking on pit road when he is still in his car.
Are any posters at the track? Maybe they could post how everyone finished.
That was pretty weird. Think ESPN jumped from time-shifted to live there?
NAPA victory Circle? What about Gatorade?
Wow they dumped out REAL QUICK!
DJ: "That was exciting! To think we have 9 more like that!"
They better be ALOT better than that snoozfest! No wrecks?
Terrible post-race.
Stories needed to be covered.
wow....amazing they get away with that.
Don't leave until you go back to the main page and hit us with a post-race comment!
I accept that The Chase may be exciting for the fans, but as someone who's done a little racing, I hate. The season is 36 races. Whoever is on top after 36 races should be Champion. There's just too much that can go wrong in the last 10 races beyond a team's control that affects the outcome (do I need to say Dega?). Very bizarre race.
One question for Tony Stewart in Victory Lane? No replays of final lap confusion. Let's hurry over to NFL "Primetime"? Define primetime? It's 3 o'clock? ESPN stinks.
Gotta go-Thanks for the great blog JD!
Embarrassing coverage of the finish and post-race. How much longer until the next TV contract?
Moving the comments up to the new post. Reminder media center is now live on NASCAR.com!
Thanks for hanging in there with us.
JD
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