ESPN's NASCAR Now: Michael Waltrip's Free Pass

The Friday editions of NASCAR Now are always interesting. They demand a larger coverage of on-track activities, and a higher number of reporters to get the story. In the past we have seen Shannon Spake, Alan Bestwick, Angelique Chengelis, and Marty Smith in a wide variety of reporting roles trackside.

This week, with top stories looming large, ESPN assigned one non-NASCAR "general assignment" reporter named Bob Holtzman to cover the Bristol, TN hard news. Holtzman is a stick-and-ball guy from Cincinnati, OH who came from local news. He provided a shakey Jeff G. interview, various sound bites, and even an on-camera wrap of the track activity. So, where did the NASCAR Now gang go? Where was the team? Holtzman is not even on the ESPN NASCAR Media web pages. Was there a golf outing?

Rusty Wallace stopped by to demonstrate how uncomfortable trying to do a live interview with NASCAR Now host Erik Kuselias can be. Kuselias continues to use his confrontational sports radio style, which does not work on television. Rusty was a little miffed at the questions, and the lack of respect from this former lawyer turned announcer. Kuselias cannot end an on-air interview with any style, and is horrible with the mechanics of live two-way video conversations. Rusty experienced problems with both of these elements during his segments, and did not look too happy.

Most curious in this program was the conscious omission of two huge news stories. NASCAR Now had been hounding Mark Martin to drive at Bristol since the first race at Daytona concluded. With Martin surrendering his ride to Regan Smith this weekend, the show should have featured Smith's qualifying attempt and subsequent twelfth place starting spot. In addition, the two troubled cars from Michael Waltrip Racing missed the show. For Toyota, NAPA, and Dominos, this is huge. For pure news, it might have led the show because there were basically no issues with the COT in qualifying.

Unfortunately, in a confirmation that "branding" and "product placement" drive the new ESPN, EA Sports rolled out Tony Stewart. In an interview they could have done during the week, NASCAR Now took five minutes out of this key show to listen to Tony praise a NASCAR licensed driving game. Stewart said the fake drivers are almost real, the fake tracks are almost real, and you can actually almost change the almost real springs and shocks. Unreal.

If NASCAR Now wants to regain any shred of credibility, they have to move these "shill" shots to mid-week, and give the fans some hard news on Fridays. Michael Waltrip should have been interviewed on camera, along with the Toyota executives,about the frustrations of this very expensive and very unsuccessful venture into NASCAR. For a company that has conquered every single motorsports series they have participated in, not to make a Bristol race where the cars were identical points squarely to the Toyota engine.

How does Michael Waltrip get a free pass on this one? Is it possible that Micheal Waltrip Racing: A New Era came into play? This Toyota sponsored series continues to run, even as Toyota continues to falter. In addition, ESPN has solid ties with EA Sports, who Tony Stewart was representing. So, its an easy choice. Give Tony five minutes to promote the game, and let Michael off-the-hook. NASCAR fans will never know the difference...will they?

NASCAR Now: Mr. Obvious Meets The COT

What a fantastic and refreshing change to hear from the talented Shannon Spake directly from Bristol, TN right at the top of the show. Fans finally got reliable hard news trackside, and even some comments from NEXTEL Cup Series Director John Darby about the "Car of Tomorrow." Darby should be heard from on a much more regular basis as the season progresses. Spake and Darby provided exactly what NASCAR Now needs in large amounts...credibility.

The show then moved quickly into a telephone interview with a NASCAR driver about the COT. It seems strange that ESPN chose Greg Biffle, who has just become a regular panelist on Inside NEXTEL Cup Racing on the SPEED Channel. Biffle is solid all the way around, and his comments on the COT were well-stated and concise. This is exactly what SPEED needs for INCR.

After this breathless rushing around on the COT, ESPN could have called on any of their NASCAR analysts to put the COT in broader perspective. Instead, the collective moan you heard nationwide resulted from the appearance of the one and only Tim Cowlishaw. The switch from fact to opinion can be a harsh one, and Cowlishaw did not disappoint. This was Cowlishaw in full Around the Horn mode, completely talking racing off the top-of-his-head. Perhaps, others might suggest alternate locations as origination points. Let's fact it, where NASCAR is concerned, we call Cowlishaw "Mr. Obvious" for good reason.

Since his first appearance, DJ Copp has been a pleasant surprise. A pit crew member from DEI, Copp speaks in normal language with no hype and good facts. His updates on the COT problems with pit stops were interesting, and he does well to put the ESPN hype in perspective. It begs the question if we will see any other pit crew members given a shot on national television this season?

Transitioning to the Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Now co-host Erik Kuselias attempted to interview driver Tyler Walker. The past performance problems with Walker were well-documented on SPEED over the last several seasons. It was clear that Kuselias did not know Walker's background, and this made any follow-up questions impossible. What a shame, as Walker is a colorful character with lots of bridges burning behind him and many challenges ahead. Loads of information was left on the table.

Luckily, David Newton returned to report directly from Bristol in his pleasant and professional manner. Newton is just a fount of knowledge, and his updates are always an addition to this program that no one else can provide. It would be a pleasure to see more of him as the meat of the schedule begins this weekend.

Unfortunately, ESPN continues to shoot itself in-the-foot with the Vault (energy drink) Pick 'Em sales feature. The ridiculous premise is that the host gives Cowlishaw two drivers, and Tim picks one to do better on a particular weekend. This feature was humorous before a race like Daytona, where bumper cars and restrictor plates rule the racing. It is absolutely hilarious before the race in Bristol, TN. As Mark Martin once said, "a lap at Bristol is like driving an F-16 around a high school gym." Between racing luck and just plain dumb luck, there is no possible way to "Pick 'Em" for a race of survival...even for "Mr. Obvious."

Thank You Readers: Brad vs. Tim

Many thanks to my friends who wrote in, pointing out that our proofreader had changed Brad Daugherty to Tim Dougherty in a previous original post. As you know, we have been actively involved in watching ESPN use Brad Daugherty throughout the entire NASCAR season. He was, of course, the person in both references.

It is still puzzling why Daugherty has not been able to contribute any features, or focus on any NASCAR Diversity issues. He is never used to interview anyone. As I asked in an earlier post, just exactly what is this well-educated and wonderfully intelligent man supposed to do? Hopefully, that question will be answered soon.