ESPN Gets An "A" For Effort

Friday night ESPN faced a big test of their "NASCAR readiness" as the network hosted a triple header of racing programming. Leading off was a one hour edition of NASCAR Now, followed by a thirty minute edition of NASCAR Countdown, and finally the Busch Series race from Daytona.

Host Ryan Burr welcomed viewers into an extended edition of NASCAR Now, with the big story of the night clearly centered around Boris Said. Sitting on the NEXTEL Cup provisional pole, Said was going to be out of the race and headed home if the remainder of qualifying was rained-out. This story was in-progress as the program aired. The fate of the Busch race was also undecided.

While everyone waited on Boris, ESPN General Assignment Reporter David Amber filed his best NASCAR feature to date on Denny Hamlin. Amber was struggling earlier in the season with racing, and might now be coming up to speed. As a reporter, Amber is floated around to different sports by ESPN. If he was permanently assigned to NASCAR Now, he could be a solid addition to the hard-working Shannon Spake.

Stacy Compton is just wonderful in his plain-spoken facts about NASCAR. Agree or disagree, Stacy tells it like it is. Alone on the set with Burr, he is at his best. Without the interference of Tim Cowlishaw, Stacy touched on many issues in a free-wheeling conversation with Burr about Daytona. Imagine that, unscripted conversation on NASCAR Now.

Tim Brewer has been having a tough time speaking clearly to issues that are not directly related to "crew chief" duties. On this day, he addressed the issue of suspended crew chiefs still in contact with the teams and actively participating in race strategy. Brewer has been gone from the sport for a while, and he basically re-enforced the company line about NASCAR and its penalties. This discussion needed another party involved, like a Rusty Wallace or Andy Petree.

Kudos to NASCAR Now for getting Boris Said live while he was still on the pole for the Pepsi 400. Said has been getting better both on the track and on TV this season. He is another example of a non-southern born driver who fans have embraced and really enjoy. Said gave a strong update of the situation at Daytona, and confirmed once again for fans that a small team with the right situation can compete in the Busch Series.

Burr introduced the Busch Series announcers, and Jerry Punch re-capped the field and let Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree talk about the race itself. Dave Burns chimed in with a solid report from pit road, and then Petree and Wallace made their race picks. Angelique Chengelis showed up to report on several news items, including the NEXTEL to Sprint Cup change in 2008. She has been a solid contributor to NASCAR Now from the beginning, and would be a a great on-set guest for a future NASCAR Countdown program.

Burr brought in Carl Edwards and Elliott Sadler for some rain-delay conversation about the Pepsi 400. Burr showed exactly why he should be the full time host of this program, as he talked freely and asked informed questions of both these drivers. The best part of Burr during interviews...is that he listens. The "fact or fiction" part of this interview was forced, and resulted in some awkward pauses.

NASCAR Now then announced that NEXTEL Cup qualifying was cancelled. Boris Said and a lot of the other "go or go home" cars would, in fact, be going home. In a bad moment, Tim Cowlishaw staggered in to add some obvious points about NASCAR's policy on rained-out qualifying. Burr talked with Compton about qualifying policy, and got the low-down on why things are handled this way. Kudos again to the show producer for following-up with a phone interview of Said after the announcement.

Once the familiar voice of Allen Bestwick hit the airwaves, fans understood they were leaving the ESPN studio, and going racing. It was time for NASCAR Countdown, the Busch Series pre-race show. Bestwick made a good decision to immediately tell viewers about the rain issue. Then, for some strange reason, ESPN's open to Countdown used footage of Kevin Harvick's NEXTEL Cup Daytona 500 win. Too bad we did not see the finish of last season's Daytona Busch race for the opening of the...Busch race.

Jimmie Johnson is not a natural as a TV commentator, and on the ESPN Infield Studio Set he was taken good care-of by Bestwick. Having Johnson on the set was smart, and he got more comfortable as the show went on. It was nice to see and hear from Johnson in a non-scripted environment. Brad Daugherty is kept on a very short leash by Bestwick, and has responded very well to this "tough love" be limiting his "answers" to a single topic...most of the time.

Nothing is harder for NASCAR TV types to do than keep the pit reporters up-and-running in the rain. Each reporter has a cameraman, two RF transmitter handlers, a spotter, TV utility workers, and security guards with them. Its a posse, and they are all connected with a lot of sensitive electronics. Any fan who has been at the track has seen the "pit posse" running all over the place. With only one minor glitch, ESPN kept these units going strong all night long in the rain, and it should not be overlooked. A very strong tech performance by the ESPN/NASCAR Images group.

With NASCAR Countdown done, the program slipped into the time that was originally going to be for racing. One thing that this rain delay showed to both viewers and executives at ESPN is just how important it is to have a veteran NASCAR announcer at the infield host position. Bestwick not only navigated safely though a rain-soaked Countdown show, he now was about to switch into his most important role of the night. It was time for Bestwick to direct some traffic.

Right away, during the rain delay, the pit reporters went out and grabbed driver after driver to chase down the stories of the week, and the season. This resulted in some fascinating conversations about a lot of issues. Then, the booth announcers chimed-in and one got the feeling that this ESPN NASCAR team was finally one cohesive unit. Anywhere viewers looked, ESPN has them covered.

Perhaps the most controversial feature of the evening was delivered by pit reporter Dave Burns. His interview with Jon Wood was well done, and got across all the information that Wood provided. Earlier this year, Jon appeared on NASCAR Now with his dad. There was little doubt that he was "altered" by something. It was unfortunate that Wood chose to appear Friday with uncombed hair and an unkempt look about himself. While we wish him luck in his recovery, there is little doubt there is more going-on than what Dave Burns was told.

Another smart move by ESPN was grabbing additional guests for the Infield Studio. Clint Bowyer and Ray Evernham stopped by, and provided just the type of content that this broadcast needed to fill some time, and yet keep the fans. It also highlighted the weakness of Brad Daugherty, who is unable to provide insight, and is forced into just commenting on the statements of others. "Voice of the fans" might be a good title for him, as he continues to try and define his role on this show.

When the news finally came, Bestwick frankly told viewers that the race was postponed until Saturday. After brief comments from the booth announcers, Bestwick closed out the ESPN coverage in diplomatic style. Finally, ESPN proved it could present a good quality night of NASCAR information. Bestwick gave credit to the ESPN technical crew, and explained exactly what the NASCAR schedule would be on Saturday.

Let's take a minute to recap. NASCAR Now was hosted by Ryan Burr and was a solid hour of breaking news, information and conversation. There was no hype, no phony stories, and no Erik Kuselias. NASCAR Countdown was a smooth-flowing show dealing with a rain delay, but providing Jimmie Johnson as a studio guest. It was clear that Johnson had a good time, and it was nice for fans to see him in candid conversation.

Finally, the race time was filled by ESPN pulling out all the stops and bringing in every announcer on their team. Added to the set were two guests, and added to the content of the rain delay was good humor and fun. The interviews were crisp, the cooperation of the drivers was great, and the fact that everyone on the team stayed focused on the task of providing a solid broadcast was outstanding.

It is tough to image anyone other than Allen Bestwick handling host duties from the ESPN Infield Studio. From thanking Ryan Burr to mocking Jerry Punch's golf swing, Bestwick kept things on track. He used his years of NASCAR TV and radio experience to provide the questions that kept the telecast going. Regardless of whether the issue was hilarious or deadly serious, Bestwick treated everyone with class and dignity, which is his hallmark.

So, ESPN gets an "A" for effort in the rain at Daytona. Having the right "team members" in place for these three shows made all the difference in the world. Its just too bad the network did not get an exciting Busch race to cap-off the evening. If they keep this energy level up, there is no doubt the Saturday race should be something to see.

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Steve Byrnes Makes Pepsi 400 Practice A Blast

Early Thursday evening, the NEXTEL Cup gang took to the track at Daytona for their final practice. As with every lap on the track for this series, live TV followed along. This practice was shown on SPEED Channel. During the season, TV viewers will see many different faces on these telecasts. Mostly, it is a combination of SPEED announcers with several of the announcers from the network telecasting the actual race.

This day, SPEED showcased one of the best combinations of booth and pit announcers that can be seen on NASCAR TV anywhere. Hosting the telecast was Steve Byrnes, who has emerged as one of the best on-air hosts for both live events and talk shows. He brings to the table an enthusiasm and professionalism sorely lacking in many other NASCAR announcers. This guy certainly is the real deal.

Alongside of Byrnes were his good friends Jeff Hammond and Larry McReynolds. This trio in the booth is magic, and the casual attitude of practice really allows them all to show their knowledge. This group is clearly on their game, and nothing escapes them as the practice grind goes forward. Viewers can learn so much from just sitting back and listening to these "voices of experience."

On pit road for this telecast was Matt Yocum and newcomer Lindsay Czarniak. Yocum is coming off his very successful hosting of Tony Stewart's "Prelude to the Dream" pay-per-view race special, and is the ultimate insider. Yocum also produces Stewart's Sirius Satellite Radio program, which is tremendously popular with fans. Matt just seems to always kind of "be there" at the right time.

Czarniak has been a welcome addition to NASCAR, and has proven to be a hard-working rookie who can take her lumps and hang-in there with the big boys. She has a great ability to put people at ease with her casual style, and the NASCAR gang clearly responds. Face it, we like her.

SPEED's great pictures during practice allow the Director to use lots of in-car camera shots and hang with them for multiple laps. When the action gets thick, its almost as exciting as the race. Everyone knows the guys are trying to find the elusive speed at Daytona, and no one is better at telling viewers about the tiny details of fine-tuning than McReynolds. His unbridled honesty is just so refreshing, and he really brings fans the feel of being at the track with your own crew chief.

One of the best parts of Steve Byrnes in the host position is the fact that he freely asks the questions that viewers and fans want to know. He consistently put both McReynolds and Hammond on-the-spot about NASCAR topics, and they responded. The banter between the announcers and reporters on pit road was often times much better than the commentary heard by fans during the actual race.

All of us who have watched NASCAR for years know that live televised practice sessions can be like watching paint dry. This one on SPEED, however, was just flat out entertaining and very exciting. It was a good TV moment when everything just "came together." The pictures and sound were great, the pit reporters had all the drivers talking, and the booth announcers really gave super information about what was going on, and why.

After watching TNT for several weeks, this SPEED telecast also contained another crucial element missing from the Turner package. These announcers respected each other, and had fun while they were working. The jokes were made at no one's expense, and were in good humor. Even the drivers were smiling while being interviewed at practice, and that was because they could feel the good vibe of the show.

Over the past several months, The Daly Planet has considered various columns about the NEXTEL Cup practice sessions, but they just did not live up to anything exciting. The best part of the last several weeks may have been the horrible green-ish "puffy shirts" that TNT makes Weber and Dallenbach wear when they are doing a broadcast on SPEED. Those should go immediately to the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame when the TNT part of the NASCAR package is over. A Seinfeld moment if we ever saw one.

So, hats off to SPEED for hosting a killer practice session at high-speed on the high banks. They had a rock solid line-up of talent who made something normally boring into something very interesting and fun. Kudos to Steve Byrnes for keeping this gang working at a high level by challenging them and then rewarding them for their information. This was a key test session for both the Pepsi 400 and qualifying. Now, if only the race can live up to the practice. We shall see on Saturday night.

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TNT's Not So "Wide Open" With Facts About Pepsi 400

This weekend, the Pepsi 400 will be run at Daytona International Speedway. It is one of the highest-profile NASCAR races because it falls during the week of July 4th. The race is going to be telecast on cable TV, and not on "over-the-air" broadcast network TV. The reason is because the Pepsi 400 is the centerpiece of the Turner Network Television TV package.

For some time now, TNT has been promoting this one race as "special." Unfortunately, they have not made the previous four NEXTEL Cup races telecast by them "special" at all. In fact, the amount of commercials and promos run in these races has been staggering. No matter how hard the announcers try, or how close the drivers race, there is just no defeating the fact that commercials do not allow racing to be shown.

Our friends over at cawsnjaws.com do a breakdown of the commercials and promos inserted in the NEXTEL Cup events. In Loudon, TNT had 130 minutes of actual race time and showed 62 minutes of commercials in that specific time period. So, TNT filled almost one-third of the time during the race with commercials.

This weekend, TNT has a "special" solution for this problem. They are calling it "Wide Open Coverage" of the Pepsi 400. Their marketing information says they are "eliminating" national commercials and only three local breaks from the cable or satellite systems will "interrupt" their live coverage. Now, does this sound logical coming from a company who just used 33% of the previous race to show commercials?

What TNT has done is used a technical TV trick to shrink the picture of the Pepsi 400 on your screen. No matter what you do, it will not be "full screen" for the race. If you have seen a High Definition picture on your standard TV set, you understand what I am talking about. The "aspect ratio" of the video signal will be different, so your TV will have a smaller picture. This is the start of TNT's "special" coverage for you. Wait, it gets better.

Turner's own in-house Creative Services Unit has produced some "special" commercials that will be run during the race. They will appear on your screen in a "box" that allows the race action to still be seen. While this is great because it allows continued racing, what it does for TNT is totally free them from the time constraints put on by thirty-second commercials placed in two-minute commercial breaks.

That's right, the network that ran 62 minutes of commercials in 190 minutes of racing now has absolutely no limits on filling your "special" TNT screen with as many sponsor "messages" as possible. Well, now we certainly know why they called it "Wide Open Coverage." It is open season on NASCAR viewers, and there is no "limit" for the hunters.

One of the most fascinating elements of this issue is the fact that the ten national advertisers who are participating in TNT's "Wide Open Coverage" of the Pepsi 400 had to "pay to play." Each and every one had to buy all the other six TNT races, with their normal TV commercials, in order to be featured in the high-profile Daytona race. In other words, to get the big stuff you have to run adds in the junk.

And junk is just how TNT treated the NASCAR race at Loudon, with absolutely no regard for the race itself or the viewers. Fans basically had the race cut by a third by commercials once the green flag flew. The Daly Planet was swarmed with people actually helping each other with techniques to avoid TNT's coverage. This ranged from the DirecTV Hot Pass to the PPV in-car coverage to just putting the race on a DVR and watching it later. What a sad commentary on this season's TV coverage.

The big rumor floating around the town is that the "extra" adds placed in the early TNT races were included as "bonuses" for the advertisers who agreed to participate in the Daytona "special" coverage. In case the "Wide Open Coverage" becomes a "Big Fat Disaster," the network will have already run enough "make good" spots to be covered. Anyone who watched the Sonoma race on TNT knows just how quickly disaster can come to this network.

So, Saturday night good old Jeff Gordon will introduce the TNT "Wide Open Coverage" of the Pepsi 400 as a technical innovation that will hopefully change the NASCAR TV landscape. Bill Weber will handle integrating all the sponsor stuff into the race telecast throughout the entire event. Viewers may originally feel good about the fact they can continue to see the race while commercial elements run, but there is little doubt based on the earlier races that TNT will eventually wear even the most hardy fans down.

So, in TNT language, please enjoy your "innovative on-screen video box for branded sponsor content, vignettes, and animation." Also, enjoy your reduced picture size which Turner Sports President David Levy sums up this way: "We are producing everything in wide screen (format) and then shoving it into a standard (TV) format. We'll have space left at the bottom of the screen without losing anything, the fans just won't see Row 35." Is he kidding? TNT viewers won't lose anything?

Apparently, Mr. Levy did not see Sonoma where only the top two cars were shown finishing, and TNT left the air without even a top twenty final leaderboard. He must have missed Michigan, where the race ended twenty minutes early, so TNT decided to start a vampire movie instead of interviewing the drivers. Perhaps, he was on vacation for Loudon, where TNT ran over an hour of commercials in just over three hours of racing. This season, NASCAR fans watching TNT have already lost a lot.

It will be great if TNT's "Wide Open Coverage" of the Pepsi 400 proves to be a success. Unfortunately, their track record on these first four races in the TNT package does not just magically disappear because "they say" everything will be fine. TNT needs to step up not only at Daytona, but in their one remaining race in Chicago to salvage any kind of respect for their NASCAR efforts in 2007.

The Daly Planet welcomes comments from readers. Simply click on the COMMENTS button below, or email editor@thedalyplanet.tv if you wish not to be published. All email is held in confidence. Thanks again for stopping by.