Post-Race: Sprint Cup Series On ESPN From Chicagoland Speedway

The weather cooperated but the racing did not. A dry track sent cars out again for what fans have seen too many times. An aero race where pit road, restarts and fuel mileage made the difference.

Allen Bestwick was alongside Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree in the TV booth. Jamie Little, Dave Burns, Vince Welch and Dr. Jerry Punch were on pit road.

The race started on time with no weather delays. There was a competition caution early on to check tire wear. Several times during the race a debris caution came out and TV was unable to show the debris on-camera.

ESPN resumed it's signature style of producing NASCAR races. Tight shots of small groups of cars dominated the telecast. The focus of the coverage was moving between individual battles on the track mixed with following the leader and using in-car cameras.

"Hyper-tight" is a term we coined last season for the style of coverage that ESPN uses for the Sprint Cup Series races. Time and time again, the camera zooms to the tightest possible shot of two cars racing for position. This eliminates any perspective of where on the track the cars are racing or who else is racing around them.

Bestwick is put in the position of talking about the cars the director and producer have chosen to put on the TV screen as opposed to calling the race by looking out the window of the TV booth. It has affected his ability to add excitement to the telecasts.

Petree was once again more outspoken than Jarrett, who has seemed to embrace the politically correct NASCAR environment. Petree is key at adding strategy comments to the telecasts and he is not afraid to call a team out for making a bad decision.

Bestwick has taken to calling these type of events "strategy races." He is politely saying there is very little racing involved and most of the decision making is done on pit road and by the crew chief. Fuel mileage is dominating the racing.

ESPN Nonstop was used in the second half of the race. It lets the race video continue on the screen. Fans kept suggesting that more commercials had been added, but that is not the case. Same amount as usual in these telecasts.

Ultimately, the race came down to fuel mileage. ESPN let Stewart cross the line but was unprepared for the rest of the cars running out of fuel on the track. Most of the top finishers were missed and the sequence on TV was just chaotic. Once again, pit reporters were talking to drivers about a finish TV viewers never saw.

This post will serve to host your comments on the ESPN coverage of the Sprint Cup Series race from Chicagoland. To add your TV-related opinion, just click on the comments button below. Thanks for stopping by.

Live Blogging Sprint Cup Series Race From Chicagoland (ESPN - 12PM ET)

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.

Live Blogging Sprint Cup Series From Chicagoland (ESPN - 1PM ET)

The switch in race dates for Chicagoland Speedway chased away the hot temps, but brought the cold and rain of mid-September. It has been raining at the track since the early morning and right now all activity is on hold.

If weather permits, NASCAR goes through the motions of the opening ceremonies without pushing the cars out of the garage and onto the grid. Once the flyover is done, NASCAR officially puts the race on hold if the track is still wet.

The big Chicagoland Speedway takes 90 minutes to dry if the sun is out and around 2 hours if the weather continues to be overcast and cold. Right now, reporters from the track are saying it will be a long weather hold.

ESPN has Nicole Briscoe anchoring from the Infield Pit Studio. The network pretty much used most of the edited features during the last rain delay in Atlanta. Briscoe has Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty alongside. It will be interesting to see if Wallace addresses the rumor that his current 5 Hour Energy sponsor is leaving for the Cup Series with Clint Bowyer and MWR.

Allen Bestwick is always optimistic and he has Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree alongside in the TV booth. During Saturday's Nationwide Series race, neither Petree or Jarrett lifted a finger to help announcer Marty Reid. Jarrett was dry as toast and Petree spoke in general terms, clearly focused on the Cup race.

It should be interesting to see if Jarrett and Petree rise to the occasion of this first Chase race and help Bestwick make it a memorable telecast. This is the first time for Bestwick in this position and it is very clear he wants to make his mark.

ESPN is clear on the schedule today until 8PM, when live Major League Baseball is scheduled. The NASCAR TV contract requires live TV coverage from the green to checkered flag, but not during rain delays. ESPN could be free to leave and then return if the action is delayed until the track lights go on.

We will continue to update the weather delays on this post and in the comments section. We invite your opinions on the TV coverage today, just click the comments button below. Thanks for taking the time to stop by.