Doug Banks Ups ESPN's NASCAR Sleaze Factor

NASCAR Now host Doug Banks is a sharp dressed man. He is great on-camera, and he reads a mean teleprompter. Normally, he reads his way cleanly through a thirty minute edition of NASCAR Now, and is done. On Tuesday, things changed. He was sucked into the dirty rumor and innuendo machine that this program has become.

Doug Banks looked squarely at the "NASCAR nation" and said "a surprise in the racing world today, as NASCAR discovered that the...HANS device...in Kyle Busch's car actually broke during his crash Saturday at Talladega."

ESPN then ran a video montage of Kyle Busch crashing all over the place in all kinds of cars for all kinds of reasons. They pulled-out all the stops to suggest that Kyle has a "problem," that he is "reckless," or that "something" must be wrong. Banks threw fuel on this phony fire by trying to suggest that Hendrick Motorsports was concerned about this "situation."

Unfortunately, the "ESPN hype kings" continue to be brought down to earth by the very reporters employed by NASCAR Now. Banks actually asked reporter David Newton "what are they saying about the high number of crashes by Kyle Busch?" Newton answered "there is really no concern at all. Kyle is an aggressive driver...that's what got him to this level. Kyle just as easily could have won those races" So, in reality what Newton is saying is...NASCAR Now made it up. You guys made this up.

Banks asked Newton, with great concern in his voice, about the "broken" HANS device that led the show. Newton replied "there is a small crack at the back...this is not something that is unusual. It did its job and they are comfortable with the way things are going. Jeff Gordon had the same thing happen." So, in reality what Newton is saying is...NASCAR Now made it up. You guys made this up.

As if NASCAR Now could not dig its own hole any deeper, Dr. Bob Hubbard, who created the HANS device, was then interviewed by phone. This was incredible. Hubbard said the device was compressed by impact, and the crack that developed was very minor. But, Doug Banks could not leave well enough alone. In NASCAR Now's best confrontational style, he asked Dr. Hubbard "Are you satisfied with how the device worked?" Hubbard quietly said "Well...Kyle is."

Apparently, Dr. Hubbard was all the reality that Banks and the NASCAR Now crew could take. It was fantasy time, and ESPN's "fantasy racing" guy Chris Harris was live to talk about removing the entire overlay of actual racing, and picking one driver against another on stats alone to "win" in fantasy world. NASCAR Now has no time for the Busch Series, no time for Craftsman Trucks, and no time for the NASCAR Modifieds, but there is plenty of time for fantasy. Amazingly, you must go to ESPN.com and sign-up to play in this fantasy league. What a coincidence.

In a strange twist, Banks then led to a "tribute" to Earnhardt Sr. by both Jeff Gordon and his car owner Rick Hendrick. But what appeared on-air was both men addressing once again the trash throwing incident at the close of the race. If this was a mistake, it should have been fixed prior to airing. If it was intentional, it just cemented the reputation of this show for dipping over-and-over again into the tabloid journalism bucket to throw more dirt and negativity into the sport.

As usual, with this "bi-polar" program, Banks then asked old crew chief Tim Brewer about the folks throwing things at Gordon. Brewer smiled, and said "We used to come out of Nashville, TN after winning with Darrell Waltrip. They threw full beer cans at us, chicken bones, and called us everything but good people." In other words, its not like this hasn't happened before. NASCAR will fix it.

Unfortunately, NASCAR appears to be unable to fix ESPN2's NASCAR Now. If ESPN treated the NFL the way they are treating NASCAR, Commissioner Roger Goodell would be standing in ESPN President George Bodenheimer's office the next day. The fact that no one from NASCAR has taken the time to have a "chat" with the "hype kings" of NASCAR Now is amazing.

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SPEED Channel: "Inside NEXTEL Cup" Continues To Survive

Many NASCAR fans remember that Monday nights on SPEED used to be "must view." The hilarious and irreverent Inside NEXTEL Cup Racing set the table for several hours of great NASCAR programming. It was a powerful block of TV that re-aired right away, and sometimes was fun to sit through twice. It was almost perfect, and it put SPEED on the map. This was long before the Craftsman Truck Series, RaceDay, or Victory Lane. Inside NEXTEL Cup Racing was a cornerstone of the network.

Alan Bestwick was the "ringmaster" for three naughty and misbehaving NASCAR drivers who barely had a clue to the format of the show. Johnny Benson, Kenny Schrader, and Michael Waltrip were often like three guys "just sitting around talking." They liked to play with the remote control machine, loved to harass the guest on "the hot seat," and basically talked about the weekend from the perspectives of three guys who were there. Every year when NASCAR President Mike Helton was a guest, Waltrip or Schrader would always ask him how much he made...just for information purposes. It was plain and simple and fun.

Then, change occurred in the most unusual way. A new SPEED TV executive decided to put his "mark" on this program by "freshening it up." Instead of quietly making changes in the off-season, he demanded change immediately. Bestwick and Johnny Benson were summarily dismissed from the program in an awkward and demeaning way. Alan was dignified as always, and Johnny was hurt. It was ugly.

Installed by the new regime was WindTunnel host Dave Despain, and NASCAR newcomer Brian Vickers. The program format was changed to reflect a tightly scripted environment where Despain was in complete control, and spoke over-top of anyone who dared to pipe-up out of turn. He often times looked very distressed on the air when it was apparent that his "control" was slipping away.

Kenny Schrader and Michael Waltrip were the surviving "Musketeers." They related directly to each other, and secondarily to Despain and Vickers. As the season progressed, they could barely contain their disgust for what the program had become, and began a hilarious campaign of purposefully throwing Despain off his train of thought. It wasn't all that hard to do.

Poor Brian Vickers was put in a no-win position from the beginning. Other than the one perspective that detailed "his car, his race, and his team," he had absolutely nothing to offer. Kenny Schrader and Michael Waltrip just spoke right around him, often completely contradicting what he had just said without even batting an eye.

Now, in late April of 2007, the current group of "survivors" soldiers on alone and uninspired. After Talladega, both Schrader and Waltrip speak on the panel as non-participants. Greg Biffle, the current third panelist, patiently answers the scripted questions put to him by Despain, who is the ultimate survivor.

There is no laughter, there is no fun, and there is no "new" content to attract NASCAR fans. Any regular SPEED viewer has already seen the NEXTEL Cup highlights on The SPEED Report, Victory Lane, and Wind Tunnel before Inside NEXTEL Cup hits the air. When you tack on NASCAR Now, SportsCenter, ESPN News, and the local TV station sports, its pretty much assumed that the last thing fans want on Monday night is the same highlights of the same race...again.

When the show is over, there is no additional NASCAR programming. There is no "block of NASCAR" for fans looking for original shows. NASCAR Images and SPEED have not re-built the Monday night line-up, and that is certainly a shame. Inside NEXTEL Cup now sits as an island, surrounded by Pinks and the re-airs of car auctions. Once a cornerstone, now alone and desolate.

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ESPN's "NASCAR Now" Needs Changes

The return to rumor and innuendo was swift. The joy of Jeff Gordon writing his name once again in the NASCAR record book took a backseat. It was time for suggesting "something was going on" with Johnson and Mears. It was time for making Marty Smith answer demeaning questions. It was time to guess "what finger" Tony was pointing. It was time to embarrass Jeff Burton. Yes, once again it was time for the "anti-NASCAR voice" to return to ESPN2 and his position of power.

Erik Kuselias was back on NASCAR Now. This time he had a full hour to belittle a sport he does not understand, and he did a great job.

Kuselias is not a man who will go quietly into the night. His single on-air goal is to build gossip and innuendo where there is none. His focus is quickly moving through the hard news until he can get to the point where his "lawyer style" questions can be forced on others. You must choose for Kuselias. Someone must be "graded." One of two choices must be "selected." You must either "confirm or deny." You must answer "yes or no." You must choose.

There can be no free-flowing conversation in his world, and that is for one reason. It would quickly reveal the fact that he does not know anything about NASCAR. And make no mistake about it, he does not. Those around him pay the price.

The Daly Planet has tried to suggest that the NASCAR Now reporters be allowed to speak freely, and with each other, in the program's news section. Today, that attempt was made with completely disastrous results. Reporters Angelique Chengelis and David Newton attempted to talk spontaneously to each other, and the host. Kuselias looked like a deer-in-the-headlights. Remember, he has absolutely no NASCAR knowledge. He could not speak with them, follow-up, or react. He does not know what they are talking about. And he is hosting ESPN's flagship one hour NASCAR weekend-in-review show. Amazing.

Jeff Gordon might have thought that appearing on NASCAR Now would be a pleasure. This weekend was historic, and Gordon is a great live interview. With all the technology surrounding ESPN, it was incredible that Jeff Gordon was interviewed...by phone. No matter how much it cost, Gordon should have been live on-camera like every other person in this program. This was Gordon's day, and a time that will not come again. A cell phone call just does not make it for a key NASCAR TV partner like ESPN in the first year of their return to the sport. If Gordon was unavailable for a TV interview, Kuselias should has told us why. Now, let's move along to the other Jeff.

The ESPN camera was thrust in Jeff Burton's face after the NEXTEL Cup race at Talladega. He finished 34th after a wreck. He was frustrated. He was tired. He was disappointed. The ESPN reporter actually asked "how would you assess the day?" The look on Burton's face was priceless. This was the epitome of how ridiculous NASCAR Now has become. Burton took a deep breath, and politely answered "we got in a wreck...so it wasn't very good." If only he had said "fantastic, I intended to finish just this way. Aren't you from NASCAR Now? Here's your sign." Somewhere, Bill Engvall would be smiling.

As a final note in this column, I would again appeal for ESPN to understand that there were three national touring races and several key regional touring series events this weekend. Who made the decision to feature only NEXTEL Cup in a one hour show about...NASCAR? The Craftsman Trucks got a ten second video highlight, and no interview with the winner. The Busch Series, actually run on ABC, got a fifteen second highlight package, no interview with the winner, and no follow-up on the nineteen year old pole sitter. This is sad, but there is more.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was holding the classic "Spring Sizzler" up at Stafford Speedway in Connecticut, the Whelen South Mods were at Caraway, North Carolina, and the Busch East guys were slugging it out at the historic Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina. Not only were there no highlights, but none of these series has ever been mentioned on NASCAR Now. Never.

As we move into the month of May, things have to change on this program. To see Mike Massaro on the studio set making a brief appearance as a "reporter" was tough to take. Massaro has been the heart-and-soul of ESPN's NASCAR legacy for the past six years. Why not give him a chance to host some episodes of this program, and let some other ESPN personalities like Alan Bestwick get the same chance? Even Shannon Spake might deserve an opportunity to step-up and host a program or two. She has been working harder than anyone else on this series since Daytona.

When things aren't working on a NASCAR team, the owner shakes things up. Drivers, crew chiefs, spotters, and everyone else is fair game to be part of the changes. Since February, NASCAR Now has been sputtering. Now that three months have passed, and only Ryan Burr has been successful in the host role, its time to shake things up. Take stock in the fact that the news reporters, the field reporters, and the studio experts have been well-received. Then take an honest look at the single problem with the show, and make the change. The time is now, the only question is, can ESPN overcome its own ego and straighten things out for the overall good of the sport? After today's show, let's hope the answer is yes.

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