Live Blogging Nationwide Series From Kansas (ESPN2 - 3PM ET)

Just when the Nationwide Series was about to fall off the map, changes have brought it back to life in the media. Reed Sorenson, pictured above, was fired over the phone earlier this week. Sorenson says it was over money, his owner Steve Turner says it was over performance.

Vince Welch from ESPN will speak with Mr. Turner in the pre-race show, college football time allowing. This dismissal of the third-ranked driver in the series and the subsequent insertion of Brian Vickers into that seat is a hot topic.

As the sponsorship woes continue on the Sprint Cup Series level, some Nationwide Series sponsors have migrated up one notch due to the ability to get more for the same money. Clint Bowyer joined MWR for 2012 and took Rusty Wallace's 5 Hour Energy sponsor.

Wallace is on the pre-race show with Brad Daugherty and host Nicole Briscoe. Daugherty has been useless this season and it should be his last. Wallace continues to be riddled with conflicts of interest every time he speaks. It will be very interesting to see how he approaches the topics in the new today.

Marty Reid will call the race with Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree. We asked ESPN to bring in a second set of analysts for this time of the year, but instead Jarrett and Petree have been doing double-duty. This does not allow them time to prep for the Nationwide telecasts and it shows.

Dr. Jerry Punch, Welch, Jamie Little and Dave Burns will be on pit road. Depending on who is covering what teams, it could be an interesting day to watch the activity of these reporters. Instead of another Cup dominated event, now there are stories to pursue.

Kansas makes for good racing with the normal struggles to pass. Restarts are outstanding and the layout of the track allows TV to make great pictures. ESPN has all the tools for a good one, let's see how it goes.

This post will host your comments on the ESPN2 telecast. To add your TV-related opinion, just click on the comments button below. Thanks for stopping by.

Taking A Moment For Steve Jobs

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose."

That was Steve Jobs in 2005 delivering a heartfelt commencement address at Stanford University. Jobs lost his battle with cancer on Wednesday, surrounded by family members.

Every day I interact with people who send me text, pictures and videos from their iPhones. My favorite songs are neatly arranged on playlists in my iPod. My Christmas gift to my 80 year-old mom last year was an iPad.

Let's take a moment for Steve Jobs. Here are some comments on his passing and legacy.

From his family:

Steve died peacefully today surrounded by his family.

In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family. We are thankful to the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve's illness; a website will be provided for those who wish to offer tributes and memories.

We are grateful for the support and kindness of those who share our feelings for Steve. We know many of you will mourn with us, and we ask that you respect our privacy during our time of grief.

This from President Obama:

Michelle and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.

By building one of the planet's most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the Internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grownups alike. Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world.

The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.

In our little NASCAR world, it seems ironic that just yesterday on Twitter we had an extended discussions about the pro's and cons of the new iPhone. It is a device that is all over the garage, grandstands and TV compound at every race.

While the word "visionary" was used repeatedly in many news stories, Jobs really influenced our entire culture with some of the innovations that made their way into our lives. It was a fascinating life.

Happy to have your comments on Jobs passing and what thoughts it brings up in connection with the changes in your life, technology-based or not. Just click the comments button below to add your thoughts. Thanks for taking the time to stop by.

TV/Media Reader Questions

This weekend will signal a shift toward almost total coverage of the final run to the championships in each of NASCAR's three touring series.

Before things get cranked up, there have been lots of NASCAR TV and media items that have been in the news recently. Perhaps, not all of them have been addressed in the columns and media notes on this site.

Wednesday will be a good opportunity to ask whatever NASCAR TV and media questions you have on your mind. During the day, we will try to get answers for you and offer any additional information we have on those topics.

I think this is a good idea and I appreciate the reader who suggested it. Please click the comments button and type in your question. We will be updating the comments section continually on Wednesday, so just check back to see if your question was answered. Thanks!