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Jimmie Johnson wins the Sprint All-Star race.....again
posted by Mike Neff
Sunday May 19, 2013
Five-time is now four-time when it comes to the Sprint All-Star race. Coming into Saturday night’s race, Johnson was tied with Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt for most wins in the annual event with three wins. Johnson bided his time, restarted the last segment in the second spot, dueled Kasey Kahne for two laps to secure the lead and pulled away to a convincing win. Joey Logano started the last segment in the seventh position, took advantage of a slip up by Kyle Busch on the start of the final segment, and ultimately came home in the runner-up spot. Kyle Busch rebounded from his slip up to muscle his way back to third. Kahne started the final segment on the pole but couldn’t hold off Johnson on the first few laps of the restart and ended up fourth. Kurt Busch won two segments, was the first on pit road for the money pit stop, but finished the event in fifth place. Jimmie Johnson summed up his results in two words, “we’re lucky”. It was tongue in cheek but Johnson was poking fun at the people who continue to accuse the No. 48 of preferential treatment, fixed races, and a blind eye to cheating. Johnson has one of the highest winning percentages in NASCAR history and it comes from natural talent and chemistry with his crew. This race also now ties Johnson with Davey Allison as the only two drivers to win the race in back-to-back years. Logano and Busch visited with the media after the race to speak about their runs. Logano was understandably upbeat about his second while Busch was quite dejected, having another All-Star race slip out of his grasp. Kahne spoke about the elephant in the room that is the length of the segments in the race during his post race availability on pit road. He noted that the inherent problem with the format is that the car is designed with downforce, on a track that is cool and has a bunch of grip. The only way to make the races exciting after the first couple of laps of racing would be to extend the segments to the The first 20 lap segment was won by Kurt Busch. Segment two went to his brother Kyle. That segment win allowed Bruton Smith to breathe more easily since he put up a $1,000,000 bonus to anyone who won all four of the segments. Segment three also went to the younger Busch, while the fourth segment win was tallied in brother Kurt’ s account.
Kyle Busch wins the North Carolina Education Lottery 200
posted by Mike Neff
Friday May 17, 2013
‘Rowdy’ Busch was back in his familiar No. 51 truck at his favorite track on the Truck schedule. Busch led 80 laps and thought he should have led more but had a fuel issue on pit road that resulted in him having to battle back through the field. The race was slowed by eight cautions that helped him work his way back through the field. Busch beat Brendan Gaughan to the finish by .488 seconds, while Max Gresham chased them both to the line for his first top three finish of his Truck career. Matt Crafton came home in fourth place after having to battle through a couple of tire mishaps during the event. Ty Dillon rounded out the top 5 for his first finish that high this season. Busch led the race three times for his 80 laps. Miguel Paludo was second on the laps led board with 33. Gaughan, Gresham and Dillon also scored bonus points for leading laps. There were two cautions in the first 72 laps of the race while 29 of the last 62 laps were completed under the yellow flag. Jeb Burton started the race on the pole but did not lead a lap. He did however end the race as the Rookie of the Race for his 13th place finish. Matt Crafton leads Burton by 22 points in the season standings after five races this season.
Matt Kenseth Snatches Victory from the Jaws of Defeat at Darlington
posted by Mike Neff
Sunday May 12, 2013
Kyle Busch appeared to be headed for another weekend sweep after winning the Nationwide race at Darlington on Friday night. However, a funny thing happened as they were bringing out the dustpan. Matt Kenseth chased down the dominant car of the night, passed him with relative ease and then strolled away to a 3.165 second victory. Kenseth led the final 13 laps after Busch had held the point for 265 of the 354 laps leading up to Kenseth’s race winning pass. After Kenseth worked around Busch, the No. 18 slid rapidly backwards over the final eight laps to fall from second to sixth place. Joe Gibbs Racing did manage a 1-2 finish after sweeping the podium in Friday night’s Nationwide tilt. Denny Hamlin, in his first full race back in the car since his vertebrae fracture at California, soldiered through the pain of his arms, neck and shoulders more than his recovered back to wrestle a second place finish away from the Lady in Black. Coming home in third was Jeff Gordon, who turned his 700th career start into a top 3 finish. Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top 5 in the Bojangles Southern 500. Kurt Busch started the race on the pole and led the first 51 laps before coming to the pits for a green flag stop. After the stops cycled through Busch was back at the point for 18 more laps before his brother began his domination. The race went green for the first 302 laps save a seven lap caution stint from lap 125 to lap 131. The final 65 laps saw four more cautions that flew for accidents involving Regan Smith, Brad Keselowski, Casey Mears, Kurt Busch, Josh Wise, David Reutimann and Kasey Kahne. The race saw four leaders including Jeff Gordon in addition to the Busch brothers and Kenseth. The win is Kenseth’s 27th of his career and breaks a tie between himself and his teammate Kyle Busch. The win is Kenseth’s third this season which is the most among all of the competitors in the Cup series. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the Rookie of the Race. Jeff Gordon’s top 5 finish was his 300th of his career. He joins Richard Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison as the only four drivers in the history of the sport to accomplish such a feat.
Busch Dominates at Darlington as JGR Sets Nationwide Series Record
posted by Amy Henderson
Friday May 10, 2013
Kyle Busch dominated the VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 on Friday night en route to his 56th career Nationwide Series victory and fifth series win of 2013. Joe Gibbs Racing in general was the class of the field all night at Darlington Raceway, claiming four of the top 5 finishing spots, with only fourth-place Joey Logano keeping them from sweeping the top four spots. It was a historic night for JGR, as no team has ever before placed four cars in the top 5. Elliott Sadler finished second to Busch and Brian Vickers third, with Logano and Matt Kenseth rounding out the top 5. Busch led 107 of 147 laps on the way to the win. Sadler was the best among the Nationwide Regulars, finishing second despite an early spin in Turn 2, and gained points on leader Regan Smith, who finished seventh. Kyle Larson continued to impress at the Lady in Black, posting a sixth-place finish in his first Darlington start as he runs for rookie honors. Sam Hornish, Jr., who remained second in points, finished eighth while Kasey Kahne and Justin Allgaier filled the top 10. Smith now leads Nationwide Series points by 28 over Hornish. Sadler jumps two spots to third on his second-place run as Justin Allgaier fell one place to fourth. Vickers gained three sports and is now fifth, 49 behind Smith. Austin Dillon, Parker Kligerman, Brian Scott, Alex Bowman, and Kyle Larson round out the top 10.
Joe Gibbs Racing Penalties Reduced Following Appeal
posted by Summer Bedgood
Wednesday May 8, 2013
Joe Gibbs Racing had many of their penalties for the No. 20 team reduced during the appeal process on Wednesday. Driver Matt Kenseth and owner Joe Gibbs had their points penalties reduced from 50 to 12 points. Crew chief Jason Ratcliff’s suspension has also been dropped from seven races to one, though he will still be forced to pay the $200,000 fine. Not all of the penalties were reduced, however. Toyota Racing’s manufacturer points penalty was increased from five points to seven. All other penalties were dropped, including the suspension of Joe Gibbs’ owners license, the loss of bonus points for the Chase earned at Kansas Speedway, and the loss of eligibility into the Sprint Unlimited garnered from the pole at Kansas Speedway. JGR has accepted the penalties and will not appeal further. Following a dominant win at Kansas Speedway a few weeks ago, Kenseth’s car failed post-race inspection when it was found that a connecting rod was 2.7 grams below the minimum weight. Toyota Racing Development accepted the blame for the incident. The reduction moves Kenseth up to fourth in points, 66 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. JGR has not announced who will replace Ratcliff this weekend in Darlington. The appeal was heard by Mark Arute, Dennis McGlynn, and Jack Housby. NASCAR cannot appeal the revised penalties.
Penske Has Suspensions Reduced On Appeal
posted by Thomas Bowles
Wednesday May 8, 2013
Roger Penske’s team got some relief Tuesday from NASCAR’s Chief Appellate Officer John Middlebrook, as he chose to reduce penalties assessed to that organization at Texas Motor Speedway in early April. Middlebrook, after hearing the evidence from both sides Tuesday chose to reduce all suspensions in the case from six to two weeks, plus NASCAR’s All-Star Race on May 18th. That means the final consequences for both teams are the following: No. 2 car No. 22 car Other Middlebrook’s official statement was short, simply stating, “After looking at all the facts, data, and interpretations from the rule book, I have decided to uphold the original fines and points penalties. However, I have decided to reduce the suspensions of the seven team members involved from six points races and the All-Star race to two points races and the All-Star Race.” However, it seemed both sides, after presenting their cases were far more pleased with how the case was handled during this portion of the appeal. “We were able to talk about areas we worked in,” said Roger Penske, referring to the “gray area” of the NASCAR rulebook officials ultimately felt stepped over the line. “I’m very happy with the outcome. This sport has been built on innovation. All of us have tried to innovate in areas not defined in the rulebook. We were in that area.” In conversations with the parties involved, it was clear the controversy surrounded parts designed to increase the rear-end angle at the back of both cars. In past years, with innovation limited through the Car of Tomorrow templates teams have played around with suspension systems designed to make the rear end of the car easier to “move.” The more the car skews in the corner, the easier it can be to handle and gain extra speed. However, NASCAR had made rules designed to curb those types of innovations this year and made the determination Penske parts to build the rear suspension were unapproved. Why they had gone undetected in previous inspections was never addressed, along with claims someone else in the garage had alerted officials to possible inappropriate car construction. One thing Penske did admit, though is had this decision been issued by the initial appeals panel, he would not have pressed his luck with Middlebrook. “All of us,” he said. “Have lost points for certain infractions over the years. The key thing is to have people back at the racetrack operating in full control.” The end results leave Logano 18th in points, 146 behind championship leader Jimmie Johnson and 43 outside a Chase position. Keselowski is far more stable; fifth in points, he’s 69 behind and 45 ahead of 11th-place Matt Kenseth. Neither of the Penske cars have won a race this season. “Moved on from last few weeks,” Keselowski tweeted Wednesday morning. “And ready to focus on @TooToughToTame (Darlington Raceway).” The next round of NASCAR penalty appeals, focusing on Joe Gibbs Racing and Matt Kenseth will be heard on Wednesday morning. Connect with Tom!
Penske Racing LOSES Penalty Case, Will Appeal To NSCRC John Middlebrook
posted by Thomas Bowles
Wednesday May 1, 2013
A three-member panel Wednesday unanimously upheld penalties assessed to Penske Racing after pre-race inspection at Texas Motor Speedway. Comprised of Pocono President Brandon Igdalsky, Bowman-Gray President Dale Pinilis and former NASCAR VP Paul Brooks, the trio determined the sanctioning body’s evidence was enough to “convict” Penske to the tune of points lost, suspensions given and $200,000 in fines. Roger Penske, in response has pledged to send a final appeal to National Stock Car Racing Commissioner John Middlebrook. That hearing will occur Tuesday, May 7th at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center. Here’s a quick list of what penalties are pending (everything but the points deductions will be deferred, pending Middlebrook’s approval until after the final appeal): No. 2 team No. 22 team Both teams NASCAR’s representation included Sprint Cup Director John Darby but not Vice President Robin Pemberton, who was whisked away to Florida on jury duty. Owner Roger Penske was in attendance to defend the allegations along with Team Manager Travis Geisler, Tim Cindric, Walt Czarnecki, Joey Logano’s crew chief Todd Gordon along with several other key principles. UPDATE: The National Stock Car Racing Commission issued a brief statement, reviewing the penalties and then explaining the following. “Upon hearing the testimony and carefully reviewing the facts, it was a unanimous decision by the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel to uphold the original penalties assessed by NASCAR.” “The Appellants have the right under Section 15 of the rule book to appeal this decision to the National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer.” Connect with Tom!
Kyle Busch Wins Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown
posted by Thomas Bowles
Friday April 26, 2013
Who says Joe Gibbs Racing teammates don’t get along? Kyle Busch is certainly receiving gifts, from Denny Hamlin in the form of shiny trophies from winning the latter’s annual charity event. Rowdy was romping through the field again at Richmond Thursday night, taking control at the race’s midpoint and cruising during the latter stages to win the Showdown for the third time in the past six years. In a race that benefits the Denny Hamlin Foundation, created to help those with cystic fibrosis Busch had his late model hitting on all cyilnders down the stretch. Pulling away from fellow Cup driver David Ragan, in the final segment of the 75-lap race the outcome was simply never in doubt following a 5-minute break for pit stops prior to Lap 47. Ben Rhodes, Ronnie Bassett, Jr., and Garrett Campbell rounded out the top-5 finishers. Other Cup drivers, including defending race champion Tony Stewart were in the field but never a factor up front. Smoke, actually extending his slumping start to 2013 into this race got wrecked before the halfway point and wound up 28th. Matt Kenseth, still distraught after a midweek penalty virtually negated his win at Kansas was never truly competitive, either; he finished 22nd. Also on Thursday night, African-American driver Ryan Gifford won the first K&N Pro Series East race of his young career. Surviving a five-lap shootout, following a red flag he cruised home over Brandon Gdovic. Connect with Tom!
Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Penalized As Engine Fails Kansas Post-Race Inspection
posted by Thomas Bowles
Wednesday April 24, 2013
Until the end of time, Matt Kenseth can say he crossed the finish line first at Kansas Sunday. NASCAR Record Books will say the same. But after a harsh series of penalties announced on Wednesday, should they stand that’s about the only thing Kenseth can hang his hat on after a successful weekend turned sour. According to multiple reports, officials at the NASCAR R & D Center in North Carolina discovered a connecting rod on Kenseth’s engine, brought in for Kansas post-race inspection weighed three grams less than the minimum weight of 525g. The consequences, announced today are crippling for both driver and team. Kenseth, along with car owner Joe Gibbs have been docked 50 driver and owner points, actually reducing their overall totals heading into Kansas even though the No. 20 car won the race. That lost chunk of points drops Kenseth from eighth to 14th in the standings. More importantly, the win “won’t count” for either bonus points in the Chase or determine postseason eligibility; that means the driver, now in “Wild Card” position is considered to have one win so far this season instead of two. That’s just the tip of the iceberg on these consequences. Crew chief Jason Radcliffe, fined $200,000 based on the infraction has also been suspended for the next six Sprint Cup points events, along with the All-Star Race. Toyota, whose TRD engine department ultimately supplies the JGR powerplants has had five points deducted from its total in the manufacturer’s championship. And finally, Joe Gibbs himself, already docked 50 owner points has had his license suspended by NASCAR, which means he’s ineligible to accrue owner points for the No. 20 until the next six Sprint Cup Series points races are completed. Gibbs, NASCAR has clarified will still be able to travel to the racetrack despite a suspended license. In a tersely worded statement, the owner says he’ll appeal the ruling, which violated three parts of the series rulebook. The one most pertinent is Section 20-5.5.3(E) which states only magnetic steel connecting rods, with a minimum weight of 525.0 grams will be permitted. Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 12-4J, which gives officials the right to penalize for parts they claim do not conform to NASCAR rules were also cited in the sport’s official release. Toyota Racing Development’s Lee White, in a statement released early this afternoon took responsibility for the violation. During NASCAR’s routine post-race tear down of Matt Kenseth’s race-winning car and engine from Kansas Speedway,” he stated, “One of our engine connecting rods weighed in approximately three grams under the legal minimum weight of 525 grams. None of the other seven connecting rods were found to be under the minimum weight. We take full responsibility for this issue with the engine used by the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) team this past Sunday in Kansas — JGR is not involved in the process of selecting parts or assembling the Cup Series engines. It was a simple oversight on TRD’s part and there was no intent to deceive, or to gain any type of competitive advantage. Toyota is a company that was built on integrity, and that remains one of the guiding principles of the company. The goal of TRD has always been — and will continue to be — to build high-performance engines that are reliable, durable and powerful, and within the guidelines established by NASCAR.” Kenseth, who has led 482 laps this season, two higher than his total last year has been one of the strongest competitiors on the Sprint Cup track in 2013. His engines have also passed several previous inspections.
Johnny Sauter Penalized For Fuel Cell Infraction At Kansas
posted by Thomas Bowles
Wednesday April 24, 2013
Thorsport Racing, along with former Truck Series point leader Johnny Sauter are reeling this Wednesday after a major penalty involving their No. 98 Toyota. On Wednesday, NASCAR announced the team was fined $10,000, crew chief Joel Shear has been suspended for four races and 25 owner points were taken away as a result of a faulty fuel cell, confiscated during pre-race inspection at Kansas. Driver Sauter was also hit was a loss of 25 points, completely reshaping the championship Chase heading into the next race of the season at Charlotte May 17th. According to NASCAR officials, the team violated multiple sections of the rulebook. The key ones involve Section 20B-16 and 20B-16.1B, regarding the proper size and functioning of fuel cells. “Once a fuel cell or fuel cell components have been certified,” the rules say, “Modifications of any kind will not be permitted.” The 16.1B portion refers to black safety foam, with a minimum height of eight inches that must be used as a safety mechanism when putting together the fuel cell itself. By violating that rule, NASCAR is insinuating the team modified or enhanced the cell in some way by cutting back / replacing that foam. Section 12-1, actions detrimental to stock car racing was also listed as a rules violation along with 12-4K, which gives NASCAR Officials the leeway to penalize teams when they feel previously legal equipment was modified, in any manner after being initially inspected. Thorsport, as of yet has not said whether they plan to appeal. The penalties mean Matt Crafton becomes the new Truck Series point leader, by 13 over Jeb Burton while Sauter gets pushed back into a tie for second place. |
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Phil Allaway · Tuesday September 29, 2009
Hello, race fans. Last weekend, the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series were each racing in Dover, De. Neither race was adversely affected by weather, although it was a potential issue on both Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile, the Truck Series raced at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Las Vegas 350k.
However, before I get into my critiques of those races, a little news piece. Auto Club Speedway (Fontana, Ca.) has announced a fan vote to determine the start time of next year’s Auto Club 500. As you might remember, this year’s race coverage started at 2 p.m. local time (5 p.m. Eastern) with a one hour pre-race show. The green flag fell around 3:15 p.m. (6:15 p.m. et).
To vote, go to this link at Auto Club Speedway’s website. There are two choices for the new start time for next year. One is noon local (3 p.m. et), while the other is 4:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. et). The voting page gives advantages for each time. Readers are urged to vote for either one or the other, and there is space where they want you to voice your reasoning for your pick. Personally, I chose noon. You can also voice your choices on the start time via the track’s Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter pages, or by e-mailing the track directly at fans@autoclubspeedway.com. Based on the responses on ACS’ Facebook page, it’s fairly close right now.
Due to the split weekend, and how I prefer to group races at the same track together, I’ll start with the Truck Series’ Las Vegas 350k from Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The pre-race has basically become almost routine for SPEED this season. Review the previous event, interview drivers, attempt to humiliate Ray Dunlap in a feature (all in good fun) with one of the drivers, and then there’s a wild card. This week, that wild card was the feature on Matt Crafton and his relationship with Kevin Harvick, complete with clips from the one year (2004) Crafton drove the then No. 6 Goodwrench Chevrolet for KHI.
While the excitement was high during the Truck Series race at Las Vegas, the comparisons of the track to Daytona and Talladega were a bit off.
The race coverage was fairly good, once the lights in Turn 1 got fixed (this delayed the start by almost 30 minutes). Johnny Benson was back in the booth for his third and final race of the year and I believe that he’s likely improved with every race. The excitement was high with the on-track action, although I think they might have overdone it with the comparisons to Daytona and Talladega because of the new gear rule. Yes, it created a different race, but it was not pack racing. The draft did play a role at times, but otherwise, it was a normal Las Vegas event.
However, there were a couple of things that I believe need to be mentioned here. SPEED seems to still have a policy of not mentioning teams that S&P during the race. Yes, they might mention them as part of the SPEED Spotlight at the beginning of the race, like they did at ORP when a bunch of new teams conjured themselves up out of nowhere to attempt the race. However, there is no acknowledgment when these teams bring in it for the night (or day). This needs to change.
Also, some of the camera shots were a little inconclusive when it came to the Ricky Carmichael-Max Papis crash on Saturday. Neither of the camera views of the crash showed whether Papis actually made any contact with the wall. Papis did finish the race two laps down in 18th, so it didn’t hurt him too much.
In the end, it was an enjoyable race to watch, although there isn’t a whole lot of on track action due to the general lack of trucks on the track that are running the whole race these days. This isn’t anything that the SPEED crew can do anything about, to be honest.
Earlier on Saturday afternoon, the Nationwide Series raced in the Dover 200, aired on ESPN2. Of course, this time of year, Nationwide races on Saturdays have to deal with the juggernaut that is college football. NASCAR Countdown was scheduled to start on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. (which, by the way, is way the heck too late to be starting pre-race to a daytime event in Delaware). The Indiana-Michigan football game, which started at noon went long, which resulted in NASCAR Countdown being pushed to ESPN Classic. Inside Note: The cable box I usually watch races on won’t pick up ESPN Classic for some reason (despite the fact that it comes up fine on the other ones in the house), so I’m thankful I was the only one home Saturday afternoon.
The actual pre-race was a typical affair that started with a review of the race two weeks ago at Richmond, then moved into interviews with drivers and pre-race analysis from Bestwick, Wallace and Daugherty in the Infield Studio. Standard fare here, not great, but not bad. It was passable, although knowing that there was rain in the vicinity (mentioned by Bestwick during pre-race), I’m surprised that NASCAR didn’t move the race start up.
Probably the most notable thing I saw in the race telecast was a big time technical problem that arose during the round of green flag pit stops. Everything went dark for about 30 seconds. Then, the ESPN2 graphic came up on the screen before it gradually faded into a commercial break. ESPN returned from this unannounced break just in time for leader Kyle Busch’s pit stop. Marty Reid apologized for this and referred to it as a “signal interruption.” What actually caused this interruption? I have no clue. It could have been any number of issues.
The combination of a runaway race by Kyle Busch that left only a few cars remaining on the lead lap by halfway and a lack of cautions resulted in a race that heavily focused on the front-runners (specifically, Cup regulars that moonlight in the Nationwide Series). Even the Nationwide-only regulars up front cannot get much airtime. Jason Leffler was invisible on Saturday. It was an outright surprise to me that he finished sixth because I didn’t remember seeing his No. 38 on camera all day. Even Mike Bliss, who finished second, didn’t get a lot of mentions. It’s also worth mentioning that he drew the eighth interview during the post-race coverage, which doesn’t really make much sense to me.
Due to the lack of cautions, the race ended nearly a half hour before the timeslot was through. In that time, ESPN aired eight post-race interviews (seven drivers and the winning crew chief, Doug Randolph). I can understand the crew chief and winning driver being first up for interviews. That makes sense. But, why does someone like Kyle Busch get second crack ahead of Mike Bliss?
There was also extensive post-race analysis from the booth and the infield commentators, and a piece from the Craftsman Tech Garage on post-race inspections. Informative, to be honest.
There are definitely aspects of the Nationwide telecasts that could be improved. There needs to be less of a focus on the Cup usurpers in the series, to be honest. It’s kind of sad that it can feel like some of the series’ bigger teams aren’t even there.
Finally, on Sunday, the Sprint Cup Series raced in the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway.
Pre-race was once again centered on the Chasers, although I will admit that the Chasers (with a couple of exceptions) were the strongest teams all weekend. A feature, Side by Side, that I think is new, premiered on Sunday. In this feature, a driver (in this case, Juan Pablo Montoya) is interviewed side-by-side with his crew chief (Brian Pattie). It was interesting and I hope ESPN continues this in the future, even with non-Chasers.
There was also a short piece on tailgating with Brad Daugherty and Marcos Ambrose. Couple thoughts on this. Not sure if Daugherty should have been doing this feature since he’s technically Ambrose’s car owner. Screams of favoritism. Also, this was essentially a three minute commercial for Bush’s Baked Beans, since Jay Bush (the CEO of Bush’s Baked Beans) showed up along with his dog, Duke, and there was plenty of Bush‘s product placement. Thirdly, I could just see that Vegemite sandwich coming a mile away.
Now, I’ll be honest with you. This was not the greatest race on earth to watch. Johnson couldn’t be touched once he took the lead on lap 176. It was hard for me to get excited about while doing the Live Blog. However, the commentators in the booth have to get into the race to make it more palatable to viewers. Rarely should a commentator, or group of commentators be a significant draw to a sporting event, but I think it’s possible for commentary to hurt TV ratings.
Although, I will admit, on Monday, I got to thinking. What would it be like with commentators of other sports (if they had the proper knowledge of the sport) in the booth? NASCAR has had races with people like the late Jim McKay, Keith Jackson, Paul Page and others in the booth in the past. Could you imagine someone like the excitable Gus Johnson in the booth for a NASCAR race (he might be perfect for Talladega)? I’m not endorsing firings, swaps (like John Daly has been saying for most of the last three seasons), or anything like that. Just thinking out loud.
On Sunday, ESPN once again focused heavily on the Chasers, leaving little air time for everyone else in the field. The refrains being uttered on Twitter often had to do with a lack of field resets during cautions. Yes, we have the scrolls at the top of the screen. That should not be the only way that fans of non-Chasers can keep track of their favorite drivers. Makes me wonder what it would have been like trying to follow my favorite driver (Johnny Benson) had he continued in the Cup Series full-time after 2003. I think it would have been annoying. Also, visual cues are only so good. Not everyone is a visual learner. Some people prefer to hear things as well. ESPN needs to take this into account.
Also, ESPN needs to take great pains to show the pieces of debris on the track when NASCAR throws these debris cautions. I can remember FOX going to these lengths in the past after a significant fan outcry, so I’m pretty sure that you’re capable of doing the same thing. It probably isn’t that hard, knowing that ESPN always has a bare minimum of 60 cameras on site every week. Although, I will admit that NASCAR’s criteria for debris to cause yellows might be a lot smaller than it once was. During our Live Blog from Loudon, S.D. Grady mentioned that NASCAR saw a bolt on the track during green flag pit stops. They waited until after the stops before throwing the yellow for it. I don’t think that small bolts used to draw debris cautions in NASCAR.
Post-race coverage was relatively brief because the race went over its timeslot shortly before completion. There were six interviews (five drivers and Chad Knaus, the winning crew chief). The point check was added into the scroll during these interviews. There was some brief post-race analysis from the booth commentators and some comments before the infield studio before ESPN left the air around 6:10 p.m. et. Slightly less than ten minutes was given to post-race.
I think that ESPN can still make a good telecast of a Cup Series race, unlike what some other people believe. In addition, I think it can be done with the current people in their current roles. Nobody needs to be swapped or outright canned. There just needs to be a change in philosophy in how these races are covered. The races do not need to be “scripted.” I could understand scripting NASCAR Now somewhat and maybe NASCAR Countdown, but not the races. Races are by nature, unpredictable, and need to be covered as such. I can understand some talking points being thrown around from time to time, but not the entire telecast being based around ideas bandied around in a midday conference call on Tuesdays.
Speaking of ratings, the overnights for Sunday’s race are in and they’re not good. Higher than last week, but not good. 2.7 is the overnight rating, down seven percent from last year. Compared to 2001, the ratings are down over 30 percent. The decline once the NFL regular season got underway is typical, but still very worrying.
That’s all for this week. Next weekend is Kansas Speedway’s one Sprint Cup weekend of the year. Three races will held and all are televised, thankfully.
The ARCA Re/Max Series will hold the Kansas Lottery $150 Grand on Thursday evening. I have no clue why. Probably just so the track can have a fourth day of ticket receipts, although it’s arguable that may hurt the ARCA teams and prospective drivers that like to show off their abilities to Cup and Nationwide owners. The race will air live at 5 p.m. et on Thursday night. Rick Allen and Phil Parsons will be in the booth.
Around the time the ARCA race ends, the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series transporters will move onto the property. On Saturday, the Nationwide Series races in the Kansas Lottery 300. Coverage will start with NASCAR Countdown on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. et (2 p.m. Central) and the race will follow at 3:30 p.m. However, beware. There is another college football game, Arkansas State vs. Iowa, that is scheduled to start at Noon on Saturday and end at three. Don’t be surprised if NASCAR Countdown gets pushed to ESPN Classic again.
The Sprint Cup Series races on Sunday in the Price Chopper 400 Presented by Kraft Foods. For those of you wondering, Price Chopper is a “supermarket concept” by Associated Supermarkets based around the Kansas City area. It is not to be confused with Price Chopper Supermarkets, based in Scotia, New York, which served as an associate sponsor (on the C-Pillar) on Scott Speed’s No. 82 Toyota at Watkins Glen. Coverage will start at 1 p.m. et (12 p.m. ct) on ABC with a one hour edition of NASCAR Countdown before the race coverage starts at 2 p.m. et. The green flag is tentatively scheduled for 2:15 p.m. I will be critiquing all three of these races for next week’s critique. In addition, I will cover anything else of note that might come up in the next week that pertains to the telecasts.
If you have a gripe with me, or just want to say something about my critique, feel free to post in the comments below, or contact me through the email address provided on the website in my bio. Also, if you would like to follow me via Twitter, you can go to my Twitter page here. And if you would like to contact TNT, ESPN, or the SPEED Channel personally with an issue regarding their TV coverage of NASCAR, please click on the following links:
As always, if you choose to contact the networks by email, do so in a courteous manner. Network representatives are far more likely to respond to emails that ask questions in a courteous manner than emails full of rants and vitriol.
Thanks for reading, and have a great week!
Tuesday on the Frontstretch:
Five Points to Ponder: Jimmie vs. Matt And The Best Day In Motorsports
Who’s Hot / Who’s Not in NASCAR: All-Star – Charlotte Edition
The Art Of Closing The Deal In NASCAR’s Longest Race
Racing To The Point: A Radical Idea For The All-Star Race
Couch Potato Tuesday: SPEED’s Last-Gasp Sprint Cup Hurrah
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