Race Weekend Central

Couch Potato Tuesday: NASCAR On FOX Freshens Up For 2015

2014 Phoenix Ii Cup Ryan Newman Pack Racing Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photography)

Editor’s Note: Phil Allaway’s racing TV Critique column returns this season. Catch it on Frontstretch every Tuesday. Here we go once again, as another long season of racing is about to kick into gear. Yes, we’ve already had events like the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the Chili Bowl in Tulsa. However, those races are …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: ESPN’s Field Of Four, Not 43

2014 Homestead Cup Denny Hamlin Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

I’m going to make a statement up front before I even start the critique: I hate watching championship battles. Why? The race doesn’t even matter, only the points do. That’s why I prefer final events in which the championship is decided ahead of time; that way, the races can be covered fully instead of picking …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: Did “Chasing” Ratings Help Or Hurt ESPN?

2014 Phoenix Ii Cup Brad Keselowski Jeff Gordon Pit Road Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

At the very front of the field, the Phoenix International Raceway race weekend was not the most competitive out there. In 644 total laps of racing across three series, there were only 16 lead changes, and the most dominant driver in each race led more than 84 percent of the laps (interestingly enough, Kevin Harvick …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: ESPN’s Fight Night At The Races

2014 Texas Ii Cup Brad Keselowski Postrace Brawl Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

The specter of violence has reared its head once again. Cripes. Before we even get into the critique, I’ll state for the record that this fighting is passé. Not only is it played out, it’s also ludicrous and makes the sport look bad. I do a lot more pertaining to motorsports coverage than critiquing TV …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: ESPN Cuts Away A Little Too Early

2014 Martinsville Cup Martin Truex, Jr., Casey Mears, Kasey Kahne, Brian Vickers, More Wreck Credit Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2014)

At Martinsville Speedway, trouble has few places to hide. However, there’s also a Chase to deal with. With the Chase in effect, focus can narrow to a significant degree. More on that momentarily. Before we get going, ESPN announced early on Monday morning that the network has come to terms with Ricky Craven for the …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: ESPN Erases “Everyone” At ‘Dega For Chasers

2014 Talladega Ii Cup Terry Labonte Brad Keselowski Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Race weekends at Talladega Superspeedway make my stomach churn. I’m nervous the whole weekend, just hoping that nothing terrible happens. The sad truth is, terrible things have been happening at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega with an increasing frequency in recent years. It’s truly sad, and since almost all of the bad things happen in …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: How ESPN Can Be a Victim of… Itself?

2014 Richmond Ii Cup Tony Stewart Racing Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

The fall race week at Charlotte Motor Speedway is the NASCAR equivalent of homecoming week. Heck, we even had a Powder Puff event (the Better Half Dash) on Thursday night. With that in mind, putting on a good show at home is crucial for NASCAR. By extension, it’s important for NASCAR’s TV partners to be …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: The Need For NASCAR TV To Delve Deeper

2014 Loudon Ii Cup Jimmie Johnson Eyes Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

So, big news: Kansas Speedway’s NASCAR races were nowhere near as irritating TV-wise as Dover was. It feels great to not want to rip your hair out, doesn’t it? Of course, everyone can see my headshot to the right of the article. I don’t have that much to rip out. However, just because I stated …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: How An Elimination Race Turned Irritating

2014 Dover Ii Cup Joey Logano Kurt Busch Racing Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Eliminations are a big part – perhaps, save for the actual title itself, the biggest – of the Chase for the Sprint Cup from 2014 to whenever NASCAR decides to change the format again. That much is certain; watch a NASCAR commercial these days and you know full well. But as has been outlined here …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: More of the Same from ESPN; Fox Sports 1 Achieves Despite Technical Issues

Nascar Espn Logo

(Credit: ESPN)

The second race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup would undoubtedly bring a new feature – who’s in and who’s out – into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series broadcasts on ESPN, and the Sylvania 300 didn’t disappoint. For those watching the race for the Chase, the addition may have been welcome, helping them pick …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: ESPN Shirking Other Responsibilities During Chase

2014 Loudon I Cup Jamie Mcmurray Car Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

When you think of Chase for the Sprint Cup coverage on TV broadcasts, what do you think of? Coverage of the playoffs, sure, but how about the other 27 drivers racing for something other than the title? Surely you expect some coverage thrown their way, right? If the first race of the Chase, held last …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: Narrow Focus on Chase Hopefuls Hurts ESPN

2014 Richmond Ii Cup Clint Bowyer Paul Menard Racing Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

The Chase was the name of the game last weekend, which is probably how things should be. After all, regardless of one’s opinion of NASCAR’s playoffs, it’s certainly the focal point of the next 10 races, meaning the lead-in is just as important when it comes to determining who gets to play and who’s left …

Read more