NASCAR on ESPN

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NASCAR on ESPN

NASCAR on ESPN logo from an ESPN2HD broadcast.
Format Auto Racing
Starring Jerry Punch
Dale Jarrett
Andy Petree
Opening theme "Back in the Saddle" by Aerosmith
Slogan It's the Life
Country of origin USA
Production
Running time 4 hours
Broadcast
Original channel ESPN, ABC (2007-)

NASCAR on ESPN is a series of NASCAR races that were broadcasted by the ESPN Broadcast (formerly ABC) and Cable networks from the early 1960s until 2000. ESPN resumed coverage of NASCAR with the Nationwide Series race at Daytona in February 2007.

Contents

[edit] History

ABC's involvement with NASCAR began in the days of ABC's Wide World of Sports, in which it presented some of the biggest races in stock car racing. One of its events was the Daytona 500. ABC showed the last half of the race, except in 1976, when it showed the first 30 laps and then came back for the wild finish, in which David Pearson edged out Richard Petty with both cars sliding sideways across the track. The race TV rights went to CBS Sports in 1979.

ESPN began showing NASCAR races in 1981, with the first event being at North Carolina Speedway. The last of its 265 telecasts (that number includes some on ABC Sports) was the 2000 Atlanta fall race (now the Pep Boys Auto 500).

See also: List of Daytona 500 broadcasters

[edit] General information

Currently, ESPN and ABC splits the second half of the Sprint Cup (formerly NEXTEL Cup) schedule, while ESPN2 airs most of the Nationwide Series (formerly Busch Series) schedule.

Each race telecast begins with NASCAR Countdown. Allen Bestwick is the usual host, with Brad Daugherty and Rusty Wallace providing commentary.

In addition to the races, ESPN2 airs a daily show called NASCAR Now, which is similar to Baseball Tonight and NFL Primetime. It will air Monday through Friday at 6:00 p.m. ET. The show premiered on February 5, 2007.

In 2007, 29 of the 35 Busch races aired on ESPN2, with the other six airing on ABC. ESPN2 started its coverage with the Orbitz 300 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2007. ABC's first Busch race was the Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas on March 10. The first NEXTEL Cup race telecast was the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on July 29 on ESPN. The next 5 races aired on ESPN and the Richmond race and the final 10 races (the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup) appeared on ABC.

In 2008, the Nationwide Series schedule was reallocated, with four races on ABC, four on ESPN, and 27 on ESPN2. There is no change in the number of Sprint Cup events, the schedule of races, or the specific channels on which they appear.

It had earlier been reported that Rusty Wallace was not allowed to cover the Busch Series races due to a conflict of interest rule, as he also owns the #66 team in that series. However, as listed below, Wallace is one of the main analysts, but called only 25 of the 35 races. Dale Jarrett called the other 10; he debuted at the O'Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 14.

[edit] 2008 changes

As mentioned above, Bestwick and Wallace were moved to the pit studio from other locations. Dale Jarrett is moving into the booth alongside of Dr. Jerry Punch and Andy Petree. Shannon Spake is taking Bestwick's spot on pit road.

Nicole Manske, former SPEED Channel anchor, became the new host of NASCAR Now when it returned on February 4, 2008. Bestwick and Ryan Burr will also take turns on some editions.

The Monday version of NASCAR Now is a roundtable show, similar to the old Inside NEXTEL Cup show that was on SPEED Channel. Bestwick hosts the roundtable; he is also the former host of the SPEED program.

Several former hosts with non-NASCAR backgrounds - Brent Musburger, Suzy Kolber, Erik Kuselias, and Chris Fowler - were not retained for NASCAR coverage.[1]

[edit] Production

All races are presented in high-definition, and all cameras, including those in the race cars, are capable of sending out HD pictures.

At the Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway on April 20, 2007, NASCAR on ESPN unveiled a new feature, "Full Throttle". In this feature, which takes part at the start of the race and on many restarts, the audio is provided by various team communications between drivers, crew chiefs, and spotters. Typically, this lasts for about one lap. (However, this feature may have been discontinued; its last known use was at the Camping World 300, which opened the 2008 season.)

[edit] Coverage and other controversies

[edit] General

  • Many visitors to forums and blogs such as The Daly Planet complained that the coverage seen on ESPN and its related networks were not up to the standards set by the earlier version of network coverage. Their biggest complaints were excessive commercials, bored announcers, abuse of production technology, and language that seemed to talk down to them. Many said that they had found alternate means of racing coverage, including NASCAR Hot Pass, radio broadcasts, and NASCAR.com. Some were even looking forward to the return of NASCAR on FOX, despite the gimmicks inherent to that portion of the racing season.

The many changes made in 2008, specifically the removal of on-air personalities with no previous NASCAR backgrounds and the reassignment of Wallace, may have come in response to these complaints.

[edit] Network pre-emptions and relocations

  • ESPN has juggled TV coverage between networks often due to other sports commitments. The most extreme example was the Carfax 250 on August 18, 2007, for which NASCAR Countdown was on ESPN Classic, the invocation and national anthem on ESPN, and the race itself moved to ESPN2 just before the green flag. This was due to airings of the Little League World Series and a Scrabble tournament. In fact, six times in '07, NASCAR Countdown did not air on ESPN2 prior to an NBS race as scheduled.
  • On September 30, 2007, the end of the LifeLock 400, part of that season's Chase, was moved to ESPN2 when a rain delay went past 6 p.m. ET, the end of the allotted broadcast window. This was in contrast to Fox and NBC coverage, which typically stayed on those stations even if the races ran long past the expected time.
  • On March 15, 2008, the Sharpie MINI 300 moved from ABC to ESPN Classic at 6:15 p.m. so that ABC could show World News Saturday in the Eastern and Central time zones. The race was in a rain delay at the time and it was not resumed.
  • On May 2, 2008, the Lipton Tea 250 was moved from ESPN2 to ESPN Classic due to ESPN2's commitment to cover game 6 of the Cleveland Cavaliers-Washington Wizards first-round NBA playoff series. Because ESPN Classic has a much more limited potential audience than ESPN or ESPN2, NASCAR asked SPEED Channel to simulcast the race, and it agreed. ESPN2 then rebroadcast the race in its entirety after the basketball game.[2]

[edit] Local station pre-emptions

[edit] Missing race endings

  • On August 24, 2007, the final five laps of the Food City 250 NBS race at Bristol Motor Speedway were not televised by ESPN2. The reason was that a satellite uplink path was somehow eliminated, preventing the master control at the network headquarters (ironically in Bristol, Connecticut; the track is in Bristol, Tennessee) from re-transmitting the event to cable and satellite providers. Instead, viewers saw a blank screen, then the ESPN2 logo "screensaver," then some commercials. By the time the problem was rectified, the race was over, with Kasey Kahne as the winner. Jerry Punch, the lap-by-lap announcer, apologized for the error immediately and the final two laps were shown on replay unedited. In addition, the first rebroadcast showed the same laps as they were intended to be broadcast - with on-screen ticker and GEICO sponsorship bug - just after 4:30 a.m. ET the next morning. An ESPN spokesman blamed a "human error" of an unspecified nature.[4]
  • With nine laps remaining in the 2008 Federated Auto Parts 300, the standard-definition feed of ESPN2 on DirecTV suddenly cut off and was replaced by a static screen of the channel's logo, with audio from XM Satellite Radio's Top Tracks channel. By the time the picture returned, the race was over and Brad Keselowski celebrated his first win in the renamed Nationwide Series. Blogger John M. Daly blamed the problem on an error in the routing system in which the picture is sent to master control. Apparently, neither ESPN2HD nor cable systems were affected.[5]

[edit] Other problems/issues

  • Due to college football commitments - and an exceedingly long race which had 26 caution flags - coverage of the October 27 NBS Sam's Town 250 ended the moment that David Reutimann took the checkered flag to win the race. There was no post-race interview with Reutimann, summary of the finishing order, or any other usual post-race programming. No interview aired on ESPNEWS or SportsCenter, either, another decision that rankled some long-time fans.[6]
  • In addition, some drivers had testy relationships with ESPN reporters. Tony Stewart was fined and had points taken away after his win at the Allstate 400; he used an obscenity in his post-race interview. During it, he implied unfair treatment by the network in the past. Also, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. looked very uneasy in his interview with Mike Massaro at the Chevy Rock and Roll 400; Massaro ran a lengthy talk after Earnhardt Jr. dropped out with engine failure.[7]
  • Most of the races broadcast on ESPN on ABC had very minimal or no post-race coverage. Several times, ESPN only interviewed the winner and 2nd place drivers. The most likely explanation is that the next program is, typically, ABC World News Sunday or a local newscast; the network wants to start the newscast as soon as possible.
  • At the 2007 Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, the majority of the coverage was focused on Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. There was only one mention when Juan Pablo Montoya led the opening laps of the race and ESPN on ABC did not air several of the lead changes or mention them on air. In addition, during the Busch Series O'Reilly Challenge race at Texas, the final laps were broadcast from an in-car camera of points championship leader Carl Edwards. ESPN did not air the finish of the race where Kevin Harvick won and instead stayed with an in-car shot of Edwards through the finish.
  • At the 2007 UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega, ESPN on ABC did not air the final lead change as they were covering a battle a little deeper in the field. Jeff Gordon made the race winning move without mention of the lead change on ESPN on ABC until well after it had happened. Gordon won the race.

[edit] Miscellany

At both the Phoenix and Talladega NBS races in 2007, the entire broadcast booth (Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree and Jarrett) consisted of graduates of Newton-Conover High School in North Carolina. On April 20, they wore orange and maroon ribbons to honor the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre the previous Monday. (Of course, Punch, Jarrett and Petree have been reunited for the entire 2008 season.)

[edit] Ultimate NASCAR

In addition to race coverage, ESPN has aired a series of programs called Ultimate NASCAR. The series began in April 2007, when the network began to air a series of 100 one-minute vignettes highlighting NASCAR's most important moments as selected by a panel of experts. The vignettes aired every day until July 29. These moments are also recounted in a companion book published by the network.[8]

In July 2007, ESPN aired a series of related documentaries. Three of them were countdown shows, ranking the greatest drivers, races, and rivalries in the sport's history. The other shows were "The Explosion" (a general overview), "The Dirt" (the origins of NASCAR), "The Cars" (the evolution of the NASCAR race car), "The Families" (an in-depth look at the Allison, Earnhardt and Petty families), and "Speed and Danger" (in which NASCAR drivers discuss the risks they take).

[edit] Entertainment

On November 2, 2006, it was announced that Aerosmith would be collaborating with NASCAR on ESPN on its 2007 coverage. The band recorded a special live version of its song "Back In The Saddle", as "an integral part of the network's NASCAR telecasts in 2007."[9] The song is typically played on the telecast between the national anthem and the command to start the engines, and is also on a video package on NASCAR Now on Monday evenings.

Two celebrities have so far appeared as part of race coverage, mimicking a weekly feature of Monday Night Football: actor James Denton of Desperate Housewives at Indianapolis, and legendary recording artist Stevie Wonder at the Sharp Aquos 500 at California Speedway.

As part of coverage of the 2007 Pennsylvania 500, Rihanna sang "Shut Up and Drive" over a themed music video.

[edit] Lineup variations

In order to reduce the workload of announcers during the first half of the season, ESPN constantly changes the lineup of those who cover the activities on the race track. In the 2007 season, ESPN used three different lap-by-lap announcers (Punch, Marty Reid, and Allen Bestwick), four different color commentators (Wallace, Petree, Jarrett, and Randy Lajoie), nine different pit reporters (Jack Arute, Bestwick, Dave Burns, Gary Gerould, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro, Marty Smith, Spake, and Vince Welch), six infield studio hosts (Musburger, Bestwick, Massaro, Chris Fowler, Erik Kuselias, and Suzy Kolber), and at least four infield studio analysts (Daugherty, Brewer, Wallace, and Ray Evernham). Three times during the season, the network did not use an infield studio for NASCAR Countdown, during the split races (where Nextel Cup and Busch Series were in different venues during the same weekend). Also, none of the talent has been at every race. Daugherty had the longest streak, being at every race until the Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway on June 16.

The main booth remained the same for all Sprint Cup races.

In 2008, Jarrett was to be granted two months off from the end of April to the end of June to prepare for being the analyst for all 17 Sprint Cup races.

The exact team to be used at each race is listed in an ESPN press release on this page.

See below for a more detailed list of announcers and their roles.

[edit] Announcers (in 2008)

[edit] Studio

Hosts

Analysts

Reporters

Correspondents

[edit] Race coverage

Booth commentary All Sprint Cup races

Selected Nationwide Series races, mostly first half of season

  • Rusty Wallace: (analyst, 2007-present) Select Nationwide Series races
  • Marty Reid: (lap-by-lap, 2007-present) Select Nationwide Series races
  • Allen Bestwick: (lap-by-lap, 2007-present) Select Nationwide Series races
  • Randy LaJoie: (analyst, 2007-present) Nationwide Series non-companion events

Regular pit reporters

Fill in pit reporters

  • Vince Welch: (pit reporter, 2007-present) Select Nationwide Series races
  • Jack Arute: (pit reporter, Nationwide Series at ORP only)
  • Marty Smith: (pit reporter, Nationwide Series at Montreal only)
  • Gary Gerould: (pit reporter, Nationwide Series at Montreal only)

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ This Stinks IMHO
  2. ^ Historic TV Simulcast Calms Angry Fans
  3. ^ John M. Daly. "Another Long Day's Journey Into Night for ABC, ESPN", The Daly Planet, 2008-03-15. Retrieved on 2008-03-18. 
  4. ^ ESPN apologizes for lost TV feed
  5. ^ In-Progress From Nashville: Nationwide Series on ESPN2
  6. ^ ESPN Pushes NASCAR To The Back Burner
  7. ^ The Daly Planet: Decision Time For Fans Is Right Now (Updated 1/2/08) Wow!
  8. ^ sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news
  9. ^ ESPN MediaZone - A Resource for Media Professionals
  1. ^ This Stinks IMHO
  2. ^ Historic TV Simulcast Calms Angry Fans
  3. ^ John M. Daly. "Another Long Day's Journey Into Night for ABC, ESPN", The Daly Planet, 2008-03-15. Retrieved on 2008-03-18. 
  4. ^ ESPN apologizes for lost TV feed
  5. ^ In-Progress From Nashville: Nationwide Series on ESPN2
  6. ^ ESPN Pushes NASCAR To The Back Burner
  7. ^ The Daly Planet: Decision Time For Fans Is Right Now (Updated 1/2/08) Wow!
  8. ^ sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news
  9. ^ ESPN MediaZone - A Resource for Media Professionals
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