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The Post That Will Not Die: NASCAR On FOX From Darlington
Update: This is the post that will not die! Just topped 100 comments and what a diverse group of fans we have posting. So, I am leaving this up as the lead post for one more day.
There was little doubt that TV viewers were going to see a lot of Danica Patrick on Saturday night. Her sponsor was also the race TV sponsor and her story of driving at Darlington was destined to attract viewers.
This week, we will once again let you offer the first comments on the NASCAR on FOX coverage of the Sprint Cup Series race from Darlington Raceway. This removes any suggestion that I have set the tone or moved the discussion in one direction or another.
Chris Myers opened the show with Michael and Darrell Waltrip from the Hollywood Hotel. Jeff Hammond continues in his role as a roving reporter. Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum, Dick Berggren and Krista Voda were the pit reporters. Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip called the race.
There were no weather problems and aside from some viewer complaints about the audio mix, there were no serious technical problems.
We are looking for your wrap-up of the NASCAR on FOX coverage. Comments with hateful speech, profanity or derogatory comments will be deleted. The way to make your comments count is to voice your opinion as a true fan. Thanks for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.
OSBORNK said...
Thank goodness this mess is finally over. Poor camera work with worse booth work make this race seem like an eternity. The commentary wasn't race driven, it was totally personality driven. I don't think anyone but the insane and dedicated fan could make it through the whole race. Very poor product delivered very poorly.WORST BROADCAST OF THE YEAR SO FAR.
saltsburgtrojanfan said...
Well at least we have the winston coming up
Hey dont forget that 20 years ago this weekend that the first night time winston was held
fox needs to take a look in the mirror, someone needs to show them how they did the races back in 2001
I tuned in lap 50 and immediately noticed FOX learned nothing from Talladega. Poor camera choices and barely any play-by-play made Darlington a bore until I moved on to other things once Jeff Gordon's tire went down.
LongTimeRaceFan said...
Painful. Truly the worst tv coverage of a race this season.
FOX's coverage of NASCAR is a comedy of errors. No direction. No quality commentary from former driver(s). No clue.
They sit and talk about a pair of drivers battling, and show a completely set of drivers battling.
Thank God for MRN.
"completely different"
Awful, a disgrace to the sport.
Demeaning to so many people risking their lives, houses, finances, families, marriages, and spending hand over fist with absolutely no return on investment.
Put a house in hock for the third time, race your butt off, make top 10 with, perhaps, one sponsor...and after a 50k outlay, an 18k purse at best, and for this race in particular, perhaps a beat up race car/truck that you have to fix...
You'll make it on TV perhaps once, if you run anywhere near the front, and more likely, even if you're running top-5 and don't have sponsors paying for ads...you'll be lucky to get mentioned.
Why Nascar - not us as fans, not Fox, or TNT, ABC...I'll give Speed a pass. They do focus on independents - why Nascar doesn't get off their collective, money-grubbing butts and secure the financial security of these teams is totally beyond me.
Between 2013 Cup car changes, the sheer cost of tires to actually run a competitive race, or trying to get not only solid, but fast engines from Triad, et al...you're gonna see a few teams turn from racing full-time, even broke, to it being a hobby.
I gotta spend more to walk through the pits and see associate sponsors than I do for a track ticket.
Not a chance of seeing my favorite racers on TV for more than a quick blink. No idea if they're racing their butts off, or otherwise, aside from a free scanner on the NW stuff.
There's such a thing as making money...and then there's biting the hand that has been feeding you to the point of gluttony.
Think Nascar, and in particular, their broadcasters, have gone off the deep end in this regard.
Rome fell, and people will take what they could save up and diversify, sponsors will continue to bail for safer, saner business models, and many of the youth demographic mentioned earlier will do what I did - find pirate streams to watch. Better angles than the Fox broadcast.
Glad you got out when you did, JD, and admittedly I wonder how the hell you're surviving now after getting blacklisted so badly.
I suspect I'll wonder the same about a great many other individuals with ability, dreams, and no fan support - either TV doesn't show it, or it's local stuff and you really gotta hunt for it.
Need some pirate handicams and YouTube posts of the race. Maybe a blind eye depending on event. Revitalize racing again.
Rare that on Nascar broadcasts I go "Holy crap!" - and the only one I can think of is Speed. ESPN does it by accident.
Meh. There. Launch most of Fox and ESPN (same holding company) into the ocean via catapult, find the 'forward thinking' kids in the booths that care, let them prove themselves.
Failing that, JD >:) - I must request you get back to work for these twits and rebuild from within.
Anon 12:36AM,
I left ESPN in 1989 with a nice party after working in Bristol for ten years.
Left Prime Network five years later after a failed network move to Florida and merger with SportsChannel America.
Worked at Sunbelt Video for two years moving the company from analog to digital and reorganizing for a sale, which was to Street&Smith.
Then worked as a consultant on projects like SpeedVision and even a US-based touring car series.
I work fulltime in Florida now outside of TV and have never faced any type of employment blacklist issue.
My last media outing was Saturday as a guest on SiriusXM's Press Pass on the NASCAR channel.
Appreciate your comments, just want to keep things on the up and up.
I thought the Broadcast was terrible. DW and Joy are just disgusting. They border on not being professional. They just dump words and poorly conceived thoughts on you instead of staying focused on the 'significant few'. Hammond's segments don't fit much better than Brewer's did. Mikey/Myers as a pair remind me of Rusty/Brad/Nicole and that ain't good. There were more overhead and wide shots and there was more on track passing, etc. I love the color impact of night racing. As for Danica, Go Daddy,etc., I'm in sensory overload. I can't stand to hear their names. Total over exposure. They have every right to be part of the Sport. Just let your racing speak for you. Finishing 6 laps down doesn't deserve much exposure. Moving on to another Network soon will be a welcome change for me though it won't be much of an improvement.
That was sad,with an s. All of the people involved in nascar, that are not a part of the suits in Daytona, should unite and start pressuring for a change. Somebody with some sense and standing within that group has to see that what faux is putting out is just terrible. The nationwide broadcast was no where close to being great but compared to what faux put out, espn did a super job. I really feel sorry for the faux people who know what to do, but have to put up with what the Waltrips, director, producer, and Hill and his management team. Again, that was sad. MC
I still don't like MW commenting during the race about his drivers. One time DW said someone crashed into the wall and had a lot of damage and when we finally saw the car it didn't look too bad I don't remember the driver though. I knew there would be lots of time spent on DP and HMS got their 200th win. Glad we got that over with. I am not a robot but have lots of trouble reading the words!
MRN covered a pretty good race. I tried to watch the coverage on FOX but it was a mess. At one point with about 100 laps to go MRN was covering a really exciting exchange on the track, FOX was showing the 55 car a lap or so down. Directly after that wasted minute of TV coverage FOX followed the 56 car for a couple laps. Wondering if MW has taken over as director / clown in charge of FOX coverage?
That entire gang in the booth are delusional. They think that the broadcast is about them and their opinions. They think they are celebrities. Just tell us what's happening on the track and provide a few meaningful insights. I don't want them to talk every second they're on the air.
One of the most fascinating tracks left on the circuit, I had no sense of what was happening on track during the race at all. Part of 'the drama' that Nascar and Fox are so enthralled with is being kept informed of ALL the stories unfolding on the track as the race goes on. Focusing on just a few teams, of one or two cars at a time doesn't do it. No matteer how loud of how many octaves the Waltrip voices go, that is no substitute for showing the actual race. What a shame.
w17scott said...
Mr Editor -
Since becoming a serious NASCAR fan in 1958 and attending my first race in 1960, I classify myself as a serious race fan. So I make my comments with a lengthy history and must say that never in 50+ years have I been so disappointed in the product shown by the broadcast partners. However, the radio partners MRN/PRN tell a much different story than that aired on TV. With such incredible technology available today, broadcasters have the tools to excite long-time viewers and attract and keep new followers to the sport. Sadly, the FOX/ESPN production teams ignore reality and choose instead to present 'scripted' broadcasts. Even more so, FOX has acquiesced to having it's efforts co-opted by DW and it's shows driven into the ground by the mindless drivel of a 'personality' (Mikey included). I follow the sport to this day, but without the venues of this blog, Twitter/MRN/Hot Pass I would have lost all interest sometime ago. As Mike Joy showed in the under-card races broadcast at Richmond, he can still call a race, but only when his booth-mates respect their roles. It seems he has ceded control of the booth to DW, a shame. Allen Bestwick has greater rein and the respect of his booth-mates, but their contributions need to be stepped up. Back in the day, my hopes rode with 'The King' and while I booed DW and Dale Sr I heartily applauded their presence on the track for making 'the show' entertaining. FOX missed another good race at Darlington, but the pros at MRN delivered the goods. DW drolls on to entertain himself, but few, if any others. Not sure there is much to look forward to with TNT in coming weeks. Only Waltrip-less NCWTS shows offer hope for the foreseeable future.
I was watching an MLB game and tuning the race between batters and innings. I see DW has taken Rusty's habit of depicting their
conversations with folks who respond by saying "DW" or "Rusty". Talk about someone wanting to hear their own name so badly they have to say it themselves.
It is nice to watch a sport like baseball that is not controlled by commercial interuptions or plugs from the announcers.
I think there was a good sprint cup race at Darlington, but we didn't get to see or hear it!
I've been quiet too long! I found myself yelling at the director for missing passes and showing insignificant shots.
AND - DW was totally distracting and usually wrong in various comments he spewed out! What a disgrace to the sport I love!
Everyone says "Listen to MRN".
I tried. MRN went to commerical break on lap 3. Not much better. They also seemed to be missing things that TV saw. I wouldn't hold MRN up as the way to cover a race.
Got bored around lap 50 and saw that Dune was on BBC America. Watched the race during Dune commercial breaks. Same old Fox.
West Coast Diane said:
Anonymous 9:01 said:
"...They think that the broadcast is about them and their opinions. They think they are celebrities. Just tell us what's happening on the track and provide a few meaningful insights. I don't want them to talk every second they're on the air".
Amen! (Except for Mike Joy, think he is boxed in by the Waltrip show).
Again, I wanted to watch race on my big HD TV in full screen. Couldn't do it. Switched to HotPass. Everytime I thought about switching back, I checked the FOX box and saw 1, maybe 2 cars. The times they showed more, it was so quick you couldn't focus who was who or where they were. So I stayed with HP.
By the way, since my guy was going from mid pack up to 10th or so and back again, many times, there was lots going on mid pack!
We are doomed. I see tweets that the Waltrips retweet, about what a fantastic broadcast and how great they are in the booth.
Re: Danica. I am rooting for her. But there are times I even cringe, thinking they are going overboard. I do think Darlington did add a twist. Very difficult track and first time really in a cup car (Daytona is a whole different animal). So with all the discussion of how she would handle the test, the coverage may have been warranted. BTW, the spotter for Jeff Burton tweeted "I'll tell you who impressed me on restarts, DP. She drove a great race for 1st time @ Darlington".
Lou said...
I actually watched the prerace show. Now I know why it is the only 2nd or 3rd time I have. Overboard on the DW and MW. I have sworn to myself not to watch another prerace show the the rest of the season of nascar on fox.
While watching the race I flipped between the race and the Oriole game. Everytime I went back to the race all I saw on the tv was the leader. pics and sound were good, but other than the 51. was there anymore than two or three cars in the race. Oh, and to my dismay was the sorry race break w/chris and MW. I feel sorry for chris. glad he dumped the dum kick from last year, but now has to suffer w/MW on race breaks , and DW and MW on pregame
How much worse can fox make it for me. I am down to only watching about half of the race and watching something else on another channel. As usual I will let the nascar fan council survey know this opinion. And this from someone who has been a longtime nascar racing fan. Yes, I am in control of my viewing habits. And they seem to be leaving the viewing of a race on fox less and less. Thankful that I live just 12miles from Dover to get a real racing fix.
Since this is a blog on tv coverage of the sport, I tried to stay on topic.
Fed UP said...
In years past, Darlington was pretty exciting. From hitting the wall, to some good racing with PASSING even....what I saw last night wasn't that.
I saw single file cars, one or two cars in a picture and the incessant babbling of DW. I sincerely believe that DW is clearly showing the early onset of dimentia with seeing things that aren't being shown, or really don't exist.
I hope the best for Danica, but come on...for someone who has had years of racing, and some of it in the best equipment, 6 laps down? You have got to be kidding me. Any other "rookie" and the booth pundits would have been ripping her/him a new sphincter.
I look forward to TNT.
We've got too much technology in the sport right now. The people who make up these broadcasts think that they can wing it and fall-back on said technology (such as the scoring pylon, Twitter remarks before the race, and online chatter) to make up for their lackluster performance.
Someone needs to direct the FOX, TNT, and ESPN guys to call a race as if the internet didn't exist...
I think FOX is trying to show action when it happens on the track... But there are two problems:
1) Cutting to action when they find it actually contributes to the disjointed coverage, because they are just randomly cutting to anything they see without any context. The more they try and find action and show it, the more disjointed the broadcast seems. They aren't covering the race, just pockets of racing.
2) Again, I only blame FOX so much. There was very little racing action in this race, a ton of single file racing, and not a lot of what made NASCAR,and Darlington, so much fun. The on-track product is awful. If this was a great race, I think FOX would look better. but almost nothing was happening on the track, and that leads to a worse broadcast. NASCAR is trying to change the rules package (announced this week), so maybe they recognize how bad the racing is. My dad always said, "you can't polish a turd" and that just about sums up FOX and NASCAR.
nan said...
The only thing that really matters for Fox and Speed is how well they broadcast soccer.
Old Timer said...
I think money and celebrity have finally taken complete control at Fox. Fox apparently sold the entire show to GoDaddy. Last night, the Danica show was only occasionally interrupted by a slight bit of race chatter. The Bobble-head Booth Monkeys kept telling us what a great job Danica was doing running 5 or 6 laps behind.
I turn on my computer this morning and I get flooded by a bunch print personalities extolling what a great job Danica did last night. Being 6 laps down and not getting run over by the fast cars is apparently an accomplishment that mere mortal drivers cannot do.
I hope the best for Danica but enough is enough. Brag about her when she has done something more than staying out of the way of the regular drivers.
bobbydjr said...
One of the big stories coming out of last nights race is another one of Kurt Busch's meltdowns. All I saw from FOX was Ryan Newman's gas man going after Kurt right before they ended their broadcast. Kurt was pitching a temper tantrum over the radio and did a huge burnout leaving his pit and continued it through Newman's pit with some of Ryan's crew members still over the wall, according to a report by Dustin Long at SBNation this morning and on his Twitter page.
Did FOX show any of that? I don't remember seeing it. If not, then they really dropped the ball again.
ThinkingBrian said...
This was a two-sided race for sure:
First, the FOX broadcast itself needs more work, Mike Joy should be the only person talking regularly throughout the race, not everyone else. How about no more Hollywood Hotel, we get enough talk from the guys in the booth.
And of course the first 172 laps of the race were green flag only racing with no break.
Second, whatever the downs were (FOX broadcast and first 172 laps), the ups over shadowed it as the second half of the race was classic Darlington with some really good action all the way to the end of the race. And in the end, Johnson comes up winner and so does Hendrick.
I thought that was one of the best races of 2012 so far.
The sound you hear is Fox & DW dropping the ball!
To tell you the truth, I'm just exhausted. I'm fed up with the Waltrips, the camera coverage, the talking down to the fans by the media telling us what to think, the non-stop changes by NASCAR, the over-selling of sponsors by the booth, the outright bias by the booth boobs, the inconsistency in rulings by NASCAR, etc, etc, etc.
In this quiet moment, I'm wondering why on earth am I subjecting myself to this mind carnage every week. Is it really something that adds to the quality of my life. or is it a destructive force that keeps me in my own self-imposed state of anger management most of the time? The truth is that I have missed less than 10 races since they started televising them in 1979, and it has become a habit. Like most habits, it is hard to break. At this stage of my life, I don't even know if I can break it. So, I am in a quandary.
JD, I thank you for this site. At least I can come here and unload some of the hostility I feel nowadays. You may not realize it, but you are a lifesaver to some of us who feel we have given so much of our time to this sport, have supported sponsors, bought tickets and souveners and have been taken for granted so long, and are wondering if anyone is listening to our pleas. I'm sure many come, read, and are just too disgusted to take the time to comment.
Of course, I knew deep in my heart what we were going to get at Darlington. Still, I thought it was only fair to see if maybe, just maybe, Fox might have turned a new leaf at Talladega which was a mostly competent race telecast.
It did not take too many times of coming back from commercial to a roof-cam shot followed by more "hyper-tight" coverage for me to bail out in favor of the (IMO) exciting NHL game.
I am tired of close-ups that give no sense of what is going on...something that is only fueling the fire that NASCAR is "boring" this year. Obviously, how can we really judge if the racing is boring if all we see is one or two cars at a time all the time and nobody is allowed to tell or follow up on any stories other than what the Embarrassments of the Commonwealth (Waltrips) want to blab about?
I am done with the Fox nonsense for 2012. Other than commenting on side issues that come up here, I'll see you all again for TNT at Pocono.
b said...
Used to look forward watching Cup races, but to watch one is a last resort if there is nothing better to do, or if it snows in Southern California. Tuned in last night with 6 laps to go until the Hendrick love fest started at the end. During this brief period, I got my fill of DW and Mikey real quick.
Obviously the broadcast crew does not do what professionals do in the real world. When the job is done, you critique yourself, learn what you did right, what went wrong, and what you could do better. Or maybe, they are really that clueless and full of themselves.
Zetona said...
Hmmm...someone suggested that maybe DW is going senile. I could only tune in for about the last 100 laps or so (the fun bit, by the sound of it) and made sure to pay special attention to what DW was saying. I still believe he can make a tremendous contribution to the broadcast if his main purpose is to watch around the track and notice things no one else notices. However, that's not happening right now. Some thoughts from what I can recall of his performance last night:
The camera focuses briefly on Ryan Newman, Mike Joy says something I don't remember, then DW says "Hello, Newman!" Mike Joy loves this line, but I've never heard DW say it before and he doesn't follow it up with anything. It's the extent of his contribution to whatever they were talking about w.r.t. Newman.
DW likes to try and hype up late-race restarts by prediction wild action and more cautions, and last night he was right, though it's a pretty safe bet to make most of the time.
There were a couple of late-race Darlington Stripes, I can't remember for whom, but for one of them DW said the driver hit pretty hard and for the other he said it wasn't much, despite the hits looking very similar to my eye. (Perhaps I'm misquoting DW here. I cannot quite remember.)
DW called the orange cone "Coney" (though "Kony" was the first spelling that came to my mind) when Danica hit her. He does this from time to time, with no benefit to the broadcast. I think he's doing it in an attempt to be funny, and he can be funny from time to time, but recently most of his jokes have fallen very flat in my opinion.
DW has also developed a habit recently of beginning to make a point, then stopping after a few words despite no one in the booth interrupting him. If there's any case for senility, maybe it's that.
I do not harbor anywhere near the dislike that some people here have for DW, but it is obvious that he can say some pretty dumb things from time to time. If anyone's been asking people here for concrete examples of questionable DW commentary before, well, here you go.
AncinetRacer said...
Here's the thing DW and Mikey. It is time for y'all to give it a rest. Mikey go back to your shop and take care of your business. DW take a sabbatical from the booth and do not take KP's place on RaceDay during the TNT portion of the season.
Governor Jerry Brown once, near the end of his first incarnation, wisely observed, "Sooner or later every politician wears out his welcome." He was right as regards his profession and the principle is transferrable to other forms of celebrity. Even Regis Philbin eventually had to acknowledge this and he has more hours on television under his belt than any human being who has ever lived.
You may not be tired, Boys, but I am weary of you and you are pushing me away from a sport I have, like w17scott, followed since 1958
AncientRacer said...
Now that my editorial is complete let me say what I thought of the race coverage: it was not anywhere near as good as Talladega, and I think it was not for the reason someone offered last week. The cars were not running in packs which did make the coverage there easier for the truck where, as Jeff Hammond, in a roving reporter bit a few weeks ago has a bank of monitors manned by people each of whom has the responsibility of keeping up with (his words) "two cars". If this is in fact the case what can one expect? Tight two car shots especially when the field is strung out as it was last evening.
There was some good racing last night and I did see some. Not as much as I know there was, but some. And I agree that it would behoove the broadcast crews to be right this moment going over race tapes as a group to look for what worked and what did not. I cannot believe they do not do this, but if they do not they should start. It is the only way I know of to get better. It is a no-brainer.
As for Danica. Well, coverage of her is the price of having her. JD pointed out her sponsor had a large role in the sponsorship and besides she is essentially the only major figure in the sport, outside Junior, who has much, if any, crossover recognition. As for her racing last night I believe she was doing precisely as instructed. Tony and Zippy chose her Cup schedule for a reason: to give her seat time and experience in the top series, and I think her instructions most likely were to drive around watch, learn and stay out of trouble.
My greatest disappointment in the entire race was Jeff Gordon. For some reason he is snake-bit this year and that just breaks my heart. Now that Rick Hendrick has his 200th win he should be looking as to what the matter may be in the 24 shop because something isn't right someplace and I do not believe it is the driver nor the crew chief.
I was at the race so I didn't watch the tv broadcast, I didn't even bother to record it for later.
As a fan at the race, it was great to watch. Since at Darlington, the driver race the track and set passes up several corners in advance, it is interesting to watch.
I did note that DP had an in car camera (not surprised) and the fans around me in the stands were joking as one particular camera crew RAN down pit road to get the final camera shot before she rolled off at the end of the field. I could tell from the large screens that she was getting a lot of coverage, but since I wasn't listening even to the radio feed, I could ignore it. I did hear some comments from the drivers and spotters as they tiptoed around the Queen of Hype! Nothing derogatory, but you could tell they were all aware of her presence. I also thought it amusing that at the end, the announcers was saying how great her finish was - she finished multiple laps down somewhere in the 30's in position - quite nearby Gordon in fact and he had spent 30 laps off the track. Her hauler was also positioned so that a truck size photo of her was clearly visible to the front stretch.
Ancient, I'm with you. My disappointment in Gordon having another terrible finish for a random reason - 2 left side flats? What the heck? It came close to ruining my weekend considering that I had to "enjoy" watching Johnson get win 200 for HMS. I don't think it's driver or crew chief either since they have good cars, it's just bad luck every week.
anyway, I just wanted to point out that the race I saw IN PERSON was good to watch - having them run 172 laps caution free at Darlington was amazing, so once again DW, JJ, Truex and Stewart -- I'm NOT in it for the wrecks.
I thought the race pictures were as always too tight. When they finally showed the overhead or backstretch shots they were great! Why is it, when they want to, they show the field from a high blimp shot which allows you to watch MOST of the field, on the restarts. I still maintain, i tune in to WATCH the racing, NOT listen to WALTRIPS.
I'm really frustrated with the media after reading some articles after the race. One from Sports Illustrated began, "In a year when frustrated fans have begged for more cautions to tighten the field and add drama to races, Darlington Raceway saved NASCAR's season"
It's almost insulting that the media depicts fans like this. Skimming through the race again, I thought the ending domino of caution flags was just frustrating. Over half the race devoted to saving the car to just destroy as many cars as possible within the last 100 laps.
I just want a good race that is covered decently. I can't think of the right words to explain my thoughts that won't be spun. I'm sick of reading the 'needy fans' talking point.
PammH said...
I've stopped commenting (but not reading JD) because it's as Sophia used to say, it's lather, rinse, repeat. Nothing has changed, mostly the coverage sucks & the Waltrips have basically ruined the commentary. I haven't listened to them for over 2 yrs, but the very little I have, is AWFUL!!! Last wk made me hopeful, this wk-I only watched the end of the race on tape Sun morn to see who won. Geez, they didn't even have the KuBu roar thru Ryan's pit on TV...just disgusting.
Is it just me or were there an unusual ammount of commercials in the race? I was beginning the Southern 500 stood for 500 commercials.
One big complaint (aside from the normal) for Fox. They replayed the incident between Newman's and Busch's crews after the race and offered the explanation that maybe it had something to do with the late wreck. After reading about it on the Internet, it seems that Busch peeled out of the pits, leaving a big cloud of smoke, and nearly ran over some of Newman's crew members in the process. How did Fox miss this? It's inexcusable.
@ Buschseries61 I totally agree. Those articles are insulting. Though we're getting very little drama WITHOUT the cautions, which speaks to the cars. I was following the live timing for the Grand-Am race in New Jersey today, and just before the first caution about 90 minutes into the race the top four DP cars were separated by one second total. If that happened more often in NASCAR, we wouldn't be asking for more cautions. I've been thinking that the COT in its current form is too hard to spin out thanks to those massive rear fenders, and changing that would certainly mollify the people wanting cautions, but that doesn't mean it would have an effect on the actual competition.
@Zetona
Speaking for me and for me only I do not need to be "mollified"
I ask only to be "moderately plesed"
Mr. Daly. What has happened to your following? In years past after a major race you would have 200-300 comments. Now you have 42? It seems your following has dwindled. Sup with that?
Fox delivered for me. They made an otherwise boring race interesting. I enjoy DW's stories and convictions. It really helps contextualize the race for me. I appreciate the way they humanize the drivers. It makes me care about them much more. I wish other sports were better at that. The 170+ laps without a wreck sucked the life out of the race, but thankfully Fox's great pictures and entertaining commentary kept me engaged on what could have already been a long, boring night. I really liked the double box when the 48 won, allowing me to see all the cars finish while also capturing the live emotion of the winner in the moment. Stuff like that is what makes Fox's broadcast such a pleasure for me to watch. I appreciated the Danica coverage too, that was the big story of the weekend and they did a solid job of keeping me up to date on it. The commercials are a bit much but I understand they have to pay the bills, and sponsors pay more ad money for time later in the race, so I'm fine with it. I really hope Fox keeps the rights when this contract is up, and hopefully get a bigger chunk of the season. I always miss them when TNT takes over, and when ESPN takes over.
JD, thanks for providing a forum like this so I can provide my feedback on the broadcast.
Wow, they make the Fox PR department work on Mother's Day!!
Anon, 9:47 PM The writers at Fox and/or NASCAR did an excellent job writing the comment for you. Be sure to thank them.
NASCAR didn't write that ~ It was Sarcastic Tony!!
I know full well that Anonymous 9:39 is a troll but I want to say this for others that come here and might not know the full story.
The blog entries that used to get 200-300 and even more comments were the live race posts where comments were left during the Cup telecasts. Mr. Daly has moved that feature to Twitter under the hashtag of #TDP1.
That is not to say overall activity hasn't declined here (although certainly not to the extent implied by the Anon). Frankly, it is more of a sign that people have either given up out of frustration on trying to get things changed or have stopped following NASCAR completely. I am confident in saying that considering how certain members of the media have finally seen for themselves what it is like these days to try to watch a race at home instead of at the track.
This season we moved the live blog over to Twitter and now run a thriving live stream in real time. Please join us by using the #TDP1 hashtag.
Some readers who do not use or do not care to join Twitter asked me to keep a post up for the live Cup races so they could offer comments.
Once the race is over, I post a new "Race Wrap" page for the post-race opinions.
As I mentioned on Sirius, it's been hit or miss on the finish coverage. Finally the super slo-mo angle is gone, but several times this season only the winner was shown and then the pit crew, crew chief, etc...like the FOX of old.
In the last two races, the nice wideshot of the frontstretch from the Turn 1 perspective was used and it worked out great. There were no double boxes needed when the field is that tight on a big oval.
@ AncientRacer We'll both be pleased when the 43 cars of NASCAR catch up competition-wise to the 10 cars of the Daytona Prototype class. Boy, that puts things in perspective, doesn't it? Come to think of it, I don't watch enough Grand-Am.
I'd like to take the liberty of quoting Frontstrech's Amy Henderson on the subject of green-flag runs and TV broadcasts:
"Meanwhile, those arguing that the green flag racing being just as exciting might be watching with a broader perspective; rather than pinning their hopes on any driver, they're watching the details. You can have a battle for 23rd place, one that goes on lap after lap without that ugly yellow flag interruption. Or how about a tenth-place driver picking off the competition, one by one, stalking each in turn and timing the perfect move? Because they're watching with an eye for the whole picture, the picture they see is different. This view is also harder, if not impossible to see on the television broadcasts, so if you're not watching from the stands at a track, you aren't going to see it. That difference was palpable as I watched from the press box Saturday night; being there allows you to see racing you'll never see or hear about, side-by-side action that makes 2012 seem far more exciting than it's been portrayed."
NASCAR doesn't seem to realize it, but it has several image problems right now: the racing is boring, the sport is for crash-loving redneck hooligans, the sanctioning body is corrupt and manipulative. Better TV coverage would help with all three of those.
@Gina V/24
You had to "...'enjoy' watching Johnson..."
WhoDat? Dis "Johnson"?
He a driver?
;>{D
(The #TimRichmond Face)
Well Grand Am Cars, Indy Cars and every kinda car except V8 SuperCars (Because Marcos proved it to me personal like) sound funny) :)
dave in lincoln said...
So Sad. At a time when the sport is struggling. We are subject to one long commercial with the sound muted and a race entertwined. At least drivers arent dying anymore!
Charlie Spencer said...
Zetona, much as I love watching Grand Am series, I've seen 'run away' races in that and other series too. I do agree that a road course format keeps the cars more closely bunched, but it doesn't eliminate the possibility of one or two teams hitting a near-perfect set-up and checking out on the field. At least we're not watching back in the days when winners routinely lapped the field multiple times.
edriesta asosteco - sounds like a Latino political candidate.
I forgot to add the stupidity of Michael Waltrip giving Danica Patrick an A+ for her effort at Darlington. I know many people expected her to crash out and she did not. Still, had that been James Buesher or Nelson Piquet Jr. I don't think they would have received a grade at all, let alone an A+.
subsailor_739 said...
Favorite quote of the night on Twitter came from someone who said if Fox showed the Kentucky Derby all you would see was the Jockey. LMFAO!
subsailor makes a good point. A top-five team finishes 6 laps down in 30 something place and she gets an A+. Supposedly made $12 Million last year.
Ancient, I had a family member, who is the 48 fan was standing beside me, so I had to "enjoy" it. We maintain the "fiction" that I therefore share his enthusiasm when Weasley wins, even though it is thoroughly and completely FAKE on my part. It does however keep peace in the family on those long rides home!
Zetona, Amy H has it correct and so do you. As annoyed as I have been in the past years with the poor tv coverage and the changes that I feel NASCAR continues to ignore, this year's campaign against the fans by the media AND the drivers is really causing me to be angry and very disappointed.
To have DW and people like Robin Pemberton AND the drivers coming back at the fans with the sort of comments on twitter about "only wanting to see wrecks", "hope we are happy now" (that one was Truex), "not appreciating the sport" makes me less and less interested in continuing to spend my $ on it. Hey, if they don't want my business, I can do something else with my time and money and they can beg me and the other fans to come back on Twitter - loud and clear!
Brother update...lol!
Last week I commented that one of my brothers made basically all the same comments we see here regarding FOX, on his own. Doesn't follow blogs, internet reports, etc.
Well, saw another brother yesterday (I have 5!). He also does not do social media or follow blogs, etc. He and the other brother used to get together and watch races live.
Asked him if he watched the Darlington "races". He said he watched Cup only on DVR. Used to watch NW, too. No more. Said he used to watch live, but no longer. Everything has changed. Said FOX used to be the best. They don't show racing, booth babbles, DW makes comments that have no relevancy to what is happening. Making comments just for the sake of saying something.
Both brothers have a problem with the conflict in the booth. Can't believe they hired Michael, when he owns a team with 3 competing cars.
Two more "stupid fans" who are mindless robots listening to....themselves.
Headline from Sports Illustrated today:
"Newman-Busch scuffle just what NASCAR needs."
Are they serious? NASCAR does not "need" hotheaded gas can men attacking another team's crew members just because their guy checked up on the track and got hit from behind.
Why is the NASCAR media so bad? It is comprised of two groups: insiders who have covered the sport so long that they seem like "part of the show" and only cheerlead for the sport... and know-nothings who got a NASCAR assignment despite knowing nothing about the sport.
@subsailor, If they showed the jockeys, I'll bet you couod count the hairs on their face from the tight shots! BOOGETY
anon 12:24...that is not why he was angry....you need to re read the story. NASCAR ordinarily takes a dim view of behavior that potentially endangers crew members. As for the press...some of the 'homers' do cheerlead a bit. But it's hard to cover a sport you dislike, and it has to be harder to pretend you don't care about it. I guess 'controlled passion' is what the press needs, and that's pretty much an oxymoron.
fbu1 said...
I follow the Daly Planet weekly. I seldom post because the point I was going to make has already been eloquently expressed. A "me too" post is redundant. That does not detract from the value of this blog.
So FOX is almost done damaging NASCAR for the year? Good. Now the season can get serious. Your move TNT.
DewCrew88 said...
those of you who have read my past comments know I don't absolve fox of any blame.. but Goodyear needs to step up their game desparately
DewCrew88--Goodyear gives NASCAR what they ask for. NASCAR need to listen and ask for something different.
I just don't understand Nascar Television. It must be me. I turned to Race Hub tonight to see what happened on pit road where Kurt supposedly tore threw the #39 pit box. NO VIDEO!!! With all the cameras, they didn't catch it???? Maybe Spencer will have something Tuesday night. Hub has turned into a glitzy, fluffy series of interviews,flashbacks,etc. Where's RPM Tonight, Speed Channel when we need them???
I disagree that the Busch-Newman crew scuffle is "just what NASCAR needs". Why? Because the racing is soo impossible to watch on TV that it is the only way to get anyone's attention?
Once upon a time, a fight at the end of the Daytona 500 attracted a whole raft of new fans to the sport.
This one will just make most of the current fans yawn since it was just another time when Busch acted badly.
@subsailor Spot On! Perfect description to get Nascar to understand how frustrating the telecasts are. This blog gives us a collective voice. Keep up the good work JD.
Let me advance a theory: The fixationiomus on the ManMountain is irrelevant and, IMHO, tawdry.
Point is this (and god above knows as do you here how I love KYBU)
Kurt outdrove his equipment. His talent wasted the car. He got pissed. The ManMountain was in the wrong. Kurt was frustrated. Kurt was the driver.
OK so he blasted out of the pit box. I have seen others do it. Many times.
Kurt lost his gig with The Captain due to his Buschiness. The team he is with cannot really give him what he needs. They are good guys, but just not "there"
The end game will be this: A Brothers Team. And when they admit that is what needs to be, and they create it, it will be the biggest thing since The Pettys or the Allmans or the Doobies
One piece is missing: KyBu with a Cup. That happens; the magic I speak of ensues. If Not. Then Not.
*and the crowd goes wild*
sbaker17 said...
I believe that I have watched every race from Darlington since ESPN began televising auto racing way back when. I even remember the Wide World of Sports attempts at showing the Southern 500. Last Saturday night I had to turn the TV off. Between the poor camera work and the blathering Orators from Owensboro, I just couldn't take it any more.
What FOX presented was not Shinola
The coverage on Friday was horrible, Carl sounded I am saying "sounded" medicated, he wasn't right, which was a good thing, can't stand him. The all seem to have bias. Saturday if I heard one more "Danica"..at the point when she was 3 laps down you got the Brothers Stupid gushing how smart she is blah blah blah, we were going nuts listening to that rubbish. My god just marry her already. What these marketers and Nascar and Fox doesn't get, race fans are smart, we are sick of the constant Danica, marketing plugs "fill up with SUNOCO fuel" and all the other 1,000 product plugs. It's sad how the world works today..money money money.
Going to give this post one more day due to the great variety of comments.
How interesting that we all seem to care deeply about the sport but at the same time are upset about how it is presented to us on TV.
Can't think of a major professional sport these days that has the same problem. NASCAR should be able to solve this ongoing problem IMHO.
DW's inane blather didn't bother me. MW's over the top hype and coflict of interest didn't bother me. The Danica hype didn't bother me. The hyper tight camera shots that changed every two seconds didn't bother me. Hammond's stupid and intrusive pieces didn't bother me. Nothing about NASCAR on Fox bothered me because I didn't watch it. I feel better without the aggravation.
I mark 1962 as the year I started paying attention to NASCAR. Under other circumstances, I might be sentimental about 50 years of following NASCAR. But Fox has finally finished the job of driving me away from NASCAR TV.
I used to look forward to watching races from beginning to end. The lousy broadcasts finally converted me into a part time watcher who checked in for about 5 minutes every half hour just to get an update. Even that had me cursing the TV and making me upset. The last straw was at Richmond. I tuned in late in the race for the first time. I happened to hit an ad where they were running a commercial on split screen. The "racing action" portion of the screen featured a closeup of Tony Stewart running by himself for several laps without a single other car coming into view. I considered that to be Fox's way of giving me the one finger salute. Thanks Fox, same to you. You finally pushed me too far.
I didn't watch 'Dega and I didn't watch Darlington. The next time I tune in to watch Fox will be late in the final race of their season. I don't care about the race broadcast, but they will have some "MUST SEE TV" that I just have to catch. That's the part where they say good bye for the season and stand around congratulating each other on what a great job they all did this year. I call that unintentional humor of the finest kind.
I am also hoping ole DW breaks down and cries. He had to fight off the tears a couple years back, and JD gave a charitable reason for his emotion. I think it's his ego at work, and he can't stand the thought of giving up the weekly opportunity to be the center of attention.
So thanks Fox, you've freed up my weekends for other activities. I'd say it's been fun, but that would be a lie. You don't need me, and I don't need you.
I keep following TDP to see if anything changes, but it never seems to do anything but get worse. I still like the racing if the networks ever decide to show it to me. I'll be back to check out the TNT broadcasts.
OK, I'll chime in here. Yeah, I was a NASCAR fanatic (fan) for many years. I drove stock cars on dirt tracks in the 1950s and have been a fan of NASCAR since then.
I DID NOT WATCH THE RACE.
I did review the "race" on DVR and used minimal fast forward for the "race coverage". It mutes the sound. I didn't see much 'racing'. I used 4X fast forward for the commercials...of course, the race itself is just closeups of moving billboards.
I haven't bothered to watch a race in real time for about a year now. I have better things to do with my time. I guess I have truly lost interest in the sport.
I look at this column and jayski to get my coverage of NASCAR. I wonder if I will ever be able to rekindle the love affair I used to have with NASCAR...
Garry said...
What needs to happen to NASCAR is the same thing with Indy: The family needs to step in and perform a major coup on Brian France. Much the same way Indy did with Tony George. At one time, there was talk that Jim France wanted to do just that. It was shortly after Bill Jr. died, and Brian treated it as some kind of toy that he got bored with quickly. He's never at the track, unless it's California, and he can shmooze with Celebs. If the France Family (the ones that matter) can take over and return it to top stature, then they can begin with tv rights.I still love the story about Humpy Wheeler threatened to have NBC's television/media trucks towed off his track. (I can't remember why, but it goes to show back in the day, how much power promoters/NASCAR had over the media.)Once NASCAR can say, "Here's how you're gonna do it boys..." to the media, then it could get better.
Jerome said...
Great job to all the posters. Larry and anon. May 15 3:03, you summed up my thoughts exactly. Fan from the late 60's when all we had was Wide World of Sports. NASCAR, even the Nationwide Series, used to be MUST SEE for me. Don't ever bother with Nationwide for numerous reasons. Now DVR the Sprint Cup races, more often than not don't bother to watch. Tried to watch Saturday's race and was quickly turned off. Started to zip through portions of the race, finally deleted it without watching most of it. It's all been said before: poor camera work, the Waltrips (especially Darrell's crush on Danica) the hype, the lack of mention and coverage of other cars and drivers. I rarely watch now, I mostly read some NASCAR blogs and feel sad about a time in NASCAR when things were better, and feel sad over the fact that those times are gone for good.
I just can't believe that FOX thinks they are actually doing a good job, despite Darrell retweeting posts from people saying (allegedly) what a great job FOX is doing. Does anyone responsible for the broadcasts have ANY pride?
Keep up the great work JD
I watched the race on DVR, and felt that I did not miss anything while I fast forwarded through 90% of it. I used to sit and watch the races, and now, I am not entertained anymore. It is not all Fox's fault, but the entertainment is just not there. Actually, I enjoy practice and qualifying more, than the race to watch. I get to see all the participants, and hear bits and pieces of each driver and team.
starrcade76 said...
JD said
Can't think of a major professional sport these days that has the same problem.
I don't think that is really an uncommon theme for any sport or television show. You can probably find a website, blog, or message board that is going to take to task the current product of any sport, team, or form of entertainment.
There is always going to be people saying that their favorite TV show was better years back. And that the current writers, characters, etc.. are poor in comparison.
And with sports you get people complaining about the national announcers not paying homage to their home team the way they want. Or complaints about local announcers being homers too much.
So to me while everyone on here may be passionate about how they think NASCAR should be shown. The complaints aren't uncommon in comparison to everything else discussed online.
Ratings are on Jayski, FOX had 5.716 million viewers. FOX lost 1.2 million viewers that watched Darlington last year, 1.6 million from Dover that same weekend 1 year ago.
We know from the past that ratings aren't the best indicator, but these numbers don't seem to match Darrell's twitter praise of the broadcasts and the sport.
I still 'watch' NNS and Cup races. Why is 'watch' in quotes? Because it's really my nap time! I sleep so well when a Nascar race is on. Wasn't always like that - have been a fan for more year than I care to admit but now? Nap time!!
Jayski threw me off, he posted the overnight viewership number on his tv ratings page instead of waiting until the final ratings. So that 5.7 million is flat with last years overnight rating/viewer count at Darlington and down from Dover. The final ratings will be interesting.
Busch,
Access and not production often drives TV ratings. The only place to see the Sprint Cup Series on FOX is FOX. No online options exist.
I tried for years not to address the ratings for exactly that reason. If the sports story is good enough, viewers will tolerate bad production because there is nowhere else to go to see the live event.
FOX is stuck in a rut and has a huge mindset that they are totally right and the fans are totally wrong.
Starr,
Most hilarious comment you have ever offered. No debris shown, never caught live racing, two cars on camera max and inane commentary from a current Cup owner and his big brother who is a decade removed from the sport.
The topper was missing Kurt Busch and his antics on pit road during and after the race. Once again, SPEED had to step in and try to make sense of what FOX produced during the event.
WORST NASCAR TV BROADCAST IN THE TEN YEAR HISTORY OF NASCAR ON FOX.
You got me. Sorry for having a different viewpoint on things.
Best of luck in the future with this blog and twitter. Hopefully Fox, TNT, and ESPN don't kill the sport for you and everyone else on here.
I agree JD. I had no idea what happened with Kurt Busch until after the race. I heard from a friend that went to the race that he did a John Force style burnout leaving the pits and left a HUGE smoke plume.
FOX never mentioned or showed this. Their coverage is, well, 'amateur-ish'.
Can't wait for FOX's coverage to be done.
They are not going to kill it because it was here on TNN and WTBS and NBC long before the current TV partners.
You confuse "the sport" with the third-party TV coverage of it. It is apples and oranges. That has been my point to you for years.
If FOX and ESPN went away, all it would do is bring a new set of producers and announcers that we would hold to the same high standard.
Trying over and over again to make it a personal issue or trying to paint me as biased is a joke. If Lifetime network and TruTV shared the NASCAR coverage, they would each receieve the same scrutiny.
Social media has brought to the surface the issues we have discussed here for many years. Now, intstead of just painting me as an angry guy, the NASCAR TV partners have fans on Twitter and Facebook pounding them for the incredibly poor TV production.
A revolution in the sport is underway and the current NASCAR TV partners are about to be hit by a big wave headed for the beach.
NOTHING would please me more than being able to praise the network TV production on a regular basis.
Stick with the Biff said...
I didn't know about the KuBu thing because I shut the TV & radio off the minute the 48 crossed the finish line so I wouldn't have to hear about the 200th Hendrick win for 20 minutes. I would not expect any network to have cameras that would catch every single thing, but don't they usually have someone monitoring scanners? Weren't there still reporters on pit road? Even if the cameras didn't have the burnout, *someone* from FOX ought to have seen/heard about it, or when the team was warning Kurt on the radio, why not follow the action where you know it's going to be and report it. Pretty big failure on their part, it's not like it's the first time people got hot after a race.
JD, you have a valid point on the ratings. Yes, I had my TV on because I had no choice but to go there. Starr is right in that people do complain about the coverage on many sports (I'm a skating fan, there's usually a long thread or two after the Olympics grumbling about the lousy TV coverage.) But mostly it's about analysts they like or dislike or which skaters are ignored/favored--very rarely is it about the camera angles or the direction or missing important stories or updates. And there's no agenda of sponsorship for the TV people (ie Mikey), also pretty unique to NASCAR (there is occasional sponsorhip of a halftime update or that sort of thing, but not to the overkill extent that it is in NASCAR coverage, from the Lucky Dog to Sprint updates.) Having a ready made audience shouldn't give television a right to give out such a shabby product; the network should be embarrassed over it.
For the people that still defend FOX's coverage: Please go to youtube and watch CBS' or ESPN' coverage of NASCAR from the '80s. Top notch.
It's pretty obvious that FOX needs better "former" driver analysis. I'm sure the reason why Bill Elliott hasn't been hired is because of his thick southern drawl, which is a shame. That man is very knowledgeable about the cars, set-ups, and what it takes to make them handle better. He has forgotten more about these cars than DW could even begin to understand. Half the things DW states cause the handling of a car to go the opposite direction.
anonymous said -- IMO, you could monkeys in the production truck and in the booth and they would do NO worse than what Fox has done since the TV contract was renewed. This is a totally different broadcast than it was in 2001 and is unintelligible.
As JD said, essentially the broadcast partners have a monopoly so if I want to watch it on TV, I'm stuck with it. I just know I watch a lot less of it than I did 3 years ago. We are about to be into summer here in the Philly area - I plan to be outside doing something of value on Sunday's whenever the weather is nice. I no longer have enough reason to spend my day inside watching NASCAR.
And after all, we did say the Talledega coverage was better, so it's not a matter of bias, it's a matter of giving the customer something that they can actually enjoy.
argh, that first sentence should have the word "put" before monkeys.
apparently I am monkeying with the English language today.
There is an extended video of Kurt Busch incident that Race Hub showed. Not the plume of smoke,but an interesting guy that was shoving the camera guy down so they wouldn't be seen fighting. He had a light blue polo shirt, and a hard card credential around his neck. As the camera guy regained footing, Busch and crew guy were already separated. I would like to know who this "mystery man" was? Was he a team member? Typically, these things are a non-issue, but why would a guy neatly dressed try to nix the cameras? His shirt color did not match that of the 39 team, nor the 51 team...He wasn't an official either as he was knocked down over the hood. Perhaps (here come the black helicopters) he worked for the network? There WAS a FOX camera guy who captured the whole thing. YouTube does not have it either, and that surprises me. But Race Hub DID show a little bit more than they did the other night. My question is this: Why would they have full footage of last years' incident with Harvick and Kyle, which happened at the SAME TIME after the race, yet this time, the footage is yanked?
I have emails asking the same thing and have been watching how it has been handled in NASCAR TV circles.
Other than Bob Dillner for SPEED, there really has not been a review of the issue or video that I have seen of the original incident.
Love to get some more info on the reality of what happened.
I thought maybe it was Kurt's dad.
Or a 'troubleshooter' hired by Finch.... :)
@Colorado @ JD
I saw the "Guy in the blue shirt" (I could make a "Grassy Knoll" reference but shall resist the tempation) He had a hat on like Dick Berggren wears -- if we are talking about the same image. I thought it was Dick rushing in to stop something. Was vey brief image I saw, but the fellow looked skinny and old as some of us who are, are :)
@Starrcade
You are correct. TV has never been the same since #Gunsmoke, #EdSullivan and #YourShowOfShows and the #DWTS #IronChef guy as Wo-Fat on the (new) 5-0 Pre-pos-ter-ous ! ;-0
there's a photo of 'blue shirt guy' with the Berggren hat at SI...but you can only see the back of his head. And his hat. And the video says it's been taken down as 'copyright by NASCAR'.
They got Iron Chef guy to play Wo Fat? Yikes. That is just so wrong (and why I don't watch the new show.)
Fox really dropped the ball even further when they had virtually NO tape of the pit road incident that started the whole brouhaha to begin with. My other question is, where were the Nascar officials? the 39 pit crew had made it apparent they were going to confront Kurt, yet there were no officials there to defuse the situation before it got out of hand? Must be the same crew that saw Harvick waiting for Biffle at the end of the Busch race at Bristol several years ago, but were no where to be found at the end of the race as Harvick leapt over Biffle's car. It's certainly hard to judge what happened when TV didn't bother to cover anything but the aftermath.
The "blue shirt guy" can also be seen at the Nascar trailer with Kurt. When I saw the list of fines/ probation, I was shocked that the Gas Man got off relatively lightly compared to the others. One of Kurt's pit crew got stiff penalties. I have no idea what that was all about. And Nascar wonders why it has a credibility issue with the fans. My bad...I forgot. I'm 'needy' and like to see wrecks.
Anon 8:55--the gas man got the same exact fine (5K) as Kurt's crew member, the only difference was his probation was shorter. I bet there's some reason why. As for Kurt, he risked people's lives. No excuse for that.
I'm assuming the "blue shirt guy" is Craig Strickler who was the 51 crew guy that got fined and placed on probation. It says he "interfered with a member of the broadcast media" which goes along with what the video showed the "blue shirt guy" doing.
Anon 2:20 am-Thanks for clarifying who Craig is. I'm anon 8:55 pm. Anon 9:25 pm-I'm no fan of Kurt's but I can't conclude that lives were endangered w/o seeing what happened. So far, I haven't seen any video. Maybe its forthcoming and we can all see it.
The problem with NASCAR is less about the TV coverage of the races and more about the sport itself, from the weak on-the-track competition to the wholesale profiteering that has consumed it.
The COT has turned the races into endless epics. Everything is for sale. It's quite ugly.
F1 is so much more about the actual sport of racing and the elegance of racing. And SPEED's coverage of it is the perfect complement.
And you are not going to see David Hobbes wrapping Seb Vettel in toilet paper, for God's sake.
NASCAR has become a joke. I've been watching it since 1967, and I just cannot believe the descent of the sport of stock car driving. Greed has killed NASCAR. I still watch, but more out of habit. I now get my racing fix from F1 and other series.
Maybe NASCAR needs to cut the length of races in half. But wait, that would mean less commercial time to sell, and fewer annual millions in the drivers' and owners' pockets.
Maybe I'm the problem and I've lost the spark for a sport I've loved for almost 50 years. I'm an old lady who should be able to let things not bother me. But if I see one more post-race interview where the driver is standing there with his sponsor drink, all staged up to show the TV audience that he's a Coke or Pepsi guy, I'm going to scream.
Compare that fake, staged nonsense to a post-race session in F1. In the latter, it's all about the racing. Yet there are still plenty of sponsors. Go figure.
Allison,
"And you are not going to see David Hobbes wrapping Seb Vettel in toilet paper, for God's sake."
That is my favorite line of these comments!
anon 9:25 said...
anon 3:14--I am not prone to conspiracy theories. NASCAR isn't going to hand out that kind of penalty if NO ONE saw what happened. I assume surrounding people in the pits saw it & NASCAR talked to those involved to find out what happened. There may even have been a NASCAR official who saw all or part of it. They don't have to have video, people are convicted of actual crimes from a lot less. Although it was an epic fail from FOX NOT to have anything, it isn't required for punishment.
Bucky Butler said...
Amen, AllisonJ! AMEN!! It couldn't be stated any better. NASCAR is merely habit for me as well. The passion has been sucked out of me by the sport itself and the coverage. Not only coverage of the event itself but the general NASCAR media at large. I find the NASCAR media to be cheerleaders and stenographers. There is little journalistic skepticism and curiosity. I get my racing fix from Indy Car, F1 and Grand Am. Speed carries two of those three, as well as the Camping World Truck Series. Speed is a Fox outlet. How in the hell can Speed get their race event coverage so right and the network mother ship get it so wrong continues to remain a mystery for me.
AMAZING! John, thanks to you and the "REAL" fans, all of a sudden, Speed has all kinds of video footage and information about the Busch/crew guy fracas... And another note to Tony Stewart who stuck it in JD's and our backs last night on The Hub... "People that just sit behind computers all day and don't drive these cars.etc." Wow Tony. Keep it up, bud, keep it up.
Colorado...in all fairness (and I'm not a big Stewart fan) I think Tony was directing that at the people who were calling him a whiner and a crybaby for complaining about the rules at Talladega. On the original transcript online there were comments along those lines; I don't think that was directed at people complaining about TV coverage or even those who think the racing isn't as good (as we also note here.) Tony is a pretty tough guy and I wouldn't blame him for taking it personally. I think the whole tirade was a thinly veiled way of him telling NASCAR that it's not working, at least not for him (and he as much said that as Steve was interviewing him.)
I think we need to remember whether it's Tony or Jimmie or Robin Pemberton or whoever, comments made about people on the Internet include all *kinds* of sites, and people with all kinds of opinions. They ought to realize that too, mind you, but they tend to read a couple comments and direct their response toward them, even if 10 other comments went the other way.
AllisonJ, Great comments!
Why I've gotten into Indycar races. That sport is trying to improve & deserves our love.
I now read Fox is using WRECKS to promote the All Star Race?!
Wasn't everybody on Speed/Fox/drivers BLAMING fans for wanting more wrecks when what we wanted was more wide shots, groups of cars coming at us to gain perspective of the races?
There's a huge diff in wanting camera work that's improved and saying we are griping we want more wrecks. How in the world do they leap to that conclusion on Twitter. Btw, I follow very small amount of NASCAR folks on Tw.
This sport continues to lose me.
It's all about the greed & I'm sure BF is laughing all the way to the bank.
Sold the soul of the sport.
Well, as I mentioned before, I'm out of this abusive relationship.
But it makes me sad to be missing the races. But only with how things Used to be
Then again, if you are over 50 tv doesn't care what we think (See canceling of Harry's Law for PROOF of that)
Hope all the musical chairs/camera hopping makes NASCAR happy (insert sarcasm)
I scanned through the race last night on my DVR looking to see what led to Kurt Busch's latest tirade. From reading the post race tweets. I knew FOX had blown that coverage, so no shock there. What was shocking to me was Mikey's hair. I mean, come on! FOX show's their talking heads more than the race, it seems. At least give the man a decent hairdo.
Stick with the Biff: Thanks for clarification. It just seems that the whole sport across the board has everyone sniping at each other. It's like a family: We all grew up together, and we all fight, love, laugh, and cry over each other. I guess the "fight" part has become personal. It's a shame that our bretheren have cast us aside in favor of the "flavor of the week", and started calling us names. I'm 46, and my dad raced since before I was born, so I've been a fan, and NASCAR family member for 46 years. Our family friend drove his Thunderbird from Colorado down to race in the first Daytona 500. His name was Fritz Wilson. The car is in the North Carolina Motorsports museum. So, in reference to Tony, JJ, and Robin Pemberton:We DO know about racing. More than you'll ever know. So it does get bothersome, and sometimes hurts, that you guys take verbal swipes at us, and think we know "nothing about driving at 200 mph." As far as the media: There are some of you that would know what we talk about. The Matt Yocums, the Steve Byrnes, et al. But the suits that have no inkling as to who we are and what we represent, the ones that have taken DW down the dark path, will never know personal integrity, or what it means to be a "fan".
And I would add, Colorado...we're all *different*, too. They should not lump us all together and think we want the same things. Personally I hate pack racing, but I'm in the minority so I live with it. I also don't like wrecking, but I have to concede that there are fans that expect that as part of say, Bristol. I can't blame Bruton for looking at the stands and thinking that's what it is. But I just wish that NASCAR people and the networks would phrase things as 'some fans' rather than assuming we all think the same (reading these posts it should be obvious!) And I have a very different history. It was never a thing in my childhood. I had a friend who was into it and went to my first race in 1997...but the Internet allowed me to connect with other fans and learn about the sport (and as it happens, I learned a lot from the 50 year anniversary stuff they did in 98, I've always been a history buff.) So the 'benevolent dictatorship' needs to learn that, as you say, we DO know racing, and we don't need it force fed to us as the networks dictate rather than what would make the most sense.
AllisonJ...it ought to be noted there are plenty of tracks in F1 where there is little if any passing, and wins are often dictated not by the quality of the driver, but by the best engineers money can buy (remarkably like NASCAR). Plus, the sponsors are seen on every uniform and backdrop just as they are in NASCAR--and we don't get the exact same coverage as they do so who knows what happens on a more local level (I'm just picturing them with their Perrier or something...) OTOH, those fans in Spain showed so much love and passion for their sport...crazily enough, I think Vettel would have laughed at being TP'd, but imagine Schumacher...
Stick with the Biff and Colorado, it would be nice though if some of these drivers that are mouthing off against the opinions of the fans would actually show some appreciation FOR the fans.
Stewart may have been referring to people other than "us" in his comments from Dega and last night on the Hub, but Johnson & Truex were clear in their tweets that their comments WERE directed at the fans.
They are entitled to their opinions, but their PR people ought to tell them that alienating the paying customers is a bad decision.
Personally for me, the bad attitude and abuse toward the fans from the drivers is the proverbial last straw.
This is supposed to be fun. It isn't any more.
GinaV24: The word is called "elitist". One thing I've never forgot is where I came from. The definition of that is "integrity". Seems that when you get a couple of million dollars, you forget that. Sometimes, I think the drivers are directed, or rather instructed to comment that way towards us fans by the sanctioning body. They may feel that if we hold our "heroes" in high regard, then we will shut up, drink the Kool Aid, and follow along the party line. I believe in the adage "If you treat me good, I'll treat you better. If you treat me bad, I'll treat you worse."
Gina & Colorado
BINGO! on the elitist attitudes of the driver. They keep shooting the messenger without truly LISTENING to our message.
It's really sad to let go of a sport after 9 yrs. I can't imagine some of you truly long timers :(
I keep up on news via twitter & this blog. But I find myself keeping up with Indycar stuff more and more.
I've not heard Stewarts comments (and I am a fan) but I also think there is a KoolAid Mandate.
Remember, yrs ago when Stewart spoke out and got called to the hauler? Now he's an owner and gotten PC.
We have constructive criticism of the broadcasts and somehow, the driver's take that as we want more wrecks? Nothing could be further from the truth. Fox broadcasters lashing out about the same thing.
Then, I read Fox is promoting all star race with WRECKS.
I've sent 2 tweets to DW regarding Fox's promo's but he's not answered. He's never responded to anything I've said. Even the complimentary things.
Most drivers/reporters answer me. As does Shane Hmiel who I sent prayers to & he thanked me.
I'm tired of the put down on the fans.
'Ok, Soph, so stop reading here & griping.'
But it's hard to let go of something you once loved & planned your weekends around, isn't it ? :-(
PS Word veri's are resembling hieroglyphics these days! What the > > ?
Sophia, sadly I agree. It's almost become an afterthought in my daily life now. Ten years ago, if you cut me in half, I'd bleed NASCAR. Now, I'll watch, but always have a plan B, C, and D. The California race? Never seen one lap. The attendance is dwindling, the ratings are down, and the first thing NASCAR does is lash out at the very people that built it up. Again, I'll liken it to a family, or even a marriage: The "for better" was there, and everyone was happy, now the "for worse" is here, and it's like being in an abusive relationship. Nobody wins. And just like a marriage, sometimes you have to move on...And find what truly makes you happy. As Travis Tritt sang in a live version 11 years ago: "Damn I miss Dale Earnhardt! I wish he was still around!" This conversation, and perhaps the anger and resentment would not be here...
Hee Haw said...
Amazing that no one correlates the awful, and i mean awful track attendance with the decline in this sport. it's boring highway racing, it's points racing to get into the chase...
it's aj allmendinger being happy for 2nd place and not making any attempt to try and win, it's all these drivers being friends, no rivals, no reason to cime to to the track and being shaked down at the campground or hotel, and then go watch single file racing for about 70% of the race
again..i ask the parrots of this board...(you know who you are) why not bring up the dismal track figures? people aren't going to the track and they're not watching on TV...and no amount of "wide shots" will fix that.
and before all the parrots chirp in...i do not work in any TV network PR group...i just happen to disagree with you...SHOCKING i know..but it happens
Great comments, everyone. I can't help but wonder what Dale, Sr would think of the state of the sport today if he were alive. No doubt, he loved the fans.
Hee Haw...not sure exactly what you are disagreeing with. This blog's been around since, what 2007? Lack of attendance has been talked about on numerous occasions. However, lack of attendance and poor race quality (if that's what you think the problem is) isn't what this blog is for, it's for talking about TV coverage, which would not be affected by attendance or lack thereof. There are plenty of those out there; I'm sure you can find one. You might find it shocking, but some of us actually go to the races and find them entertaining (still.) But we know we are missing a lot on TV when we cannot be there in person.
should have read, plenty of those 'blogs'....
The Loose Wheel said...
Saw the race for about 10 minutes since I worked Saturday. Caught it after the first caution and for a restart. Sure enough FOX was still on that soapbox trying to sell "Cautions breed cautions." Guess they didn't learn much from the season to date.
MRN on the other hand did a very good job covering the event, so glad I was able to listen to them instead.
Doug M. said...
If only someone that had real control over the broadcasts would actually read this, and then do something about it.
As I said last week .. point the cameras at the track, put two guys in the booth that know what they are doing, and show the race. Get rid of the dog and pony show, and the fans will start watching again.
We aren't tired of watching Nascar, we are tired of watching all the other crap that is on when while we can hear the cars on the track. It isn't worth turning on anymore.
JD...the post that wouldn't die, eh? I guess several of us miss the blogs during the race. Obviously many of us need more than 140 bytes to say our piece! Thanks for allowing us to do so.
Colorado & Sophia - you are so right, "elitist" is the word I was looking for. I guess the drivers and others managing NASCAR think they are "too big to fail".
I didn't like Kool aid as a kid. I have trouble drinking any corporate kool aid now. I'm not going to drink NASCAR's either.
I agree Doug M. If the K &N Race was the template, then the fans would tune in alot more. Play by Play announcing, color commentary that revolves around the race, and camera angles of EVERY car on the track. Reminds me of the mid week races on TNN. I bet those three letters make FOX cringe....
@Colorado
We ARE like a family. NASCAR is really quire like a small town when you get down to brass tacks.
We care. Real fans care. I have a card I pay for each year given to my Daddy by Big Bill. I can go anywhere. No gates are closed to me. I neither abuse the privilege nor overuse it. The catch is I hold it. I cannot get even my current squeeze one. It is a personal thing only. That's how we roll.
I do not like being called a moron or needy. But I am NEEDY.I am needy for good racing with cars that look like cars (That's coming) and no gimmicks.
I really love this sport and I am not pleased it is in such a state.
If we do not save it … then who will?
Rambo M. said...
Just my uneducated opinion, but if there's a silver lining to the media/DW/et.al. shifting the blame onto fans and turning on the spin cycle, it's that this tends to happen when they feel threatened by pressure.
Keep this in mind.
Lemon Lyman said...
This post should never go away until FOX listens to us! They should hold up the race until the debris that brings out the caution is documented on TV. We deserve to know if it was a Diet Mountain Dew can that caused the yellow flag. NASCAR cannot be trusted.
RPM said...
I just wish DirecTv had more cars on Hot Pass. It's much more enjoyable watching the race there with team audio and stats. Plus they pot down the network audio to about 20%.
I was pleased to finally see a stopwatch on some pit stops. That should be a standard graphic.
Shayne Flaherty said...
Maybe the 8-14 year old demographics enjoy the moronic displays of adults behaving like children. Then, there's the actually race coverage, which is just as much a joke as the pre- race antics.
Brian France has ruined what was once a great sport. It's not too late, but Brain France has to go.
Certainly upset of what was done on the broadcast like DW's stupid comment saying that Danica was the most eager to learn and him talking all the time. It almost seems as if it's Mike Joy and DW calling the race cuz Larry Mac' drowned out a lot. Hopefully when 2014 (new TV deal year), there'll be new production and DW retires resulting in Jeff Hammond replacing him.
Bob E said...
The Waltrip "boys" time has come and gone. Darrell is less horrible than Michael. The rest of the crew did I am sure as they were told. I don't know anything about TV production, but I would guess all the camera info goes to a central point and a producer decides what to air. He must feel like the little boy looking for his dropped chewing gum in the chicken coop. Before everyone picks on Danica and GoDaddy (who paid a lot of money to sponsor the race), consider the over saturation of 5Hour Energy and Viagra plus the poor operating results of "Race Buddy"!! I love the sport and am thankful that I have Tivo and DVR along with in car radio to filter out the junk fox offers and enjoy the race. Can't wait for fox to end it's broadcast. All just my opinion.
According to http://racingtothecheckered.blogspot.com/2012/05/did-kurt-busch-push-it-too-far.html blue-shirted Craig Stickler is Kurt Busch's motorhome driver.
I am overly sick of the self-promoting Waltrips AND McReynolds. It's all about them, their opinions, their self-importance and hearing themselves talk. And MW's fake, over-the-top, excitement is so transparent. And when they have no clue what's going on, they make it up - as in MW's comments after the race about Ryan Newman's crew going after Kurt Busch saying that it was Darlington drama, assuming it had something to do with Newman's spinning after Kurt Busch spun...no clue whatsoever as to what was going on but still felt compelled to pretend to us that he is a know-it-all. These guys ruin it. And as I type this, I hear MW commenting (with over-the-top fake excitement) on truck practice at Charlotte. Time to watch some crime show reruns instead of enduring more Waltrip torture. - RC
The Post That Will Not Die: NASCAR On FOX From Dar...
Edwards Moves Into ESPN TV Booth
Buzzwords Flying In Latest Media Mess


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text:
Martin Engineering expands its operations in the UK and Scandinavia
Dry Bulk, Tuesday, 19 June 2018 09:05
A world leader in bulk material handling solutions has expanded its UK and Scandinavian operations, allowing it to offer wider service, faster equipment delivery and extensive employee training to customers. Martin Engineering's new facility located near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, includes a new office, training centre, production area and warehouse. With its expanded team of knowledgeable industry professionals, the company will partner with UK and Scandinavian customers to offer solutions to common material handling problems, while at the same time improving the work environment with safer equipment and detailed training seminars. The result is a highly responsive unit committed to improving efficiency and compliance, while minimising customer operating costs.
The Martin Engineering team invites attendees at the UK's number one show for bulk material handling to stop by stand RA17 of the Hillhead 2018 Quarrying, Construction and Recycling Exhibition at the Hillhead Quarry in Derbyshire on 26 - 28 June. The team will be on hand to meet current and potential customers and discuss common issues and unique problems affecting their operations.
"The UK and Scandinavia are centres of excellence when it comes to bulk material handling and processing," said Robert Whetstone, Martin Engineering's European Vice President. "It's exactly the kind of market that benefits from the innovations in products and services for which Martin Engineering is known."
Since 1944, Martin Engineering has designed, engineered and manufactured heavy duty conveyor components and material flow aids with a focus on safety, efficiency and ease of service. The company has had offices and manufacturing in the region for more than 30 years, and has established a reputation for premium quality equipment and expert service throughout Northern Europe in a wide range of industries, including heavy building products, mining, cement, steel production, fertiliser, power generation, recycling, food, railheads, ports and bulk storage industries.
Working from a purpose-built production facility, products including air cannons and belt cleaners will be manufactured at the new location. Also housed there will be factory direct equipment and spares for Martin Engineering bulk handling solutions to be quickly dispatched to any area in the region to keep customer plants running efficiently and safely, while reducing expensive downtime.
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Read the article online at: https://www.drybulkmagazine.com/material-handling/19062018/martin-engineering-expands-its-operations-in-the-uk-and-scandinavia/
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
www.stillisstillmoving.com
I am inspired by the wonderful Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson fans at Red Rocks Amphitheater »
Willie Nelson on CBS Good Morning
www.cbs.com
The singer-songwriter, nearing 84, proudly proclaims he's "still not dead" with his latest album, "God's Problem Child."
Willie Nelson has been "On the Road Again" — and again and again — ever since he released that song back in 1980. And a song on his newest album proves he has no intention of hanging it up any time soon, a point he underscores to our Bob Schieffer, For The Record (An earlier version of this story was originally broadcast on April 2, 2017):
"I woke up still not dead again today
The Internet said I had passed away
If I died I wasn't dead to stay
I woke up still not dead again today.
"Now, how in the world do you come up with that song?" Schieffer asked.
"Oh, I don't know — I've been killed several times throughout the years!" Nelson laughed. "And so I just thought I'd write something funny about it."
It's easy for Willie Nelson to laugh off these greatly exaggerated rumors of his demise. Now 84, he's on the road again — performing and writing music. His last album, "God's Problem Child," was his 110th, give or take, with songs like "Still Not Dead" and "Old Timer."
To hear Willie Nelson perform "Old Timer" from "God's Problem Child," click on the video player below:
Willie Nelson – Old Timer by WillieNelsonVEVO on YouTube
"There's a theme here," said Schieffer. "This is about the autumn of life. Is that hard for you to think about?"
"No," he laughed. "You remember one of those deep thinkers, a guy named Seneca? He said you should look at death and comedy with the same countenance. And I believe that."
"The autumn of your life — and I'm right there with you, buddy — it's like the springtime in everybody else's life. I mean, you're at the top of your powers, I would say, right now."
"Everything's going good," Nelson said. "I think age is just a number. I've heard it all my life: It's not how old you are, it's how you feel. And I've been lucky with [everything], health-wise and career-wise.
"I haven't really got anything to bitch about!" he laughed.
It wasn't always so. Early on, Nelson left his native Texas for Nashville, making a name for himself writing hits for others, like "Crazy," recorded by Patsy Cline.
Nashville liked his songs, but his singing? Not so much.
At one point Nelson became so dejected that he went out and laid down in the middle of the street in Nashville hoping that a car would run over him. "'Course, it was midnight — there wasn't a lot of traffic!" he laughed. "No car got me!"
"What were those days like?" Schieffer asked.
"Oh, they were wild and crazy. You know, I was going through one relationship after another, one divorce after another. And those things will make you write songs. If you're a songwriter, that's where you get your material, from all your headaches and heartaches."
Nelson went back to Texas, changed his look, and changed his tune — less Grand Ole Opry and more good ole boy, spiced with a little hippy and redneck. With his friend Waylon Jennings came a new, raw sound: Outlaw country.
To watch Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings perform "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" at Farm Aid (1986), click on the video player below.
Willie Nelson & Waylon – Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys (Live at Farm Aid 1986) by Farm Aid on YouTube
Through the years, Nelson's music came to transcend genre. He's won eight Grammys, and honors he never imagined.
Regarding the record producer Harlan Howard's quip that "Country music is three chords and the truth," Schieffer asked Nelson, "What is it that sets your songs apart?"
"Well, you know, it's three-quarters of the way true. You can have more than three chords! But the truth matters."
"What causes you to come up with these songs that people say, 'Well, that's right'?"
"I don't know. I'm just writing what I'm thinking. And if it comes out pretty good, I'll write it down somewhere and come up with a melody to it. But I'm just writing what I'm thinking, just off the top of my head, really."
When he's not traveling on his bus to one of the more than 100 shows he stills does every year, Nelson splits his time between a home in Maui (where he hangs with friends like Woody Harrelson), and his ranch outside Austin, complete with an Old West town he named Luck, Texas.
Correspondent Bob Schieffer and Willie Nelson in Luck, Texas.
When Schieffer dropped by, 3,000 fans filled the town for the Luck Reunion, the brainchild of Willie's great niece, Ellee.
She said the Luck Reunion had started as a one-day event: "Celebrating singers and songwriters who were kind of forging their path in the same kind of vein as Willie is. Just, you know, doing their own thing without compromise."
"A lot of people get to hear a lot of good music and hang out, have a good time," Nelson added. "So it's turned out to be real good."
Things didn't always turn out "real good" for Willie. Back in the '90s there was the little matter of back taxes he owed Uncle Sam.
"I gotta say," Schieffer noted, "you're the only guitar picker from Abbott, Texas that I ever knew or heard of that owed the federal government $32 million!"
"It's kind of funny when you think about it!" Nelson laughed.
"But I'm sure it wasn't funny to you at the time."
He worked it out, and paid it off. But he never declared bankruptcy. "I don't believe in that," Nelson said. "You know, I believe if I owe some people some money, I want to pay them."
He's been arrested more than once for possession of marijuana.
"I want to ask you a little about pot," Schieffer asked.
"You got one?"
These days he's in the cannabis business in places where it's legal. So why has he been such an advocate? "For myself, it's good for me," he said. "It keeps me from going off and doing crazy things. I can relax and play some music and sit around and visit and act like a grown-up, I think."
Nelson once said that his fourth wife, Annie, married a better man than his other wives. "I did!" she laughed. "I got him after everybody else sort of trained him."
They've been together more than 31 years.
And what's it like to be married to Willie Nelson? "It's not boring! It's never boring. He has a lot of energy. There's 23 years between us, but I think his goal is to wear me out so that we're both the same age!"
Schieffer asked Nelson, "You think you'll ever retire?"
"What do you want me, to quit? All I do is play music and a little golf, and I don't want to quit either one of those!"
For Willie Nelson the way to stop wearing out is to speed up.
Schieffer noted, "Andy Rooney said one time, 'We don't ask to get old. We just get old … And if you're lucky, you may get old, too.' You and I have been pretty lucky!"
"Yeah, we have," Nelson said. "Very lucky. We're still here. We woke up still not dead again!"
To hear Willie Nelson perform "A Woman's Love" from "God's Problem Child," click on the video player below:
Willie Nelson – A Woman's Love by WillieNelsonVEVO on YouTube
This entry was posted on Sunday, July 23rd, 2017 at 7:23 pm and is filed under Interviews, television.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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