Last weekend, the Sprint Cup and Xfinity series returned to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for 501 laps of action. High temperatures on Sunday and dew points in the low 70s created rather taxing conditions for the drivers. Later on, the weather taxed NBC Sports as well.
5-hour Energy 301
Sunday afternoon brought the Sprint Cup teams back to the track for quasi-short track action. Kyle Busch won once again, but there was much more to the telecast.
During Countdown to Green, NBCSN aired a special one-on-one interview that Jeff Burton conducted with Kevin Harvick. In it, Harvick described a number of facts about himself that weren’t widely known. Firstly, he talked about how he was destitute when Richard Childress hired him at the end of 1999 to drive for his then-Busch Series team. Previously, Harvick had driven for Liberty Racing in the Truck Series, a ride Harvick describes as a ride he took just to have a ride after leaving Spears Racing. Having said that, Harvick had impressed. He was coming off of a season in which he had six top-five finishes.
Another interesting fact is how little Harvick’s input was valued once he took over the No. 29 following Dale Earnhardt’s death. There was a lot of “Dale did it this way” going on. Not really surprising since Earnhardt did win seven championships and had been in the car since 1984, but somewhat depressing for a rookie. Also of note, we must mention that rumors have stated that Burton was the top choice to take over for Earnhardt when he retired. Seems like he might have been getting into a not-so-great atmosphere had that gone to plan.
On Sunday, I found that NBCSN was a little better in showing debris that caused yellows as compared to Kentucky. For example, we saw the brake rotor (I think) that caused the first yellow, at the bare minimum. Based on reading Twitter, my best guess is that the part came off of Justin Allgaier‘s car.
In addition, the material that you can learn on an NBC Sports broadcast is quite substantial. For example, there was a decent explanation given on why Kyle Busch was suffering from brake shake early on in the race (lack of temperature; hard to believe). Also, they took great pains to show that Dale Earnhardt Jr. did not run into the back of teammate Jimmie Johnson in turn 4. It’s a rare occasion where “showing off your wares” actually benefits the broadcast (they used a super zoom, referred to as “NBCee-it”). Usually, such instances just lead to viewers being unable to see anything they want to see.
Speaking of Allgaier, there was no mention of his wall contact on the broadcast. It occurred during the first commercial break. Tony Stewart also had a close encounter with the wall that the broadcast didn’t catch. However, the booth did notice damage on Stewart’s No. 14 during a later pit stop. Interestingly enough, that really wasn’t that much of a problem on Saturday. There were a similar amount of incidents with the wall in that race that NBCSN picked up just fine.
While there was a fair amount of discussion about the heat and humidity on the broadcast, there was comparatively little coverage on how the drivers were coping. After the race, multiple drivers went to the Infield Care Center to get fluids. Matt DiBenedetto, who finished 35th, was one of them.
Thanks for the concern everyone..I got dehydrated and sick but the infield care center gave me fluids and I'm a little better. It was hot!
— Matt DiBenedetto (@mattdracing) July 19, 2015
While Landon Cassill did not suffer symptoms of significant dehydration during the race, he did go through a load of fluids to keep himself going.
Hottest race of the year so far today. I drank 100oz of electrolyte fluids in the car (5 bottles), and another 60oz after. Still behind.
— landon cassill (@landoncassill) July 19, 2015
Also of note, Cassill and Hillman Racing got quite a bit of airtime on Sunday thanks to their decent run, which is always good to see. When you really think about it, TV coverage does help teams in need gain backing. Hillman Racing is a very small organization by Sprint Cup standards, but they do a lot with what they have. They got a lot of dap for their performance, and rightfully so. It just didn’t end the way they wanted it to due to a badly timed caution.
Wow. Brad K exhausted. AJ needed medical. Annett carted off on stretcher. It as a lot hotter than it probably looked on TV here @NHM
— Jim Noble (@Noble_Jim) July 19, 2015
Just going by that, and the tweet above from Jim Noble about how Michael Annett was placed on a stretcher for his trip to the Infield Care Center makes me believe that NBCSN should have spent a little more time on the issue. Maybe have the pit reporters gather stories about drivers that were having some issues.
As it stands, I think the water bottle issue might have gotten more press. While I agree with Burton’s statement that the teams should label those water bottles with their number in order to prevent people from throwing them on the track to draw cautions, the hydration issue was much more important. That is something that ESPN was very good at back in the 1990s. They were right on top of the story during the 1998 NAPA AutoCare 500 at Martinsville, a race that was run on a day that was even hotter than Sunday.
Loudon races can get strung out and Sunday’s event was no exception. NBC Sports has brought back the Through the Field segment that they created back during their first stint with NASCAR and elongated it. It’s just about perfect for a long green-flag run without a lot of action for position.
Post-race coverage was actually quite substantial. Viewers saw more than half a dozen driver interviews in addition to checks of the points and results. Since the post-race edition of NASCAR America was moved to the broadcast booth from the infield due to thunderstorms in the area, the interviews were compacted into the regular post-race coverage in order to get them in before everyone was forced indoors for safety.
Overall, most of Sunday’s broadcast was pretty good. However, especially with a race that had some dull sections, they definitely should have given light to the driver health issue a little more. This isn’t the 1980s. Drivers tend to be in a lot better shape today than they were then. Issues with lack of endurance in a 318-mile race usually isn’t a thing, regardless of the temperature. I wouldn’t be shocked to learn that a couple of drivers had failures of some sort that caused their dehydration issues (Koolbox failure, alternator issues, battery issues, jammed hoses, etc.). However, we never heard anything about those types of issues. All we got were mentions of drivers getting treatment post-race.
Of course, having said that, I expect NBC Sports to come back full bore at Indianapolis. Indy may not be the spotlight race for the second half of the season like it was pre-Chase, but it’s still a big race for NBC Sports.
Lakes Region 200
On a cloudy and relatively cool (for July in New England) Saturday afternoon, the Xfinity Series trudged back onto the 1.058-mile oval for their 29th assault on the flat track. However, the driving of one Denny Hamlin dominated the day.
As you’re aware of by now, Hamlin spun himself out on an early restart while trying to race for the lead with Kyle Busch. While neither car was damaged, they were relegated to the back of the lead lap. Later on, a similar scenario played out in turn 4. That resulted in an instance of the booth essentially having to defend Hamlin’s actions. They were insisting that Hamlin’s actions were not intentional. Had it just ended there, I’m sure that there are a couple of people who would claim some kind of bias. Instead, they followed up with Hamlin via a radio chat during the fourth caution, where Hamlin stated that his SunEnergy1 Toyota was loose on entry. Given what we saw Saturday, that makes perfect sense.
The contact between Hamlin and Austin Dillon was something that you could have seen coming. The booth thought that it was a possibility. I thought so as well. Sure enough, the rear end kicked out on him. I can understand why Austin was so angry because Hamlin gave him next to no room. It’s as if he knew it was going to happen and just let it happen.
Post-race coverage was a bit dicey. Not with the broadcast, but there were a number of angry dudes out there. NBCSN brought viewers rather comprehensive coverage, getting viewpoints from all the major players. Seems like only Hamlin came out of the day happy while everyone else felt like they were wronged. The quotes, especially from Austin Dillon, were newsworthy. Even though the post-race coverage wasn’t all that long, it was very, very well done.
Overall, Saturday’s race had a pretty good amount of action on-track. While Hamlin and his various run-ins were probably the biggest stories to come out of Saturday, there was still a decent amount of action for position that made the broadcast. I still think that the Cup guys got a little too much airtime. Then again, they also monopolized the front of the field. That happens from time to time, sadly. I’m always in favor of a more inclusive race broadcast, and Saturday was another example of one that needed to be a bit more spread out. Hamlin driving his Toyota like it’s on a synthetic dirt surface wasn’t the only story worth reporting on.
There were some smaller stories this past weekend, like Matt Wallace making his Xfinity Series debut for JGL Racing. That went about how I thought it would. He found his footing and ran decently before running into problems.
That’s all for this week. Next weekend, the Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a weekend that currently looks like a gigantic question mark. The Super Weekend is dead since IMSA is not back. Instead, they will be at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut. Meanwhile, the Camping World Truck Series teams will compete in their signature event, the Mudsummer Classic. Also this week, NBCSN will air the three support races from last weekend in New Hampshire. Here’s your listings.
Tuesday, July 21
| Time | Telecast | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 2 a.m. - 3 a.m. | NASCAR RaceHub | FOX Sports 2*# (from July 20) |
| 6 a.m. - 7 a.m. | NASCAR America | NBC Sports Network*# (from July 20) |
| 7 a.m. - 8 a.m. | NASCAR America | NBC Sports Network*# (from July 20) |
| 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. | Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America: Watkins Glen | CBS Sports Network*/# (from June 27) |
| 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. | NASCAR America | NBC Sports Network |
| 6 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. | NASCAR's The List: Memorable Moments | NBC Sports Network# |
| 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. | NASCAR RaceHub | FOX Sports 1 |
| 10:30 p.m. - 11 p.m. | IndyCar Chronicles: Josef Newgarden | NBC Sports Network# |
Wednesday, July 22
| Time | Telecast | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 2 a.m. - 3 a.m. | NASCAR RaceHub | FOX Sports 2*# (from July 21) |
| 6 a.m. - 7 a.m. | NASCAR America | NBC Sports Network*# (from July 21) |
| 7 a.m. - 8 a.m. | NASCAR America | NBC Sports Network*# (from July 21) |
| 10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. | The 10: Greatest Truck Series Moments | FOX Sports 1# |
| 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Camping World Truck Series Practice No. 1 | FOX Sports 1 |
| 11:30 p.m. - 1 p.m. | Camping World Truck Series Happy Hour | FOX Sports 1 |
| 4:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. | NASCAR Scan All 43 | NBC Sports Network# |
| 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. | NASCAR America | NBC Sports Network |
| 5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. | Camping World Truck Series Qualifying | FOX Sports 2 |
| 6 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. | NASCAR Scan All 43 | NBC Sports Network# |
| 6 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. | Formula DRIFT: Orlando, Part No. 1 | CBS Sports Network*/# (from June 5 |
| 6:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. | Formula DRIFT: Wall Township, Part No. 1 | CBS Sports Network*/ (from June 26) |
| 6:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. | NASCAR RaceHub | FOX Sports 2 |
| 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. | V8 Supercars Castrol EDGE Townsville 400 | CBS Sports Network*/ (from July 11-12) |
| 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. | Camping World Truck Series Heat Races | FOX Sports 2/FOX Sports 1> |
| 8 p.m. - 9 p.m. | V8 Supercars NP300 Navara SuperSprint | CBS Sports Network*/# (from May 16-17) |
| 8:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. | NCWTS Setup | FOX Sports 1 |
| 9 p.m. - 10 p.m. | V8 Supercars Skycity Triple Crown Darwin | CBS Sports Network*/# (from June 20-21) |
| 9 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. | Camping World Truck Series 1-800 CarCash Mudsummer Classic | FOX Sports 1 |
| 10 p.m. - 11 p.m. | V8 Supercars Castrol EDGE Townsville 400 | CBS Sports Network*/# (from July 11-12) |
| 11 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. | Formula DRIFT: Orlando, Part No. 2 | CBS Sports Network*/# (from June 6) |
| 11:30 p.m. - 12 a.m. | Formula DRIFT: Wall Township, Part No. 1 | CBS Sports Network*/# (from June 26) |
Thursday, July 23
| Time | Telecast | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 12 a.m. - 1 a.m. | V8 Supercars Clipsal 500 | CBS Sports Network*/# (from February 27-March 1) |
| 1 a.m. - 2 a.m. | V8 Supercars Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint | CBS Sports Network*/# (from March 28-29) |
| 2 a.m. - 3 a.m. | V8 Supercars UBET Perth SuperSprint | CBS Sports Network*/# (from May 2-3) |
| 3 a.m. - 4 a.m. | V8 Supercars NP300 Navara SuperSprint | CBS Sports Network*/# (from May 16-17) |
| 3:30 a.m. - 5 a.m. | Camping World Truck Series 1-800 CarCash Mudsummer Classic | FOX Sports 1*# (from July 22) |
| 4 a.m. - 5 a.m. | V8 Supercars Skycity Triple Crown Darwin | CBS Sports Network*/# (from June 20-21) |
| 5 a.m. - 6 a.m. | V8 Supercars Castrol EDGE Townsville 400 | CBS Sports Network*/# (from July 11-12) |
| 6 a.m. - 7 a.m. | NASCAR America | NBC Sports Network*# (from July 22) |
| 7 a.m. - 8 a.m. | NASCAR America | NBC Sports Network*# (from July 22) |
| 4 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. | NASCAR Scan All 43 | NBC Sports Network# |
| 4:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. | Whelen Modified Tour Whelen Modified All-Star Shootout | NBC Sports Network*/ (from July 17) |
| 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. | NASCAR America | NBC Sports Network |
| 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. | Whelen Modified Tour Andy Blackwell 100 | NBC Sports Network*/ (from July 18) |
| 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. | NASCAR RaceHub | FOX Sports 1 |
| 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. | K&N Pro Series East United Site Services 70 | NBC Sports Network*/ (from July 18) |
Friday, July 24
| Time | Telecast | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 2 a.m. - 3 a.m. | NASCAR RaceHub | FOX Sports 2*# (from July 23) |
| 4 a.m. - 5:30 a.m. | Formula One Grand Prix of Hungary Free Practice No. 2 | NBC Sports Live Extra$ |
| 6 a.m. - 7 a.m. | NASCAR America | NBC Sports Network*# (from July 23) |
| 8 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. | Formula One Grand Prix of Hungary Free Practice No. 2 | NBC Sports Live Extra$ |
| 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. | Sprint Cup Series Practice No. 1 | NBC Sports Live Extra$ |
| 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. | XFINITY Series Practice No. 1 | NBC Sports Network |
| 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. | Sprint Cup Series Practice No. 1 | NBC Sports Network |
| 2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. | XFINITY Series Happy Hour | NBC Sports Network |
| 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. | Sprint Cup Series Happy Hour | NBC Sports Network |
| 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. | NASCAR America | NBC Sports Network |
| 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. | Formula One Grand Prix of Hungary Free Practice No. 2 | NBC Sports Network*/# |
| 9 p.m. - 11 p.m. | ARCA Racing Series Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200 presented by Federated Car Care | FOX Sports 1 |
| 11 p.m. - 12 a.m. | K&N Pro Series East United Site Services 70 | NBC Sports Network*/# (from July 18) |
Saturday, July 25
| Time | Telecast | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 3 a.m. - 5 a.m. | ARCA Racing Series Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200 presented by Federated Car Care | FOX Sports 1*# (from July 24) |
| 5 a.m. - 6 a.m. | Formula One Grand Prix of Hungary Free Practice No. 3 | NBC Sports Live Extra$ |
| 8 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. | Formula One Grand Prix of Hungary Qualifying | CNBC |
| 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. | V8 Supercars Castrol EDGE Townsville 400 | CBS Sports Network*/# (from July 11-12) |
| 10 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. | IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge: Lime Rock | IMSA.com^ |
| 11 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Formula DRIFT: Wall Township, Part No. 1 | CBS Sports Network*/# (from June 26) |
| 11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. | Formula DRIFT: Wall Township, Part No. 2 | CBS Sports Network*/ (from June 27) |
| 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. | XFINITY Series Qualifying | NBC Sports Network |
| 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. | Trans-Am Series Ryan Companies Independence Day Classic | CBS Sports Network*/ (from July 5) |
| 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. | Trans-Am Series Foametix 100 | CBS Sports Network*/# (from March 1) |
| 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. | Sprint Cup Series Qualifying | NBC Sports Network |
| 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. | Trans-Am Series Foametix Road Atlanta | CBS Sports Network*/# (from May 7) |
| 2:30 p.m. - 3 p.m. | NASCAR America | NBC Sports Network |
| 3 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | Countdown to Green | NBC |
| 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. | Trans-Am Series Road Atlanta Muscle Cars (TA2 class) | CBS Sports Network*/# (from May 7) |
| 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. | Formula One Grand Prix of Hungary Qualifying | NBC Sports Network |
| 3:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. | XFINITY Series Lilly Diabetes 250 | NBC |
| 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. | Trans-Am Series Next Dimension 100 | CBS Sports Network*/# (from May 23) |
| 4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. | GP2 Series: Hungary | NBC Sports Network* |
| 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. | Trans-Am Series Lime Rock Muscle Car Challenge (TA2 class) | CBS Sports Network*/# (from May 23) |
| 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. | Trans-Am Series Ryan Companies Independence Day Classic | CBS Sports Network*/# (from July 5) |
| 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. | Lucas Oil Pro Motocross: Washougal | NBC Sports Network |
| 9 p.m. - 10 p.m. | Trans-Am Series Foametix 100 | CBS Sports Network*/# (from March 1) |
| 10 p.m. - 11 p.m. | Trans-Am Series Foametix Road Atlanta | CBS Sports Network*/# (from May 7) |
| 11 p.m - 12 a.m. | Trans-Am Series Road Atlanta Muscle Cars (TA2 Class) | CBS Sports Network*/# (from May 7) |
| 11 p.m. - 1 a.m. | NHRA Mopar Mile-High Nationals Qualifying | ESPN 2*/ |
Sunday, July 26
| Time | Telecast | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 12 a.m. - 1 a.m. | Trans-Am Series Next Dimension 100 | CBS Sports Network*/# (from May 23) |
| 1 a.m. - 2 a.m. | Trans-Am Series Muscle Car Challenge Lime Rock (TA2 Class) | CBS Sports Network*/# (from May 23) |
| 2 a.m. - 3 a.m. | Trans-Am Series Ryan Industries Independence Day Classic | CBS Sports Network*/# (from July 5) |
| 3 a.m. - 4 a.m. | Trans-Am Series Next Dimension 100 | CBS Sports Network*/# (from May 23) |
| 4 a.m. - 5 a.m. | Trans-Am Series Muscle Car Challenge Lime Rock (TA2 class) | CBS Sports Network*/# (from May 23) |
| 5 a.m. - 6 a.m. | Trans-Am Series Ryan Industries Independence Day Classic | CBS Sports Network*/# (from July 5) |
| 6 a.m. - 7 a.m. | V8 Supercars Clipsal 500 | CBS Sports Network*/# (from February 27-March 1) |
| 7 a.m. - 8 a.m. | V8 Supercars Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint | CBS Sports Network*/# (from March 28-29) |
| 7:30 a.m. - 8 a.m. | F1 Countdown | CNBC |
| 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. | V8 Supercars UBET Perth SuperSprint | CBS Sports Network*/# (from May 2-3) |
| 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. | Formula One Grand Prix of Hungary | CNBC |
| 9 a.m. - 10 a.m. | V8 Supercars NP300 Navara SuperSprint | CBS Sports Network*/# (from May 16-17) |
| 10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. | F1 Extra | CNBC |
| 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. | V8 Supercars Skycity Triple Crown Darwin | CBS Sports Network*/# (from June 20-21) |
| 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. | V8 Supercars Castrol EDGE Townsville 400 | CBS Sports Network*/# (from July 11-12) |
| 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. | NASCAR RaceDay | FOX Sports 1 |
| 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. | NHRA Mopar Mile-High Nationals Final Eliminations | ESPN3$ |
| 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. | NASCAR America Pre-Race | NBC Sports Network |
| 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. | MotoAmerica: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca | CBS Sports Network*/ (from July 18-19) |
| 3 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | Countdown to Green | NBC Sports Network |
| 3:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. | Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal presents the Jeff Kyle 400 | NBC Sports Network |
| 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. | MotoAmerica: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca | CBS Sports Network*/# (from July 18-19) |
| 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. | TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Northeast Grand Prix (PC/GTD Classes only) | FOX Sports 1*/ (from July 25) |
| 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. | Blancpain Endurance Series Total 24 Hours of Spa | CBS Sports Network*/ (from July 25-26) |
| 7 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. | NASCAR America Post-Race | NBC Sports Network |
| 7:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. | NASCAR's The List: Rookie Seasons | NBC Sports Network# |
| 9 p.m. - 10 p.m. | SCORE Tecate SCORE Baja 500 | CBS Sports Network*/# (from June 6-7) |
| 9 p.m. - 12 a.m. | NHRA Mopar Mile-High Nationals Final Eliminations | ESPN 2*/ |
| 11 p.m. - 12 a.m. | NASCAR Victory Lap | NBC Sports Network |
| 11:30 p.m. - 12 a.m. | NASCAR Victory Lane | FOX Sports 1 |
Monday, July 27
| Time | Telecast | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 1 a.m. - 2 a.m. | SCORE Tecate SCORE Baja 500 | CBS Sports Network*/# (from June 6-7) |
| 3 a.m. - 3:30 a.m. | NASCAR Victory Lane | FOX Sports 1# |
| 6 a.m. - 7 a.m. | NASCAR Victory Lap | NBC Sports Network# |
| 7 a.m. - 8 a.m. | NASCAR Victory Lap | NBC Sports Network# |
| 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. | NASCAR Victory Lap | NBC Sports Network# |
| 12 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. | F1 Countdown | NBC Sports Network*# (from July 26) |
| 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. | Formula One Grand Prix of Hungary | NBC Sports Network*# (from July 26) |
| 2:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. | NASCAR 120: Crown Royal presents the Jeff Kyle 400 | NBC Sports Network*/# (from July 26) |
| 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. | NASCAR America | NBC Sports Network |
| 6 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. | NASCAR Scan All 43 | NBC Sports Network# |
| 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. | NASCAR RaceHub | FOX Sports 1 |
| 6:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. | NASCAR Scan All 43 | NBC Sports Network# |
| 10:30 p.m. - 11 p.m. | F1 Countdown | NBC Sports Network*# (from July 26) |
| 11 p.m. - 1 a.m. | Formula One Grand Prix of Hungary | NBC Sports Network*# (from July 26) |
* – Tape Delayed
/ – Highlighted Coverage
# – Repeat Coverage
^ – Available via free online streaming
$ – Available via password-protected online streaming. Check with your internet and/or programming provider for availability.
As I stated in Pace Laps on Monday, I will be at Lime Rock Park this weekend to cover the IMSA events. Regardless, we will still have a critique of the Sprint Cup and Xfinity races from Indianapolis in next week’s edition of Couch Potato Tuesday here on Frontstretch. Wednesday night’s 1-800 CarCash Mudsummer Classic will be covered in this week’s edition of the Critic’s Annex in the Newsletter in an instant critique.
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About the author
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.
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I saw Harvick was going to be interviewed and I went to do some chores, nothing he says interests me in the least. What I did learn from this article is he was “destitute”, before the hire at RCR. Maybe towards the end of his run RCR he could have been a little more humble and grateful…Nah..what am I thinking.
As for the “rookie” thing, of course that was going to happen it was Dale “freaking” Earnhardt..who unfortunately just achieved angel wing status and a halo forever..(I don’t mean it sarcastically, but you see how things turned out, human nature), what did he expect. Joey Logano being a wet behind the ears youngster had to fill the great Tony Stewarts everything. Zippy was pining for Tony when he left, the crew did not like changes to “the car” as that is “how Tony drove it”, it was Tony’s everything, including the monogrammed towels. Talk about feeling welcome and part of the team! Logano was a young kid, Zippy was use to a “man’s man”, not some kid that only saw a deer in a zoo. In the end however, looks like every worked out for all, well maybe not Zippy. Time will tell.
I am glad “The Mayor” Jeff Burton called out the water bottle issue. Damn I thought that practice was long gone. Race manipulation by NASCAR and Teams gives me a warm fuzzy of truthfulness all over. How much is a fan supposed to take? Put the names on the bottles, and fine the hell out of them. They said they roll around, how about another water bottle holder in the car somewhere? Lame excuse.
The issue of the heat was noticed via social media after the race. People were ripping Brad K. for his less then usual insightful interview. Brad gave a perfectly reasonable explanation and even apologized as to why, but some “fans” were still brutal, he wasn’t the only one who was feeling very ill and the effects of the heat. It would have been nice to bring more attention to that story.
My main gripe with NBCs coverage thus far has been their lack of updating fans what drivers are taking the wave around (so that I can be disgusted that such an entitlement program exists).
Unless NASCAR gets in the business of issuing/monitoring/policing water bottles to the team, putting numbers on them won’t work. The NFL couldn’t verify the air pressure of 12 footballs, what chance does NASCAR have monitoring 500 water bottles (43 teams x 10 pit stops where they get a refilled bottle each time).
When putting car numbers on water bottles was mentioned on air, they said they got a tweet from Ray Evernham saying they “…used to put Jeff Burton’s number on theirs”. Pretty funny.
LOL, that was the first thing I thought of when the tv people said that — yeah, like you’d put YOUR own teams number on it.
I agree though that find the water bottle on the track as debris would have been the perfect segue to talk about the heat and the potential issues it could have for drivers.
I like the thru the field feature and it should be done on a regular basis.
I watched the Indy Car race from Iowa, and the Cup race from New Hampshire. Was I imagining things, or did it look like there were more people at Iowa than there were at New Hampshire? How many seats are there at Iowa? I thought New Hampshire had around 80,000. I know one grandstand, the first one in turn three (or is it turn four) was covered. At least that’s what it looked like on TV.
I believe Iowa Speedway has 40,000 permanent seats. However, the capacity can be expanded via temporary stands to well over 60,000. NHMS claims something like 95,000 for capacity, but it was nothing close to that on Sunday.
The NBC crew is certainly an improvement, but they have their moments. Last week they babbled “as Junior loses a couple of positions in the pits,” while we were watching on the screen as he exited the pits in first place. They also make up lengthy and utterly nonsensical explanations for things.
For instance one was telling us last week that Junior’s brake fluid had boiled and his braked were therefore not being applied while another was babbling about how his brake rotors were glowing bright red. Recognizing the incompatability of what his two assocuaites were saying, the third jumped in to say that maybe the front brakes were working but not the rear which was not much of an improvement because it would, of course, have made the car uncontrollable entering the turns.
This week we got a detailed explanation of how the cords of Bowman’s blown tire gor wrapped around the brake rotot (!) and thase cords were so hot that they heated up the new tire instantly and caused it to start burning as soon as i was put on. Please. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the fire suppression system extinguished the fire but didn’t get it entirely out, and that it reignited as Bowman was leaving the pits.
These guys obviously know better, they just don’t have the ability to think fast enough to keep up with the pace of the race.
What a pleasure it has become once again to watch AND listen to a NASCAR race broadcast on TV. I love what NBC is doing!
I’m disinclined to criticize NBC too much given that the racing itself is pretty bland and there are no Waltrips involved. That said, it annoyed me that the broadcast team has suddenly developed the same Sponsor Tourette’s Syndrome that Larry MacAdvertise suffers from . They must GoodYear have Sunoco said GoodYear Sunoco a dozen times during each pit stop. Does NASCAR force them to do so?
PS: Sunoco GoodYear
Betcha a dollar to a doughnut, that the contract specifies that the announcers aka “stakeholders” have to do certain things. These are almost certainly one of those things. And if you look I bet you could see a common thread – money going to either ISC or BZF’s marketing company.
I just had a thought about NBC not “giving the heat it’s due”. We always complain about broadcasters having a script and not adjusting their coverage as the race unfolds, instead sticking the script. The fact that they didn’t harp on it just may be praiseworthy. I would almost bet $20 that if there were talking points outlined (i.e., a script) in the pre-coverage meeting that “the heat” was one of the bullet points. If that was the case then it means they didn’t stick to the script and spent more time covering the race. You be the judge.