NASCAR on TV this week

2008 NASCAR Driver Review: Sam Hornish Jr.

After a dismal partial schedule in 2007 that saw Sam Hornish Jr. qualify for only two Cup races in eight attempts, the IRL transplant shocked the NASCAR community with a top 15 in the Daytona 500. That brief glimmer of hope was short-lived, though, as the next week at Fontana Hornish completed only 20 laps before slamming into Casey Mears.

Mirror Driving: Matt Kenseth’s Punt, Merger Meltdown & NASCAR’s TV Tragedy

After 4 1/2 hours and two delays, ABC made the decision to switch coverage of the race to ESPN2 so they could show America’s Funniest Home Videos. Was that a serious blow to the sport, or an unavoidable move due to race length? And if Jimmie Johnson wasn’t winning the race handily, would the network have made the same move?