Race Weekend Central

Couch Potato Tuesday: NBC Decides to Cheap Out on Road America

2017 Road America Nxs William Byron Scott Lagasse Jr Racing Brett Moist Nkp

(Photo: Brett Moist/NKP)

Last weekend saw the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series take their final weekend off of the year.  Cup drivers spent the time relaxing, vacationing, and finding plenty of other ways to spend their time.  Meanwhile, NASCAR XFINITY Series teams traveled up to Road America in Wisconsin for 180 miles of action. Unfortunately, there were some aspects of …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: NBC Provides Good Bristol, Struggles With Progression

2017 Bristol Ii Nxs Pack Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

For many, many years, Bristol Motor Speedway in August was one of the crown jewels of NASCAR’s schedule.  The introduction of the Chase (now Playoffs) in 2004 has weakened the weekend slightly.  However, it is still a good time to catch some action. Before we get started, NASCAR announced last week that they will be …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: Michigan Brings Adolescence, Middling Coverage From NBCSN

2017 Michigan Ii Cup Kyle Larson Racing Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Races at Michigan International Speedway can be a mixed bag.  They can be runaways at times.  For fans, whether they enjoy that would ultimately depend on who their favorite driver is.  They can be action-packed affairs that pleasure everyone.  Or, they could be a combination of both.  Last weekend, we got a combination. Pure Michigan …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: NASCAR On NBC MVP Coverage Hits and Misses at Watkins Glen

2017 Watkins Glen Cup Cars In A Row Barry Cantrell Nkp

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

Races at Watkins Glen are interesting in their way.  Some races come down to nail-biters.  Others are blowouts.  Sunday’s I ♥ NY 355 at the Glen was a nail-biter and the fastest Cup race ever run at Watkins Glen.  But that was not the biggest TV story of the weekend. I ♥ NY 355 at …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: NBCSN is Static in Pocono, Justin Haley is the Fall Guy

2017 Kansas I Cwts Justin Haley Brett Moist Nkp

(Photo: Brett Moist/NKP)

Pocono Raceway is an interesting track.  Three turns, different banking in each turns and different radii.  Seems like fun.  TV-wise, it presents a challenge.  The place is so huge that drivers can get spread out quickly.  However, the challenge of airing races isn’t always tied into the people working on the broadcast. Overton’s 400 Sunday …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chooses NASCAR On NBC

2017 Indianapolis Cup Dale Earnhardt Jr Pack Racing Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

Last week was nothing short of a doozy.  You had a Cup race that took more than six hours to run due to rain and wrecks.  An XFINITY race that featured a fair amount of passing, but was run at too slow of a pace for my taste.  You also had a wreckfest on the …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: The PJ1 Trackbite Dominates NASCAR at Loudon

2017 Nascar Monster Energy Cup Series, New Hampshire

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Last weekend, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup and XFINITY Series teams descended upon New Hampshire Motor Speedway for a now-traditional July weekend of speed.  Given the track’s typical single groove nature, PJ1 TrackBite was laid down in the turns.  Did it have an effect on the races?  Yes.  Did it also affect the broadcasts?  Oh …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: NBC’s Failure to Make Kentucky Interesting

Kentucky

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Kentucky Speedway has been a bit of a mess pretty much ever since the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series got a date there in 2011.  The first year was marked by some of the worst traffic for a NASCAR race in 30 years and quite possibly the worst parking ever.  Crowds started to back away …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: NASCAR On NBC Returns With New Ideas

2017 Daytona Ii Cup Dale Earnhardt Jr Pack Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

Welcome back, everyone.  This past weekend, NBC Sports began their portion of the NASCAR schedule with coverage from Daytona.  A number of new aspects to their telecasts were introduced that received mixed reviews from both fans and media alike. Coke Zero 400 We’ll start with the new Bat Cam that was used on the backstretch …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: A Look At the FOX NASCAR Season Finale

2017 Nascar Monster Energy Cup Series, Sonoma

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/ NKP)

If you’ve been reading my columns here at Frontstretch over the past few years, you know that I love road racing.  The one weekend a year that the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series travels to Sonoma Raceway is one of my personal favorites.  That action was combined with two outstanding events for the Camping World Truck …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: Michigan Brings Debris Issues to the Forefront

2016 Nscs Kyle Larson Chase Elliott Restart Michigan Photo Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/ NKP)

Welcome back, race fans.  This past race weekend, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup and XFINITY Series were in action at Michigan International Speedway.  Fans saw what amounted to two completely different races.  One had an exciting finish and was quite competitive.  The other was one of the least competitive races at Michigan in a number …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: Looking Back On FOX’s Drivers Only Broadcast

2017 Kansas I Cup Ricky Stenhouse Jr Barry Cantrell Nkp

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

Greetings, race fans.  Last weekend was a very interesting and tiring time at Pocono Raceway.  As you can imagine, the primary source of discussion in TV land was the drivers-only broadcast of Saturday’s Pocono Green 250. Since this event was such a big deal, I will be focusing solely on that broadcast.  Don’t worry, I …

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