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Fox Messed Up With MLB/NASCAR Conflict

Posted: Apr 13th 2008 1:25AM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: NASCAR Media Watch, MLB Media Watch, Sprint Cup

55 COMMENTS

NASCAR fans across the country were treated to a pre-race show that consisted of nothing but balls and strikes after Fox Sports decided to keep a game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox on the air deep into the NASCAR timeslot.

Fans who had tuned in for the NASCAR event in Phoenix, Ariz. were abruptly switched to racing as the field entered turn three during the first lap of Saturday night's Subway Fresh Fit 500, while viewers hoping to catch the end of the baseball game were told nearly a minute later that they could continue watching on FX.

All in all, the situation simply wasn't handled well.

Me? I was hoping to see the NASCAR action. But neither here (Fox) nor there (FX) could I see any of the pre-race show, much less "Gentleman, Start Your Engines".

I understand that there are obligations Fox Sports has to carry while covering these two events, but it seems pretty clear to me that Fox Sports should have just been proactive enough to at least start the NASCAR coverage over on FX.

The Red Sox/Yankees tiff was a close one and I understand that millions of people were wanting to see the end of that one. Was it right for those fans to have to quickly switch over to FX to catch the last few pitches of a one-run game?

I don't think so.

The solution to put one or the other on FX long before the green flag of the Sprint Cup Series race makes a lot of sense to me. What say you?

Fanhouse Fast Five: No. 5 Rising TV Ratings

Posted: Mar 24th 2008 9:00AM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

4 COMMENTS

Five races into the 2008 Sprint Cup season, the Fanhouse recaps the Top-5 lessons learned in 2008. Check back each day to get revved up for Sunday's Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

NASCAR on Fox has had a better start to its broadcast season over 2007, and no one is completely sure why.

The ratings have jumped 5.7% on average -- including the rain-plagued Auto Club 500 -- over last year's numbers. There isn't much that has changed in the sport that I'd think would increase ratings. A new car? More foreign drivers at the back?

Those don't seem like plausible reasons. Maybe it has something to do with Hendrick Motorsports being winless so far, or even the fact that Dale Earnhardt Jr. even has a legitimate shot to win races right now.

People tire quickly of watching the same winner in each race especially when its Jimmie Johnson winning two of the first five in 2007, or Jeff Gordon starting from the pole in two of those races.

Sure Carl Edwards has won two in 2008, but he's penalty after winning at Las Vegas kept people involved, not bored.

Continue Reading Fanhouse Fast Five: No. 5 Rising TV Ratings

Darrell Waltrip Told Not to Talk

Posted: Mar 20th 2008 4:35PM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

63 COMMENTS

It's a good thing that FOX Sports analyst Darrell Waltrip has the weekend off from NASCAR.

After a visit to a Nashville-area doctor who's treated many entertainers with vocal problems, Waltrip was told to minimize any talking for a while. From the Charlotte Observer:

Fox TV analyst Darrell Waltrip, who lost his voice during last week's race at Bristol, has been diagnosed with severely inflamed vocal cords and is under doctor's orders to severely limit his speaking for the time being.

Waltrip definitely had no business being in the booth on Sunday. He didn't add a whole lot the broadcast, and I know I cringed several times just listening to his voice. Fellow analyst Jeff Hammond could have easily filled in.

The whole situation does make me wonder if FOX was being mindful of how NBC treated the situation with Benny Parson's when he was battling cancer during his final season. NBC wasn't always completely up-front about Benny's situation and not having him in the booth caused some worry.

Dick Vitale, another quite-vocal commentator, had similar vocal problems for much of the NCAA basketball season before returning after a month or two off. I do hope Waltrip can be back for Martinsville in two weeks.

Latest NASCAR Photos

Ryan Newman takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Jamie Squire, Pool)

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Former NASCAR champion Richard Petty, waves the green flag as Jimmie Johnson (48) and Michael Waltrip (55) lead the field to start the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Jamie Squire, Pool)

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Former NASCAR Champion Richard Petty, right, waves the green flag as Jimmie Johnson (48) and Michael Waltrip (55) lead the field to start the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Jamie Squire, Pool)

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Ryan Newman does a burnout after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Jamie Squire, Pool)

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 17: Michael Waltrip (Bottom), driver of the #55 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, and Dale Jarrett, driver of the #44 UPS Toyota, race side by side during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 17: Jeff Gordon (L), driver of the #24 Dupont Chevrolet, and Ryan Newman, driver of the #12 Alltel Dodge, lead the field during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 17: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, leads the field during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 17: Ryan Newman, driver of the #12 Alltel Dodge, celebrates in victory lane after winning the 50th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 17: Ryan Newman, driver of the #12 Alltel Dodge, celebrates in victory lane after winning the 50th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 17: Ryan Newman (L), driver of the #12 Alltel Dodge, kisses his wife Krissy in victory lane after winning the 50th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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NASCAR Crash Video of the Week: Atlanta

Posted: Mar 13th 2008 12:30AM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: Elliott Sadler, NASCAR Crashes, NASCAR Videos

4 COMMENTS

Last week's Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway sure didn't draw many cautions or wrecks.

Kyle Busch managed his first win with new team Joe Gibbs Racing as well as a first in the Sprint Cup Series for Toyota. Elliott Sadler, though, didn't have quite as an impressive of day, but he still won the "video of the week".

Watch below at Sadler spins off turn 2 and across the "gopher cam" embedded in the track at 1:01.

The spin for Sadler was his third of the day, and from the sounds of it on his radio chatter, he was more than ready to get out of an evil car despite not making hard contact with the wall.

Continue Reading NASCAR Crash Video of the Week: Atlanta

Fanhouse Predicts Top-5 2008 Stories: No. 4 NASCAR Television Package Has to Work

Posted: Feb 5th 2008 12:00PM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

8 COMMENTS

Friday afternoon, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series gets down to business at Daytona with the first round of practice for the Budweiser Shootout, scheduled for 8:30pm/ET Saturday night on FOX. NASCAR Fanhouse will countdown the days with a look at the five stories that will rule the sport in 2008.

It was a daily cry near the end of the 2007 season to hear NASCAR fans heartily complain about the lack of quality television coverage they were getting of their favorite sport.

FOX had some gaffes, TNT was an interesting dot on the map and ESPN's triumphant return blew up quicker than a Dale Earnhardt Jr. DEI motor. There were horrible camera angles, bad commentators, pointless graphics & illustrations and completely lost knack at telling a compelling story for every fan watching the race.

Sure, if you were a Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon fan, you had plenty of driver coverage down the stretch. The problem, though, was that 41 other cars started the race and a good majority of those never even saw the beam of a camera during the 3 to 4 hour events.

ESPN has already announced plenty of changes -- including the removal of Rusty Wallace as a permanent fixture in the broadcast booth. TNT has said they are coming back at the July race in Daytona with the "Wide Open" coverage that featured fewer commercial breaks. FOX is staying with their tried and true team in the broadcast booth that has stayed the same since 2001.

Will that be enough? I'd like to think so.

Continue Reading Fanhouse Predicts Top-5 2008 Stories: No. 4 NASCAR Television Package Has to Work

Gibbs Today's Holder of Earnhardt Lottery Ticket

Posted: Jun 4th 2007 1:00AM by tallglassofmilk (author feed)
Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing, NASCAR Media Watch, NASCAR Rumors, Nextel Cup, NASCAR Sponsors

33 COMMENTS

NASCAR on Fox's Jeff Hammond claims to have inside knowledge that we'll hear an announcement within the next 10-14 days that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will sign a deal at Joe Gibbs Racing with Visa as primary sponsor.

Don't listen to Hammond, though. Darrell Waltrip's gut is telling him Hendrick Motor Sports with a shoe company--would that be Puma? Adidas?

Of course, Visa couldn't say anything about that (about what?), J.D. Gibbs wouldn't admit anything and Junior's PR people dismissed it as one of 3 to 4 new rumors each week. Like we can believe any of them.

For his part, I hope Hammond is right about one thing--the 10-14 days. Even though I want Junior to take his time making a decision, I'm tired of reading / writing / watching it.

Aren't you?

Shrub's Wild Ride, ESPN's Disappointing Coverage

Posted: Apr 29th 2007 11:40AM by tallglassofmilk (author feed)
Filed under: NASCAR Media Watch, NASCAR Videos, Talladega Superspeedway, Busch Series

35 COMMENTS

Kyle Busch might be a little sore today after the "best driver in NASCAR" wrecked him yesterday:

Once again, NASCAR is to be commended for their safety efforts. He was able to get out of there in a hurry, essentially unscathed.

And once again, I have to call ESPN on ABC out for sucking. Where was the shot of Busch's girlfriend in the pits? I can't be the only one whose mind immediately went to Erica and what it might be like to watch her boyfriend flipping through the air. She had to be terrified--if only for a moment. Where was the shot? And what about his crew? No shot of the pits, no post-wreck thoughts or interviews until Busch himself came out of the medical center.

Until recently I hadn't been able to put my finger on what was bugging me about ESPN's NASCAR coverage. A member of the NASCAR on FOX media hit the nail on the head in an email to me earlier this week: