FanHouse Rusty Wallace

Typically, back-seat drivers are annoying and intrusive.

But when it's five NASCAR champions -- three crew chiefs and a pair of drivers -- doing the talking, well, that's a little different. At least that's what ESPN is betting on when it debuts an innovative race broadcast for Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

Instead of using a traditional play-by-play announcer, ESPN will have Ray Evernham, Andy Petree, Rusty Wallace (right) and Dale Jarrett calling the race in high speed stream-of-consciousness. Tim Brewer will weigh in from his usual perch in the "tech garage."

"It's going to be a different process for sure," said Wallace, the 1989 Cup Series champ. "I feel comfortable with it, I'm excited about it and when it's all said and done, it's either going to work or won't work and we'll see what happens."

One of the bigger stories of the weekend's Nationwide Series activities at Nashville Superspeedway, thanks to the fine folks over at Scene Daily, involved a potential move of Rusty Wallace Inc.'s two teams to Sprint Cup in 2010.

According to the story, team owner Rusty Wallace said that he'd like to make the move in 2010, but that a lot of things would have to line up for it to happen -- like equipment, sponsorship and other necessities.

But doesn't it seem a little perplexing that the former Sprint Cup champ would want to move an organization that has one total win in Nationwide Series competition to NASCAR's top level?

We've heard plenty about "Coltgate" lately and the accusations that the Indianapolis Colts had pumped in crowd noise during the New England Patriots game two weeks ago.

CBS took the rap for the incident, but ESPN's NASCAR coverage apparently took note of the idea.

Judging from the TV I watched it on (ABC-HD with surround sound), it sounded to me like ESPN on ABC was definitely pumping in some crowd noise during each restart of last Sunday's Checker Auto Parts 500. Take a listen for yourself on the video below, as there are several instances that you can hear the not-too-natural noises.

Take note at 1:30, 5:48, 8:24, and 9:30 on the video, then continue reading for more.



I understand completely that the YouTube video isn't exactly the highest quality, but on the other hand, I've been to my fair share of races. People just don't cheer like that during restarts. Here's what they do cheer for:

I feel bad for Marty Reid, I really do.

Dude got shoved into a segment on ESPN2's NASCAR Now showing ESPN's impressive NASCAR coverage. Or, well, I hope he got shoved into it.

Before I rip the whole segment apart, let me allow Jeff Burton, ESPN's token driver voice for their coverage to do so as he did in the video:

"Well the first word that comes to mind is absurd. The first goal of racing is to be there at the end. This system would award people and reward people for doing things that actually would hamper the way they would finish the race," said Burton.

"So it makes no sense -- you used the worst example in the world at Talladega to expose a problem, when in fact, we don't have this problem at most race tracks. So you have to run toward the front, you have to run hard in order to be competitive at almost every race track with the exception of Talladega. So, in a word, I think it's absurd."

Amen, Jeff.

For me, this whole segment (with a nice after-touch of Judge Judy) shows why ESPN and NASCAR fans haven't exactly gotten along this season.

Is it wrong that we keep picking on Rusty Wallace, Brad and Suzie, et. al. on ESPN? Heck no! They're the ones who've got the rights to the NASCAR action at the moment and the ones we have to put up with right now. It just so happens they also suck the most.

What did we learn during ESPN's Atlanta broadcast? Rusty can't say Truex. Not like it's hard ... Sounds like: TRUE-EX. Not like: TUR-EX or TRUR-EX or whatever it was he was saying--I can't even replicate the sound.

Oh, we also learned that Teresa Earnhardt isn't dead. Thanks for the tip. Only three more races to go, race fans. Three more. Maybe by mid-season next year we'll have something good to talk about.

Ok ... so maybe ESPN is the worst ... or maybe they're just the worst right now because that's what we're dealing with. They all have their moments of less-than-stellar commentary--even Speed, as highlighted by Michael Waltrip in the above video.

Guess what, fans? ESPN really does listen to us! Or ... maybe they just listen to their own broadcasts and realize how painful they are all on their own.

Rusty Wallace is out! Out I say! Done deal. My source actually used the word "fired!"

I'll tell ya what ... I don't care if he was fired, quit or otherwise. I'd just like to wish him good riddance. One Answer this... reader suggests that ESPN will shift Wallace back to the IRL booth. Good for him--they can have him.

Wallace will be replaced by the retiring Dale Jarrett, who drove circles around his fellow former champion in the booth this season.

Never thought I'd say it .. Thank you, ESPN!

Update: Daly Planet has also received a confirmation that Rusty is out.

Update: Official Comment from ESPN

"Rusty Wallace is our guy. We have a long-term contract with him. He's the voice of NASCAR on ESPN."
NORBY WILLIAMSON – ESPN Executive Vice President, Studio and Remote Production

That's disappointing. I should like to withdrawal my thanks and hope that Mr. Williamson is just saying that 'cause he has to and that he'll be telling us something different at a later date.

Tony Stewart couldn't have been happier than to race one of his very close friends for the win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His very close friend Kevin Harvick ... not so much.

Stewart says he raced Harvick with respect:

"I work really hard because if I'm going to preach about give and take, it's stupid for me to not do the same thing. If I want people to race me with respect, I'm going to race people with respect. Like I said, I didn't mean to get into Kevin. That wasn't my intention. I didn't have to do that. That could have screwed me up, could have cut a tire down more than it would have accomplished to get into him. There was no logical reason to get into him. That was a mistake on my part."

Take that, everyone who says Stewart never admits when he's wrong. Of course, we have to wonder if he'd be so forthcoming with the acknowledgment if it was his fender that got caved in.

"If you don't have heartfelt sympathy for Rusty Wallace, you must be a robot."
~ Luke, Thunder Lounge

I must be a robot, because I don't feel this heartfelt sympathy for Rusty "I'll tell ya what" Wallace ... Not because "his heart has to be breaking inside as he watches his son grow on the track." At least not this week.

I snoozed through most of the Busch race Saturday, but I did manage to catch the first caution brought out by Steve Wallace ... And yes, my first thought was, what a surprise ... And by then, ESPN had already overdosed me on the Wallace family outing, so I figured I was going to be annoyed with just about anything Rusty was going to have to say about his son's crash. He did not disappoint.

Rusty's Getting Rusty

"The thing he doesn't understand is, when he was winning all those races, there weren't 43 cars that could win. There were, like, five."

-Steve Wallace, on father Rusty's expectations for him in the Busch Series [Valvoline Track Talk Newsletter, h/t MotorsportsNews.Net (work)

Elliott Less Than Awesome
Riverside Speedway in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, is not feeling the awesomeness from Bill Elliott after he canceled a track appearance he made before committing to drive the #21 car:

"We don't want this type of driver...representing our facility, our sponsors or our race fans. If we had any idea Elliott was that kind of person, we would never have approached him, but instead chosen a Cup driver that understands a deal and the seriousness of his actions."

"I Wasn't Driving, Officer"
Recipe for 4th of July BWI and Reckless Boating, NASCAR Style

Ingredients:
Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch's boat
Greg Biffle's registration
One unidentified front tire changer
One unidentified girlfriend
Vats of alcohol

Mix all ingredients, nearly collide with a lake patrol officer, realize you're screwed, perform Chinese fire drill, wait for charges to be passed out ... wait awhile ... then find out that Busch wasn't actually on the boat that actually isn't his.

6:00AM is a little on the early side to get up and watch racing, but apparently not too early to roll out of bed and onto the couch and wait for the eyes to open.

It's also, apparently, not too early to get annoyed with race commentators. This morning, it's Rusty Wallace on my nerves.

I actually started getting annoyed with Wallace last night when I heard about the comments he made with respect to Dale Earnhardt Jr. firing Shane Huffman. Wallace said it was a mistake, that Huffman was a good short track driver. Then he called Junior out for qualifying 35th and basically said the car was junk no matter who drove it.

Wallace changed his tune bright and early in Daytona when, by lap 16, Junior had driven the #88 from the back of the field up to the 13th spot. They talked about what a great car the team had and Wallace even went as far to say that if Junior was on a list of available drivers to run at Daytona International Speedway, he'd sign him up.

Ya think?

'Course, Junior and his junk have fallen back to 22nd by now, so I probably shouldn't be talking smack either, but hey, I've downed three cups of java in the past hour and a half--I'm a little punchy.

I liked Rusty a lot better when he was behind the wheel of the #2. I liked the Miller Lite Dodge a lot better then, too, but that's another story.

Aw, what's that, Steven Wallace is out of today's race? Maybe he should consider driving for a team that doesn't have a crap car.