Seeing how this is the only sport I can watch anymore with any regularity, I thought I would put out my thoughts on this sport and it's televised coverage. I do watch the occasional football game, mostly the Cornhuskers, but for the most part, I can't just sit and watch an entire game of anything anymore. I am now catching the last few laps of yesterday's race at Chicago Raceway, or whatever they call it. I am concentrating on how they are covered.
The last few years, Nascar's 30-something race season is spread across three networks. They all have their pluses and minuses. I will pass along my thoughts on each.
Fox starts the season off. They do a decent job with the cameras to show the speed the cars even on the boring as hell mile and half tracks. As much as they try to promote their differences, on TV they are a bore. Fox also has had gimmick cameras buried in the track, in the dirt, and bouncing around on top of the Safer Barriers. I know they are trying, but the close up slow motion shots they get are great. They avoid the high spending a lot time watching the race from the cameras way up on top of the grand stands. I have to say that Fox's announcers, Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, and Darrell Waltrip, are the ones that don't annoy me or bore me the least. I know I may be in the minority on this. They manage to fill in the slower parts of the race with interesting stuff.
For six races during the summer, Nascar passes along the race coverage to TNT. Watching the races is like watching a college ball game on a local market secondary sports channel. They don't have the experience or the talent of the production crews of ESPN and Fox. And, they don't have the amount of cameras for that matter. There are entire sections of giant tracks like Pocono they can't cover at all. The announcing team is dominating by the somewhat arrogant and opinionated Kyle Petty. He really shouldn't be calling anyone a lousy driver. for that matter. It almost seems as if Nascar doesn't care much for ratings on these races and lets the second string take over while other the people are vacationing.
The last third-ish of the season is covered by ESPN. They by far have the best camera coverage.... when they want to do so. They have digital cameras that have the potential to get fantastic shots. Their announcing crew that includes former driver Dale Jarrett, former crew chief Andy Petree, and sports guy Allen Bestwick. It's not like they are bad at their jobs, but they are just bland in how they come across. I get just as much out of the program with it muted, then listening to these guys. But, with this "cookie cutter" race track that is supposed to be exciting and the opening race of the Nascar playoffs called "The Chase" . They tout their side by side coverage of the race in order not to miss any of the coverage. This is when they split the screen and run a ton of commercials. They are basically announcing that the middle half of this race is a total bore and the bland announcers need to shut up for a while.
Many of us have complained how there is nothing stock about stock cars anymore. The drivers and their robotic interviews spewing sponsor thank you's like trained chimps. Nascar saying the drivers are allowed to take the gloves off, but not really. Any time two get to pushing and shoving, they get called up to the principle's office.
I have really had enough of completely staged and boring as hell winner's circle circus. From the driver's having to get their hat's and sponsored sun glasses on to the product placement on all over. Just once a driver should get out of the car sweaty hair and all and say what he is really thinking.
The last few years, Nascar's 30-something race season is spread across three networks. They all have their pluses and minuses. I will pass along my thoughts on each.
Fox starts the season off. They do a decent job with the cameras to show the speed the cars even on the boring as hell mile and half tracks. As much as they try to promote their differences, on TV they are a bore. Fox also has had gimmick cameras buried in the track, in the dirt, and bouncing around on top of the Safer Barriers. I know they are trying, but the close up slow motion shots they get are great. They avoid the high spending a lot time watching the race from the cameras way up on top of the grand stands. I have to say that Fox's announcers, Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, and Darrell Waltrip, are the ones that don't annoy me or bore me the least. I know I may be in the minority on this. They manage to fill in the slower parts of the race with interesting stuff.
For six races during the summer, Nascar passes along the race coverage to TNT. Watching the races is like watching a college ball game on a local market secondary sports channel. They don't have the experience or the talent of the production crews of ESPN and Fox. And, they don't have the amount of cameras for that matter. There are entire sections of giant tracks like Pocono they can't cover at all. The announcing team is dominating by the somewhat arrogant and opinionated Kyle Petty. He really shouldn't be calling anyone a lousy driver. for that matter. It almost seems as if Nascar doesn't care much for ratings on these races and lets the second string take over while other the people are vacationing.
The last third-ish of the season is covered by ESPN. They by far have the best camera coverage.... when they want to do so. They have digital cameras that have the potential to get fantastic shots. Their announcing crew that includes former driver Dale Jarrett, former crew chief Andy Petree, and sports guy Allen Bestwick. It's not like they are bad at their jobs, but they are just bland in how they come across. I get just as much out of the program with it muted, then listening to these guys. But, with this "cookie cutter" race track that is supposed to be exciting and the opening race of the Nascar playoffs called "The Chase" . They tout their side by side coverage of the race in order not to miss any of the coverage. This is when they split the screen and run a ton of commercials. They are basically announcing that the middle half of this race is a total bore and the bland announcers need to shut up for a while.
Many of us have complained how there is nothing stock about stock cars anymore. The drivers and their robotic interviews spewing sponsor thank you's like trained chimps. Nascar saying the drivers are allowed to take the gloves off, but not really. Any time two get to pushing and shoving, they get called up to the principle's office.
I have really had enough of completely staged and boring as hell winner's circle circus. From the driver's having to get their hat's and sponsored sun glasses on to the product placement on all over. Just once a driver should get out of the car sweaty hair and all and say what he is really thinking.
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