Nascar and Racing Espn

Get in on the conversation here at the FanHouse about tonight's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Awards Banquet live from New York City's Waldorf-Astoria.

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:

Everyone has a different complaint about ESPN on ABC's coverage of NASCAR, so this one's going to be a bit of a free-for-all.

What's your beef?

Is it the way they miss the restarts because they haven't learned what the different colored racing flags mean yet? Let's help them out.

Green means go. When the green flag is waving, the camera should be focused on it and that camera's feed should be transmitted live to the viewers' televisions. Not just some of the times. Every time. No exceptions. The drivers manage to be on the gas when the green flag drops every time. They certainly don't join the restart "in progress." ESPN gets the same head's up. Why should they have such difficulty heeding the "one-to-go" warning?