Fanhouse Motorsports - nascar-media-watch

ESPN's Shift of 14 Races OK for NASCAR

Geoffrey Miller — 2010-01-14T11:04:00 00:00

Filed under: NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

In what has been a few weeks of good news for NASCAR fans -- likely changes to make the Sprint Cup car more competitive, changed distances of a pair of West Coast races -- there's no need to look at ESPN's Wednesday announcement as a sign that the sky is falling on the sport.

The sports network will move a vast majority of the Sprint Cup races it covers away from broadcast on ABC and onto ESPN.

To be exact, 14 of the season's final 17 races will now air on ESPN while the rest -- the Brickyard 400, the Sept. 11 race at Richmond International Raceway and the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway -- will air on ABC. Last season, all 10 of the Chase races aired on ABC.

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Jerry Punch Out, Marty Reid in ESPN NASCAR Booth for 2010

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-12-16T16:49:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

NASCAR's television package saw its first major shuffle for the 2010 season.

ESPN announced Wednesday that Jerry Punch will move out of the broadcast booth and back to reporting from pit road while Marty Reid will take over lap-by-lap duties for the network's coverage of the Sprint Cup Series. Reid will join returning analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree.

Punch, who served as ESPN's lap-by-lap guy for all Sprint Cup action and most Nationwide Series coverage for the past three seasons, has 20 years of previous experience on pit road and seems to be moving back into his element.

Such a change might be related to a survey sent out by NASCAR after the end of the 2009 season to its 'fan council' -- a group of over 12,000 fans who answer multiple surveys each season about several parts of the NASCAR experience. The Daly Planet, a blog that critiques NASCAR television coverage, reported in a Dec. 3 post that several of the questions were directly aimed at judging ESPN's coverage.

Reid isn't new to NASCAR or calling big events. Last season, Reid worked for ESPN as the lead announcer for the network's coverage of IndyCar races -- including calling the Indianapolis 500 -- in addition to filling in for Punch on a number of Nationwide Series races. Reid will continue the IndyCar duty in 2010 as ESPN has just five of the series' races.

NASCAR's ratings have taken a slide over the past season, giving ESPN more incentive to find a better combination in the booth. According to Jayski, ESPN's coverage of the Chase for the Sprint Cup on ABC dropped from an average 3.8 Nielson rating in 2008 to a 3.5 in 2009.

Punch, while effective and knowledgeable in the ESPN booth, never seemed to get in a groove or style that added the extra ingredient to the network's coverage. Easily, I'd argue that such a jolt is something that Mike Joy offers to the FOX Sports broadcast during the first part of the NASCAR season.

That being said, Reid is as good of a candidate to head up the Sprint Cup coverage as anyone. He's got a style that seems to easily incorporate the rest of the talent in the broadcast booth in a natural way, while knowing when to take over and call the action with the right amount of intensity.

As for Punch, a return to pit road couldn't be a better fit. Punch cut his teeth in the NASCAR broadcast world with insightful information and smooth calls during his original tenure for ESPN as a pit reporter. The move does create somewhat of a logjam for ESPN at the pit road position as Punch joins a group that already includes Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch.

Spake is reportedly due to have twins in January, meaning she may not be on ESPN's coverage of the Nationwide Series at the start of 2010.

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Griese Suspended for Montoya Remark

FanHouse Newswire — 2009-10-27T06:00:00 00:00

by FanHouse Newswire

Filed under: Juan Pablo Montoya, NASCAR Media Watch

ESPN broadcaster Bob Griese has been suspended one week for a remark he made about NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya.

ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz says Griese will not be working a game this week.

Krulewitz says ESPN has spoken to Griese and "he understands the comment was inappropriate."

During ESPN's broadcast of the Minnesota-Ohio State game Saturday, a graphic was shown listing the top five drivers in NASCAR's points race. Fellow analyst Chris Spielman asked where was Montoya, who is Colombian.

Griese replied he was "out having a taco."

He has twice apologized on air for the remark.

Montoya is declining to comment on Griese's suspension. He brushed off the remark Sunday, and said he'd never heard of Griese.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

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NASCAR Start Times Uniform in 2010

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-10-07T17:30:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

Beginning with the 2010 Daytona 500, NASCAR fans won't have to deal with much variation in terms of start times for Sprint Cup races.

NASCAR and its three television broadcast partners announced Wednesday that they are moving to a uniform -- and often earlier -- drop of the green flag for races in 2010. It boils down simply to three options: East Coast races will start at 1 PM ET, West Coast races at 3 PM ET and night races at 7:30 PM ET.

Brian France, NASCAR's chairman and CEO, said the decision ultimately came down to going with what the fans wanted.

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Reckless Rules: ESPN to Debut 'Backseat Driving' Race Broadcast

Holly Cain — 2009-08-12T17:00:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: NASCAR Media Watch

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."

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Bill Weber Out, Ralph Sheheen In for TNT

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-07-02T00:18:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

After what the Charlotte Observer is calling a "loud confrontation" at a Manchester, N.H., hotel prior to last Sunday's Lenox 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, TNT play-by-play announcer Bill Weber won't be returning to the booth in 2009.

The network announced the move Wednesday, and also confirmed that Ralph Sheheen will continue in the replacement role for the final two TNT races this weekend in Daytona Beach and next at Chicagoland.

Sheheen did a bang-up job in his first coverage of a Sprint Cup race on Sunday, but the bigger question surrounds what exactly Weber did to force himself out of the booth for what will ultimately be half of TNT's NASCAR coverage.

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NASCAR Writer David Poole Dies

Holly Cain — 2009-04-28T18:13:00 00:00

by Holly Cain

Filed under: NASCAR Media Watch

I received the news that Charlotte Observer NASCAR writer David Poole had passed away of a heart attack Tuesday while I was on-hold waiting for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to call into a teleconference.

It didn't seem possible. I had just sat with David, 50, in the press box in Talladega, Ala. two days ago. I'd shared press boxes and media centers with him since he joined the NASCAR beat in 1997.

With all due respect to Earnhardt as the interview went on, all the talk of drafting, restrictor plates and metal fencing became not nearly as important as the day before, the hour before.

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NASCAR Fans, April Fools Don't Mix

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-04-02T01:44:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Chevrolet, Dodge, NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

NASCAR fans, the point has been taken: April Fool's Day jokes just don't fly.

A day after many fans thought the NASCAR world as a whole was crumbling to the ground, we've learned that NASCAR fans just don't take kindly to false news reports in an attempt to be irreverent and humorous. The violator of the NASCAR people's trust was automobile magazine Car and Driver, and everywhere you looked on April 1, there was a reminder of their egregious error.

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Jimmie Johnson Appears On Conan, Discusses Rolex 24 Knife Incident

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-01-27T18:23:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR's first Sprint Cup driver to win three consecutive championships in 30 years, made an appearance on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien Monday. On the show, Johnson talked about his recently injured middle finger and made some interesting comments a tremendous 2001 crash he was involved in.

Without a doubt, Johnson's visit to the show took on some extra meaning after his finger injury required minor surgery just weeks before the 51st Daytona 500.

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NASCAR, TV Partner Reject Bruton Smith's Local Race TV Blackout Idea

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-01-21T22:56:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Lowes Motor Speedway, NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

Never will a season go by in the NASCAR world without Speedway Motorsports, Inc., chairman Bruton Smith stirring things up.

Fans got a glimpse of that earlier this week during the annual Sprint Cup Media Tour hosted by one of his tracks, Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

Smith, answering a question from a reporter on attendance issues, brought up an interesting point for the sport as a whole to consider.

Should NASCAR be putting local blackouts on races that aren't sold out?

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ESPN Shifts IndyCar Staff Towards NASCAR

Geoffrey Miller — 2009-01-06T13:07:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

Thanks to a new deal that the IRL IndyCar Series inked with the cable television network Versus in 2008, ESPN ended up with just five of the series' 17 2009 events after being the permanent home of the open wheelers for many years.

And, as a result, the Worldwide Leader ended up with a glut of talent for its broadcasting efforts -- forcing a few benefits into the hand of NASCAR television watchers.

Those benefits, as the broadcaster announced today with a press release, include expanded NASCAR roles for standard IndyCar lap-by-lap point man Marty Reid and longtime IndyCar pit reporter Vince Welch.

Reid, who I think is a much more exciting lap-by-lap guy than ESPN's Sprint Cup guy Jerry Punch (he reminds of the nearly always monotonous Joe Buck on FOX), will be taking on a more pronounced lap-by-lap role in the second half of the Nationwide Series season. In the past, Punch has been responsible for the majority of Nationwide and Sprint Cup broadcasts in the second half of the season.

And, as many of you know, 2009 won't be Reid's first Nationwide Series rodeo as the broadcaster has done a handful of races in the past two years in an effort to give Punch a break here and there.

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Settlement Should Bring Positives for NASCAR

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-12-19T00:12:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

Hopefully the old motto of "any publicity is good publicity" is ringing true this week for NASCAR fans after nearly every news outlet reported the same thing Thursday: NASCAR has settled a $225 million lawsuit over discrimination.

The case, filed with just as much if not more fanfare back in June, involved a former female official -- Mauricia Grant -- claiming sexual harassment, racial discrimination and other not-so-rosy things that happened during her tenure with NASCAR.

Grant was the first black female to serve as an official within the sport.

News of the settlement came via NASCAR and both sides are refusing to divulge exact figures financially, but a terms of the deal included neither side taking fault for the actions cited in the original lawsuit. And knowing that NASCAR suspended and then fired two officials named in the suit after an internal investigation earlier this summer, I'd imagine the sanctioning body realized it was in a case it couldn't win outright.

I'm sure there were a few faults in Grant's case -- they are almost necessary when you file such a large suit -- that harmed some of claims, but in the long run, this settlement indicates two things to me.

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ABC's NASCAR Dump Still Doesn't Feel Right

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-11-12T00:10:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

"We love ya, NASCAR, but not that much."

Dr. Jerry Punch made that sound so simple and so easy Sunday afternoon at Phoenix International Raceway when ABC, the network he was doing NASCAR play-by-play for, had some 'other network obligations' to get to.

The NASCAR race -- one that still had an high possibility for drastic changes to the season championship standings -- was to be trumped by ABC Sunday night prime-time programming. Maybe ABC was wanting to urgently get 'World News' on the air? Or maybe Charles Gibson couldn't wait any longer for his post-show dinner?

Nah, ABC thought, Tom Bergeron and a monkey scratching his butt on "America's Funniest Home Videos" were far more important than seeing Jimmie Johnson -- who has now staked a claim with his soon-to-be third-straight NASCAR championship as one of the sport's all-time greats -- potentially win the championship (or lose it in dramatic fashion).

And so, NASCAR racing turned to monkey butt itching on ABC, forcing fans to catch the final segment of the race on ESPN2.

It was a horrible call on ABC's part and down right slap in the face to NASCAR fans.

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FanHouse Talks to Dale Earnhardt Jr. About Amp, the Chase and Ride-Alongs

Will Brinson — 2008-11-05T12:40:00 00:00

by Will Brinson

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR Fans, NASCAR Gossip, NASCAR Media Watch

Recently, Wrangler Jeans was kind enough to invite FanHouse down to Charlotte to interview Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and -- I kid you not -- ride a couple laps in the 88 car. (Watch the full video of Will Brinson's ride with Dale Jr.) What follows is the conversation between Junior and myself about Hendrick Motorsports, Jimmie Johnson's dominance and how Amp is secretly a better post race drink than Budweiser.

Will Brinson: Thanks for having us down here to hang out, ride around in cars, and get our NASCAR feet wet.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Yeah, man, good to have you.

WB: I want to talk about the Sprint Cup for just a second. Jimmie [Johnson] is locked up, right? He's got his third straight title? What are your thoughts on that?

DE: Yeah, I think Jimmie's on record to set a new record, even to write history. I said to him the other day, "Man you're writing history". And I'm happy for him, he's a great guy ... I say to him all the time: "If people only knew who you are ...". But I think people do know Jimmie is and know he's a good guy. But man, he really deserves it; he works the hardest of any driver I know to stay in shape, to understand what's going on out there and to be ready do his job every Sunday. They're hard to beat man, and they earned it.

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Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Takes Will Brinson, Blogger, and FanHouse for a Ride in His Stock Car

Will Brinson — 2008-11-05T12:38:00 00:00

by Will Brinson

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR Fans, NASCAR Media Watch, NASCAR Videos, Hendrick Motorsports

When the guy at the Richard Petty School of Racing said that "this will change your life" while referring to hopping in a stock car and making a bunch of left turns, I snickered. I'm sorry, I did. How on Earth can you possibly justify moving at a rapid speed in an automobile as something that would alter the course of your existence? Exactly. You can't.

Or can you? Check the vid below to see what happens when Dale Earnhardt, Jr., allows a blogger (yours truly) in his 88 car for a few turns around Lowe's Motor Speedway. (Oh, and make sure to read the interview with Dale too, where he talks about Amp, the Chase, Jimmie Johnson and his new bar in Charlotte.)

Okay, so "life changing" is kind of a stretch ... but, as you can tell from my Brah-ed out reaction to the whole thing -- "IN-TENSE", etc. -- it was a pretty ridiculous experience.

Should you ever have the opportunity, I would highly recommend it.

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Red or Blue, NASCAR Legend Junior Johnson Emboldens True American Democracy

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-11-04T08:58:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

The politics facing each and every American citizen on Tuesday get most people fired up and involved in a discussion that's hotter than any involving a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan and a Kyle Busch fan after the race at Richmond in May.

And for that reason, and my overwhelming desire to not receive large amounts of hate mail, here at the 'House we're strictly apolitical when it comes to choosing a candidate. Sure, I've got folks I like, and you've got yours, but this is a NASCAR site and it's not the appropriate space for discussion on the latest issue hitting the news.

But today, in honor of one of the most important days any American can ever take part in, I hope to give you encouragement to get out and vote and to make sure your voice is heard when it comes to issues that affect you and your loved ones.

And we'll do it by telling the story of one of NASCAR's good ol' boys from the yesterdays of racing who has taken a decidedly political stand to set a great example for America's future.

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Rusty Wallace Denies NASCAR Return, Says Comeback Rumors 'Untrue'

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-10-01T01:34:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: NASCAR Gossip, NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

UPDATE: Rusty Wallace released a statement Wednesday morning denying that he plans to make a return to NASCAR in 2009.

"I love Kenny to death; he's been trying to get me back in a car ever since I retired after 2005. While any rumors like this are certainly flattering, they're untrue. I have a long-term commitment to ABC and ESPN and I really love what I'm doing right now," said Wallace in a statement.

To me, this whole deal seems pretty bizarre, especially given that Rusty's brother put out the rumor. I have a feeling there might be more to this story than what meets the eye, but for now, it appears to be dead in the water.

Original: 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace is "considering" a return to NASCAR's top series in 2009, his brother Kenny Wallace said Tuesday night in an article posted on SPEEDTV.com.

"Six different crew members came up to me and said they'd heard a rumor Rusty was coming back to drive for [Dale Earnhardt Inc]," said Wallace in the article.

"These rumors get started in the Mooresville [N.C.] area because the [NASCAR team] shops are so close to each other and nothing can be kept secret for long. All I can say is that where there's smoke, there's fire. And he is definitely considering stepping back into a race car."

Rusty, who retired in 2005 after 25 seasons in NASCAR with 55 career wins, currently works as an analyst for ESPN and owns two Nationwide Series cars, one of which is driven by his son Steven.

I'm having a tough time not believing what Kenny said in the article for the sheer fact that he is Rusty's brother, and that that would seemingly prevent Wallace for spreading untrue rumors.

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Takin' A Look Back: Kansas 2007

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-09-25T12:45:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR Media Watch

It's amazing the stories, controversies and otherwise good discussion fodder that us lucky NASCAR fans get over the course of the Sprint Cup series' 36-race season.

And at the same time, all of that information from all four, or maybe five, corners of the web and television we soak in each week leaves us forgetting about the stories that seemed so important when they happened. Lucky for you, FanHouse is happy to bring "Takin' a Look Back" to a web browser near you.

First up? Kansas Speedway's 2007 fun and follies:

NASCAR was Wrong Sunday at Kansas - Last year's race had an interesting finish as winner Greg Biffle appeared to run out of gas before the checkered flag under caution and fell significantly enough off the pace car's speed that Clint Bowyer passed him.

A year later, I'm still on Bowyer's side -- he should have been the race winner.

Chasers Glad to Not Be in Kansas Anymore - After the 2007 edition, Kansas seemed to join the likes of Martinsville or Talladega as wild cards in the Chase after 8 of the 12 Chase drivers suffered extensive problems throughout the course of the rain-delayed and finally rain-shortened event.

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Hornaday's Steroid Use Not Really An Issue

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-09-12T11:37:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: NASCAR Media Watch, Pit Crews, Craftsman Truck Series

ESPN put out a story Thursday afternoon about Craftsman Truck Series driver Ron Hornaday Jr. admission to steroid use a few years ago and it effectively made the rounds across the entire network -- from SportsCenter, the bottom line ticker, and the web site.

In the article, though, it specifically acknowledges a few of things including:

1) Hornaday used the steroids to attempt to get healthy after doctor's couldn't diagnose the illness that caused him to lose 38 pounds in less than a year;
2) Hornaday used the steroids -- testosterone, specifically -- with a prescription (though the clinic is under federal investigation;
3) After using them for a while, Hornaday didn't notice a difference and stopped taking them and was later diagnosed with a hyperactive thyroid.

As of now, though, Hornaday claims to have been off the supplement for quite a while and it's tough not believe the guy because of how open he was to the questions from the ESPN reporter, including showing NASCAR medical forms, prescription records, and the actual substance he used that he has left over.

And frankly, I just don't see it as a big deal.

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Stewart Slams Busch in Rolling Stone Profile

Geoffrey Miller — 2008-09-06T21:01:00 00:00

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Tony Stewart, NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

Stop by NASCAR FanHouse on Sunday at 1pm/ET for some good ol' fashioned live bloggin' of Sunday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400. It'll be Chase-tastic!

I've had a few days now to muse over the recent profile piece done in Rolling Stone on the always lovable Tony Stewart.

If you haven't had a chance to read it yourself, I'd highly recommend it. And if you have read it, I'm sure you'll agree with me on a couple of fronts:

1) If you love Stewart because of his rank attitude and keen ability to not adapt to what people say he should be, then this piece exemplifies why so many people are so passionate in cheering for Tony and ...

2) If you're not the biggest Stewart fan but enjoy reading about how drivers really live outside of the limelight, it's again right up your alley.

The article is loaded with juicy tidbits about Stewart's life and the language he uses when he's not around the media -- or at least attempts to refrain from using. It mainly follows Stewart over the course of a few races earlier in 2008 and includes written imagery about Stewart riding back on his airplane, what the inside of his Hummer looks like, and just how "lavish" his Columbus, Ind. home is.

The best part by far, however, is when Stewart bashes Kurt Busch during the qualifying session this past May at Texas Motor Speedway [and as a slight warning, the language isn't exactly Disney movie appropriate]:

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