Arena Raise Hell, Praise Dale - NASCAR/North American Racing Series Discussion

Congrats to Jimmie Johnson, especially after the poor start he had to the season.

 

You mean winning the Daytona 500?

Or are you referring to the start of The Chase?

 

Tuesday night also makred Jimmie's 3rd appearance on Letterman this year.

First was after the Daytona 500.
Second was when the Chase started all 10 drivers did the Top 10 that week.
Third, well it's kinda obvious.

And last but not least, my vote for "Best Commercial of the Year" goes to Gillette.

[image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39/Jedi-Anakin-Solo/Newman.jpg]

NEWMAN!

 

I don't know. My favorite was when they had the family take Kevin Harvick on vacation. It makes me laugh every time when the kids bounces the ball off his head and when he comes up from the pool. Jimmy's version isn't bad either but I think Kevin's was funnier. I did like the one where Mark Martin gets a stunt double to show up Edwards.

 

Oh there were definatly some good ones.

"So this plan should decrease costs and increase income... what do you think JIMMIE JOHNSON?!"

"Fernando, You're on.."

Although I don't like Tony Stewart (Can't stand him really), the Home Depot commercials about Home Improvment = Winning are great.

"Harvest Gold?! Dude..."
"Boys, I smell another championship."

 

something I thought could be interesting.

DirecTV to take NASCAR fans inside car
By JENNA FRYER, AP Auto Racing Writer
Tue Dec 5, 2:32 PM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The sport that already offers unprecedented fan access is going one step further in 2007, allowing DirecTV viewers to watch an entire NASCAR race from behind the wheel.

NASCAR HotPass will debut on DirecTV at the Daytona 500 in February and offer fans at home the opportunity to watch a race from a driver's vantage point. Subscribers will have access to five channels dedicated to individual drivers, who will change every week.

Each channel will have up to six cameras and two isolated announcers focusing solely on one driver for an entire race. Viewers will have access to in-car audio communication, real-time statistics and cameras covering every angle from inside the race car to the pit box and all around the track.

HotPass is the brainchild of Fox Sports chairman David Hill.

``There was this moment for me when the lights went on, and I thought 'This is why NASCAR is so popular - because you can buy a seat and sit down and watch your guy go round and round,''' said Hill, who worried his network coverage was lacking because it didn't showcase the in-car conversations between a driver and team. That audio is available to fans at the track through scanners and FanView devices, but isn't offered to television viewers.

``In one fell swoop it was so obvious, and I couldn't believe I hadn't picked up on it before,'' Hill said. ``We had to find a way for the fan to sit there and watch his car for an entire race.''

He tried the idea in 2005 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when he had multiple cameras follow winning driver Tony Stewart from flag to flag. He liked the results but still felt the effort was missing perspective.

So Hill tried it again at Las Vegas in March, adding two dedicated announcers to the Dale Earnhardt Jr. coverage. The announcers explained everything Earnhardt was doing, debated strategy, called pit stops and even chatted with the driver during cautions.

Pleased with the effort, Hill took it to NASCAR, which awarded DirecTV a three-year contract. But with NASCAR's TV ratings declining, Hill knows HotPass is a risky venture. DirecTV must persuade fans to pay $99 for a season pass with no guarantees on which drivers will be featured.

Hill is hopeful the behind-the-scenes access will entice fans to sign up for the venture, which will require an additional 70 at-track employees and 10 announcers.

``It's a big gamble,'' he admitted. ``While we are quietly confident, the encouraging thing is that no one has said this is a really stupid idea. So we sort of believe it will be like pet rocks, hula hoops and yo-yos - brand new, but people will say 'I've got to have one.'''

DirecTV isn't the only medium offering new access next season. Sirius Satellite Radio plans to offer 10 driver channels that will combine the overall race broadcast with driver-to-pit crew chatter in 2007.

``By layering the driver chatter over the race broadcast and alternating between the two, we'll provide a way to follow the race like never before,'' said Scott Greenstein, president of Entertainment and Sports.

Dick Glover, vice president of broadcasting and new media for NASCAR, said the DirecTV and Sirius deals show how committed the sport is to providing new and exciting ways for fans to enjoy it.

``We have always tried to be out front in bringing innovation into how our sport is covered,'' Glover said. ``It's long been our tradition to work with telecasters to get our fans into the cars and closer to the action. This is the natural evolution.''



*** I'm guessing that people really into their driver might like this a lot but part of the fun for me is seeing the interplay on the track with the other racers. I doubt I'd pay for it. And I think if it succedes, it's going to depend a lot on the play by play guy you get.


On the other hand Jimmy Johnson can afford it. He took home $15,770,125 dollars in winnings at the awards banq

 

So has anybody been keeping up with the NASCAR rumor mill?

A buddy was telling me the other day that he read somewhere that Junior and Teresa can't get along and there are whispers that when Junior's contract expires, he's looking to drive for Richard Childress.

I must confess I hadn't paid a bit of attention to anything racing related since Homestead.

 

I heard the accursed restrictor plate is going away with the "car of tomorrow".. and NASCAR will look at mandating a rear end ratio.. Said on SPEED Daytona 500 = No Plate next year.. Wahooo, Talladega will be awesome again.. Hope it works out so that that stinking thing will be gone forever.. and we'll have old school Superspeedway action as God intended.

Also, I like how they are "messing up" the cars, aerodynamically, should be far more interesting..

 

Is this where I start a riot, by cheering the entrance of Toyota in Nascar?

 

oh it would be a real dream to see Jr in the number 3 but I won't count on that happening. But boy would that be sweet to have Jr, Kevin and Jeff all on the same team.

I don't like restrictor plates either but I suppose they do keep the speeds at a safer level, but it does bunch them up a lot. I am going to reserve judgment on the COT till I see it in action though. I very interested to see what the differences do.

And toyota? That just seems wrong.

 

Cool thread.

Hey Herman, remember the old YJCC nascar thread? I'm over Rusty Wallace being retired now so don't worry about that. I do have to say that I am enjoying the run of mediocrity that Ryan Newman is going through. And I don't like the 2 car anymore, so Penske is pretty much at the bottom of my list.

Can't say I'm too thrilled about Toyota or the car of tomorrow but I can't do anything about it.

One thing I want to say is I'm going to miss Benny Parsons voice. He was great.

 

Hey there, Mak.


Though I wasn't a Rusty fan, I'd take him anyday over some of the boring drivers they have out there now.

Watching Newman wallow in mediocrity is a guilty pleasure, I agree.

 

Who do you consider boring right now. I have my guesses. I think I'm starting to get excited for the return of the season.

 

Pretty much all of them are corporate robots.

I'd have to say out of all the drivers, the least boring would be Kevin Harvick. At least the guy speaks his mind. And I have to say I like the things he says about Kurt Busch.

As far as the new season goes, I'm kind of happy the ratings are down and nascar seems to be on the way out. Maybe now they'll realize they're screwing everything up and we'll have 2 races at Darlington and Rockingham again. Doubt it will happen but I'm hoping.

 

Kevin has an actual personality, so yes he is my driver. Plus he's darn cute too.

Boring tracks are worse though. Nothing makes me more annoyed then when they get in long stringed out lines.

 

I'm a huge Jeff Gordon fan. I remeber I came across NASCAR for the time during Daytona 500 practice 1998. Everyone was talking about Jeff Gordon is the man to beat. And you know what? I think Jeff Gordon is the man to beat in the 2007 Daytona 500. He's got things on track and Jimmie is going to stuffer the fate of Nextel Cup champions performing poorly due to media commitments.

 

I don't know if Jeff Gordon will win it, but agree that Jimmy will probably have a harder time. I think Tony is going to be pretty hungry because he missed the chase last year.

 

Stewart will have a strong year, no doubt about that.

It's hard predicting who's going to be good. Did anyone think at this time last year Kasey Kahne would have a 2006 like he did? I sure didn't.

 

No, I sure didn't. Budshootout this weekend. Yea!

 

Saturday's race was more proof that nascar controls the race. Remember when they had yet another phantom debris caution? That was to make sure the race wouldn't come down to fuel mileage. I don't know how much longer I can take these manufactured races.

Oh and Fox needs to get rid of their stupid 3D replay system. It looks and runs like a bad EA Sports game.

 

I didn't realize what it was at first and thought it was a commercial. but yeah, just give me real footage.

Looks like the annual cheaters outting is here again.

NASCAR took its strongest stance against cheating Tuesday, suspending the crew chiefs for Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Scott Riggs and Elliott Sadler and docking all four drivers points before the season-opening Daytona 500 for failing inspections.

 

Good, let them show that they aren't going to stand for things like that, before the season gets into full swing. Better now, than later.

 

NASCAR Release: NASCAR announced Wednesday that it has confiscated the primary car of the #55 Toyota team that competes in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series with driver Michael Waltrip, as a result of rule violations found during pre- and post-qualifying inspection for the Daytona 500. Crew chief Larry (David) Hyder and the team?s vice president of competition Bobby Kennedy have been ejected from this week?s events at Daytona International Speedway and suspended indefinitely. Hyder also has been fined $100,000.
NASCAR also penalized Waltrip with the loss of 100 driver championship points. His qualifying time from pole day on Feb. 11 was disallowed. Team owner Elizabeth (Buffy) Waltrip has been penalized 100 car owner championship points.
The actions taken by NASCAR resulted from violations of 12- 4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing), 12-4-Q (car, car parts components and/or equipment not conforming to NASCAR rules) and 20-15.2C (gasoline must not be blended with alcohols, ethers or other oxygenates).
The confiscated car and the parts related to the violations will be transported to the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C. for further inspection. NASCAR said the investigation of the confiscated car is ongoing.(NASCAR PR)(2-14-2007)

Man, all the rumors flying around were saying that Waltrip himself would be suspended. When will nascar have the cojones to sit down drivers? Remember they sat down Harvick for a race a few years back because of rough driving?

If you want to stop the cheating, suspend teams from even coming to the track. That will get their attention. But I'm sure the sponsors have a say in all of this.

 

Kevin wins the Busch. Can't wait till tomorrow.

 

It's going to be my first time watching the Daytona 500 all the way through.