Is side-by-side coverage feasible in NASCAR?
Wednesday December 27, 2006
Ask any NASCAR fan what his biggest complaint is about the TV coverage and they'll say "the commercials." The IRL has solved that problem by running side-by-side coverage where the commercials share screen space with the race. If you haven't caught an IRL race on ESPN you should, just to see how this works.
NASCAR.com's Marty Smith tackles the issue of bringing this great innovation to NASCAR. Why it's a great idea, and why it's not as easy as it sounds. Check out Marty's Is side-by-side coverage feasible in NASCAR? from NASCAR.com. This great piece is highly recommended reading for frustrated NASCAR fans.
Comments
I would love to see the picture in picture view of racing during the commercials.Since TNT has takin over race coverage,i’ve probably only sat through a third of the events.It’s frustrating to miss the caution flags and the restarts.My driver was running 10th last week before the commercial and 32nd after and i didn’t find out why until i got on the internet.Personally i think FOX should be covering these races but until then side by side action would be great.
ESPN AND MEMORIAL DAY RACING WAS THE BEST RACE I HAVE EVER SEEN ON TELEVISION- NOT ONLY THEY HAD SIDE BY SIDE VIEWING, OUR SATELITE PROVIDER ,DISH NETWORK, SET UP SIX DIFFERENT CHANNELS WHERE THEIR VIEWERS COULD SELECT WHICH IN CAR CAMERA THEY WANTED TO VIEW.
WITH NASCAR RACES ON TNT AND NBC I TAPE THE LAST HOUR OF THE RACE AS A PROTEST TO NASCAR NOT USING THE SIDE BY SIDE FORMAT….IT TAKES ME ABOUT THIRTY MINUTES AFTER THE RACE TO KNOW WHO WON AND MY FRINDS KNOW NOT TO CALL UNTIL AFTER THAT… TO TALK ABOUT THE RACE….
SINCE I WATCH THE COMMERICALS AT ABOUT 30 TIMES NORMAL SPEED I DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THEM UNLESS MY FRIENDS MENTION THAT SO AND SO HAS A NEW COMMERCIAL THAT I SHOULD SEE……..
I DON’T LIKE DOING THAT,BUT JUST MAYBE IF MORE FANS WOULD JOIN MY PROTEST, THEN NASCAR AND THEIR SPONSERS WOULD MAGICALLY FIND A WAY TO DO SIDE BY SIDE BROADCASTING…….
THANKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK MY MIND,
JOSEPH, FLORISSANT,MO.
I Love Nascar, but I HATE watching it on NBC and TNT. I would love to have a screen by screen on every race not just certain ones. I hope that when Nascar goes to ESPN and ABC there won’t be as many commercials and they have screen by screen.
Actually, I really think that Nascar should get rid of Bill Weber as a broadcaster, his voice is soooo annoying and he repeats himself too much.
I have been a NASCAR fan for 40 years and watching on TNT this year is the worst it has ever been for commercials. NBC wasn’t as bad for some reason. I like watching the race live but am ready to back to following the races the way I used to, when I would drive my Grandpa down to the local autoShop/GeneralStore/PostOffice and we would sit in the back room with all of the other old gentlemen and listen on the radio while sipping their favorite beverages out of glass jars. I would really like to see a split screen so I can sit at home and enjoy the race.
The majority of race fans are just that. Not commercial fans. We enjoy watching whats going on in the pit ares. commercials should have a limit per hour imposed (ie-10 minutes per hour for example) This could be during track clean up, etc. Give them their full screen for the adds and charge accordingly. We all know the advertising is a neccesary evil for financial support of the sport but to support the networks also (excessively)must be the underlying cause for the flooding of commercials during race time. All networks have jumped on the money train including NASCAR.
Out here where I’m at, we don’t have cable available, so I don’t get to see but half of the races anyway. I would like to see them have it on Fox and NBC and have the side-by-side coverage. But it will probably take an act of Congress and you know how that works!!!!
i love racing i drive a supertruck i hate nascar brian f he mass up racing cup bush short tracks now sex? sex?!!why sex is every thaing and on tv superchevy you can’t pick up book carbooks like hotrod streetrod i get one book thatdoze not sex hemming muscle yes cmmercial it like bob bob mail enlargement it sick now nascar money tell all thoe womans to put on some close or get out.
It takes two things to bring NASCAR Racing into our livingrooms. People watching and commercials. Personaly I think that they are making commercials more interesting and fun to watch. Especially the commercials that air during a race. I also believe the networks try to air the commercials during cautions when they can. They also break into the commercial if something important is happening and will update you as to what has happened during the commerial. Face it, with the average race lasting 4 hours you are going to see a lot of commercials. I sound like I work for the networks, I don’t. I just realize that someone has to pay the expense in order for the networks to bring us live coverage into our livingrooms. I would rather see the commercials that have to pay for the coverage. Besides, most people have a vcr or dvr, start watching the race later and skip through the commercials. Quit your whinning.
I love to watch racing on the weekends if I can’t get the opportunity to travel to a race(I have only been to two). Fox provides the best coverage of all the stations. The side by side coverage would be an excellent idea if it could happen with NASCAR since the other stations that cover the race seem to mess up what happened in between the commercials.
I look forward to race weekend. But the commericals are a bit to much. Nascar fans need side by side coverage just like IRL. Don’t get rid of the famous DW,Larry Mac. They are great & they know about setups & how to drive. I ready for racing to get fired back up. It’s boring around here on the weekends.
Jerry Guthrie,
Where o where did you learn to talk??? I can’t understand a thing you wrote!!!
I like Nascar. The Commercials are a hinderence but a necessary evil. I wish DW could do all the races.
On XM radio, Clair B Lang on her show she had John Darby on “Competion Wednesday” and this was back in July of 06 when a fan called in and asked John that split screen question about the commercials and John stated that it was up to the sponsor or who’s paying for the commercial. That sponsor wants the full screen with their product. Then he stated that maybe something could be negotiated with the sponsor in the future.
I’m an avid Nascar Fan and will watch no matter how lousey the coverage. But, I now Tivo every race and dont start watching until at least 3 hours after the race has started. I never see a single commercial as I fast forward through them all. If side by side were available I would not fast forward through the commercials. This might get sponsors to get some exposure to people like myself. If I can see the action, no matter how inconsiquential at the time, I will never fast forward.
THERE ARE SO MANY LONG YELLOW FLAGS THAT THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM FOR COMMERCIALS WITHOUT MISSING ANY RACING.THE FIRST THING TO DO IS GET RID OF THAT MORON DW AND HIS BOOGITY BOOGITY AND THEN CONTACT WORLD WRESTLING ORG AND FIND OUT WHAT THEY DO BECAUSE THE RACES ARE JUST LIKE THE WRESTLING MATCHES.
Hi!!
Just a comment on how I love Nascar. Yes, I spend my Sundays watching the great races…and if I cannot due to work, wel, I tape them and watch them later…yes, I say it would sure be interesting to do like the IRL and have side by side coverage. It would keep us tuned to what is going on during that 2 minutes of sponsorship. Since sometimes they run long and we miss either the restart or a real highlight, I think it is a great idea to satisfy everyone. Don’t get me wrong, some of the commercials are great(especially of Dale Jr, as you might have guessed, I am a great fan)but since most stations like ABC and TNT, sometimes FOX too miss the restart, well, side by side during the commercial, but still kept eyes on the racing action, I truly think this is a great idea!!!
From a faithful watcher and true Canandian Fan!!!
I dont think it matters to much at this point! Nascar has pretty much lost its oldest and most faithful fans due to the improvments its already made. See a 40 year fan remembers how it used to be, all these new fans just know when Dale Earnhardt died. Nascar has gone to pot, money can and will destroy any thing if you have too much of it. And they certainly have lots of money. Why dont they start their on network so they wont mess up programming on Sundays. Yeah I am somewhat bitter, feel like I lost a longtime friend. Sorry Nascar I dont care if you show commercials every 5 minutes to make more money! Thats whats its all about anymore, I will be watching reruns on Tv Land so do what you like, you will anyway!!!!!
Stanley Box has a point I do the same thing but if they split screen it I wouldn’t. I’d actualy see their ads.
Oh, Hey “Murph” BOOGITY BOOGITY BOGGITY!! DW’s Awsome!!
100 % RIGHT STEVE. MOST OF THESE SO CALLED FANS NEVER SAW REAL STOCK CAR RACE. ITS ALL ABOUT MONEY AND NOTHING ELSE. NASCAR SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!! BOOGITY TO YOU STEWARTS#1 AND ONLY FAN.
Dw is a has been, murphy, if nascar sucks why are you on this site? Oh yes I forgot, schools out for the holidays. right stewars#1fan and murph?
Nascar is a joke, they just keep on copying and getting there ideas from open wheel racing, IRL is way better racing, 10 sec leads in 30 laps wtf is that, whats the point, BORING
I’d say some producers need to get pink slips. Its a “No-Brainer” we get extensive coverage through a 10 lap yellow flag or, a 10 minute red flag then as the green drops we go to commercial. We get the cars going in for pit stops then 397 different angle shots of the wreck thats brought out the caution complete with the standard driver interview “I dunno what happened somebody got in the back of me” or, “that idiot came up on me.” Then as the green flag drops we go to commercial. 5 minutes later we’re back the lead has changed 3 times and all of the top 10 have been involved in an accident and are out of the race. Here we are watching another 10 minutes of pace car action and wreck re-plays… Thank God for Tony Stewart bubp drafting the pace car or I would be napping before the next commercial break that just coincides with the next restart. Its a “No-Brainer” If the producers can’t slam the commercials into cautions and red flags or, long green flag sessions early in the race when they are just driving around for laps we need split screen.
rob, 10 sec lead in 30 laps????? HELLO is anybody home????? Yes, nascar is a joke right now. Seems to me there is more drivers going to nascar from irl/open wheel than the other way around!!! Also there are more viewership with nascar than irl. (In the US). I really don’t care about other countries viewership because I don’t live there. Unless nascar don’t get their act together Nascar may have something in common with Irl/indy NO viewership, and lack of cars, and close to bankrupcy.
IF ALL YOU FANS OF NASCAR EVER GET A CHANCE TO WATCH SOME TAPES OF THE OLDER RACES FROM THE 60′S AND 70′S WATCH THEM BECAUSE YOU WILL BE SEEING SOME REAL STOCK CAR RACING, THE PROBLEM IS NASCAR DOESN’T SEEM TO BE WILLING TO SHOW THEM ON TV ANYMORE BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL SEE WHAT REAL RACING IS ALL ABOUT AND THAT IS SOMETHING THEY DON’T WANT.
Split screen definetly could happen and would work great, but the sponsors don’t want to let it…the allmighty dollar talking again and Nascar being bought off and greedy. Nascar DOES NOT care about the fans or racing any longer……just about the dollars lining their pockets and the bottom line ($$$$) Nascar has sold out long ago and the fans are paying for it
I didn’t buy a wide screen tv to have the picture reduced in size. This is becoming way to common.
All I have to say is this . . . How many times have the big wrecks happened during the commercial?
My husband started saying this over a year ago. We are so happy to hear somebody was listening!!
Really what bothers me most about tv coverage is the lack of attention to anyone driving outside the top 10 or maybe 15 in that race (except Jr. always gets camera time).
The only way Guys like Nemecheck, Said or a Labonte or a Waltrip can get coverage is to wreck.
It can get boring watching the same 5 cars circle the track for much of the race and it is hard to be, e.g., a K. Petty or D. Gilliland fan if you never see them on the screen.
Maybe these ‘laggards’ do not get coverage becuase there would be regular discussion about why smaller teams cannot compete anymore against the superpower Nextel teams?
Chris Z. is exactly right. I hate the lack of balanced coverage. Last time I checked every race starts with 43 cars and all 43 of them have fans. Jr. can run dead last all day long and get the lions share of the TV coverage. I cant tell you how many times I watch the ticker at the top and see my driver go down a lap or something else happen. I usually cant find out what it was until the next day. I guess I could be like everybody else and jump on Jr.’s bandwagon?! Maybe I’ll throw trash, boo drivers and start acting like a complete moron to see if I can fit in the bandwagon!
Guess you people have not watch much of nascar, or any other sport/movies for that matter. The media ALWAYS pick one or two, and that’s all they talk about.
Not trying to plug Trackpass, but with it on my computer, I can tell where my driver is all the time and which commercial the caution came out on. I’ve actually turned the radio broadcast on through that and ignored the TV before.