TV mistake misleads fans, Harvick at the Budweiser Shootout
When you televise as many races and events as Fox and their sister network SPEED have, you’re bound to make a mistake sooner or later. This time, the mistake confused both fans and some drivers.
“The entry blank was ‘green-white-checkered’ one attempt.”
—Kerry Tharp
During the two Budweiser Shootout practice sessions, as well as other moments of their coverage from this weekend, Fox and SPEED had explained that the Budweiser Shootout had to end under a green flag. However, when NASCAR only gave one go at the green-white-checker, fans began scratching their heads when the race was declared over.
The blunder by the broadcast network even caused eventual race winner Kevin Harvick to become a little confused when the caution came out as the field took the white flag on Saturday, thus ending the race under yellow.
Drivers are introduced prior to the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 6, 2010 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)
“I was a little bit off kilter on that one,” Harvick said in his post-race press conference. “They knew. But I thought myself, I didn’t say a word on the radio. That’s why I didn’t say a word. I read on something somewhere, it wasn’t the entry blank, I know that for sure, but I read race will end under green. Maybe it was on a TV telecast as I was delusional sleeping in bed on Thursday. I don’t know. Maybe I dreamed it. But they knew what was going on. As long as they know what’s going on.”
Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray were also asked about the confusion that arose as a result of the mistake made by Fox. This was their exchange:
KASEY KAHNE: I’m happy I’m right here. I mean, I don’t know. I thought it was ‘green-white-checkered’.
JAMIE McMURRAY: I’m the same way. On TV it said it must end under green. There wouldn’t have been anything left. They would have just kept wrecking.
KASEY KAHNE: In the drivers meeting they did say one attempt at a two-lap ‘green-white-checkered’. That’s what I understood. The way it ended was normal.
After the race, NASCAR spokesperson Ramsey Poston confirmed on his Twitter account that it was clearly stated in the pre-race driver’s meeting that there would only be one attempt at a green-white-checker finish.
A total of 76-laps were ran in the race that was originally scheduled to go just 75 laps.
Fox, Time Warner Cable reach agreement in principle
Nearly a day after Fox was set to pull the plug on its programming on Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks channel lineups, the two sides announced that they have reached an agreement in principle on Friday night an hour before the Sugar Bowl kickoff.
“We’re pleased that, after months of negotiations, we were able to reach a fair agreement with Time Warner Cable — one that recognizes the value of our programming,” News Corporation’s deputy chairman, president and COO Chase Careysaid in a joint statement with Time Warner Cable.
Time Warner Cable’s CEO, president and chairman Glenn Britt continued to say, “We’re happy to have reached a reasonable deal with no disruption in programming for our customers.”
Despite the intense negotiations and heavy negative advertisement campaigns each company employed against each other, customers on both cable companies did not live without their Fox programming the entire time.
Fox’s parent company News Corp. threatened that it would take its channels off of Time Warner’s and Bright House’s lineups if a deal was not reached. However, Time Warner Cable, which also operates Bright House, said that it would continue to air its programming by retransmitting their signals from over-the-air and fiber optics, instead of using a satellite to receive Fox’s feed.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Fox was rumored to have requested one-dollar per subscriber for each of their channels. Time Warner Cable’s reported counter-offer was 30-cents per subscriber.
UPDATE 4 (1/01/10 at 5:39 p.m. ET): According to the Wall Street Journal the two sides are nearing an agreement that should be completed by tonight to avoid a blackout of Fox stations on Time Warner and Bright House Cable. The Journal is citing sources who are “familiar with the matter.” The paper is owned by News Corp., which is also the parent company of Fox.
UPDATE 3 (1/01/10 at 3:50 p.m. ET): Fox and Time Warner Cable have extended their deadline, again. The new deadline is 6 p.m. ET. Both sides hope to reach a deal before the 8:30 p.m. ET start of tonight’s college football bowl game (The Sugar Bowl).
UPDATE 2 (1/01/10 at 1:10 p.m. ET): Fox channels are still available on Time Warner Cable’s channel lineup as of now. Both companies continue to negotiate.
UPDATE 1 (12/31/09 at 11:52 p.m. ET): Time Warner Cable and Fox have agreed to a three-hour extension past their original midnight deadline. The new agreement moves a deadline for a new agreement to 3 a.m. ET.
With just a few hours remaining before their current deal expires, the Federal Communications Commission released a statement urging Time Warner Cable to agree to a short-term deal with Fox to avoid over 14 million cable subscribers around the country from losing their Fox-owned stations.
“I have urged Fox and Time Warner Cable to agree to a temporary extension of carriage if they do not come to terms on a new carriage agreement today, in order to prevent disruption to their viewers,” FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement released on New Year’s Eve. “Companies shouldn’t force cable-watching football fans to scramble for other means of TV delivery on New Year’s weekend.”
The request for a short-term agreement comes just after Sinclair Broadcasting and Mediacom, America’s eighth-largest cable company, agreed to an eight-day extension to prevent Sinclair’s stations from being pulled from Mediacom’s cable system.
Sinclair owns local television affiliates from Fox, ABC, MyTv, The CW, CBS and NBC in over 58 markets, reaching 22 percent of televisions in the country.
“I commend Sinclair and Mediacom for agreeing to an eight-day extension of their retransmission consent agreement, which was set to expire tonight,” Genachowski said. “This extension, to midnight January 8, 2010, will avert the frustration that Mediacom customers would have experienced if Sinclair stations had ceased to be available over Mediacom systems at midnight tonight. It will give Sinclair and Mediacom additional time to resolve their negotiations successfully, as hundreds of other broadcasters and cable companies have done throughout the country, so that viewers will have uninterrupted access to popular broadcast programming.”
Time Warner Cable and Fox’s current agreement expires at midnight on Jan. 1. If an agreement is not reached, all of Fox’s national and regional networks, as well as many Fox-owned local stations will no longer be available on America’s largest cable provider. The two sides have been negotiating since this past summer to reach an agreement.
According to a website set up by Time Warner Cable, www.keeponfox.com, Fox is trying to increase their former rate by over 300 percent. Fox, however, denies this claim on their website, www.keepfoxon.com, saying, “Time Warner must be referring to one of their other negotiations, because 300% is off by a large multiple.”
“It’s unfortunate that Time Warner Cable has yet to offer us reasonable compensation for Fox’s programming, and regrettably, because of its decision, viewers may miss the Fox BCS games, the NFL on Fox, American Idol and more,” Fox added in a statement. “We sincerely hope Time Warner Cable reconsiders its position prior to the expiration of the agreement tonight and doesn’t deny its customers this marquee programming.”
Fox broadcasts many sporting events and some of America’s most watched TV shows on its nearly 20 TV networks and over a dozen local affiliates. In addition to NFL and BCS games, the broadcast giant offers MLB’s World Series and NASCAR’s Daytona 500, as well as TV hits American Idol and House, M.D.
Bright House Networks, a smaller cable company, is also in negotiations with Fox to prevent a loss in signal. Their contract also expires at midnight on New Year’s Day.
NASCAR fans innocent victims in Time Warner/Fox battle
Come January 1, 2010, over 14 million cable customers will no longer have Fox networks. Fox, of course, televises many of sports’s biggest events, including a large bulk of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. Unless Time Warner Cable and Fox can come to a deal and renew their contract over the next three days, many NASCAR fans will be without their Sprint Cup Series until June, when TNT and ESPN take over.
Even more greatly effected is the Camping World Truck Series, which has boasted improved ratings each year it has been on SPEED. However, The SPEED Channel, which is owned by FOX, may go “dark” in the new year, which could end that streak promptly.
According to numerous internet reports, Fox now wants cable companies to pay their local Fox stations a monthly fee along with a fee for their other regional and national networks, such as FX, SPEED and the Fox Reality Channel. The change of charging an extra monthly fee for Fox’s local stations would only apply in some markets, as Fox does not own every local Fox affiliate. However, people that live in Dallas, Los Angeles and New York will be among those affected.
The added fee is believed to cause a 300 percent increase over the price that Time Warner paid Fox in their previous agreement. Time Warner, however, says they will not pay the added fee because it will in turn force them to raise their customer’s monthly bill. Fox, on the other hand, claims that the nation’s second-largest cable provider is more than able to pay the extra price for their networks.
With all of this at hand, NASCAR fans could be one of the many innocent victims in this battle that appears to have no resolution in site. With the season-opening Daytona 500 less than two months away, this disagreement is sure to cause an uproar amongst NASCAR fans, who join NFL and MLB fans as those who will be greatly affected by this clash.
20 years later, pit road a safer place for crews—and media
The question gets asked nearly everytime a pit road reporter from one of the four TV networks that cover NASCAR pops in to deliver some of the happenings from the pits. That question is: “Why are they wearing fire suits?”
The simple answer can be found at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 19, 1989—20 years ago.
Dr. Jerry Punch, who currently works in the booth for ESPN’s NASCAR races, was working on pit road in his blue blazer and tie, a standard for pit road reporters at ESPN at the time. However, as he covered the pit stop of Richard Petty—whose car had a broken header pipe—a fire broke out when the car backfired and ignited fuel that had been spilled during the routine pit stop. Before Punch could react, he found himself just ten feet away from a blazing fire.
Nelson Crozier, who was working as Punch’s spotter, joined ER technician Punch as they attempted to help the situation by tending the team’s gas man, who was on fire, by wrapping him with a rubber mat.
Punch continued to help the crew member until other emergency personnel arrived. Later, he attempted to give a live report on TV. Little did he know, however, his mustache was singed and the windscreen and his polyester blazer was melted.
“As I’m doing a report on camera, my mustache that I had back then is all singed, the hair on the back of my hand is gone, my microphone windscreen is melted—it’s just dripping down across the microphone, and the sleeve on my polyester blazer is all basically melted into a goo—and all you can see is these brass buttons hanger there,” Punch said.
During the entire period these events were taking place, ABC’s coordinating producer of motorsports at the time, Geoff Mason, was watching the entire series of events unfold right on his TV set in New York.
“They had had high cameras on all of this and I don’t realize as I’m giving a report that people in the (TV) truck and people watching back at ABC in New York are just aghast that I was in the middle of this,” Punch said. “Our coordinating producer of motorsports at ABC was Geoff Mason. Geoff was watching back in NY and he immediately called the truck and asked, ‘Why in the world are our people not in fire-protective gear?’”
The Atlanta race on March 19, 1989 was the last race in which a pit road TV reporter did not wear fire protective gear. In fact, all nearly every motorsports that is televised and broadcast on radio with pit road reporters wear a fire protective suit.
Pit road safety for the pit road reporters was not the only thing that changed as a result from this accident. NASCAR also implemented numerous pit road rules to prevent accidents like this from happening in the future.
“It’s not that he (the gas man) was sloppy; that was the nature of pit stops back then,” Punch said. “You’d always see gas trickling down the side of the car and the car would leave and there’d always be a puddle of gas on the ground behind the car. They’d just put a little speedy dry on it and sweep it up.
“After that it became much more sophisticated with really, really tight dry brakes. It made it harder to gas the car. That led to a lot of safety innovations.”
So, next time a pit road reporter is show on TV in a fire-retardant suit, it is because of a call Mason made just 20 years ago.
“To this day, I’m so appreciative of Geoff Mason just steeping in and absolutely making a great call for safety first,” Punch said.
TV execs not against ‘two day shows’ next year
It has been a popular rumor recently that NASCAR is looking to have more two day shows for NASCAR race weekends. Originally designed to save costs for teams, it cuts out anywhere from one to two days that teams have to be at the racetrack for the event. This not only helps teams save money on hotels, but it also makes it easier to arrange travel for the next event if they can show up Friday instead of Wednesday or Thursday.
A two day weekend basically means that the Sprint Cup Series drivers would practice and qualifying on Saturday in preparation for a race the next day. The same applies to the Nationwide and Camping World Series.
However, NASCAR hasn’t confirmed or denied whether or not they will begin utilizing more two day weekends next season. NASCAR CEO Brian France, who was on a teleconference today to announce the switch to more universal race starting times for next season’s Sprint Cup Series races, continued to offer the same stance that NASCAR has taken all year on the question of two day shows.
“Let me just say that that comes from a cost discussion that we have on … we’re trying to save the teams money in their annual budgets,” France said. “We have cut weekends back some from time to time. We’re not cutting races back and not shortening those. You’ve got to remember qualifying, practice, is good content. It actually rates fairly well for all of our partners.”
However, France did bring up a valid point about how increasing the amount of two day shows next year could cause some bad ramifications for track promoters.
“It’s also promotionally difficult for the tracks themselves that are trying to build interest for the weekend in their local market when there’s not practice and activity at the track,” France said.
Some have also speculated that a change to more two day weekends would also bring harm to NASCAR’s television partners. However, Fox Sports’s David Hill things otherwise.
“It’s actually better for us, because we don’t have to extend the other time for the crews doing the set up. It’s a huge set up,” Hill said. “So the fact that we can’t do anything while the track’s hot. So the call of the cooler the track, the closer to the weekend, the better it is for us.”
David Levy, president of Turner Broadcasting’s distribution sales and sports, also said that the change would not harm the way TNT, which does six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races during the summer months, covers NASCAR.
Sprint Cup Series Events Moving To Earlier, Uniform Start Times For 2010 Season
NASCAR PR
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Continuing the sport’s “back to basics” approach, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and its television broadcast partners today announced earlier, uniform start times for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2010.
NASCAR worked closely with FOX, Turner, ESPN/ABC and the tracks on this project for the fans. The race start times for NASCAR Sprint Cup races in 2010 in the Eastern and Central regions of the country will begin at 1 p.m. ET, West Coast events will begin at 3 p.m. ET, and night races will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET. (The one exception is NASCAR’s longest night race, the Coca-Cola 600, which will have the same 5:45 p.m. ET start time.) Following the invocation and national anthem, the green flag will drop at approximately 15-20 minutes past the hour after each listed race start time.
“NASCAR fans have been asking for earlier and more consistent start times, and we are making this change for our fans, beginning with the Daytona 500 next February,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “We are revisiting our sport’s tradition of earlier green flags, and the added consistency will make it easier for fans to know exactly when the races are being televised. Additionally, the new start times will help track operators get fans in and out of the track earlier in the evening. Many fans heading home from the race earlier will be able to eliminate the costs of an extra travel day.”
A total of 28 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in 2010 will be held at an earlier time compared to 2009, with 20 races moved to 1 p.m. ET, including the Daytona 500. Moving up the start of “The Great American Race” two-and-a-half hours will produce the earliest start time for the Daytona 500 since 2003, when the race was also scheduled for 1 p.m. Five races move earlier to a 3 p.m. ET start and three races start earlier at 7:30 p.m. ET.
In making the decision for earlier, more uniform start times, NASCAR consulted its Fan Council, comprised of 12,000 avid fans who serve as a sounding board on important topics. Half of NASCAR avid fans said they are often unclear about what time NASCAR races actually start. When given the chance to choose a start time, more than two-thirds of avid NASCAR fans preferred early Sunday afternoon.
“It’s become clear to us that traditional, early Sunday afternoon, start times are favored by NASCAR fans who both attend races and watch on television,” said FOX Sports Chairman David Hill. “NASCAR, perhaps more than any other sport, belongs to the generations of fans who have passed on their passion, father to son, mother to daughter, so whatever we can do to make them feel better connected to the sport they love should be done.”
“Many fans have been interested in standard start times for NASCAR’s television partners. In the long term, we believe this change will make the viewing experience better for everyone,” said David Levy, president of Turner Broadcasting’s distribution, sales and sports. “NASCAR races continue to deliver solid, consistent ratings for TNT. When you combine TV ratings with the number of people who visit NASCAR.COM, the sport clearly remains very healthy and popular.”
“We enthusiastically support consistent start times and are happy to have worked with NASCAR on this move,” said John Skipper, ESPN’s executive vice president, content. “We are thrilled about our position with NASCAR and bullish about the long-term prospects.”
“An earlier starting time for the Daytona 500 is great news for our race fans,” Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig said. “In recent years, race fans made their desire very clear for an earlier starting time. With the help of our partners in the sport at NASCAR and FOX Sports, we’re proud to deliver an earlier starting time for the 2010 Daytona 500.”
“This is a very positive move for our fans,” said Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager for New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “For example, it allows us another hour of daylight to run our races and to get traffic out before nightfall. Based on the letters I receive from fans, I know they will appreciate NASCAR making this change. For years, the NFL has been very successful with its standardized start times of 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. You never have to guess when their games start on Sunday. I think that same template will help our sport as well.”
“We believe this will be well-received by NASCAR fans who attend races in Dover, especially those traveling long distances,” said Denis McGlynn, president and CEO of Dover Motorsports, Inc. “A large percentage of our fans come from the Northeast, and some drive great distances to get here. Consistent, earlier start times is great news for both fans headed to the track and those watching at home.”
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points races will be seen on either FOX, TNT, ESPN or ABC. The 2010 television schedule for points races is below.
2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule With Start Times (All Times Eastern)
Date Day RaceSite Network Start Time
Feb 14 Sun. Daytona 500 FOX 1:00 PM
Feb 21 Sun. Auto Club Speedway FOX 3:00 PM
Feb 28 Sun. Las Vegas Motor Speedway FOX 3:00 PM
Mar 7 Sun. Atlanta Motor Speedway FOX 1:00 PM
Mar 21 Sun. Bristol Motor Speedway FOX 1:00 PM
Mar 28 Sun. Martinsville Speedway FOX 1:00 PM
Apr 10 Sat. Phoenix International Raceway FOX 7:30 PM
Apr 18 Sun. Texas Motor Speedway FOX 1:00 PM
Apr 25 Sun. Talladega Superspeedway FOX 1:00 PM
May 1 Sat. Richmond International Raceway FOX 7:30 PM
May 8 Sat. Darlington Raceway FOX 7:30 PM
May 16 Sun. Dover International Speedway FOX 1:00 PM
May 30 Sun. Lowe’s Motor Speedway FOX 5:45 PM
Jun 6 Sun. Pocono Raceway TNT 1:00 PM
Jun 13 Sun. Michigan International Speedway TNT 1:00 PM
Jun 20 Sun. Infineon Raceway TNT 3:00 PM
Jun 27 Sun. New Hampshire Motor Speedway TNT 1:00 PM
Jul 3 Sat. Daytona International Speedway TNT 7:30 PM
Jul 10 Sat. Chicagoland Speedway TNT 7:30 PM
Jul 25 Sun. Indianapolis Motor Speedway ESPN 1:00 PM
Aug 1 Sun. Pocono Raceway ESPN 1:00 PM
Aug 8 Sun. Watkins Glen International ESPN 1:00 PM
Aug 15 Sun. Michigan International Speedway ESPN 1:00 PM
Aug 21 Sat. Bristol Motor Speedway ESPN 7:30 PM
Sep 5 Sun. Atlanta Motor Speedway ESPN 7:30 PM
Sep 11 Sat. Richmond International Raceway ABC 7:30 PM
Sep 19 Sun. New Hampshire Motor Speedway ABC 1:00 PM
Sep 26 Sun. Dover International Speedway ABC 1:00 PM
Oct 3 Sun. Kansas Speedway ABC 1:00 PM
Oct 10 Sun. Auto Club Speedway ABC 3:00 PM
Oct 16 Sat. Lowe’s Motor Speedway ABC 7:30 PM
Oct 24 Sun. Martinsville Speedway ABC 1:00 PM
Oct 31 Sun. Talladega Superspeedway ABC 1:00 PM
Nov 7 Sun. Texas Motor Speedway ABC 1:00 PM
Nov 14 Sun. Phoenix International Raceway ABC 3:00 PM
Nov 21 Sun. Homestead-Miami Speedway ABC 1:00 PM
NASCAR, Fox look for answers on ratings dip
A double-digit decline in ratings for NASCAR on Fox has officials researching why the audience is shrinking and what, if anything, can be done to reverse the trend.
Through the season’s first 10 races, Nielsen ratings on Fox are down 11.5 percent and viewership is down 10.8 percent from 2008 numbers, which don’t include a 2008 rainout. Ratings for each of the past seven Sprint Cup races going into last week’s event at Darlington were down by double digits.
Fox’s average rating for the season was a 5.4 with 8.9 million viewers before Saturday’s race at Darlington, compared with averages of 6.1 and 10 million for 2008. The overnight rating for Saturday’s Southern 500 was 16.3 percent lower than last year’s race.
“As you look at the current snapshot, it’s been a challenging year,” said Paul Brooks, president of NASCAR Media Group. “That being said, we’re still the No. 1 sport on television six of the last nine weeks. Our position in the sports and entertainment landscape is strong.
“The biggest impact is with our TV partners and their commercial sales. We’re mindful of that. The flip side is that we hear great things, that it’s not a NASCAR issue. It’s a broader economy and advertising issue.”
Marketers in the sport have expressed some concern, not just over the drop, but how steeply the ratings have dropped. But for many sponsors such as UPS, NASCAR’s official express delivery company, advertising is just one component of a multipronged program.
UPS advertises about as much as anyone in NASCAR, especially this year as it introduces a new driver, David Ragan, with five new spots.
“Is it a concern? Yeah,” said Ron Rogowski, UPS’s sponsorship director. “You don’t want to see something you’re heavily invested in fall off, but you have to be careful and keep it in perspective. It’s just one part of our program.
“Where it becomes more relevant is when you try to substantiate your investment.”
There’s also the Dale Earnhardt Jr. factor. Earnhardt, the sport’s greatest selling force and biggest star, has yet to hit his stride at Hendrick Motorsports. With Earnhardt standing 18th in points and owning one top-five finish this season, he has been unable to provide a Tiger Woods-like surge for NASCAR through his performance.
“We’ve been challenged in this area by story lines,” Brooks said. “In professional sports, the story lines drive that momentum. Whether it’s coming out of the gate with a rain-shortened Daytona 500 or other challenges, if we can catch a few breaks with story lines and the racing we’re starting to see, it can be a momentum changer and booster.”
Carl Edwards’ airborne flip on the last lap at Talladega and the subsequent controversial finish was thought to be the kind of story line that NASCAR needed to spur interest. Footage of Edwards’ car flying into the air and crashing against the fence played over and over the following week. The following race, a Saturday night affair at Richmond, drew a 4.0 rating, down from last year’s 4.5.
“We agree with Paul that NASCAR is a strong TV sport this time of year, and that we caught a bad break out of the gate with rain at the Daytona 500,” Fox Sports chairman and chief executive David Hill said in a statement. “We haven’t finished examining this year’s figures yet, but we’re encouraged by the audience for Richmond given extremely tough competition.”
Brooks said NASCAR and Fox are looking at every angle, from the lack of compelling story lines on the track to the spacing and timing of commercial breaks. Broadcasters have traditionally gone to commercial during pit stops, but Brooks said that NASCAR fans want to see the pit stops.
“Maybe we shouldn’t be breaking away from pit stops, which is the traditional model,” Brooks said. “What we’re hearing from fans is that they want to see that. That’s an important part of the race. We’re studying all of those things.
“We have to remind ourselves where we are in the landscape of the broader sports and entertainment field. Our rating still outdelivers 75 percent of the prime-time programming on broadcast. But that doesn’t mean we’re saying ratings are fickle and they’ll hopefully come back. We’re studying everything from commercial patterns, when they’re run, to how networks break away from the action. Is there a different way?”
Still, there’s plenty to trumpet, Brooks said. The Aaron’s 499 on April 26 drew a 5.0, which was down from last year’s 5.7, but it topped a competitive weekend of sporting events with 8.1 million viewers, compared with 5.4 million for the NBA’s first-round playoff matchup between Cleveland and Detroit on ABC. From a market standpoint, New York’s ratings are up 5 percent, but other big markets have not followed suit. Chicago is down 25 percent, and Los Angeles has dropped 23 percent.
Ratings for traditional NASCAR strongholds such as Charlotte and Atlanta are down 22 percent and 10 percent, respectively.
“Compared to a lot of other sports, I look at an average rating of 5.4 and say, ‘Wow, that’s pretty good,’ ” said Mike Trager, a sports TV consultant. “I realize they’re off, but I look at it more in terms of sustainability. Sports, over time, are relatively predictable and they sustain a certain level, and I think that’s still the case with NASCAR.
“I have not sensed any change in perception with NASCAR among the people I talk to. The NBA, baseball, they’ve all gone through their ups and downs.”
Michael Smith is a reporter with SportsBusiness Journal.
DW: Patience at Bristol Is Key To Win
Darell Waltrip, retired NASCAR Cup Series drivers and FOX Sports NASCAR broadcast announcer, has had an impressive driving career at Bristol Motor Speedway. Waltrip, dubbed as the “King of Bristol,” has a total of 52 starts at Bristol earning an average finish of 11.3 and holding 12 wins and 32 top-tens with 4 poles and leading 3436 of his 22964 career laps.
Waltrip offered his advice of being patient to the drivers for this weekend’s event.
“It’s about patience. I’m not talking about driving your race car very cautiously or slow,” said Waltrip. “It’s patience with all the other drivers – that is key. You’ve got to know when you start the race that you’re going to get bumped, pushed, brushed and shoved. There are going to be things that happen that will irritate you. You have to be patient, take your time with everything and not get frustrated or angry.”
Daytona 500 Seen By 16 Million On TV
Kyle Ocker, FanZone Sports
The Daytona 500 last Sunday reclaimed its position as one of the most watched sporting events in the country, despite being shortened by rain. An average of 16 million viewers for Fox’s telecast of the event surpassed not only the Beijing Olympics, but the NCAA Final Four Tournament, 2008 NBA Finals, The Kentucky Derby, and the final rounds of The Masters and the US Open. It also maintained its place as the No. 1 most watched motorsports even on TV, beating the 2008 Indianapolis 500 which had 7.2 million viewers.
Greenville, SC led local markets with the highest viewer and ratings share, earning a 21.2/33.
The interruption of rain, according to Fox Sports, prevented the explosive viewership growth it normally enjoys. In 2008, the rating for the last half hour of the broadcast was 16% higher then the previous hour. On Sunday, it was only 1% higher.
The ratings this year were down slightly, with the 2008 Daytona 500 earning 17.8 million viewers, which Fox believes to be negativity impacted by the weather.
FOX Announces 2009 NASCAR Broadcast Schedule
FOX Sports PR
New York & Los Angeles – As FOX Sports prepares for its ninth year of NASCAR coverage, the network revs its engine by unveiling the 2009 NASCAR on FOX broadcast schedule.
FOX Sports jump-starts its Emmy Award-winning coverage from renowned Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 7 (8:00 PM ET) with the always fun BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT in prime time. The field for this year’s season-opening event is comprised of the six best teams from each car manufacturer based on final 2008 car owner points. Just eight days later, the points start counting as Speedweeks culminates with FOX Sports’ exclusive, live coverage of the 51st DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, Feb. 15 (2:00 PM ET).
Mike Joy, with almost 40 years in racing, returns as race announcer, and is joined by NASCAR racing legend Darrell Waltrip and former champion crew chief Larry McReynolds, who return to provide race analysis for all NASCAR on FOX events. Prerace coverage is again hosted by Chris Myers with analysts Jeff Hammond and Waltrip. Returning to cover pit road are reporters Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Krista Voda and Matt Yocum. The 2009 DAYTONA 500 marks the 20th anniversary of Waltrip’s momentous victory in the Great American Race with crew chief and NASCAR on FOX colleague Hammond alongside.
In all, FOX Sports airs 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup points races, highlighted by events from Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 1; Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 5; Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, April 26; NASCAR racing in Charlotte on Sunday, May 24 from Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Memorial Day weekend and the NASCAR on FOX season finale from Dover, Delaware on Sunday, May 31. In addition to its Sprint Cup coverage, FOX Sports presents two live Truck Series races: Saturday, Feb. 21 from California Speedway and Saturday, March 28 from Martinsville Speedway.
FOX Sports commands the well-earned distinction as television’s most innovative sports broadcaster, and ranking high among the network’s achievements are honors for its NASCAR coverage. NASCAR on FOX has garnered 12 Emmy Awards for its coverage including three for Outstanding Sports Series (2001, 2005, 2007), three for Outstanding Live Event Audio Sound (2002, 2005, 2006), one for Outstanding Graphic Design (2001), and five for Outstanding Technical Team Remote (2001, 2003-05, 2007).
NASCAR on FOX is as popular as ever in terms of viewership and advertiser interest. Its early season portion of the NASCAR calendar dominates the competition, more than doubling every regular season sport in-season including NBA (+159% vs. 2.2), PGA Golf (+111%, 2.7), and the NHL (+533%, 0.9). Household ratings for all races in 2008 vs. ’07 on FOX were up +2% (5.7 vs. 5.6), as were ratings in key demographic categories like men age 25-54 (+2%, 5.4 vs. 5.3) and men age M35-54 (+5%, 6.5 vs. 6.2).
NASCAR ON FOX FUN FACTS
– FOX is America’s No. 1 NASCAR network, outdistancing runner-up ABC by 54% (5.7 vs. 3.7)
– While FOX’s 13 Cup races represented 36% of last season’s schedule, FOX generated 45% of the season’s total ratings points
– NASCAR Sprint Cup racing on FOX (5.7) out-rated prime time hits like E.R. (5.6), Law & Order CI (5.0) and How I Met Your Mother (4.9) among others last season
– NASCAR racing was the top-rated sports event on TV nine of 13 weekends during last year’s Sprint Cup season
– NASCAR on FOX was the No. 1 sport on television in the first half of 2008, just edging out the NCAA men’s basketball tournament (5.7 vs. 5.6)
– The DAYTONA 500 is the highest-rated, most-watched motor sports event in the country. It has averaged a household rating of 10.0 or higher in seven of the last eight years, with the one exception caused by rain
– From 1995 to 2000, the DAYTONA 500 averaged an 8.7 household rating; from 2001 to 2008, the average rating is 10.5, marking a 21% increase
– The 2008 DAYTONA 500 (10.2 HH rating) out-delivered the NBA Finals (9.3), the NCAA Final Four (8.8) and the final round of The Masters (8.6)
Below is the complete 2009 NASCAR on FOX broadcast schedule:
NASCAR on FOX 2009 Schedule
Date Track Event Time
Sat. Feb. 7 Daytona Int’l Speedway Budweiser Shootout 8:00 PM
Sun. Feb. 8 Daytona Int’l Speedway Daytona 500 Qualifying 1:00 PM
Sun. Feb. 15 Daytona Int’l Speedway Daytona 500 2:00 PM
Sat. Feb. 21 California Speedway NASCAR Truck Series 3:00 PM
Sun. Feb. 22 California Speedway NASCAR Racing from Fontana 5:00 PM
Sun. March 1 Las Vegas Motor Speedway NASCAR Racing from Las Vegas 3:30 PM
Sun. March 8 Atlanta Motor Speedway NASCAR Racing from Atlanta 1:30 PM
Sun. March 22 Bristol Motor Speedway NASCAR Racing from Bristol 1:30 PM
Sat. March 28 Martinsville Speedway NASCAR Truck Series 2:00 PM
Sun. March 29 Martinsville Speedway NASCAR Racing from Martinsville 1:30 PM
Sun. April 5 Texas Motor Speedway NASCAR Racing from Fort Worth 1:30 PM
Sat. April 18 Phoenix Int’l Speedway NASCAR Racing from Phoenix 8:00 PM
Sun. April 26 Talladega Superspeedway NASCAR Racing from Talladega 1:00 PM
Sat. May 2 Richmond Int’l Raceway NASCAR Racing from Richmond 7:00 PM
Sat. May 9 Darlington Raceway NASCAR Racing from Darlington 7:00 PM
Sun. May 24 Lowe’s Motor Speedway NASCAR Racing from Charlotte 5:00 PM
Sun. May 31 Dover Int’l Speedway NASCAR Racing from Dover 1:30 PM
All times Eastern; Schedule subject to change
