THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
March 20th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition XXXI
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What to Watch: Thursday
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
March 20th, 2014
Volume VIII, Edition XXXI
----------------
What to Watch: Thursday
- Today, the Sprint Cup and Nationwide teams are scheduled to roll into Auto Club Speedway for this weekend's TreatMyClot.com 300 and Auto Club 400. No on-track action today, but some prep work will be done.
Today's TV Schedule
Time Telecast Network
5:00 - 5:30 PM NASCAR America NBC Sports Network
Top News
by Phil Allaway
NASCAR Ok with Food City 500's Move to FOX Sports 1 on Sunday
Sporting News' Bob Pockrass is reporting that NASCAR had no issues with FOX moving their telecast of the Food City 500 from Bristol to FOX Sports 1 once it became clear that the race would run well past 7pm EDT.
FOX Sports admits that it was a decision that they prefer not to make, but that it was necessary in order to not pre-empt new programming on Sunday night.
"We would prefer to start and finish race coverage on Fox," Erik Arneson, FOX Sports' spokesman said in an e-mail to Pockrass. "Moving an audience from one channel to another is a disruption to fans, which we take very seriously."
Arneson's statement about disruption is quite true. According to Sports Business Daily, overnight ratings for the final three-quarters of Sunday's race dropped nearly 50 percent from those during the rain delay after the move to FOX Sports 1. While FOX Sports 1 does not have the carriage issues of FOX Sports 2, there was a lack of information on television about when the race would resume. That likely played a role in the ratings decrease.
NASCAR is happy that FOX Sports has multiple venues available to air Cup races in a pinch.
"It's great to have broadcast partners who have multiple options so that we have a way to service the fans," said Scott Warfield, spokesman for NASCAR. FOX's moving the race to FOX Sports 1 put it on a channel currently available in approximately 91 million homes, as opposed to FOX's 100 million plus.
Cryptocurrency to Sponsor Cup Team?
The Daily Dot is reporting that there is a movement afoot for the cryptocurrency Dogecoin to sponsor Phil Parsons Racing's No. 98 and driver Josh Wise at some point this season, provided that the proper funds are raised. If the movement succeeds, it would be the first ever cryptocurrency to sponsor a race team.
If the movement succeeds, it would not actually be Dogecoin, which operates the four month old currency, sponsoring the team. Pavel reported pitched the idea to them, but they declined. Instead, the sponsorship would come from a number of donations from race fans and fans of Dogecoin itself.
The idea comes from Denis Pavel, a Dogecoin investor who had noticed a discussion of fans on the NASCAR subreddit on Reddit.com. Those fans wanted to band together to get a logo on a race car, but believed that they could never raise the appropriate funds. The Dogecoin community, which was partially responsible for raising the funds that allowed the Jamaican Bobsled team to compete at the recent Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, is known to be a giving bunch of people.
Pavel seems incredibly excited about his vision and quite specific about his aims for where they want to sponsor Wise (although Parsons reportedly told Pavel that it could be done anywhere).
"Now, there are millions of people watching NASCAR every week," Pavel said. "There are two major races that are very exciting and people are digging to watch. The track name? Talladega. It is known for its big one and it's exciting. Now imagine a Doge. A Doge that is going 200 MPH into victory lane. Anyone can win Dega. Underfunded or not, for example last years race where David Ragan and the underfunded [Front Row Motorsports] brought home the win. Now imagine on TV. DOGE DOGE DOGE DOGE DOGE every time [Wise] talks about his car. "This Doge Ford Fusion is fast today." Every time they talk about the car."
Pavel has already contacted Phil Parsons, owner of Phil Parsons Racing and pitched him his idea. Parsons was reportedly positive on it, but told Pavel that it would cost approximately $50,000 to wrap the car in Dogecoin colors. These colors would likely include a likeness of the actual Dogecoin, which features a Shiba Inu (a Japanese breed of dog) and references an internet meme. Efforts are underway to raise the required funds. Fans can donate money here. As of 7am this morning, more than $2,000 has been pledged on the linked donation page. As Dogecoin was created partially to facilitate internet tipping, dogecoins can be tipped to donate to the effort as well. Approximately four million Dogecoins have been tipped already, which converts to a little over $3,000.
Wise is receptive to this effort to get Dogecoin onto the No. 98.
"Wow thanks for the support! Let's make it happen," Wise tweeted to Pavel after Pavel notified him of the effort to sponsor him. Wise is also going to do an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on the NASCAR subreddit Wednesday, March 26 from 9-10pm EDT. Expect plenty of questions about this effort there.
Texas Motor Speedway Unveils "Big Hoss TV"
In a classic game of one-upmanship, after Charlotte Motor Speedway broke out their large HD screen, Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage thought that his track could go bigger and better. So, they did.
Last night, Texas Motor Speedway officially unveiled Big Hoss TV, the biggest HD LED video board on the planet. It measures 218 feet long and is 94.6 feet tall. In a free event to fans, 8000 people showed up to Texas Motor Speedway's infield for the ceremony. Sprint Cup driver Kyle Busch was there, as well as Verizon IndyCar Series driver Helio Castroneves and Willie Robertson, CEO of Duck Commander and star of Duck Dynasty, along with his wife, Korie. The programming used for the premiere of Big Hoss TV? The newest episode of Duck Dynasty on A&E.
Gossage believes that Big Hoss TV will completely change the fan experience at Texas Motor Speedway.
"Everybody is competing in sports with the ever improving-technology that we all put into our houses with home theater," Gossage said. "This is a big place and you could be watching somebody race down into Turn 1 and 2 and something occurs up in Turn 3 and you completely missed it. You could miss a moment on pit road. Now with the big screen you are not going to miss a thing. You are going to see the replays. You are going to see the up close, tight shots. The fans won't miss a thing. It is the ultimate fan amenity. To have the biggest one in the world, that's just one of those "Everything is Bigger in Texas" stories that we are really proud to be a part of."
Race content on Big Hoss TV will be generated by 19 HD cameras (some exclusive to the track). In addition, driver and race stats will be included, as well as interactive elements for fans. The track claims that all 128,000+ fans in the frontstretch grandstands will have a crystal clear view of Big Hoss TV.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400: 43 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 33- Brian Scott for Circle Sport/Richard Childress Racing
No. 40- Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing
No. 66- Joe Nemechek for Michael Waltrip Racing/Identity Ventures Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 33- Brian Scott returns to the seat, replacing Timmy Hill.
Since there are only 43 drivers entered, no one will fail to qualify.
Entered, but Already Withdrawn:
No. 44- JJ Yeley for Xxxtreme Motorsports
No. 77- Dave Blaney for Randy Humphrey Racing
Not Entered:
No. 95- Michael McDowell for Leavine Family Racing
Nationwide Series TreatMyClot.com 300: 41 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 5- Kevin Harvick for JR Motorsports
No. 20- Matt Kenseth for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Joey Logano for Team Penske
No. 39- Ryan Sieg for RSS Racing
No. 40- Josh Wise for The Motorsports Group
No. 42- Kyle Larson for Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 54- Kyle Busch for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 98- David Ragan for Biagi-DenBeste Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 13- Derek White is in the seat, replacing Matt Carter.
No. 22- Joey Logano returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Blaney.
No. 23- Carlos Contreras returns to the seat, replacing Timmy Hill.
No. 24- Ryan Ellis returns to the seat, replacing Ruben Garcia, Jr.
No. 44- David Starr is in the seat, replacing Will Kimmel.
No. 74- Mike Harmon returns to the seat, replacing Kevin Lepage.
No. 87- Daryl Harr returns to the seat, replacing Joe Nemechek.
No. 93- JJ Yeley returns to the seat, replacing Carl Long.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 00- Jason White for SR2 Motorsports*
No. 10- Blake Koch for TriStar Motorsports*
No. 13- Derek White for Carl Long Racing
No. 17- Tanner Berryhill for Vision Racing
No. 23- Carlos Contreras for R3 Motorsports/Rick Ware Racing
No. 24- Ryan Ellis for SR2 Motorsports
No. 40- Josh Wise for The Motorsports Group
No. 46- Matt DiBenedetto for The Motorsports Group*
No. 70- Derrike Cope for Creation-Cope Racing
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing
No. 91- Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)*
No. 93- JJ Yeley for JGL Racing
No. 98- David Ragan for Biagi-DenBeste Racing
*- Expected to Start-and-Park
Not Entered:
No. 29- Kelly Admiraal for RAB Racing with Brack Maggard
No. 33- Cale Conley for Richard Childress Racing
Have news for Phil and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.
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Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com; and, if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when she does her weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Frontstretch Fan Q & A will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
The Critic's Annex: Is Internet Streaming of Races The Future?
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take an additional look at motorsports related programming. This week, we're going to do something a little different. There will not be a direct critique of a race or show this week. Instead, we're talking about internet streaming.
In the past, streaming a race online was not exactly legal. Many a website featured streaming of feeds and people would use that access to stream live events. A number of those sites have since been seized by the Federal Government due to blatant violation of copyright.
However, today, we have completely legitimate forms of legal streaming. NASCAR has RaceBuddy, which is available for selected Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races (meaning, the ones that do not air on network television). Viewers get access to camera shots, in-car cameras, and (on TNT) exclusive additional post-race coverage. The coverage does supplement what viewers get on television.
IndyCar has the IndyCar 13 app (sure to be updated before the new season starts in St. Petersburg). The only issue there is that it's exclusive to Verizon subscribers. Now, I am a Verizon Wireless subscriber for my cell phone, so it's no problem for me, but it does limit the potential growth. Viewers get in-car cameras (with radio communication) during races.
Those two apps are not full race streams, though. FOX is streaming their Sprint Cup races this year on FOX Sports GO, their new app for iOS and Android. Unfortunately, availability is not the greatest right now. Since Time Warner Cable does not have support for it right now, I cannot use it. NBC has NBC Sports Live Extra, which will be used for streaming Cup and Nationwide races starting next year. I do have access to that. I watched some of the events during the Sochi games on Live Extra and liked it. I've also used it to watch a BMX competition in San Francisco that a friend of mine was competing in. From what I can recall, picture quality was pretty good.
Then, we have ESPN's ESPN3 and WatchESPN services, which I have used to watch races in the past. This is a rare setup where I can actually watch races on my Xbox 360, in addition to my laptop and my cell phone. I'll admit to watching a good chunk of the Boyd Gaming 300 from Las Vegas using the WatchESPN app. The whole discussion of Sprint Cup drivers in Nationwide that I wrote about in Couch Potato Tuesday occurred after I got home and was watching on my TV.
Also, prior to the full merger of ALMS and Grand-Am, the only way to watch some of the ALMS races live was on ESPN3. That provided me with the rare ability to watch a racing wife react to the happenings on track in real time. If you're wondering how that happened, I watched the ALMS race from Lime Rock last year in the Media Center at Daytona International Speedway the day of the Coke Zero 400. Sitting across the table from me was ESPN's Nicole Briscoe. Briscoe's husband, Ryan, was competing for the P2-class victory in that race before a controversial incident with less than four minutes to go ruined the proceedings. Ryan won his class, but was penalized 12 points after the race for avoidable contact. It would have been a stop + 60 second penalty, but the incident occurred too close to the end of the race for the penalty to be levied. If it was levied, it would have knocked Ryan clean off the lead lap since laps at Lime Rock are so short.
ESPN3 is nice to have, but it's not ideal for viewing races. Viewers cannot adjust the picture quality. Instead, the picture quality adjusts itself based on number of viewers, connection and other factors on a scale from one to five. More than likely, you would have picture quality at either two or three. Not the greatest quality. It seems better on my phone than it ever has on my laptop.
Last week saw the debut of the new NASCAR-backed FansChoice.tv, a website that plans to stream races for free that would otherwise not be broadcast. The channel launched with content from Bike Week in Daytona and IMSA action in Sebring. Future content includes the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and the Whelen Modifieds. There is also a chance that the Tudor United SportsCar Championship's Prototype Challenge/IMSA Prototype Lites event at Virginia International Raceway could be aired on FansChoice.tv later this season.
What was my takeaway from the first week? Good cripes, man. I think we built this up to be a lot more than what it turned out to be. First of all, the Sebring coverage last Thursday was cancelled at the last minute due to technical issues. As a result, the first stream was at 7:30pm from Daytona instead of 9:55am.
I have a direct parallel to what the Sebring coverage looked like. A couple of years ago, ARCA would have these static camera shots from the broadcast booth at tracks that didn't have TV broadcasts (Ex: New Jersey Motorsports Park). That one camera was supplemented by a radio broadcast or the PA system. That is essentially what we got from Sebring on FansChoice. You basically couldn't see anything. The lone camera shot we got was focused on the start-finish line. It was supplemented by Greg Creamer on MRN Radio.
The coverage from Daytona was quite a bit better. They started out with Flat Track coverage (the flat track is outside of Turn 1 of the tri-oval, near Gate 40, the western entrance to the property). That coverage had multiple camera angles. The races on the tri-oval included live commentary, but not a whole lot of angles. Nothing like we're typically used to with TV telecasts. Also, I was under the opinion that they were going to archive the live telecasts that they stream, but that hasn't happened yet.
I feel like FansChoice.tv as currently constituted could never be much more than a supplement. I think AMA Pro is the most likely outfit to attract new fans out of this venture, and those fans would be fans of something like AMA Flat Track, which really hasn't been televised much since the 1990's. Ultimately, I foresee FansChoice.tv being a place for absolute diehard race fans and that's about it.
But, could FansChoice.tv be far more than what it currently is? Almost a month ago, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) launched the WWE Network, an online-only subscription network after years of trying to launch a new cable network, or trying to buy an existing one and re-branding it. For $9.99 a month, viewers get access to all 12 pay-per-views, some exclusive shows, and a massive archive of past events (which continues to grow by the day). ESPN's Bill Simmons and David Shoemaker (aka "The Masked Man," writer of Deadspin's Dead Wrestler of the Week series) recently broke down the new network at Grantland. The consensus: It's a potential paradigm shift for pro sports, even though the WWE is the WWE.
When Speedvision became the SPEED Channel in 2002, the general thought at the time was that it would eventually become an all-NASCAR network. This never happened. I've been thinking recently about what an online-only NASCAR Network would look like. The thought that comes to mind right now would see Modified and K&N races on there, maybe the NASCAR Mexico Series and Canadian Tire Series as well. NASCAR would archive and remaster a number of older races (we're talking hundreds of them here). We could even bring people together that were there that day to talk about old races and run that as a separate video.
For example, I wrote a Turning Back the Clock piece about 1992 Mountain Dew 500 at Hickory back in 2011. A 15-20 minute piece with notable people from that race would include interviews with race winner Tommy Houston, Bobby Labonte, Steve Grissom, Chuck Bown, Robert Pressley, Jimmy Hensley, Jimmy Spencer, Mike Joy, Glenn Jarrett and maybe one or two others. I'm pretty sure that I'd get lost in such a site, but I'm not everybody. Also, keep the on-air graphics on the races. NASCAR has been removing them from broadcasts for sale (Ex: the broadcast of the 2000 Winston 500 included as a special feature in the Dale box set). Sadly, that makes a broadcast difficult to follow because the commentary constantly refers to things we can't see.
While streaming is more than likely going to become more prevalent in the near future, it appears that ISP's are going to go out of their way to make you pay for it. Arguments about bandwidth usage will likely see the introduction (if they're not already in effect) of usage caps that will make it difficult to stream all that much content. This is despite the fact that additional bandwidth can be created.
NASCAR has the right idea in getting involved with online streaming, but the FansChoice.tv website is a long ways from being what it ultimately should be. Eventually, it will improve to the point where it could legitimately be a benefit to the series that it televises.
That's all for this week. Next week here in the Annex, we'll have a look at FOX Sports 1 and IMSA.com's coverage of the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring. As of Wednesday, the entire race has been posted by the Tudor United SportsCar Championship's official YouTube channel for your viewing. Until then, enjoy this weekend's races at Auto Club Speedway.
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Critic84.
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Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Beyond The Cockpit: Clint Bowyer On 2014 At MWR And Life Outside Of Racing
"No, I don't have a key to the dang city! I don't know why I should. (laughs) It has always been fun. To be honest, I don't think I have a key to the city, but Emporia doesn't have a door. The door is always open. It is one of those old cities where the door is one of those swinging door types so you can just come on in."- Clint Bowyer, on his hometown of Emporia, Kansas and whether he's been awarded a ceremonial key to it.
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Are you looking to advertise your website, product or brand? A good way to get your name out there is via direct advertising here in the Frontstretch Newsletter! Interested parties can contact us at tony.lumbis@frontstretch.com for details.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
Roush Fenway Racing: Resurgence or Regression?
by Vito Pugliese
NASCAR Fantasy Insider: Which Favorites Will Figure Out Fontana
by Jeff Wolfe
Going By the Numbers: Will Consistency Still Matter In NASCAR?
Tech Talk: Jason Ratcliff On Toyota Troubles And Tire Management
as told to Mike Neff
Truckin' Thursdays: Five Young Guns To Watch At Martinsville
by Ashley McCubbin
Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: If we mess up, you get the shirt off our backs! If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!
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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Justin Tucker
-- In Case You Missed It by Ashley McCubbin
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy returns this week with another intriguing Friday commentary.
Sporting News' Bob Pockrass is reporting that NASCAR had no issues with FOX moving their telecast of the Food City 500 from Bristol to FOX Sports 1 once it became clear that the race would run well past 7pm EDT.
FOX Sports admits that it was a decision that they prefer not to make, but that it was necessary in order to not pre-empt new programming on Sunday night.
"We would prefer to start and finish race coverage on Fox," Erik Arneson, FOX Sports' spokesman said in an e-mail to Pockrass. "Moving an audience from one channel to another is a disruption to fans, which we take very seriously."
Arneson's statement about disruption is quite true. According to Sports Business Daily, overnight ratings for the final three-quarters of Sunday's race dropped nearly 50 percent from those during the rain delay after the move to FOX Sports 1. While FOX Sports 1 does not have the carriage issues of FOX Sports 2, there was a lack of information on television about when the race would resume. That likely played a role in the ratings decrease.
NASCAR is happy that FOX Sports has multiple venues available to air Cup races in a pinch.
"It's great to have broadcast partners who have multiple options so that we have a way to service the fans," said Scott Warfield, spokesman for NASCAR. FOX's moving the race to FOX Sports 1 put it on a channel currently available in approximately 91 million homes, as opposed to FOX's 100 million plus.
Cryptocurrency to Sponsor Cup Team?
The Daily Dot is reporting that there is a movement afoot for the cryptocurrency Dogecoin to sponsor Phil Parsons Racing's No. 98 and driver Josh Wise at some point this season, provided that the proper funds are raised. If the movement succeeds, it would be the first ever cryptocurrency to sponsor a race team.
If the movement succeeds, it would not actually be Dogecoin, which operates the four month old currency, sponsoring the team. Pavel reported pitched the idea to them, but they declined. Instead, the sponsorship would come from a number of donations from race fans and fans of Dogecoin itself.
The idea comes from Denis Pavel, a Dogecoin investor who had noticed a discussion of fans on the NASCAR subreddit on Reddit.com. Those fans wanted to band together to get a logo on a race car, but believed that they could never raise the appropriate funds. The Dogecoin community, which was partially responsible for raising the funds that allowed the Jamaican Bobsled team to compete at the recent Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, is known to be a giving bunch of people.
Pavel seems incredibly excited about his vision and quite specific about his aims for where they want to sponsor Wise (although Parsons reportedly told Pavel that it could be done anywhere).
"Now, there are millions of people watching NASCAR every week," Pavel said. "There are two major races that are very exciting and people are digging to watch. The track name? Talladega. It is known for its big one and it's exciting. Now imagine a Doge. A Doge that is going 200 MPH into victory lane. Anyone can win Dega. Underfunded or not, for example last years race where David Ragan and the underfunded [Front Row Motorsports] brought home the win. Now imagine on TV. DOGE DOGE DOGE DOGE DOGE every time [Wise] talks about his car. "This Doge Ford Fusion is fast today." Every time they talk about the car."
Pavel has already contacted Phil Parsons, owner of Phil Parsons Racing and pitched him his idea. Parsons was reportedly positive on it, but told Pavel that it would cost approximately $50,000 to wrap the car in Dogecoin colors. These colors would likely include a likeness of the actual Dogecoin, which features a Shiba Inu (a Japanese breed of dog) and references an internet meme. Efforts are underway to raise the required funds. Fans can donate money here. As of 7am this morning, more than $2,000 has been pledged on the linked donation page. As Dogecoin was created partially to facilitate internet tipping, dogecoins can be tipped to donate to the effort as well. Approximately four million Dogecoins have been tipped already, which converts to a little over $3,000.
Wise is receptive to this effort to get Dogecoin onto the No. 98.
"Wow thanks for the support! Let's make it happen," Wise tweeted to Pavel after Pavel notified him of the effort to sponsor him. Wise is also going to do an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on the NASCAR subreddit Wednesday, March 26 from 9-10pm EDT. Expect plenty of questions about this effort there.
Texas Motor Speedway Unveils "Big Hoss TV"
In a classic game of one-upmanship, after Charlotte Motor Speedway broke out their large HD screen, Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage thought that his track could go bigger and better. So, they did.
Last night, Texas Motor Speedway officially unveiled Big Hoss TV, the biggest HD LED video board on the planet. It measures 218 feet long and is 94.6 feet tall. In a free event to fans, 8000 people showed up to Texas Motor Speedway's infield for the ceremony. Sprint Cup driver Kyle Busch was there, as well as Verizon IndyCar Series driver Helio Castroneves and Willie Robertson, CEO of Duck Commander and star of Duck Dynasty, along with his wife, Korie. The programming used for the premiere of Big Hoss TV? The newest episode of Duck Dynasty on A&E.
Gossage believes that Big Hoss TV will completely change the fan experience at Texas Motor Speedway.
"Everybody is competing in sports with the ever improving-technology that we all put into our houses with home theater," Gossage said. "This is a big place and you could be watching somebody race down into Turn 1 and 2 and something occurs up in Turn 3 and you completely missed it. You could miss a moment on pit road. Now with the big screen you are not going to miss a thing. You are going to see the replays. You are going to see the up close, tight shots. The fans won't miss a thing. It is the ultimate fan amenity. To have the biggest one in the world, that's just one of those "Everything is Bigger in Texas" stories that we are really proud to be a part of."
Race content on Big Hoss TV will be generated by 19 HD cameras (some exclusive to the track). In addition, driver and race stats will be included, as well as interactive elements for fans. The track claims that all 128,000+ fans in the frontstretch grandstands will have a crystal clear view of Big Hoss TV.
Entry List Update:
Note: These entries are accurate as of Wednesday night. However, they are still subject to change.
Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400: 43 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 33- Brian Scott for Circle Sport/Richard Childress Racing
No. 40- Landon Cassill for Hillman Racing
No. 66- Joe Nemechek for Michael Waltrip Racing/Identity Ventures Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 33- Brian Scott returns to the seat, replacing Timmy Hill.
Since there are only 43 drivers entered, no one will fail to qualify.
Entered, but Already Withdrawn:
No. 44- JJ Yeley for Xxxtreme Motorsports
No. 77- Dave Blaney for Randy Humphrey Racing
Not Entered:
No. 95- Michael McDowell for Leavine Family Racing
Nationwide Series TreatMyClot.com 300: 41 cars entered
Drivers Ineligible to Earn Points:
No. 5- Kevin Harvick for JR Motorsports
No. 20- Matt Kenseth for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 22- Joey Logano for Team Penske
No. 39- Ryan Sieg for RSS Racing
No. 40- Josh Wise for The Motorsports Group
No. 42- Kyle Larson for Turner Scott Motorsports
No. 54- Kyle Busch for Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 98- David Ragan for Biagi-DenBeste Racing
Driver Changes:
No. 13- Derek White is in the seat, replacing Matt Carter.
No. 22- Joey Logano returns to the seat, replacing Ryan Blaney.
No. 23- Carlos Contreras returns to the seat, replacing Timmy Hill.
No. 24- Ryan Ellis returns to the seat, replacing Ruben Garcia, Jr.
No. 44- David Starr is in the seat, replacing Will Kimmel.
No. 74- Mike Harmon returns to the seat, replacing Kevin Lepage.
No. 87- Daryl Harr returns to the seat, replacing Joe Nemechek.
No. 93- JJ Yeley returns to the seat, replacing Carl Long.
Drivers who must qualify on speed:
No. 00- Jason White for SR2 Motorsports*
No. 10- Blake Koch for TriStar Motorsports*
No. 13- Derek White for Carl Long Racing
No. 17- Tanner Berryhill for Vision Racing
No. 23- Carlos Contreras for R3 Motorsports/Rick Ware Racing
No. 24- Ryan Ellis for SR2 Motorsports
No. 40- Josh Wise for The Motorsports Group
No. 46- Matt DiBenedetto for The Motorsports Group*
No. 70- Derrike Cope for Creation-Cope Racing
No. 74- Mike Harmon for Mike Harmon Racing
No. 91- Jeff Green for TriStar Motorsports (Guaranteed to start via the Past Champions' Provisional)*
No. 93- JJ Yeley for JGL Racing
No. 98- David Ragan for Biagi-DenBeste Racing
*- Expected to Start-and-Park
Not Entered:
No. 29- Kelly Admiraal for RAB Racing with Brack Maggard
No. 33- Cale Conley for Richard Childress Racing
Have news for Phil and the Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.
~~~~~~~~~~
Got NASCAR-related questions or comments?
Send them Summer Bedgood's way at summer.bedgood@frontstretch.com; and, if you're lucky, you'll get your name in print when she does her weekly column answering back to you – the fans that keep Frontstretch afloat. Frontstretch Fan Q & A will run on Thursdays with a whole new set of Fan Questions and Answers!
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The Critic's Annex: Is Internet Streaming of Races The Future?
by Phil Allaway
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to the Critic's Annex, where we take an additional look at motorsports related programming. This week, we're going to do something a little different. There will not be a direct critique of a race or show this week. Instead, we're talking about internet streaming.
In the past, streaming a race online was not exactly legal. Many a website featured streaming of feeds and people would use that access to stream live events. A number of those sites have since been seized by the Federal Government due to blatant violation of copyright.
However, today, we have completely legitimate forms of legal streaming. NASCAR has RaceBuddy, which is available for selected Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races (meaning, the ones that do not air on network television). Viewers get access to camera shots, in-car cameras, and (on TNT) exclusive additional post-race coverage. The coverage does supplement what viewers get on television.
IndyCar has the IndyCar 13 app (sure to be updated before the new season starts in St. Petersburg). The only issue there is that it's exclusive to Verizon subscribers. Now, I am a Verizon Wireless subscriber for my cell phone, so it's no problem for me, but it does limit the potential growth. Viewers get in-car cameras (with radio communication) during races.
Those two apps are not full race streams, though. FOX is streaming their Sprint Cup races this year on FOX Sports GO, their new app for iOS and Android. Unfortunately, availability is not the greatest right now. Since Time Warner Cable does not have support for it right now, I cannot use it. NBC has NBC Sports Live Extra, which will be used for streaming Cup and Nationwide races starting next year. I do have access to that. I watched some of the events during the Sochi games on Live Extra and liked it. I've also used it to watch a BMX competition in San Francisco that a friend of mine was competing in. From what I can recall, picture quality was pretty good.
Then, we have ESPN's ESPN3 and WatchESPN services, which I have used to watch races in the past. This is a rare setup where I can actually watch races on my Xbox 360, in addition to my laptop and my cell phone. I'll admit to watching a good chunk of the Boyd Gaming 300 from Las Vegas using the WatchESPN app. The whole discussion of Sprint Cup drivers in Nationwide that I wrote about in Couch Potato Tuesday occurred after I got home and was watching on my TV.
Also, prior to the full merger of ALMS and Grand-Am, the only way to watch some of the ALMS races live was on ESPN3. That provided me with the rare ability to watch a racing wife react to the happenings on track in real time. If you're wondering how that happened, I watched the ALMS race from Lime Rock last year in the Media Center at Daytona International Speedway the day of the Coke Zero 400. Sitting across the table from me was ESPN's Nicole Briscoe. Briscoe's husband, Ryan, was competing for the P2-class victory in that race before a controversial incident with less than four minutes to go ruined the proceedings. Ryan won his class, but was penalized 12 points after the race for avoidable contact. It would have been a stop + 60 second penalty, but the incident occurred too close to the end of the race for the penalty to be levied. If it was levied, it would have knocked Ryan clean off the lead lap since laps at Lime Rock are so short.
ESPN3 is nice to have, but it's not ideal for viewing races. Viewers cannot adjust the picture quality. Instead, the picture quality adjusts itself based on number of viewers, connection and other factors on a scale from one to five. More than likely, you would have picture quality at either two or three. Not the greatest quality. It seems better on my phone than it ever has on my laptop.
Last week saw the debut of the new NASCAR-backed FansChoice.tv, a website that plans to stream races for free that would otherwise not be broadcast. The channel launched with content from Bike Week in Daytona and IMSA action in Sebring. Future content includes the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and the Whelen Modifieds. There is also a chance that the Tudor United SportsCar Championship's Prototype Challenge/IMSA Prototype Lites event at Virginia International Raceway could be aired on FansChoice.tv later this season.
What was my takeaway from the first week? Good cripes, man. I think we built this up to be a lot more than what it turned out to be. First of all, the Sebring coverage last Thursday was cancelled at the last minute due to technical issues. As a result, the first stream was at 7:30pm from Daytona instead of 9:55am.
I have a direct parallel to what the Sebring coverage looked like. A couple of years ago, ARCA would have these static camera shots from the broadcast booth at tracks that didn't have TV broadcasts (Ex: New Jersey Motorsports Park). That one camera was supplemented by a radio broadcast or the PA system. That is essentially what we got from Sebring on FansChoice. You basically couldn't see anything. The lone camera shot we got was focused on the start-finish line. It was supplemented by Greg Creamer on MRN Radio.
The coverage from Daytona was quite a bit better. They started out with Flat Track coverage (the flat track is outside of Turn 1 of the tri-oval, near Gate 40, the western entrance to the property). That coverage had multiple camera angles. The races on the tri-oval included live commentary, but not a whole lot of angles. Nothing like we're typically used to with TV telecasts. Also, I was under the opinion that they were going to archive the live telecasts that they stream, but that hasn't happened yet.
I feel like FansChoice.tv as currently constituted could never be much more than a supplement. I think AMA Pro is the most likely outfit to attract new fans out of this venture, and those fans would be fans of something like AMA Flat Track, which really hasn't been televised much since the 1990's. Ultimately, I foresee FansChoice.tv being a place for absolute diehard race fans and that's about it.
But, could FansChoice.tv be far more than what it currently is? Almost a month ago, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) launched the WWE Network, an online-only subscription network after years of trying to launch a new cable network, or trying to buy an existing one and re-branding it. For $9.99 a month, viewers get access to all 12 pay-per-views, some exclusive shows, and a massive archive of past events (which continues to grow by the day). ESPN's Bill Simmons and David Shoemaker (aka "The Masked Man," writer of Deadspin's Dead Wrestler of the Week series) recently broke down the new network at Grantland. The consensus: It's a potential paradigm shift for pro sports, even though the WWE is the WWE.
When Speedvision became the SPEED Channel in 2002, the general thought at the time was that it would eventually become an all-NASCAR network. This never happened. I've been thinking recently about what an online-only NASCAR Network would look like. The thought that comes to mind right now would see Modified and K&N races on there, maybe the NASCAR Mexico Series and Canadian Tire Series as well. NASCAR would archive and remaster a number of older races (we're talking hundreds of them here). We could even bring people together that were there that day to talk about old races and run that as a separate video.
For example, I wrote a Turning Back the Clock piece about 1992 Mountain Dew 500 at Hickory back in 2011. A 15-20 minute piece with notable people from that race would include interviews with race winner Tommy Houston, Bobby Labonte, Steve Grissom, Chuck Bown, Robert Pressley, Jimmy Hensley, Jimmy Spencer, Mike Joy, Glenn Jarrett and maybe one or two others. I'm pretty sure that I'd get lost in such a site, but I'm not everybody. Also, keep the on-air graphics on the races. NASCAR has been removing them from broadcasts for sale (Ex: the broadcast of the 2000 Winston 500 included as a special feature in the Dale box set). Sadly, that makes a broadcast difficult to follow because the commentary constantly refers to things we can't see.
While streaming is more than likely going to become more prevalent in the near future, it appears that ISP's are going to go out of their way to make you pay for it. Arguments about bandwidth usage will likely see the introduction (if they're not already in effect) of usage caps that will make it difficult to stream all that much content. This is despite the fact that additional bandwidth can be created.
NASCAR has the right idea in getting involved with online streaming, but the FansChoice.tv website is a long ways from being what it ultimately should be. Eventually, it will improve to the point where it could legitimately be a benefit to the series that it televises.
That's all for this week. Next week here in the Annex, we'll have a look at FOX Sports 1 and IMSA.com's coverage of the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring. As of Wednesday, the entire race has been posted by the Tudor United SportsCar Championship's official YouTube channel for your viewing. Until then, enjoy this weekend's races at Auto Club Speedway.
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Critic84.
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Frontstretch Line of the Week
From Beyond The Cockpit: Clint Bowyer On 2014 At MWR And Life Outside Of Racing
"No, I don't have a key to the dang city! I don't know why I should. (laughs) It has always been fun. To be honest, I don't think I have a key to the city, but Emporia doesn't have a door. The door is always open. It is one of those old cities where the door is one of those swinging door types so you can just come on in."- Clint Bowyer, on his hometown of Emporia, Kansas and whether he's been awarded a ceremonial key to it.
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TODAY ON THE FRONTSTRETCH:
by Vito Pugliese
NASCAR Fantasy Insider: Which Favorites Will Figure Out Fontana
by Jeff Wolfe
Going By the Numbers: Will Consistency Still Matter In NASCAR?
by Kevin Rutherford
Tech Talk: Jason Ratcliff On Toyota Troubles And Tire Management
as told to Mike Neff
Truckin' Thursdays: Five Young Guns To Watch At Martinsville
by Ashley McCubbin
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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:
Q: In the 2000 Auto Club 300, Ward Burton was a contender for the victory, fighting for the lead with his brother, Jeff. However, it all came to an end with less than ten laps to go. What happened?
Check back Friday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Wednesday's Answer:
Wednesday's Answer:
Q: This past weekend, the Formula One World Championship began with the Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park in Melbourne. The race marked the debut of the new 1.6 liter Turbo v6 engine formula. When was the last time prior to last weekend that turbos were legal in Formula One?
A: Prior to this season, turbocharged engines were last legal in Formula One back in 1988. A number of rule changes were instituted to try to put the turbocharged engines on par with teams running naturally aspirated 3.5 liter engines that would be required in 1989. Instead, McLaren was a spin at Monza with a couple of laps to go away from sweeping the entire season.Frontstretch Trivia Guarantee: If we mess up, you get the shirt off our backs! If we've provided an incorrect answer to the Frontstretch Trivia question, be the first to email the corrected trivia answer to trivia@frontstretch.com and we'll send you a Frontstretch T-Shirt ... FREE!
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Coming tomorrow in the Frontstretch Newsletter:
-- Top News from Justin Tucker
-- In Case You Missed It by Ashley McCubbin
-- Keepin' It Short by Mike Neff
-- Links to your favorite Frontstretch articles, trivia, and more!
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Tomorrow on the Frontstretch:
Mirror Driving by the Frontstretch Staff
A collection of your favorite writers are back to discuss a number of pertainent issues in NASCAR. Topics this week include the action at Bristol, the Timmy Hill-Matt Kenseth incident, small rule changes in the Nationwide Series and more.
Holding A Pretty Wheel by Amy Henderson
Amy returns this week with another intriguing Friday commentary.
Frontstretch Foto Funnies by the Frontstretch Staff
Pictures can lead to a thousand laughs; join us in our weekly dose of humor that comes from those candid moments at the track.
Pictures can lead to a thousand laughs; join us in our weekly dose of humor that comes from those candid moments at the track.
Happiness Is... by P. Huston Ladner
Don't let your life sink into the pits. Huston takes a look at the racing stories from the last seven days that should leave you smiling.
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Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? It's as easy as replying directly to this message or sending an email to editors@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2014 Frontstretch.com
Don't let your life sink into the pits. Huston takes a look at the racing stories from the last seven days that should leave you smiling.
-----------------------------
Talk back to the Frontstretch Newsletter!
Got something to say about an article you've seen in the newsletter? It's as easy as replying directly to this message or sending an email to editors@frontstretch.com. We'll take the best comments and publish them here!
©2014 Frontstretch.com
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