ESPN Faces Season Six Challenge (Updated)

It's that time of the year once again. FOX and TNT are done with the Sprint Cup Series and now ESPN adds that coverage to the network's ongoing Nationwide Series effort. In other words, it's crunch time.

The Worldwide Leader returned to NASCAR in 2007 and quickly found that times had changed. The on-air product was just not clicking with the fan base. As a result, there have been many changes in key on-air personalities over the years. This season, former crew chief Tim Brewer has been quietly phased out and his Tech Garage has been parked.

Starting with the Brickyard 400, it will be Allen Bestwick calling the Sprint Cup Series races with Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree alongside in the TV booth. Marty Reid will step-in to call the Nationwide Series races. Once again this season Jarrett and Petree will do double-duty on both series.

Nicole Briscoe will anchor the telecasts from the infield with Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty. The versatile Briscoe has been co-anchoring the "NASCAR Now" news program and also working as a field reporter for ESPN since coming to the network from SPEED in 2008.

Moving Dr. Jerry Punch back to pit road from the announce booth was a solid move. It let him return to his best role as a reporter. This season Punch will be joined once again by veterans Vince Welch, Dave Burns and Jamie Little. Also working on pit road assignments will be Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake.

A welcome addition to the Brickyard 400 coverage will be Ray Evernham. Located in the infield, Evernham will provide a unique perspective that Wallace and Daugherty simply cannot. Evernham is long since removed from controversy and now can speak to a wide variety of topics as a major figure in the sport's history.

In terms of technology, ESPN's Sprint Cup Series coverage does not have the online RaceBuddy but it does have ESPN Non-Stop. That is the network's name for the split-screen commercial format shown above. During the second half of each Chase for the Championship race, the national commercials will be shown this way. That means the first seven races, starting with this weekend's coverage, will be presented in the traditional full-screen fashion.

Update 7/23 1PM: Informed that the 14 ESPN Sprint Cup Series races (3 are on ABC) will have some form of RaceBuddy, but that ESPN did not include that information in media materials. Awaiting a response from Turner Sports on how many camera views and what other production elements will be included.

14 of the final 17 races will be on ESPN with the other three on ABC Saturday nights. The ESPN races will be available online, but only to select ESPN cable TV subscribers. The WatchESPN service basically allows the cable network's feeds to appear on laptops, tablets and smart phones. The good news is that it makes ESPN's family of networks portable. The bad news is that not all cable companies offer it.

Just like last season, the transition between the tech-heavy TNT and the traditional ESPN coverage should be a tad rough. No RaceBuddy, no team scanners and no split-screen commercials will make the first race in the ESPN TV package a challenge. This year, the radio call of the race will be available online, but that still does not solve the biggest TV issue of the season.

The amount of TV commercials shown in Sprint Cup Series races has not changed, but the expectations of the fan base certainly have. Now informed by social media, fans are acutely aware of just how much race content and information is being swept aside during commercial breaks. The tipping point was the TNT race from Kentucky, where one-third of the racing was covered by what seemed to be the same three or four commercials.

In the ultimate irony, TNT then presented the Daytona race without any full-screen commercials and used the "Wide Open" coverage to show the real potential of modern TV production techniques. The final TNT race from Loudon quickly restored the grim reality of what ESPN will face at Indy. Trying to integrate commercials into a race where passing is done on pit road and long green flag runs are the order of the day.

In the past, ESPN has over-hyped the Brickyard 400 by trying to make it NASCAR's version of the Indy 500. This year, instead of the Infield Pit Studio, Briscoe and her three analysts will be sitting outside on a terrace of the famed infield Pagoda for the pre-race show.

One of the pre-race features airing that weekend will be reported by Katie Couric, now an ABC journalist. She will speak to part-time Sprint Cup Series driver Danica Patrick. The topics Patrick will discuss are listed as "her transition to NASCAR, how people perceive her as a person and possible sexism she might face on a daily basis at the racetrack."

The hype of 74 cameras, a Super Slo-Mo cam for pitstops and the return of the 80 mph frontstretch "bat cam" will be over after the Brickyard. What comes next is something so familiar to fans it has become a running joke. The focus on the Chase for the Championship begins right after Indy.

For the past six years, ESPN has taken out the Chase hype stick and beat fans over the head with it for the better part of four months. We have repeatedly answered that loyal fans of one driver do not make a change if their driver is not in Chase contention. Eliminating TV coverage of these drivers simply eliminates the fans of that driver as TV viewers.

Fans of Jeff Gordon, Marcos Ambrose and Juan Pablo Montoya want to see coverage of these drivers. All three may miss the Chase. Should that change their TV coverage? If history repeats itself, all three may not be even mentioned in an entire race telecast during the Chase unless leading the race or crashing.

The fundamental problem with NASCAR's playoff system is that all the teams are still out there racing. While TV tries to show the race leaders and also constantly update the Chase, the sad reality is that entire teams fall off the radar. This year those teams may be from Hendrick, Ganassi and other powerhouse players in the sport.

This week ESPN will hold its annual media conference call to discuss more specifics of coverage and answer questions. We will update those details with another post mid-week. In the meantime, we welcome your comments about ESPN returning to Sprint Cup Series coverage for season six.

A Changing Of The Guard At FOX Sports

As the story goes, Humpy Wheeler's daughter Patti introduced Aussie David Hill to the sport of NASCAR. Hill was under orders from News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch to plant the FOX Sports flag in the states. Hill took one look at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, the loyal fans and the spectacle of 43 cars at high speed and was hooked.

The result was a franchise called "NASCAR on FOX." Familiar TV faces like Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds and Jeff Hammond have Hill to thank for their careers after racing. The sport has Hill to thank for coming along at a key moment in NASCAR history and as they say, "growing the franchise."

Sports Emmy awards followed and Hill expanded the FOX Sports brand far beyond the world of NASCAR. The colorful Hill was a marked contrast to the monochrome network sports executives who prowl the mean streets of New York City. Hill decided to set-up shop in Los Angeles, have an adult beverage or two and speak his mind.

After more than a decade at the helm, Hill has most recently been the chairman of the FOX Sports division. Things started to change when a young executive named Eric Shanks left DirecTV and joined FOX Sports as president in June of 2010. Six months later, FOX veteran Randy Freer was named co-president of the newly formed FOX Sports Media Group with Shanks.

These two would now be in charge of all the networks, brands and digital properties involved with FOX Sports. The power had shifted to a different generation of executives who spoke the digital language and were concerned with brand marketing and image. The handwriting was on the wall.

Monday it was made official that Hill was moving on. He will become an Executive Vice President of News Corp. itself. Hill will be working on international projects and new business. For the first time since he came across the pond, David Hill's influence will be gone from FOX sports.

Hill was also key to establishing SPEED in Charlotte, NC and pushing for it to become the official NASCAR TV Network. While that part of the plan did not work out, there is no doubt that the very existence of SPEED is due to its core of NASCAR programming.

Shanks and Freer are said to be actively negotiating with NASCAR on a new TV contract. There have even been hints that FOX wants more Sprint Cup Series races. The key question in the overall equation is the future of SPEED itself. Rumors are swirling that FOX will close SPEED, rebrand it as a general sports cable TV network and use it to chase ESPN in the program rights marketplace.

SPEED currently carries the vast majority of the practice, qualifying and support programming for NASCAR. When there is heavy lifting to be done, from the Hall of Fame to the All-Star Race, NASCAR relies on SPEED. Certainly no new TV contract will be put in place without a strong foundation of what is called "shoulder programming" from SPEED or the newly branded sports network.

While Hill was outspoken and opinionated, the new management duo is focused and calculated. What becomes of FOX Sports, SPEED and the company's relationship with NASCAR will be revealed before this year is out. There are many interested parties waiting for that answer.

While Hill did tinker with start times and bring us Digger, the vast majority of his NASCAR influence revolved around promoting stock car racing to a larger audience. He ushered the sport through an uncertain time with gimmicks like the Hollywood Hotel and created personas like "Ole DW and Larry Mac." There was a time when "NASCAR on FOX" was king.

Hill will remain based in LA, so there is little doubt that Shanks and Freer may wind-up having frequent conversations with the cantankerous Aussie when he thinks of yet another idea that seems perfect for the NASCAR on FOX coverage. Some things will never change.

We welcome your opinion on this topic. Comments may be moderated prior to posting.

ESPN Faces Season Six Challenge

It's that time of the year once again. FOX and TNT are done with the Sprint Cup Series and now ESPN adds that coverage to the network's ongoing Nationwide Series effort. In other words, it's crunch time.

The Worldwide Leader returned to NASCAR in 2007 and quickly found that times had changed. The on-air product was just not clicking with the fan base. As a result, there have been many changes in key on-air personalities over the years. This season, former crew chief Tim Brewer has been quietly phased out and his Tech Garage has been parked.

Starting with the Brickyard 400, it will be Allen Bestwick calling the Sprint Cup Series races with Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree alongside in the TV booth. Marty Reid will step-in to call the Nationwide Series races. Once again this season Jarrett and Petree will do double-duty on both series.

Nicole Briscoe will anchor the telecasts from the infield with Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty. The versatile Briscoe has been co-anchoring the "NASCAR Now" news program and also working as a field reporter for ESPN since coming to the network from SPEED in 2008.

Moving Dr. Jerry Punch back to pit road from the announce booth was a solid move. It let him return to his best role as a reporter. This season Punch will be joined once again by veterans Vince Welch, Dave Burns and Jamie Little. Also working on pit road assignments will be Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake.

A welcome addition to the Brickyard 400 coverage will be Ray Evernham. Located in the infield, Evernham will provide a unique perspective that Wallace and Daugherty simply cannot. Evernham is long since removed from controversy and now can speak to a wide variety of topics as a major figure in the sport's history.

In terms of technology, ESPN's Sprint Cup Series coverage does not have the online RaceBuddy but it does have ESPN Non-Stop. That is the network's name for the split-screen commercial format shown above. During the second half of each Chase for the Championship race, the national commercials will be shown this way. That means the first seven races, starting with this weekend's coverage, will be presented in the traditional full-screen fashion.

14 of the final 17 races will be on ESPN with the other three on ABC Saturday nights. The ESPN races will be available online, but only to select ESPN cable TV subscribers. The WatchESPN service basically allows the cable network's feeds to appear on laptops, tablets and smart phones. The good news is that it makes ESPN's family of networks portable. The bad news is that not all cable companies offer it.

Just like last season, the transition between the tech-heavy TNT and the traditional ESPN coverage should be a tad rough. No RaceBuddy, no team scanners and no split-screen commercials will make the first race in the ESPN TV package a challenge. This year, the radio call of the race will be available online, but that still does not solve the biggest TV issue of the season.

The amount of TV commercials shown in Sprint Cup Series races has not changed, but the expectations of the fan base certainly have. Now informed by social media, fans are acutely aware of just how much race content and information is being swept aside during commercial breaks. The tipping point was the TNT race from Kentucky, where one-third of the racing was covered by what seemed to be the same three or four commercials.

In the ultimate irony, TNT then presented the Daytona race without any full-screen commercials and used the "Wide Open" coverage to show the real potential of modern TV production techniques. The final TNT race from Loudon quickly restored the grim reality of what ESPN will face at Indy. Trying to integrate commercials into a race where passing is done on pit road and long green flag runs are the order of the day.

In the past, ESPN has over-hyped the Brickyard 400 by trying to make it NASCAR's version of the Indy 500. This year, instead of the Infield Pit Studio, Briscoe and her three analysts will be sitting outside on a terrace of the famed infield Pagoda for the pre-race show.

One of the pre-produced features in that program will be reported by Katie Couric, now an ABC journalist. She will speak to part-time Sprint Cup Series driver Danica Patrick. The topics Patrick will discuss are listed as "her transition to NASCAR, how people perceive her as a person and possible sexism she might face on a daily basis at the racetrack."

The hype of 74 cameras, a Super Slo-Mo cam for pitstops and the return of the 80 mph frontstretch "bat cam" will be over after the Brickyard. What comes next is something so familiar to fans it has become a running joke. The focus on the Chase for the Championship begins right after Indy.

For the past six years, ESPN has taken out the Chase hype stick and beat fans over the head with it for the better part of four months. We have repeatedly answered that loyal fans of one driver do not make a change if their driver is not in Chase contention. Eliminating TV coverage of these drivers simply eliminates the fans of that driver as TV viewers.

Fans of Jeff Gordon, Marcos Ambrose and Juan Pablo Montoya want to see coverage of these drivers. All three may miss the Chase. Should that change their TV coverage? If history repeats itself, all three may not be even mentioned in an entire race telecast during the Chase unless leading the race or crashing.

The fundamental problem with NASCAR's playoff system is that all the teams are still out there racing. While TV tries to show the race leaders and also constantly update the Chase, the sad reality is that entire teams fall off the radar. This year those teams may be from Hendrick, Ganassi and other powerhouse players in the sport.

This week ESPN will hold its annual media conference call to discuss more specifics of coverage and answer questions. We will update those details with another post mid-week. In the meantime, we welcome your comments about ESPN returning to Sprint Cup Series coverage for season six.

Reality Check

Saturday

2:00PM - Nationwide Series Practice on ESPN2

4:00PM - Camping World Truck Series Qualifying on SPEED

5:00PM - ARCA Race Live on SPEED

7:00PM - SpeedCenter on SPEED

7:30PM - The Setup on SPEED

8:00PM - Camping World Truck Series Race on SPEED

Sunday

2:00PM - NASCAR Countdown on ESPN

3:00PM - Nationwide Series Race on ESPN

7:00PM - SpeedCenter on SPEED

8:00PM - Wind Tunnel on SPEED

email address: editor.dp@hotmail.com for questions, comments and story ideas.

Flashback Friday: Mayfield And NASCAR From 2009

It was June 1 of 2009 when online links to the original version of NASCAR's Substance Abuse Policy hit the TDP email in-box. It became a Monday to remember. Ultimately, the Mayfield saga gave NASCAR and the sport in general a black-eye from start to finish.

Here is the TDP column from that day complete with working links to the NASCAR drug policy, the information released about the substance in question and Mayfield's subsequent legal challenge.

Enjoy flashback Friday.

June 1, 2009: On a weekend where Junior and the rainy weather took the early headlines, things began to get pointed in an entirely different direction when NASCAR's new drug policy actually showed-up in the TDP email.

Once any legal proceeding gets underway, things seem to have a habit of coming out in public at odd times. Click here for a link to a website where an easy opening PDF file of the actual NASCAR drug policy is located.

Basically, it gives everyone an understanding of the broad-reaching policies that NASCAR put in place for this first season of drug testing. Lots of them make sense and some of them are clearly off-base. That is important to Jeremy Mayfield.

All of this is TV-related because the NASCAR media is about to use Saturday and Sunday to continue to talk about the pending Mayfield lawsuit. Suddenly, the Friday admission (click here) that Mayfield tested positive for an amphetamine makes a lot of sense. He was taking one.

Adderall is for the adult form of Attention Deficit Disorder, called ADHD. Mayfield's attorney said Mayfield has a prescription for this drug and on the night in question also took Claritin. This is completely in line with Mayfield's statements.

Friday's NASCAR Now on ESPN reported the facts of Mayfield's brief Friday court hearing in North Carolina, but this issue is now beginning to creep into other areas. Words used like slander, libel and the inability of a professional athlete to make a living mean only one thing. Someone wants some money.

TV showed Brian France clearly saying at an earlier press conference that Mayfield had not tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug. The suggestion was being made by the Chairman and CEO of NASCAR that Mayfield had used recreational drugs. Dr. Black from Aegis Labs backed-up France by saying a prescription drug and an over-the-counter medication could not produce this result.

Those two statements, not Mayfield's future driving or ownership issues, may be what comes back to haunt NASCAR. At a time when silence should have been golden, it was the media that forced both France and Black to make potentially damaging public statements. NASCAR made a big mistake.

This weekend, SPEED will no doubt continue to put on its happy face and only address this issue perhaps on the Sunday RaceDay show. Kyle Petty is sitting in for Jimmy Spencer and Kyle is known to have some very strong opinions on topics just like this one.

ESPN, on the other hand, has been on this story from the beginning and doing a very good job. Mike Massaro hosts the Sunday morning NASCAR Now show and he will have reporter Angelique Chengelis live from Dover. She is a hardcore news reporter who is great with facts and should have the latest on this issue that is swirling through the garage.

Brad Daugherty is also in studio for the program and that should help. He is headed for ESPN from Dover where he will be working with Allen Bestwick and Dale Jarrett on the Saturday Nationwide Series pre-race show called NASCAR Countdown.

Bestwick is a political animal with lots of experience with NASCAR's hot topics. It should be interesting to see if he brings the Mayfield issues up with Daugherty, who is the ESPN team's only member who has extensive experience with professional sports league drug testing from his NBA days.

It's not every day that the NASCAR drug policy shows up in the TDP email. Thanks to those who helped to keep us in the loop on this story. There will certainly be many different views from fans on this issue, but we will once again be primarily watching to see how it is handled in the NASCAR media.

Click here for an outstanding story on this issue from the thatsracin.com website.

Perhaps this may refresh your memory on some of the agenda items that NASCAR and the press corps may be dealing with early next week. The AJ Allmendinger saga has yet to head for the legal arena, but the driver is adamant that no illegal substance was taken and that his violation of being over the limit on a stimulant can be explained.

We invite your comments on the media coverage of both the Mayfield and Allmendinger issues.

The SiriusXM Consumer Nightmare

NASCAR recently agreed to a five year contract extension with SiriusXM Satellite Radio. The sanctioning body is just one of a host of "content providers" that supply the service with programming for the various channels.

This most recent agreement also allowed SiriusXM NASCAR content to be streamed online. This had been a frustration of fans for many years. The move was a part of NASCAR's broader digital agenda to reclaim and control the rights to its own content.

"A dedicated NASCAR channel is important for our teams, tracks, drivers and sponsors and is crucial for fan engagement and audience growth," NASCAR Chairman Brian France said in a March 2012 media release. "Being able to simulcast SiriusXM NASCAR Radio online to subscribers nationwide will allow us additional opportunities to take our product to new fans in new places."

While SiriusXM has a strong history of diverse content, the company also has a growing reputation in another area. That area is consumer fraud. Over the years, many NASCAR fans have emailed about illegal billing practices, deceptive phone calls and poor customer service.

A working group of Attorneys General from 28 states began investigating SiriusXM for deceptive billing and customer solicitation policies back in 2010. The majority of the consumer complaints had a theme. They involved unauthorized credit and debit card charges.

The SiriusXM business is driven by the subscription revenue of users. Advertising revenue plays a minor role in this "pay radio" business model. The current investigation focuses on what is called "billing continuous subscriptions." This practice has reportedly raked in millions of dollars for SiriusXM from people who find themselves unable to stop the billing cycle.

Let's start at the beginning. Folks who sign-up for a trial offer with SiriusXM are asked to provide credit card information, even if the trial is free. The reason is that at the conclusion of the trial period SiriusXM automatically turns the trial into a full subscription and begins to auto-charge the user. There is no notification.

Existing subscribers who have already provided credit or debit card information are confronted with a well-rehearsed scenario when they try to cancel the service at the expiration of an annual contract. Either electronically or via telephone, they are assured that the subscription has ended. Then, a new charge appears on their credit card and the scam begins.

The Internet is littered with posts about the financial nightmares caused by the fraudulent behavior of SiriusXM. The scenarios are endless. Common citizens who trusted a company with a service now find themselves trapped in a world where dollars are being removed from their bank accounts without permission and for services confirmed as terminated.

Click here to take a peek at the Pissed Consumer website. The Sirius XM content is extensive and revolves around the same theme of fooling the consumer or failing to stop billing after confirmation of terminated service. It's just one of many online resources that address this issue.

The newest twist in this saga has raised eyebrows once again with online billing at the heart of the issue. Frustrated consumers who simply cannot stop the SiriusXM charges to their credit or debit cards usually cancel the card and have the bank send a new one. It might cause some work to change other accounts and billing, but this move should stop unauthorized charges since the old card is now cancelled. Well, think again.

Click here to read one of the many posts online about SiriusXM continuing to process payments on a cancelled credit card if the financial institution allows the transaction. In the world of online banking, this is a new risk that is very real.

The tips to deal with SiriusXM are basic. Before entering into any agreement, no matter how temporary, review the entire user agreement. The auto-review is buried in the paperwork and gives SiriusXM an out on most billing issues. Just like the extended auto warranty companies, SiriusXM walks the fine line between what a customer is being told on the phone and what is the legal bottom line in the agreement.

Do not disclose your credit card information to SiriusXM. Pay in full for any agreement with another form of payment. Credit and debit card deductions made from your bank account are immediate and the vast majority of consumer complaints revolve around money that has already been transferred. The possibility that you are going to recover funds is small.

Finally, document the services for which you have contracted. SiriusXM has a variety of options in terms of access to content and also how that content is delivered. Failure to specifically understand the satellite and online delivery agreements may bring additional charges.

After years of pushing hard to get the SiriusXM NASCAR channel available online, this positive change seems bittersweet when the company's solicitation and billing philosophy is based around what are essentially unfair business practices. A simple change in corporate culture could solve these problems and rid the company of this unfortunate stigma.

Happy to have your thoughts on this topic or experiences you have had with SiriusXM. Comments may be moderated prior to posting.

Update: The Island Of Brian France

It was October of 2009 when we offered the original column on the elusive Brian France. "The Island of Brian France" can be read by clicking on the title. Please take note of the reader comments as well.

At that time, France had been poorly advised in terms of talking directly to the media. He strongly assured the media and public multiple times that sexual harassment allegations made by former NASCAR employee Mauricia Grant were completely false. They were not.

France also reinforced the validity of NASCAR's "reasonable suspicion" drug policy. In a subsequent story by ESPN, former Camping World Truck Series driver Aaron Fike admitted to heroin use on race days. A short time later, NASCAR's entire approach to controlled substances, medication and testing was radically changed.

These days France is surrounded not by public relations or media professionals, but by marketing men. The shift in philosophy away from feeding the media and toward controlling it is company-wide. Marketing folks pick the agenda, control the answers and never get "off message."

Update: On July 7 in the DIS Infield Media Center, France spoke to the press corps. He said he was encouraged by the first half of the season and that the sport would never stoop to gimmicks to spice up the racing. He had no updates on a new TV contract or solutions for TV commercial issues. New technology in development included the 2013 Cup cars and "glass dashboards" for use in the future.

What France had not done was watch the Sprint Cup Series race from Kentucky Speedway on TNT. What he did not see is what his premier product has become on television. He did not see one-third of the racing covered by commercial breaks. He did not have the pleasure of watching Junior and Pop Pop wrestle over Kentucky Fried Chicken side dishes for three solid hours.

This is the island of Brian France. Informed on agendas that serve him, but seemingly oblivious to the real fan issues of the sport. In November of 2010, France was asked in another media session what he would say to fans who do not like his Chase for the Championship points system. "You met somebody who's telling you that?" was his response to the reporter.

Last year the teams not in the Chase were excluded from ESPN's TV coverage. Unless leading the race, the non-Chasers were sentenced to ten races without TV exposure. Once again the vast majority of the field suddenly became field fillers. Regardless of the actual story of the race, the Chase coverage has skewed the final ten races into a hybrid television presentation that serves no one.

The Chase was created by France to counteract the NFL season. It was intended to draw fans away from regional NFL games because of its play-off nature. Instead, it gave fans of drivers not in the Chase a reason to watch football. How to solve the problem of making TV cover the actual races and simply update the Chase has been an issue France has continually avoided. The annual Chase hype begins with ESPN's Brickyard 400 coverage in less than two weeks.

Social media has been embraced by NASCAR and promoted as a wonderful information platform for fans. Now, real time text service Twitter has become both a blessing and a curse. Rich with information directly from NASCAR sources use of Twitter during live Sprint Cup Series races by fans has boomed.

The curse has come from allowing fans to see just how much race information and on-track action is actually being missed by television. Instead of being a location for fans to simply congregate, Twitter has become a digital complaint board about the sport's television woes. This is a key issue for the sport.

France faces the creation of a new NASCAR TV contract this year. This time, NASCAR owns the digital rights to all of its own product. The question is whether France is negotiating for a new package that includes NASCAR streaming races to laptops, tablets and smart phones. The lack of easily available online content has been one of the most significant NASCAR issues of the last decade.

The last media availability of the NASCAR chairman in January was quite structured. The issues he never addressed were significant. He covered fuel injection, the wild cards in the Chase and suggested the sport had momentum. Those were the highlights. Here is the reality.

Any human being who tried to watch the Kentucky Speedway race on TNT knows what the sport has is trouble. Any fan who followed NASCAR's advice and got on Twitter can see the problems. What the sport needs is fixing. If ESPN walks in with full-screen commercials, endless Chase hype and focuses on twelve teams only, the result is not going to be pretty when the NFL season starts.

We invite your comments on this topic. Thank you for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.