The Untimely Death Of "Wind Tunnel"

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The long and winding road of the cable TV network that started life as SpeedVision continues to twist. The latest victim is the Sunday night motorsports television franchise called Wind Tunnel.

The original idea behind the series was to echo the success of the Larry King Live show on CNN. King made a living mixing high-profile guests with the common man through telephone calls from viewers around the world. CNN had King on seven nights a week and for many years he was untouchable.

Dave Despain became the Larry King of Wind Tunnel because of his broad experience in motorsports. Despain paid his dues and grew into a lovable TV curmudgeon by using his dry sense of humor and inability to accept what the motorsports PR types tried to pass along as being the truth.

At one time Wind Tunnel was also on multiple nights a week and attracted a wide variety of motorsports personalities from seemingly all types of racing. That was also a time when the SPEED management was committed to building a TV network around racing. Those days have been long gone for many years.

Despain wound-up with an hour of his franchise on TV Sunday nights and an extra chunk streamed online when the TV show was done. It was an interesting mix, but one that allowed the voice of the fan to be heard clearly as an integral part of the show. Now, that voice has been silenced.

SPEED has quietly ended viewer participation in the TV hour of Wind Tunnel. No more phone calls, no more emails and selected tweets jammed painfully into a moment late in the show. The network that prides itself on being interactive has slammed the door on its own fans. The ability to ask a question of a guest is gone and so is the very spirit of the program.

For many years SPEED's senior management steadfastly refused to produce a NASCAR news and interview program on weekdays. No one would watch, they said. Then, along came Race Hub. There was a time when SPEED panned the concept of trying to create a general motorsports news and highlight program on weekends. Now, we have SpeedCenter. These two programs now have the network spotlight.

Left in the lurch is Despain. The last few weeks have seen him pushed aside in no uncertain terms. The most embarrassing a co-hosting appearance by James Hinchcliffe that put the IndyCar driver literally into the host position and Despain to the guest seat. The pain on Despain's face was easy to see.

The fundamental appeal of live TV done in this setting is the uncertainty of what would result. Over the years, Despain and his callers have drawn-out some amazing responses on hot button topics from a wide variety of motorsports personalities and executives. For many years, news was made on Wind Tunnel.

Now, following the controlled model of Race Hub, there is no sense of the unexpected. There is no emotional topic that has tempers running hot. Appearances are prearranged, focused and planned. Even zingers from contributors like Robin Miller or guests like Paul Tracy cannot breathe life into this format.

Despain never had co-hosts for the hour because most motorsports experts focus on only one area. With the new format of SPEED personalities being involved viewers get Tommy Kendall talking NASCAR diversity and Ralph Sheheen sharing his Formula One expertise. It's not fair to those involved or the viewers to force these contributors into this role.

It's been wonderful to watch Wind Tunnel over the years. Those TV memories, both good and bad, were pure and spontaneous. The current crop of talking heads fits the SPEED mold of politically correct guests who say the right thing and move along. There are SPEED programs to promote, marketing agendas to be met and network personalities who need more exposure.

The bottom line is that without the strong voice of the fans, Wind Tunnel is nothing. The self-serving rehash of events from the weekend with FOX and SPEED personalities commenting makes little sense. Before Wind Tunnel, fans see an hour of SpeedCenter and then an hour of NASCAR Victory Lane.

Instead of making news and pushing hot buttons, Despain is now slaved to repeating racing topics and showing scripted video highlights for the third time in the same evening. It must be a bitter pill to swallow for a man who developed this franchise from the start.

So, goodbye Wind Tunnel. My time as a viewer is done. Memories of this outstanding series can now join the others that SPEED has successfully managed right into the ground. When marketing and promotion push spontaneous and honest commentary aside, the results are almost never good. This version of Wind Tunnel is quickly proving that point.

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

Race Wrap: Sprint Cup Series From Michigan On ESPN

It was not the day that contenders like Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin or Joey Logano had in mind. Instead of a total fuel mileage race as we have seen in the past, Sunday's race contained an interesting mix of stories from start to finish.

Nicole Briscoe worked hard with her trio of Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty and Ray Evernham to create some interesting pre-race content. Rusty called out Jeff Gordon, Daugherty tried to explain his car oiling down Watkins Glen and Evernham once again stood head and shoulders above them both. It was muted, but had potential.

During the race, NASCAR Now Lead Reporter Marty Smith appeared on-camera to toss-up a topic for discussion that originated from a viewer tweet. It was a twist that perhaps tipped off the fact that ESPN is moving toward an interactive environment to solve the issue of fans feeling left out of the coverage.

Allen Bestwick was joined by Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree to call the race. Petree has emerged as the dominant analyst as Jarrett has simply faded into the background. Bestwick is the master of keeping things in order and has eliminated any confusion during the races that happened with both Jerry Punch and Marty Reid in that role.

The pit reporters were again solid, with Jerry Punch handling some key interviews with his normal style and grace. Having a senior person among the pit road team makes a lot of difference. As ESPN heads into the Chase, Punch is going to have a key role with interviews of the top contenders.

ESPN was outstanding in using a split-screen for green flag pitstops. The network replayed the incidents that were missed and seemed to give up the scripted approach and just covered the race for the final 50% of the telecast. The problem continues to be the tendency to zoom-in when any race fan wants TV to zoom-out and let the racing be seen.

The ticker continues to be the source of information for fans of drivers not in the top ten. This has to change. Field recaps can be done in minutes and there are plenty of minutes available where the network currently follows the leader. Each driver in the race has fans and they should all be respected.

The late drama of Jimmie Johnson's motor failure left the network in position for an exciting finish and Bestwick got the most he could out of the final three laps. The director allowed viewers to see some of the lead lap cars cross the finish, but it could have been so much better. In the end, NASCAR got some great storylines to build on as the sport heads for the Chase.

We invite your opinion on the ESPN coverage of the Sprint Cup Series race from Michigan. Comments may be moderated prior to posting.

Sprint Cup Series From Michigan On ESPN

Jack Roush used to rule the track, but things have changed. Jimmie Johnson said today the groove is only one car wide around the entire track and it is going to be tough to pass for the Sprint Cup Series cars. The race may well be won on pit road or a restart.

Nicole Briscoe has Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty and Ray Evernham with her in the Infield Pit Studio today. Allen Bestwick will call the race with Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree alongside. Mike Massaro, Dave Burns, Vince Welch and Dr. Jerry Punch will handle pit road. Tim Brewer will watch from home.

ESPN has a big challenge. Once the field stretches out, the coverage has to find a direction and a theme. It can't be in-car cameras and tight shots. ESPN is going to have to work to tell the stories, recap the standings and tell lots of stories to fill these four hours.

The good news is that the announcing team is up to the challenge. The bad news is that the production truck continues to make one bad decision after another. No aerial shots or wide angles, few updates on drivers not in the top ten and no follow-up on drivers working their way back through the field.

Goodyear says there are no tire problems, so the only issues we should see may be engine related. There are eight start and park teams in the race today, so the actual competition for the win should come down to the usual suspects. The weather is good and even though Ryan Newman is reported to be under the weather, he has confirmed he will start the race and intends to see it all the way through.

We are going to be on Twitter with our live stream of TV/media comments on today's telecast. Please take a moment to join Twitter and see what all the fuss is about. We have drivers, teams, media and NASCAR officials all contributing to this live stream. Just type #TDP1 in the search box to see our conversation live and continually updated. Add #TDP1 to the end of your tweets to automatically be included.

There will be a post on this page when the event is over for your comments. Thanks to all of you for your patience while I was on vacation this week, looking forward to seeing how ESPN will handle this challenge today. Thanks to Roush PR for the picture at the top of the post.

NASCAR's Start And Park Weekend

This weekend features two races on Saturday and one on Sunday. While the Chase is only weeks away for the Sprint Cup Series teams, the real theme of this big weekend for all three top series is starting and parking. As our friends at All Left Turns documented in this picture, only a tool box is needed on pit road for a start and park team.

Click here to review a Car and Driver article by Bob Zeller called "The Quitting Game." The story talks about the start and park teams that were operating back in 2008 and how NASCAR squelches any mention of this reality.

Click here to see FOX/SPEED's Larry McReynolds offer to then Miss Sprint Cup Monica Palumbo his reasons why teams start and park. McReynolds contends that these teams really want to race and also offer jobs to those who would otherwise be unemployed without the weekend of qualifying, starting and parking.

Click here to read Eddie Gossage's comments in 2010 that start and park teams in the Sprint Cup Series are literally stealing money from the sport and adding nothing to the show. Gossage further stated that NASCAR had an obligation to stop this practice.

Here are the starting grids for this weekend from the Jayski website:

Click here to see the Sprint Cup Series starters. Note the cars highlighted in red.

Click here to see the Nationwide Series starters. Note the cars with the asterisk next to the entry.

Click here to see the Camping World Truck Series field. Of the 35 entries, note the teams with the asterisk.

In other professional sports on national television, the live telecasts document the reality on the field of play. Every injury, penalty and decision is reviewed, discussed and often replayed. In NASCAR the reality is the opposite. Television has somehow morphed into becoming part of the marketing arm of the sport.

This weekend, keep an eye on all three races and see how the different TV teams choose to deal with the start and park issue. The difference between reporting what is actually happening in the race as a whole and making a conscious decision to exclude relaying information about start and park teams certainly is interesting to watch.

Happy to have your opinion on this topic. Comments may be moderated prior to posting.

Vacation: All I Ever Wanted

Tuesday

3:00PM - NASCAR Now on ESPN2

6:00PM - NASCAR RaceHub on SPEED

Wednesday

12:00PM - Sprint Cup Series Replay on SPEED

2:00PM - NASCAR Now on ESPN2

6:00PM - NASCAr RaceHub on SPEED

Thursday

12:00PM - Nationwide Series Replay on SPEED

6:00PM - NASCAR RaceHub on SPEED

11PM Pacific/2AM Eastern - NASCAR Now on ESPN2

Friday

12:30PM - Sprint Cup Series Practice on SPEED

2:00PM - Camping World Truck Series Practice on SPEED

3:30PM - NASCAR Live on SPEED

4:00PM - Sprint Cup Series Qualifying on SPEED

5:30PM - Trackside on SPEED

6:30PM - SpeedCenter on SPEED

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

Race Wrap: Sprint Cup Series From Watkins Glen On ESPN

It was not the wild affair that many predicted, with drivers guarding their points for the upcoming Chase. Still, road course racing at Watkins Glen is a different kind of treat for fans before the reality of the Chase comes along.

Nicole Briscoe started the day by hosting the pre-race show. Marty Smith rehashed the AJ Allmendinger news. Brad, Rusty and Ray covered the topics in the sport but did not bring up the Pocono lightning tragedy or Dodge pulling out of the sport in a timely fashion. ESPN's priorities often do not match the real world concerns of many.

Allen Bestwick called the action, but was slaved to the pictures chosen by the production team. Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree added what they could, with Petree again right on the money with his comments. The pit road reporters were on target, but the strategy stories faded toward the end.

The coverage was typical follow the leader, with most incidents shown on replay. Several key moments were missed live despite the fact they happened just outside of the live camera range. That was frustrating to watch. It might have looked good in HD, but perhaps the content should be the most important factor in selecting the images to pass along to the fans.

There were lots of other sporting events in progress, so it should be interesting to see just how many sports viewers decided to tune into this race. On the final laps, the TV coverage never mentioned oil on the track but continued to debate fuel strategy or perhaps a low tire on the Kyle Busch car.

In the end, it was widely known that the drivers had been complaining about a track-wide oil down for several laps. TV viewers were never informed. Allen Bestwick did the best he could on the final lap, but it was clear no one told him of the oil situation. After winner Marco Ambrose crossed the finish line, the ESPN director cut to his in-car camera and none of the other finishers were shown.

I'm going to take some time off and see if I can continue to be a NASCAR fan after the frustration of today's TV coverage. Happy to have your opinion of the ESPN coverage. Thanks for stopping by.

Sprint Cup Series On ESPN from Watkins Glen

All eyes are on Junior as he continues to try and save the sport with yet another top five finish. NASCAR is painfully aware of what is about to happen in a couple of weeks when the NFL season starts. Football is going to lower the boom once again.

The Watkins Glen road course offers the sport an opportunity to put on a good show with some emerging storylines. Nicole Briscoe will host the pre-race show with Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty and Ray Evernham alongside. There is no Tech Garage with Tim Brewer, which is a shame because this is one of the tracks where his explanations of changes made to the Cup cars made a lot of sense.

Allen Bestwick is having a strong season, but has been dragged down time and time again by poor production choices. The ESPN team pushes the fundamental aspects of the sport aside to trick-up the TV coverage with in-car cameras and tight shots of high-profile personalities.

Bestwick will be joined in the TV booth by Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree. While Petree continues to voice the same type of strong comments he has voiced for the past five seasons, Jarrett is the polite and politically correct presence who adds supportive comments but rarely steps out with bold statements.

Since Jamie Little had her baby this week, it will be Mike Massaro joining Dr. Jerry Punch, Vince Welch and Dave Burns on pit road. This group should get quite a workout as the road course strategy is completely different from the oval tracks. Look for lots of comments on the challenges to the pit crew with the cars pointing the opposite way from normal on this course.

"Back cutting" is the term used when the director leaves the leaders and moves back in the field to catch some good racing. On an oval, this is easy. On a road course, with cameras strung out around the track, this is anything but easy. Trying to keep track of several different racing groups as the move through the camera positions is tough. Keep an eye on how often this happens live vs. how often replays are used to show cars other than the leaders.

As opposed to many tracks on the circuit, Watkins Glen has the risk of serious accidents. Over the past several seasons, there have been some hard hits and this year there are some changes to the track in reaction to those incidents. Look for the TV team to point out those differences as the race goes on.

This is perhaps the final race for ESPN before the familiar "Chase hype" begins. The chaos of the road course does not lend itself to inserting endless graphics about the season point standings. Hopefully, today is a breath of fresh air for ESPN and lets things get back on track before the real grind begins.

We live blog the race on Twitter using the #TDP1 hashtag. Twitter is free, easy to use and takes only minutes to load and set-up. Happy to take your comments here, but if you want to be in the action with the teams, officials and media come on over to Twitter and have some fun.

There will be a new post up once the race is done for your comments.