Let me start with the television deal set to go into place in 2015 and run through 2025. We now have 3 networks broadcasting 38 races, with a 4th channel doing other shows along with some qualifying and practice days also. Those are TNT, Speed (turns into Fox Sports 1 in a week or so, we will get into that in just a minute) ESPN/ABC, and Fox, right now the only channel not on a cable network, but that's about to change. As most of you probably know, Fox bought the Speed Channel and will be changing the name to Fox Sports 1, which will now turn into an all sports network and will show everything stick and ball, that's right, no more motorsports based channel. All that cool programming will either have to be picked up by another network, or just go bye bye. With the network change will come a drastic change in NASCAR coverage. Fox also picked up 3 of the races that formerly TNT had, that's right, HAD. TNT along with ESPN will end the their NASCAR broadcasts at the conclusion of the 2014 season. It will then just be Fox and NBC, who also has a sports channel on cable, and fans, those 2 sports cable channels will hold about 85% of the races with just 16 races being on network television. 16......so the remaining 22 races including most of the chase races will be on cable. Oh did I happen to say that the new Fox Sports 1 wants a huge jump in money from the cable and satellite companies? Right now they do not have a deal with any cable or satellite provider because of the substantial raise in money. Jumping from around .25 cents a customer they now want .80 cents a customer. If they reach a deal with providers, as of right now Fox Sports 1 will be the only channel I get, so I will miss the second half of the season entirely.
This deal brought a GIGANTIC amount of money to NASCAR, we are talking billions of dollars, with NBC paying 4.4 billion and Fox choking up 3.8 billion dollars....just over 8 billion dollars, 8.2 billion, that's $8,200,000,000 of which 65% goes to the tracks, 25% goes to the teams through the points earnings, and 10% goes to NASCAR its self. The sad thing about this is, that means more boogity boogity crap that makes me want to mute the sound....Hopefully this all works out and my provider will pick up both channels and I can at least watch them, the problem is when money gets tight, the first thing people start dropping is cable and satellite TV because lets face it, cable/satellite isn't cheap and its not getting any cheaper and its a want not a need.
I will say this about Pocono, THANKFULLY JIMMIE DID NOT WIN!!! That was probably one of the best races in a long time at Pocono, I was totally predicting a snore fest and it actually was not a bad race. The last couple restarts made for some great racing action and I for one was unable to predict who was going to win, just when it looked like Kasey Kahne was going to get it, along comes teammate Jeff Gordon and he stole the lead on a restart, then when it looked like Jeff was going to cruise to the win, another caution came out and the restart brought us another surprise, Kasey regained the lead. It was actually a fun race to watch. Yes they did get spread out during the middle of the race, but the commentary and the TV coverage showed the whole race all race long and I think they did a great job.
ROAD COURSES
Ok who is excited for the road courses this weekend? ME! I love road courses specially when Marcus Ambrose is racing, the winner of the last 2 races at Watkins Glen. He is so good at road courses he has to be the favorite this weekend. Between him and Juan Montoya, Jeff Gordon, and new road course winner Martin Truex Jr, even Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch, and lets not forget NASCAR champion Brad Keselowski, and hey, lets also not forget AJ Allmendinger either, he will be in the 47 this weekend, and his first and only NASCAR win in the Nationwide Series came just a couple weeks ago at what kind of track? yeah that's right a road course. Watkins Glen is a fast road course with long straightaways, and some sharp corners, I personally like this road course more then the one is California.
In the first practice Martin Truex Jr paced the track with a best lap of 127.238mph with a lap time of 69.319, with Marcus Ambrose coming in second, Carl Edwards 3rd and Juan Montoya 4th and Casey Mears 5th. The second practice Carl Edwards paced the field with Michael McDowell coming in second, Clint Bowyer 3rd, Juan coming in 4th and Brad Keselowski coming in 5th. With qualifying only a few minutes away, with the new qualifying format, who do you think has the better chance to claim the pole? Starting up front here is very important because the farthest back anyone has come from to go on to win was 18th and that was Steve Park in 2000. Closer to the front is a must here. Also driving a Chevy has been a big plus here also, with 16 wins by a Chevy, 7 from Fords, 4 Pontiac's, 1 each for Buick, Mercury, and Toyota.
Until next time........
p.s. I get almost all of my NASCAR facts from a great website that is so full of information that I haven't even touched the surface of information this website has to offer and it is www.racingreference.info. Go check it out, it has everything you could want to know and more about all kinds of racing, not just NACAR.
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