By Mark Spoor, Turner Sports Interactive
February 11, 2004
4:07 PM EST (2107 GMT)
It's long been said that the Daytona 500 is NASCAR's answer to the Super Bowl. NBC's telecast of the Great American Race is scheduled to have several Super Bowl-like qualities.
For starters, the pre-race show will be expanded to more than an hour in length, starting with a special opening filled with images documenting the rich history of NASCAR racing.
Once the show begins, history will be an underlying theme.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a love and admiration for the history of Daytona and the history of NASCAR racing. He got together with Matt Yocum over the weekend and shared some of his love for the sport while taking Yocum for a lap around Daytona International Speedway in a vintage race car.
Matt Kenseth made history last season when he won the NASCAR championship. To say thank you to his crew chief, Kenseth bought Robbie Reiser a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Bill Weber came along for a ride with the title-winning duo recently and you'll see it Sunday.
Joe Gibbs made an historic decision during the offseason when he decided to go back to coaching the NFL's Washington Redskins. Marty Snider spent some time with GIbbs recently at the Redskins' training facility to find out what Coach Gibbs has been up to since his decision and what the future holds for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Benny back in the pits: "Benny and the Pits" returns Sunday, when Benny talk with some NASCAR officials to find out about their new hand signals and get an inside look at what it's like to call the shots at a NASCAR event.
Wally gets drafted: When he won the Budweiser Shootout on Saturday night, Dale Jarrett said that Dale Earnhardt Jr. helped him win the race. In "Wally's World," Wally Dallenbach enlists the help a couple other drivers to demonstrate how drafting allows one driver to "help" another.
U-S-A, U-S-A: After the pre-race show, Nextel will present its "Tribute to America," which will feature nearly 4,000 cast members on the Speedway's historic five acre tri-oval grass. The show's finale will feature Grammy Award winning musician Lee Greenwood singing his marquee track, "God Bless the USA."
LeeAnn Rimes is also scheduled to sing the national anthem prior to the green flag.
Defining Moment: For the first time in NASCAR history, Saturday's Busch Series race and Sunday's Daytona 500 will be broadcast in high definition.
Mike Wells, the director of TNT and NBC's racing broadcasts, is excited about the broadcast.
"To be able to raise the bar, it's a great thing for us," said Wells. "Fans are going to be able to see things that they've never seen before on a racing broadcast. We're all very excited.
"When I'm sitting at home watching a show in HD I think about how great NASCAR will look using this technology," Wells said. "And there's no better race to get started with than the Super Bowl of stock car racing -- the Daytona 500."
The HDTV broadcast will be produced in 1080i HD format with Dolby Surround Sound using the same HD mobile production unit that produced the Super Bowl in High Definition two weeks prior.
Ask The Producer
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This week's question comes from a fan who wants to know why spotters are not included when crew members are introduced during a broadcast.
"That is something that we should think about. Spotters are part of the team and for the most part they don't change. That will be something we'll think about adding."
The Rant: After we debuted "The Rant" last week, despite the fact there wasn't a race broadcast before Saturday, responses came fast and furious. This week, two fans debate the new 26/10 format in the Nextel Cup Series.
Tommy Drawdy of Augusta, Ga., likes the change.
"I believe the 26/10 race format will benefit not only Nascar, NBC/FOX/TNT, but also the fans. What does this format mean? The first 26 races will be the stepping stone for the finale. The teams will try to be consistent, but will race harder to gain more points to try to make their way into the top 10. More wins, more points, more opportunities to make the finals. In the last 10 races, the cars, drivers, and teams must be 100% to win the title.
I can't wait for the season to get into full swing, and to see just how many drivers decide to take the most daring moves to get them into the Chase."
ArnetteDEI3 has a different take.
"I am worried that NASCAR's owners are trying to be just like pro football, basketball and baseball. That will mark the beginning of the end of NASCAR. The Frances are trying to make NASCAR something it was never meant to be. Leave the points alone."
Ready to Vent?: In "The Rant," we'll pick two e-mails each week to argue both sides of a TV coverage issue, be it a commentator's comment, a driver's comment, a pre-race feature -- basically anything you want to spout off about.
Come with an intelligent, passionate argument and you may see your take on NASCAR.com.
Again, since we're into the season now, please keep your e-mails to television coverage issues. Also, please make your subject line "The Rant: Your Subject."
On to this weekend's busy schedule:
Nextel Cup Series: Daytona 500
Site: Daytona Beach, Fla.
Track: Daytona International Speedway (2.5-mile oval, 31-degree banking in turns, 18-degree banking in tri-oval, 3-degree banking on straights. Length of Frontstretch: 3,800 feet. Length of backstretch: 3,400 feet.)Race distance: 70 laps, 175 miles
TV: Practice: SPEED, Noon ET Tuesday, 2:10 p.m. ET Tuesday, 1:40 p.m. ET Wednesday, 1 p.m. ET Friday, 9 a.m. ET Saturday. Twin 125 qualifiers, TNT, 1 p.m. ET Thursday Friday. Happy Hour: SPEED, 10:30 a.m. ET Saturday. Race: NBC, Noon ET Sunday.
Last year: Michael Waltrip has won the rain-shortened 2003 Daytona 500, leading 68 of 109 laps.
Last race: Dale Jarrett, the 1999 NASCAR champion, won the first race of NASCAR's Nextel Cup era by holding off Dale Earnhardt Jr. with a daring last-lap pass to win the Budweiser Shootout.
Potential storyline: After a dismal 2003 season, Robert Yates Racing appears primed to turn things around. Jarrett's Shootout win was coupled with teammate Elliott Sadler's front-row qualifying effort for Sunday's race.
Point to ponder: Jack Roush got one monkey off his back by winning a NASCAR championship with Matt Kenseth in 2003. He got another off his back when Greg Biffle gave Roush his first Daytona 500 polesitter.
Busch Series: Hershey's Kisses 300
Track: Daytona International Speedway (2.5-mile oval, 31-degree banking in turns, 18-degree banking in tri-oval, 3-degree banking on straights. Length of Frontstretch: 3,800 feet. Length of backstretch: 3,400 feet.)Race distance: 70 laps, 175 miles
TV: Practice: SPEED, 9:30 a.m. ET Thursday, 11:15 a.m. ET Thursday, 2 p.m. ET Friday. Bud Pole Qualifying: SPEED, 10:15 a.m. ET. Happy Hour, 3:45 p.m. ET Friday. Race, NBC, 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday.
Last year: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his second consecutive Busch Series season opener, beating out Matt Kenseth to win the Koolerz 300.
Potential storyline: Jason Leffler had the fastest car in every one of the four single-car sessions over the final two days of Busch Series Preseason Thunder at Daytona.
Point to ponder: For the third consecutive year, the defending Busch Series champion will not run in the series full-time.
Craftsman Truck Series: Florida Dodge Dealers 250
Track: Daytona International Speedway (2.5-mile oval, 31-degree banking in turns, 18-degree banking in tri-oval, 3-degree banking on straights. Length of Frontstretch: 3,800 feet. Length of backstretch: 3,400 feet.)Race distance: 70 laps, 175 miles
TV: Practice: SPEED, 9 a.m. ET Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Bud Pole Qualifying: SPEED, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Happy Hour: SPEED, 7 p.m. ET Thursday. Race: SPEED, 8 p.m. ET Friday.
Last year: In a spectacular finish, Crawford won a three-wide battle with Pressley and Travis Kvapil to win the Florida Dodge Dealers 250.
Potential storyline: Ted Musgrave says he still hasn't forgotten about the penalty in the series finale that may have cost him the series championship.
"What happened last year will stick in my mind forever," Musgrave said as NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing for the trucks finished up at Daytona International Speedway.
"Each and every lap will be in my mind. Maybe that will push me over the hump to be like I'm going to be. I'm going to make Kevin Harvick look like a weak Pee Wee Herman. When I'm done, they're going to know that I'm there."
Point to ponder: Friday marks the first time that the Craftsman Truck Series season opener will be held under the lights.
Mark Spoor is an associate producer for NASCAR.com. Domino's Viewer's Guide appears weekly during the season.
The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.
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