Viewer's Guide: Martinsville

ATLANTA -- Those of you that were expecting to see a Mark Martin feature during the prerace show a couple of weeks ago at Kansas can rest easy. The piece will air this Sunday before the green flag flies at Martinsville.

Mark Martin sits fifth in the Nextel Cup Series standings. Credit: Autostock

Bill Weber spent some time with Martin at his home in Arkansas a few weeks back. The feature was scheduled to run two weeks ago before the race at Kansas, but when the green flag was pushed earlier due to weather concerns, the piece was scraped.

Martin could use some good fortune this weekend at the smallest track on the Nextel Cup Series circuit. In the closing laps of last Saturday's UAW-GM Quality 500, Martin was involved in a multicar accident that relegated him to a 13th-place finish and may have taken him out of the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

"It would be hard for me to believe that some of these guys could pass a driver's test," Martin said. "I can't believe they've got driver's licenses."

Martin was upset at Jimmy Spencer and Brendan Gaughan, who wrecked off Turn 4 as Martin and Ryan Newman were bearing down on them on Lap 313. Martin and Newman were battling for second behind Jimmie Johnson, but there wasn't enough room for four cars, especially when two were spinning.

Martin has reason for optimism this weekend. Martin has two wins at the paperclip-shaped track, most recently in 2000. He has a 12.9 average finish and ranks third among the top-10 drivers in average finish there.

Gordon's world: With Wally Dallenbach running this weekend's Busch Series event at Memphis, Jeff Gordon will take the reins of "Wally's World" this weekend.

Ratings review: NBC Sports' coverage of the UAW-GM Quality 500 from Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte earned a 4.9 national rating/9 share (7:14-11:36 p.m. ET), a 14 percent increase over last year's 4.3/8 (7:34-11:01), according to Nielsen Media Research.

The race built its audience to a peak of 6.0/11 from 11-11:30 p.m. ET when Jimmie Johnson took the checkered flag just in front of his teammate Jeff Gordon.

Through 14 telecasts, Nextel Cup coverage on NBC and TNT has produced a 4.3 national rating, even with last year.

Ask The Producer: Jean Chalk of Elizabethtown, PA contributes this week's question:

Sam Flood

"When something happens on the track to a particular car, the camera is not always there. While I join the fans that bemoan this fact, I understand it must be nearly impossible for the cameras to catch every angle. How do they, in fact, cover the whole track"?

NBC/TNT producer Sam Flood said the crew basically places manual cameras according to where the racing lines are on the track and their robotic cameras fill out positions that would give the broadcast seamless coverage around the track.

Let your voice be heard: Each week, we'll pick one question to ask the producer of the NBC/TNT telecast. Why did they do things this way? Why did they talk to that driver? Any question that eats at you could be answered right here in the Viewer's Guide.

Send your questions to the e-mail box in this piece.

The Rant: This week's Rant comes from Cathy Jacobsen of Oscoda, MI:

"The article on NASCAR.COM by Lee Montgomery 'Some drivers concerned about the coverage', with quotes by Ricky (Rudd) and Dale (Jarrett), discuss what is one of the major reasons why I don't like the 'Chase for the Championship.'

EMAIL Send Mark your take for "The Rant" or your question for "Ask The Producer"

"I said it at the beginning of the year when this format was announced that I was concerned about how the teams outside of the top 10 were going to be covered and it seems to be that those concerns were valid.

"I can't see sponsors spending the millions of dollars that they do each year to support these teams being happy with the coverage that has happened so far for the teams outside of the top 10. I hope NASCAR isn't going to 'cut off it's nose to spite it's face', as the old saying goes."

I've heard this argument over and over again since the Chase started and I always think the same thing.

Did these drivers get more coverage before the Chase format began? Of course not.

In the fall, rightfully so, the focus is on the championship and it always has been. If you're not running for a championship, the best way to get coverage is to win. Just ask Joe Nemechek.

Get in on the action: In "The Rant," we'll pick e-mails each week to argue about 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.

On to this weekend's schedule:

Site: Martinsville, Va.

Track: Martinsville Speedway (.526-mile oval, 12-degree banking in turns).

Last year Connect four Jeff Gordon celebrates his fourth Martinsville victory Tough day Busch tangles with Rusty then spins on pit road Early caution R. Wallace and Spencer are involved in an early wreck

Race distance: 263 miles, 500 laps

TV: Bud Pole Qualifying: SPEED, 3 p.m. ET Friday. Happy Hour: SPEED, 11 a.m. ET Saturday. Race: NBC, 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday.

Last race: Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon finished 1-2 in the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The win completed a season sweep for Johnson at Lowe's.

Last year: Jeff Gordon completed a season sweep at Martinsville by winning the Subway 500.

Potential storyline: Competitors in the Subway 500 will be racing across a new surface, one encircled by the SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barrier system.

The track was resurfaced (asphalt and concrete) following the track's spring race. In the exits of Turns 2 and 4, where concrete extends onto asphalt, the concrete has been extended an extra 100 feet.

The SAFER barriers, installed last month, extend 832 feet on the outside wall of the first and second turns; 640 feet on the outside of the third and fourth turns 706 feet along the inside frontstretch wall and 569 feet along the inside of the backstretch wall.

Point to ponder: There have been 13 different Nextel Cup Series race winners in 2004. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are tied with a series-leading five victories this season. Johnson has posted a series-high 16 top-five finishes. Gordon has a series-high 21 top-10 finishes.

Site: Memphis, Tenn.

Last year Final laps Hamilton and Sauter battle for the win Yellow Flag A Busch Series record for cautions is set at Memphis Out early Greg Biffle's day ends early at Memphis

Track: Lowe's Motor Speedway (.75-mile oval, 11-degree banking in turns).

Race distance: 187.5 miles, 250 laps

TV: Busch Pole Qualifying: SPEED, 4:30 p.m. ET Friday. Race: TNT, 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday.

Last race: Mike Bliss made his first career Busch Series win memorable Friday at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Bliss made a daredevil-like, three-wide pass to take the lead with 18 laps to go and held off a charging Matt Kenseth in the final laps to win The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 300 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Last year: Bobby Hamilton Jr. passed Johnny Sauter with two laps remaining to win.

Potential storyline: Bill Elliott will compete in the Sam's Town 250 in a specially-designed Dodge sponsored by Lucas Oil and Boyd Gaming Corporation's Sam's Town Tunica Hotel & Gambling Hall.

Point to ponder: Greg Biffle is second only to series leader Martin Truex Jr. in points scored during the past six Busch Series races. Truex has scored 879 points while Biffle has posted 840.

Kyle Busch, second to Truex in the championship chase, has scored 832 points in the past six events.

Site: Martinsville, Va.

Track: Martinsville Speedway (.526-mile oval, 12-degree banking in turns).

Race distance: 105.2 miles, 200 laps

Last year Tight battle Wood, Edwards and Setzer battle in the closing laps Just under way Dennis Setzer jumps to the early lead at Martinsville

TV: Race: SPEED, 1 p.m. ET Saturday.

Last race: Todd Bodine won his second NCTS race in a row, leading the final 38 laps of the wild Silverado 350K at Texas Motor Speedway.

Last year: Jon Wood held off Roush Racing teammate Carl Edwards to score an emotional, hometown victory in the Advance Auto Parts 200.

Potential storyline: Eight years after his first and only Craftsman Truck Series start, Bobby Labonte, 2000 champion in NASCAR's premier series, returns for the Kroger 200. Labonte will drive a No. 47 ACXIOM Chevrolet.

Point to ponder: Every Craftsman Truck Series champion, with the exception of Greg Biffle in 2000, has won at least one short-track race in their title seasons.

A Martinsville Speedway victory, however, never has been on a champion's dance card. Joe Ruttman and Rich Bickle, Martinsville winners in 1995 and '97, were championship runners-up.

Mark Spoor is an interactive producer of NASCAR.COM. The Domino's Viewers Guide appears each Thursday during race weeks.