Hey Norskar!
Because a commenter in the previous thread is busting my chops about it(he's partly right) and because it's too hot in here to do real work (the AC is down, and, boy, is it hot here), here are the PROJECTED green flag times for the upcoming Nextel Cup races:
Indy: 2:40 p.m.
Watkins Glen: 1:35 p.m.
Michigan: 2:30 p.m.
Bristol: 7:40 p.m.
California: 8:05 p.m.
All of these times are from NASCAR's media site. (NASCAR issues a complete weekend schedule several weeks before each race).
Some caveats:
(1) If there's a threat of rain, NASCAR might start the race earlier.
(2) If there's blinding sunshine, NASCAR might start the race later.
(3) NASCAR might change the starting time for whatever reason seems right at the time and to whatever time seems good to them.
One of the issues we deal with as a paper is, when exactly does the race start? I'll explain after the jump.
Take the NFL, like Norskar mentions. The networks have always - and this is the key point - listed their pregame shows apart from the actual games. (If you look in the Saturday TV book or on your cable channel guide on the teevee, it'll show both a pregame show and the game.) The NFL also benefits from deeply ingrained habit - the Sunday day games are always at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. (or 4:10 p.m. now), the Monday night game has always (except one year, I think) been at 9 p.m. And football fans know that kickoff is usually about 5 minutes after the time in the TV listings.
Now for NASCAR. Do you have any idea when, say, the Homestead race is going to start? Hint: NASCAR just changed it. (Answer: It's 2:30 p.m. ... for now.) There's no set time for a NASCAR race, which makes them hard to track.
NBC makes it a little easier if you want to skip Wally's World and go straight to racin'. Look at Sunday's listings here - there's a pre-race show at 1:30 p.m. and a race at 2:30 p.m. (It's listed the same way for the Watkins Glen race, too.)
Fox, meanwhile, never had a prerace show listed separately from the race itself. Their TV listings might say 1 p.m. Who knew if the race was going to start at 1:20, 1:40 or 2:15? Because the studio show was at the track, and they went back and forth between the Hollywood Hotel and the booth, Fox looked at it as one big show. (Football studios are physically separate from the game site.)
At the paper, meanwhile, we've got a couple of competing priorities: accuracy and consistency. It's accurate to say that Sunday's Indy race starts at 2:40 p.m. It's also accurate to say that the TV coverage of Sunday's Indy race starts at 2:30 p.m. But if you list both times in separate parts of the Sports section (one in the TV listings, the other with the Race Report), it's not consistent, so which one is correct?
The answer - sorry, Norskar - is both. I think you'll just have to learn to love Wally's World. How can you not like that?
P.S. The whole NASCAR start time thing is frustrating to me, too, and we need to do a better job of telling our readers when the Cup races themselves are supposed to start. But I don't want our readers to tune in at 2:40 p.m. Sunday on our say-so and find that they're already 20 laps into the race.
Comments (7)
To report abuse of the comment feature on this site, please use the feedback form at the bottom of any page.
Thanks John. It's obviously a pretty slow day in Nascar-land if my petty concerns get so much attention on the blog.
I guess I'll focus my future displeasure on Fox, as if Bill O'Reilly and company haven't done enough to make me foaming-at-the-mouth crazy already. I know he has plenty of fans in the Nascar community, so, to them, I'll just say, Loofah!
Again, John, your help is much appreciated.
I don't think there's any chance that anything will happen in the first 20 laps of the Indy race--or at any point in that race--so we're safe there. It will be gratifying, though, that now I'll be able to sit down with cold beer and Teri/Ginger Wings from East Coast at the proper time for Bristol especially. There's nothing worse than opening that wing box and realizing--as the steam escapes--that I'll have to endure 45 minutes of Darrell Waltrip before the engines are actually fired. The only thing more painful that is a three-hour NBC "treasure hunt" during a rain delay. Nascar fans are always carping about how the mainstream media thinks we're stupid, but I can assure you that no one underestimates our intelligence more than the programming geniuses at NBC.
Posted on August 2, 2006 2:02 PM
It isn't all that slow around here, but this kind of stuff is important. People look to us for accurate information, and it's the least we can do to tell 'em when the race is going to start.
Another thing: Keep an eye out for the Thursday, Friday and Saturday papers. I usually try to cobble together a complete TV sked for the weekend - something that includes practice times, qualifying and start times. It runs with whatever Dustin files. (The flip side: If I'm not here, or I'm buried under something else, it doesn't get done.)
Speaking of start times, this weekend is stoopid. he Busch race goes on the air at 9 p.m. Saturday night, and the green flies 5 minutes later. Friday's truck race is also a night race. SPEED goes live at 8 p.m. ... and the race is scheduled to start at 8:40.
Posted on August 2, 2006 2:29 PM
NORSKAR, I feel your pain about the pre-race thing.
I like to turn on the TV at the moment when the jets fly over...listen to the preacher beseeching the Baby Jesus (or in the case of the
Rabbi, G-D) to keep everyone safe, bring our boys home, and keep Tony's anger in check...start the engines...drop the flag.
Listening to the never ending interviews of drivers adamant that they have the car to beat all because they're a team, having to endure each of them thank their ten top sponsors, and then pass wishes on to nobodies we don't know who are hospitalized is too much.
Sometimes I want to scream - SHUT UP AND JUST RACE.
Posted on August 2, 2006 3:06 PM
New to this blog, but it's now been bookmarked. It amazes me how few NASCAR related blogs there are out there! I used to have one, but like most people didn't dedicate enough time to it.
I so agree with your last comment Jon. The pre race interview questions are always the same and I can only imagine the drivers rolling their eyes when they see a pit reporter coming their way. And all the theatrics that happen when you're at the track for pre-race activities is amazing and a bit nuts sometimes. I just wanna hear the cars screaming around the track please!
Posted on August 2, 2006 6:55 PM
Glad you found us, Teresa. The links to the right are some other NASCAR blogs, some better than others.
If you've ever visited the NASCAR.com forums or the blogs over at a site that rhymes with "hats pacing," you'll know why. (Hint: If all you've got is YUR DRIVERRR SUX!!!1!!!, you're going to run out of blog fuel quickly.)
Posted on August 2, 2006 7:53 PM
Norskar,
I too get frustrated about T.V. listed times, and actual green flag times. I just learned that there is usually a pre-race show, so I would tune in at the T.V. listed time, listen for a few minutes, (because they usually go over the weather and green flag times at the beginning of the show), and then go cut the grass, or whatever else until green flag time.
You can't blame the newspapers and T.V. Guide, they are only running the information that they are given by the Networks. If you still have enough fire about this contact the T.V. networks. If enough people complain then they might be able to make NASCAR change their start time policy, because it's the Networks that are paying NASCAR to broadcast the races, not the other way around.
By the way John I really like your site - I'm going to add it to my blog roll when I'm done here. Check out mine if you get a chance. Take Care.
Posted on August 3, 2006 12:41 AM
Welcome, 4ever3. Earnhardt fans are always welcome. However, Martinsville-Busch-race-stealin'-Canadians aren't. ;)
Thanks for making me aware of your blog. My blog roll is due for some pruning and shaping soon - I'll be sure to add yours.
Anyone know of any other good racin' blogs I'm missing, please let me know. And that includes any of your lurkers out there.
Posted on August 3, 2006 2:51 PM