| By Mark Spoor, NASCAR.COM
July 1, 2005
08:19 AM EDT (12:19 GMT)
ATLANTA -- At least on the television side of things, it's a weekend of change in NASCAR. The NBC/TNT crew takes over coverage of NASCAR starting Friday at Daytona, and fans will notice a couple of large changes throughout the weekend.  |  | | Bill Weber will now handle play-by-play duties for the NBC/TNT broadcasts. |
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First and foremost, as we reported last winter, Bill Weber takes over in the play-by-play booth and also will remain as host of the pre-race show each week. Meanwhile, former play-by-play man Allen Bestwick moves from the booth to pit road, where he will serve as lead pit reporter. Weber says he and Bestwick have already traded notes. "I talked to Allen a little bit about it, and he's offered all of his help, as I have for him in our transition. I think going to the booth you do just as much work, but I don't think as much of it gets on the air, because the booth is less about research and more about reaction." For Bestwick, it's a chance to have a good time doing something different. "I'm expecting to have fun. We talked about doing this last year. I get paid a very nice salary to come to racetracks every week, watch the sport I love, and deal with the people I love, and there's no way this cannot be fun and it's just a little different position within the team. |  | | Allen Bestwick is now lead pit reporter for the NBC/TNT broadcasts. |
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"We've always preached team here, and continue to do so, so I expect to have a ball." Weber will host the pre-race show from the roof of the racetrack most weeks, surrounded by a new set built by the TNT bunch in Atlanta. Once the race gets underway, you'll see an effort to cover pit stops more thoroughly with the advent of the "NBC Pit Window," ("TNT Pit Window" during TNT races). The basic idea here is that crucial pit stops will be replayed and analyzed using a telestrator. Analysts Wally Dallenbach and Benny Parsons will have the power to freeze replays to show what went right or what went wrong. Parsons said he's even worked with Ganassi Racing pit coach Phil Horton to nail down what teams are working on to speed their stops. Producer Sam Flood said the "pit window" is an idea whose time has come. "So many times races are determined on pit road," Flood said. "So we think it's important to break down what went wrong and what went right."Two special preview shows are planned for the weekend. TNT will air a "Race to the Chase" preview at 4 p.m. ET Friday. On Saturday, a special edition of the pre-race show will air at 2 p.m. Among the stories planned: • A look at the dominance of the Roush and Hendrick teams during the season's first half • An examination of the problems that DEI is enduring • A look at how the Chase format has affected how teams are racing from week-to-week David Stremme and Bobby Labonte are among the scheduled guests on Trackside this week from Daytona (11 p.m. ET, SPEED). If you're heading to Daytona this weekend, the show will be taped at 11:30 a.m. local time. The SPEED Stage Truck will be located in the Fan Zone on Friday and then the top of the garage area on Saturday. Rusty Wallace will add Trackside duties to his "Last Call" tour, joining regulars Steve Byrnes, Jeff Hammond and Larry McReynolds as a panelist on the weekly SPEED Channel program, beginning this weekend in Daytona. In other NASCAR TV show news, Larry McReynolds will sit in for Dr. Dick Berggren on this weekend's NASCAR Performance, and Hank Parker Jr. will join the SPEED Channel crew in the booth for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race from Kansas City. FOX's season ended with a bang in the ratings department. The Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon earned a 5.7 and a 13 share. That's up more than 21 percent over last year's 4.7/11. For the season, FOX's NASCAR ratings were up about 7 percent from a season ago. On average, the shows pulled in about 9.6 million viewers per race. This week's "Ask The Producer" question comes from several users who want to know why the crucial Richmond fall race -- the final race before the Chase for the Nextel Cup begins -- is on TNT and not NBC. |  | | NBC producer Sam Flood |
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NBC/TNT producer Sam Flood says both networks have their NASCAR schedules determined far in advance and Richmond has always been a TNT race and will remain a TNT race. Each week, we'll choose one fan's question to ask a NASCAR on NBC producer. Does something on the broadcast leave you shaking your head? Have you always wondered how or why the TV crew does something? Use the link to the right to e-mail your question and you just might read the answer right here. In this week's version of "The Rant," Steve from Orlando, Fla. wants to come to the defense of Dale Earnhardt Jr.: "What do you guys have against Junior? It seems like every time I read any of the NASCAR.COM writer's columns, they seem to be saying things like fans have turned on Jr, or the tide is turning on him. "Last time I checked, he still was most popular with the fans. While he may not be having a good season, he did ok at Michigan, considering he started dead last and then finished 17th and on the lead lap. Junior can't be superman all the time. He switched teams a while back so I think that this is a rebuilding year. Just ease off Junior a little, OK guys? Just consider this -- if Junior had finished 17th last year at Michigan, what would the stories have said? Like it or not, Junior's struggles are a story. Now to this weekend's schedule: Nextel Cup Series: Pepsi 400 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 length: 160 laps/400 miles TV schedule (All times ET) • Nextel Cup final practice: 6 p.m. Thurs., SPEED
• NASCAR Live: 1 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Race to the Chase preview: 4 p.m. Fri, TNT
• Bud Pole Qualifying: 4:30 p.m. Fri., TNT
• Trackside: 11 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• NASCAR Live: 2 p.m. Sat., SPEED
• Countdown to Green, Special Edition, 2 p.m. Sat., NBC
• NASCAR This Morning: 5:30 p.m. Sat., SPEED
• Countdown to Green: 7 p.m. Sat., NBC
• Race: 7:30 p.m. Sat., NBC One year ago, Jeff Gordon left the favored Dale Earnhardt Inc. duo of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip and everyone else behind for his second consecutive victory. The most recent checkered flag went to Tony Stewart, who notched one in the win column Sunday for the first time this year, muscling past a feisty Ricky Rudd to win the Dodge/Save Mart 350. It is Tony Stewart's second career win at the Sonoma road course. Keep an eye on Jeff Gordon. He's won the past two Daytona races and desperately needs a victory Saturday night to get his roller-coaster season back on track. Busch Series: Winn-Dixie 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 length: 100 laps/250 miles TV schedule (All times ET) • Busch Pole Qualifying: 1 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Race: 8 p.m. Fri., TNT One year ago, Mike Wallace drove from fifth to first on the last lap, taking advantage of crashes by Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to earn one of the biggest victories of his career. The most recent checkered flag went to Johnny Sauter, who dominated the rain-shortened SBC 250, even overcoming a rough-driving penalty to get his third career win. New points leader Martin Truex Jr. was second. Keep an eye on Dale Earnhardt Jr. Junior has four Daytona Busch Series wins. If he's able to visit Victory Lane on Friday night, it may help him in Saturday's Nextel Cup event. Craftsman Truck Series: O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 Track: Kansas Speedway • 1.5-mile oval
• 15-degree banking in turns
• 10.4 degree banking on frontstretch
• 5-degree banking of backstretch
• Length of frontstretch: 2,685 feet
• Length of backstretch: 2,207 feet Race length: 167 laps/250.5 miles TV schedule (All times ET) • Race: 3 p.m. Sat., SPEED One year ago, Carl Edwards came back from a first-lap accident to get his second victory of the season. The most recent checkered flag went to Dennis Setzer, who was not going to be denied. When the checkered flag flew at the Milwaukee Mile, Setzer had his second consecutive Craftsman Truck Series victory and only three other drivers had lead-lap finishes to brag about. Keep an eye on Ricky Craven. Craven, still looking for his first NCTS victory, will be wheeling the same No. 99 Ford that Edwards brought to Victory Lane at Kansas last season. Mark Spoor is a senior producer for NASCAR.COM. The Domino's Viewer's Guide runs each Thursday during race weeks. | 
