Following this weekend's Auto Club 500 at the track formerly known as California Speedway, there was one important note I want to make: I heard a lot of rumblings over the weekend that the TV network is what caused that show Sunday night — that's one of the most absurd things I've ever heard.
What fans and other people in the sport don't realize is that television doesn't drive anything. Because of the rain delay, the network lost many millions of dollars ... you think they wanted that?
That is absurd that people think "The TV network is what caused this problem."
That type of call has never been made by television, and it never will be.
Larry, thanks for clarifying for some of us! No way would NASCAR ever let TV dictate when those races are run or how...we know you guys are at their mercy!
One of us was also wondering if you all got over time pay?? (IowaGirl!!)
Larry - Thanks for setting the record straight. Although true NASCAR fans who have attended races for many years KNOW that NASCAR does everything they can to run the event on the actual race day. Sometimes they have even surprised the fans.
We actually missed one of the Brickyard 400's about 10 years ago when we left the track before 2pm...figuring there was no way NASCAR was going to get that race in. Boy were we surprised when we heard on the radio about 4:30pm that the drivers were starting their engines, and the event was going to be run. Of course we were almost home by then and would have missed most the race by turning around to go back. Ever since then we ALWAYS wait for the "official" call from NASCAR before leaving the track during a rain delay.
I know as a fan Larry that Nascar made the call. They made the bad call to start the race and to continue to run it with the "weepers". If it had been up to you I know that you are a fan first and feel for the fans on the east coast as well as the rest of the country. In no way would the T.V. network FOX or any other be able to get the race run or not. Also as for Cali...Any truth to the rumor of Cali going to a superspeedway? Just asking for some info....
Just like here on fox sports blogs some fans ravings you just have to look past and ignore them. We have a lot of trolls and problem bloggers that just like to cause trouble or stir something up. I just try to ignore there blogs or comments once I become aware of them and see them posting.
Thanks for the posting on foxsports blogs. I hope all of you keep it up and don't let the trolls drive you from these pages.
I don't see how anyone can blame TV for the delays. Given how long the broadcast team had to tread water (so to speak) during the delays, I can't imagine any of them really wanted to wait it out for the long 5 hour red flag before the race was called.
I was at the Kansas race, listening to race control, and know that it is Nascar who dictates those matters, not anyone else.
I don't see that anyone was to "blame" really for Sunday at Fontana. The ground was saturated from previous heavy rains and Mother Nature just wasn't in a good mood. Nobody's fault.
I give the track workers and officials alot of credit for trying to give the fans a race on Sunday, but unfortunately it just wasn't meant to be.
the race shouldve never been started when it was, there was clearly water on the track before the race even started, if i was an owner i wouldve pulled my car(s) off the track, there too many people with too much invested for stupid stuff like that to happen, your right TV wasnt to blame NASCAR greed was.
Something you don't realize is that the lousy coverage your network continues to trot out week after week after week is damaging the sport. Broadcast the race. Take some of the ridiculous number of cameras you have to cover the race and point them at the track. We don't want to watch musical numbers, we don't want to check out the "Gopher cam", we want to watch the race and we want the broadcasters to be able to tell us what is happening if we miss something. The racing can sell itself without the bells and whistles. I'm sure Fox did not want to broadcast six hours of rain delays last Sunday, but what we saw during the rain delays was no different than what we would have gotten if you did have a race to show. I enjoy listening to Larry Mac call a race. He's knowledgeable and usually pretty astute with his observations, the rest of the on air crew makes watching the races and excruciating ordeal. Stop whining about the criticism the people that pay your bills have for your product and listen to what they are telling you.
Thanks Larry for coming on here and explaining the call for the nuts that think TV had something to do with it.
What it was NASCAR screwing the pooch again in the face of bad track conditions. If Dale was still with us he would'ave raised such a stink about it they would'ave waited till Monday to start.
NASCAR should consider themselves lucky that no
one was killed or maimed on Sunday.
I would disagree with one point. TV is the cause of some of NASCAR fan's complaints. TV is the reason the Daytona 500 started in the middle of the afternoon instead of 1 p.m. EST, causing the drivers to battle a setting sun. NASCAR wants these things to run into prime time.
If you are not willing to post clean comments with fair criticism of the broadcast that your company is responsible for then you shouldn't solicit comments. Do a better job at broadcasting the races, is that concept too hard to grasp?
