Speed channel sucks!! Two hours of the Petit LeMans and then for the next five hours it's cars and trucks going in circles. Does anybody remember when it was Speedvision and they showed cool stuff all day everyday? What happened to the World ralley, DTM, Australian V8 touring cars, British touring cars, and nonstop coverage of races such as 12 hours of Sebring, 24 hours of LeMan and of course the Petit LeMan. Sorry for the rant I guess I just needed to vent a little.

I think they broadcast what they think has the most intrest?

Ratings are a bitch!

Speed Channel?..... Oh, you mean the "go left real fast all the time channel". Yeah, it sucks and I do remember when it was a real motorsports channel.

On the one hand, I am happy that there is a channel out there that broadcasts this type of racing at all. If it wasn't for Speed, you wouldn't get to see it.

On the other hand, I agree that the volume of Nascar coverage has gotten out of hand on Speed. They should just change their name to the NASCAR Channel.

I guess I'll go finish dropping my motor now and catch back up at 5 central time when they start coverage again.

Satalite TV does have a Nascar channel. WRC didn't have the ratings, GTCC didn't have the ratings. They do have some good programs on still, but VS has most of the off road stuff. After chruch of F1 tonight, my next race will be on VS starting January 1st. Dukar Rally.

What channel is VS? Is this available through Comcast. F1 is he only thing that I care about on the Speed...nascar channel.

Oh... I found it Hey, there is still one more F1 race yet to be had this year.

VS is available on Comcast. It is channel 34 at my house.

Yep, China. Church of F1 starts at 10pm PST. On one hand I hope Lewis wins as a rookie. That would be fantastic. The Ferrari side of me wants Alanso to crash out again and/or get spanked by Kimi and Massa. When will Porsche step back up to the plate? From the pictures of the 4door they are develping, NASCAR seems a logical jump.

I have never liked Alonso. Maybe it is just the way he was raised, but he comes of a total prick. If it wasn't for Hamilton being so cool I would be cheering for Masa. Kimi is good too, but Masa if too funny in the interviews. Kimi is really boring in the interviews.

And Chris... I am saying that there is one more after China.

Interlagos in Brazil!

I don't care for Alonso..

Watch out for BMW too, they keep getting better and better. I laugh about Honda and Toyota...

I also like MotoGP on Speed

maybe the NEW Motorsports Channel, The Racing Network
won't show the "turning left" races, and will focus on Road Racing.
Hopefully.

MotoGP is amazing. Those guys are crazy. Funny that a guy with the last name Stoner is doing so well . I use to love the speed channel when they had all F1, WRC, and MotoGP. They just don't do a good job promoting the races. Sure know when a Nascar race is going to be on, but good luck finding out when an F1 or MotoGP race is going to be. It is absolutely their fault for not getting any ratings with WRC.

F1 is the only show I watch on Speed. www.SpeedTV.com is pretty good for racing news.

Honda and Toyota have a personal rivalry that hit the states in the 1990's in CART, then onto the IRL where Honda stayed and Toyota left and went to NASCAR.

Both now in F1 and both spending boatloads of money and going slower and slower. I think when someone said you have to put boatloads of money in your car in F1, they both are trying to fill their car with Yen.

Spoke

oh you mean the "unique pinks" channel?

as with most everything, it was better when it was new.

the f1 is not even being replayed as far as i can tell and no tivo at the moment...

If I remember correctly Speed was purchased by a NASCAR oriented TV station in the south, which is where they are located, and is now dominated by NASCAR coverage.
The WRC was some of the best racing on tv. ALong with the smaller road racing venues. Now it is the suck channel. Repeats of UNIQUE SHIT featuring some overpaid rapper or sports player pimped out SUV. And then we have STINKS, how many times can they run the same crap over and over.
Anything worth watching gets scheduled at 1am to 5am PST.
I switch to the music channel most of the time and only watch selected programs.
Go Lewis Hamilton....
CCL

I exercise while watching Speed...my classic car was just on, 60% of the program was commercials...5 minutes into the program the first one started...then they showed a few cars, then back to paid advertisements...I understand having to pay the bills, but its out of control.
Joe

If Lewis keeps winning in F1 he might just earn himself a ride in NASCAR!

And, just when you thought you couldn't get enough NASCAR related crap (excuse me, "racertainment"), you can catch it on various ESPN channels, Fox, and ABC. Just in case there are some out there for whom 24 hours a day isn't enough...................... The Cap'n

nascar is a great example of marketing to the lowest common denominator.

the only thing even remotely entertaining about nascar is warren wallace.

"... the story ends with me putting him in the wall!"

(but i'm a sucker for a lot of this companies ads.)

"I'm not saying I wouldn't go fishin with the fella."
I love that commercial too, but it's nit so much a Nascar ad as it is insurance. At least that's what I tell myself

Big UP's to Casey!
Think of it 3 differnt WORLD champions on 3
different Manufactures in three yrs. thats racing.
Its rare that I watch "broadcast" anymore I rely on the Tivo
But I did catch a episode of "Deam car Garage" where the duo
were touring the Porsche Zunfinhousin (sp ) plant and crusin
a Targa 4s

The only thing I watch on Speed is the F1 and Victory by Design is an interesting show. Other than that there's not much there.

However, their new spokeschick ain't bad.

That kid is so wicked cool.

Since seeing that, I've added german stripes to my white driving suit, and I've started carrying a toothpick in my mouth.

But I can't believe they let that kid race karts with that thing in there. Someone puts him into a wall, and he'd be dead.

VBD was one of the best shows speedvision ever aired. I haven't seen it on in (literally) years.

I saw a great T-shirt at Petit Lemans:

"Too dumb for opera, Too smart for NASCAR!"

I Porsche guy that can't spell Zuffenhausen ? I call shennanigans ! INFILTRATOR !!!!!!

Well that China F1 race was great (and so was petit- saw EVERYBODY!)-
But Talladega held my attention anyway. It was quite a finish at 190 + MPH.

Farfegnugen

NASCAR is the predominant motor sport in the US, by a huge margin. In order for Speed to keep up its ratings (and money) it pretty much HAS to cater to NASCAR. If it was profitable to show F1, SCCA, WRC, etc., they would show it.

That said, I don't watch it.

We are in a niche group (at least for the US), and currently there is not a mass market outlet to cater to our relatively unique tastes.

until someone thinks that other races are worthwhile, we will have to stick with the scraps on Amrican TV, or get a satellite receiver and start watching other nations' boob tube.

Zach

Well said. It's just to bad that it has come to this.

NASCRAP: LOOK! IT'S ANOTHER LEFT TURN! OH MY!

I am going to have to respectfully disagree with you Zach. I know a much larger group of people that want to watch the races of F1 and WRC and MotoGP, but the biggest problem is that they do not advertise when they will be on at all. They have commercials going all day about when a NASCAR race will be on, but F1 you need to go to the menu to find out. For those who don't have DVR and such it is much more difficult to find this out. Then they play the events at the most inconvinent times. I think it is only because the people who own it now are NASCAR people and don't care about the rest.

Don't get me wrong, I am sure that the NASCAR fans running speed have a lot to do with thier programming.

While you might be able to make an ardgument about F1 having enough of a fan base to warrant airtime (which it gets, though at odd hours) it still will not pull the ratings that Gordon and Earnhart will. Most people (not car people, but most regular people) don't even know what WRC is. CART? SCCA? LeMans? Mention "the Ring" and most people will think you are talking about Japanese horror films (they might not even know it was Japanese....). The average American has no clue what these things are. But they do know NASCAR, and that brings in advertising dollars.

NASCAR is a media conglomerate, with a very large, loyal, active fan base. That takes a lot of work to pull off, and allows them to really push the other racing series out of the way.

Thank about it this way - how long has it taken Soccer to get established in this country?

We are in a muscle car society, which NASCAR caters too very nicely. Finesse cars just don't pull the ratings.

Zach

I think you may be right about the soccer analogy. We have our kids play, but once they get up to high school it is all about baseball and football. With all the tuners out there and the NASCAR fans out there, I am afraid that our society will never see the light.

The reason for the odd hours for F1 is the time it's raced in foreign countries. I found this quote on another website about the 2005 MotoGp event.
"The 2005 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix was the largest event in the 50-year history of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, with a weekend attendance of 153,563."

That's a lot of people. At the Houston Grand Prix (Champ Car, ALMS) there were 162,000 in attendance over the 2007 weekend. Even AMA Supercross is bringing in more people.
If NASCAR sponsors backed road racing like they do NASCAR , Speed
would not not be so NASACR dominant.
I have seen plenty of other racing on Speed and not just at 3:00 in the morning. They have a website with a months schedule at hand.
Now as far as Pinks and those other lame shows that they show 5 times in a row, they need to work on that.

As many people as there are that are fans of F1, LeMans, MotoGP, etc., there are more people in this country that consider themselves NASCAR fans. Period. "Speed" does their research. They choose their programming to maximize sponsorship and profits. If they could realize the same margins broadcasting more "international" types of motorsport, they would. But they don't so they won't.


And it sucks...

The sponsorship is so well rewarded. Those rednecks buy everything they can from the sponsors they see on those cars. And how visible are those banners are ...er I mean cars with the product logos and brand names on them, while the cars go round and round for hours. It's just easier to follow and the cars are large enough for huge graphic displays.

I prefer "Swamp Buggy Racing" .... the only thing worth watching on the Boober other than "Home Improvement".

Yup, I agree. I can't stand the proliferation of NASCAR stuff on Speed. However, they're paying the bills, so they get top billing. What's the ONLY professional racing sanctioning body in the US that's not running at a loss? NASCAR. Yep.

Money talks... The rest? Well, you know...

-Josh2

Let's see, for all you F1, Cart and IRL Fans.
Dario Franchitti-Nascar, Jacques Villenueve-Nascar, Juan Pablo Montoya- Nascar, Ron Fellows, Boris Said, Lewis, Tracy, Andretti -all looking for a full time Nascar ride. The kids I occasionally race with in karting all talk about going to the Bondurant school, F3 in europe and then maybe coming back, moving to the south and getting a Nascar ride. Like it or not, that's the popular route these days.

Jacques comments at last weekends Talladega race were very telling in my eyes. He was asked why he was coming to Nascar. His response was "to race with the best drivers in the world" and that F1 was very boring due to the lack of competition and passing. He said "it's fun if your out front but very boring otherwise".

I road race in SCCA, I work at the Long Beach Grand Prix for SCCA, Nascar at Sears Point and I worked the phoenix F1 races in the old days. The most entertainting by far is watching the skill required to throw a 3200 pound, 800 horsepower race car around Sears Point from 15 feet off the track at turn one.

You couldn't pay me enough to watch an F1 race anymore. Boring doesn't describe it. Same for Champ car, ALMS, IRL and Petit Lemans. I hate that that's what its come down to but the other series have decided that competition doesn't matter. Nascar has been smart enough to figure out that it matters very much and they work it. No, I don't like all the advertising but it does bring in the cubic dollars necessary to fund the racing. As far as advertising goes what do you think it is when a Ferrari or BMW is out front in F1 or Jake Raby is on this site talking about his latest engine? In F1 they don't just say that some car driven by some guy is out front. In that respect, Nascar and F1 are the same.

Oh, and let's talk constructors in Nascar while were at it, Penske, Roush, Felix Sabates, Gibbs, A.J Foyt, any of those names ring a bell for you guys? The best engineers in the world are presently in Nascar along with arguably the best drivers. They are getting more out of these cars than anyone ever thought possible. On Sunday those engines ran 8800 rpm for 500 miles. That's a pushrod V-8 with a carb.
Nascar not only knows how to turn left they also road race too bad the road racers can't figure out how to turn left.

The last NASCAR race I attended at California speedway I went with three other individuals, all road racers, all professionals in one field or another. The days of the red neck have been gone for along time, but I will admit Nascar thinks it has to be true to that base. I think there are probably, at least from what I've seen on this site, a higher percentage of rednecks driving 914's then there are remaining as Nascar fans.

As of next year Nascar has dropped all of the beer and tabacco sponsorships for its series and will now have nothing but technology companies in their place. They are realizing what their new base is and adjusting for it. To bad CART, IRL, and some of the other series didn't make that same adjustment.

Attendance figures? the numbers mentioned in the post above would only account for a typical one mile Nascar oval. Bristol now holds 165,000 and is sold out for the next five years and that does not include the corporate suites. Brickyard 400 attendance is normally over 400,000 each year and that is at the track. The figures for TV go into the millions.

Having said all of the above, I will say of all the series the ones I really miss are Trans-Am in its heyday and Lemans and Daytona when they meant something. Unfortunately, their demise was an inability to understand marketing and the changing views of the American and European peoples.

Randy Andell
SCCA Porsche 914 G production

Villenueve may have said "to race with the best drivers in the world", but I think the ONLY people who think nasCRAP drivers are the best in the world are.... nasCRAP fans/people.

When I hear these single-seat drivers talk about Why they are heading there, I hear them talking about the NUMBER of races, NOT to race vs the Best Drivers in the world.

When the regulars routinely complain about the 2 road-courses they travel to, because they want to JUST make left-turns, THAT does Not make you Best in anythng.................................................................. in my opinion.

As I am learning all to well it's not about bringing you a great product or show to watch. It's a game of numbers. If they thought for a second putting the anouncers in pink tutus would increase the audience 10 fold you better believe they would do it.

If they slowly moved it over to being the Barbie channel they would do that as well.

What I also find is even people who say they like car racing don't watch car racing like they say they do. It's a case of they like the idea of saying they do they just don't really.

I like sex

Or, think about it this way. As a Nascar driver, you have an obligation to learn and train to drive the fastest and smartest in a very public field. The races that matter the most are all ovals. Its your job to be the fastest person around that oval, and the competition is extremely fierce. You are tuned for an oval. The car is tuned for an oval.

Then you are faced with running one or two road races. It is as different as night and day. Your car may not be tuned right for it. Your training is specialized in a different sort of race. Yet you are still expected to race at your best and win.

I'd probably complain too.

I don't follow Nascar, but I understand and appreciate it for what it is.

Zach

I think the France family realizes that there are some of us that don't prefer the left turn scene....thats why the Daytona Prototypes exist in their present form...it's not anywhere near the NASCAR level, but it's growing. (the formula works)
I still go tho the church of F1 on those Sundays and I can find more excitement than sitting in the bleachers watching a "pitchers dual" down at the ball yard. I suppose you have to respect the each nuance to respect the spectacle.

But the topic was Speed Channel sucks...and I can't agree more.
I miss the DTM, 23 of 24 hours of LeMans, WRC, BTCC, Australian touring car and even the jet boat races....
I raced with Tom Hnatiw (Dream Car Garage) and co-drove with Jeff Lorriman (Sportscar Revolution) and believe me....they are ROAD RACE GUYS!
Apparently there is a new channel in the works to bring that stuff back. I sure hope it finds it's legs soon.

Oh... BTW, Franchitti, Villeneuve, Monytoya, Tracy, Andretti...all past their "best before" date....Fellows (one of our locals here) just never had the funding to make the BIG time (he may also be too tall to fit an open wheeler)...All just want to race with the best drivers-where they can still get a pay cheque....IMHO.

What about the alleged planned finishes in NASCAR or the mysterious items thrown on the track to bring out a yellow flag on the last laps to bring the field together? It's hard to have credibility when you see these tactics.

"to race with the best drivers in the world..."

Hmm, he may have said that, but my perspective is this: NASCAR, like all other big league motorsports, is about MONEY. Getting butts in the seats, and eyes on the tube. Without them, it's a Spec 7 race at the Glen (which, by the way, tends to have better racing than F1 these days. but I digress.).

What is the draw for these drivers to go to NASCAR? It's not just the number of races (which is huge compared to F1), but it's about competition. The parity is so great in these NASCAR fields ('cause it is, for the most part, a spec series), that any one could win any given race, and the driving competition is fierce throughout the field. Jaques was pretty right on about F1. If you get in front, it's your race to loose, and if you don't, it's can be a "boring" 200 mph parade. NASCAR is CLOSE competition, frequently to the point of contact (isn't that the point of NASCAR anyway?). And drivers who want that kind of competition, and still want to collect a large salary, will be drawn to NASCAR. NASCAR is the ONLY profession racing organization in the US that is operating at a profit (and a rather large one at that). The next closest is SCCA Pro racing, and they're ONLY loosing a couple hundred thousand a year. It's a big step down to the millions upon millions dollars that CHAMP and IRL are hemorrhaging every year, not to mention others. Getting a ride in NASCAR is big money, and it's secure money.

As for Speed Channel? NASCAR owns them lock-stock-and-barrel. Why bother to call it Speed Channel, just call it the NASCAR channel and be done with it. But it's where the money is these days. Biggest sport in town, and huge money to go with it.

As for my personal opinions of NASCAR?

[nomex]
NASCAR is, much like F1, all about "the show". And every effort will be made to make the "show" more entertaining, and get more people to pay money to watch. Some fo the contrivances they have come up with are absurd, but it keeps people watching. Every person from coast to coast can complain about how ridiculous is it to deliberately slow the field just so there can be an "exciting" finish. But they come back next week to watch it again. F1 isn't immune either, it just takes different forms.

As for which series I prefer? Well... It used to be F1 was the BIG one for me. But I have to admit, F1 has become really boring. I love F1, and fully admit that it is not as close competition as NASCAR. I love F1 because they let technology take the lead there. NASCAR on the other hand, uses some archaic technology that can't be found on a single road going car sold these days. And they badge the cars as models of street cars? When was the last time you saw a V8 powered, rear wheel drive Ford Taurus??? Outside of NASACR? Never. And the ironic twist of this "American" race series? The only model represented in the field that is ACTUALLY built in the US is the Toyota Camry.

But the technology in F1 has caused the sport to suffer as well. The capabilities of the cars are so great, that passing has become an exception, not the norm. That makes for an awfully boring race. It's more like a Time Trial these days. Qualifying is actually pretty interesting now. They keep making changes to the rules to make more competition, but they don't do the one thing that could REALLY make the racing good again. Get rid of the carbon-carbon brakes. Go back to metallic brakes, and you have overtaking under braking again. The braking zones will stretch out, and there will actually be some room, and some time, for drivers to DO something.
[/nomex]

Hurm... I seem to have rambled on a bit... Sorry 'bout that...

Anyway, Speed is the NASCAR channel because NASCAR has the money to make it so. As for other motorsports? WRC is available on my local "altitude" sports network, so I might imagine it was available elsewhere as well. But there's another can 'o worms too...

-Josh2

I remember well when it was SpeedVision, as do these people:

http://www.theracingnetwork.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=165

http://www.theracingnetwork.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=27


NASCAR is the WWF of racing
It's a good show, but it shouldn't be confused with the real thing.

Speed Channel: A whole evening of back-to-back episodes of Unique Whips!!!!
I really don't understand how they have an audience for such mind numbing shows.

Too much NASCAR? Too much of anything is well, too much!

Andys