There are only a handful of high-profile races during the summer months. Daytona on this holiday weekend is at the top of that heap. SPEED's RaceDay is the big program for that network and it begins at 4:30PM ET.
Darrell Waltrip returns for another weekend as he is replacing Kyle Petty during this stretch of races on TNT. Waltrip is joined by Kenny Wallace and host John Roberts. Wendy Venturini and Hermie Sadler are the reporters.
TNT has continued to present a very crisp and clean Countdown to Green pre-race show since that network took over the Sprint Cup Series coverage. RaceDay has really had to look in the mirror and step-up their game. In some ways, the program has succeeded. In other areas, there are still problems.
The table has been set for this Saturday with plenty of stories to report and topics to discuss. From bigger restrictor plates to the resurgence of Jimmie Johnson, RaceDay has a target-rich environment.
Anytime Darrell Waltrip is on TV, he wants to be the center of attention. We saw that on the ill-fated FOX coverage this season. On RaceDay, John Roberts works very hard to keep Waltrip on topic and his comments brief. This is a very different environment from the Hollywood Hotel and Chris Myers. RaceDay belongs to Roberts, not Waltrip. Watch for these two to quietly battle over control.
While Kyle Petty allows Wallace to have his moment in the spotlight, Waltrip does not. Wallace continues to be a child where Waltrip is concerned and the previous RaceDay programs resulted in nothing more for Wallace than repeatedly agreeing with Waltrip's points of view. This dynamic has not worked from the start.
There is a lot of added pressure at Daytona today. RaceDay is a huge franchise for SPEED. There will be a lot of folks watching and talking about what is said and reported over the two hours of the program.
This post is your opportunity to offer comments on NASCAR RaceDay before, during and after this program from Daytona. To add your TV-related comments, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendl website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.
