Michigan International Speedway is the stop this weekend for the Nationwide Series. ESPN is the TV network. 1PM ET for the pre-race show and 2PM for race coverage.
Allen Bestwick is set to host the program from the Infield Pit Studio. He will have Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty alongside and Tim Brewer in the Tech Garage. Danica Patrick is back and making news with a Hot Wheels sponsored car and solid times in practice. These are the new Nationwide Series cars and they look great.
Marty Reid, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree are in the TV booth. Mike Massaro, Dave Burns, Vince Welch and Dr. Jerry Punch are on pit road. Jamie Little is off the NASCAR beat this weekend.
The new Nationwide Series cars have been causing a quite a stir. Complaints were everywhere in practice and the tech inspection before qualifying was a disaster. This is an impound race, so drivers will be running exactly the set-up they had after qualifying.
TV has several stories to cover including how many cars are going to start and park on this big track. Meanwhile the cross-over drivers from the Cup Series are in a brand new car and perhaps do not have the advantages they normally enjoy in this series.
SPEED handled the practice and qualifying coverage for the NNS series. ESPN is only covering the race. There may well be a bit of a information gap in terms of the stories that have been unfolding this weekend. That is going to be a key point to watch, especially in the pre-race show.
MIS is a huge track with few TV coverage issues. Cameras on top of the tower work well for racing action. Low angles show the speed and the pit road is straight and wide for easy TV coverage.
It's yet to be seen exactly how the NNS cars will race in a pack on this big track. One thing is for sure, the cars look great and the fan reaction has been positive. This may translate to higher TV ratings as Saturday viewers click by the race.
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