Krista Voda Uncovered/ Where did Connie LeGrand Go?/ More on Nicole Manske/ Thanks for the Link/ Where in the World is Robin Miller?
Krista Voda Uncovered
There is one female reporter in SPEED’s lineup that stands above the rest. Not only does she have spunk and good looks, this gal is a journalist.
Yes boys, she is not wearing a ring. I had the opportunity to briefly speak with her this past weekend at the truck race in Memphis. Krista Voda was born in Clinton, Iowa. She has always wanted to be a storyteller.
. She graduated from the University of Northern Iowa but did not hit the big time immediately. She started like most of the good reporters doing local sports. She worked as weekend sports anchor at WLEX in Lexington, Kentucky paying her dues.
She joined the FOX family of networks and her love for journalism immediately showed. She was there for the big stories like the Nextel Title Sponsor Press Conference and the Dale Earnhardt Tribute concert, reporting like someone who had years of experience. I have been around a lot of reporters; too often cute females try to get the job because they enjoy being on TV. Not Krista Voda. The now Pennsylvania native can be seen during NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races running through the pits, gathering information sometimes using hand signals to communicate with teams. Her goal is to make the viewers feel like they are right there.
Even though she grew up in Iowa, she is not from a racing background but yet has adapted to her surroundings so that you would think that she was born into it. Yes Krista Voda is a good-looking pit reporter but more than that, she is a storyteller.
Where did Connie LeGrand Go?
I have receive tons of emails on this subject and I have some bad news for you. A SPEED Channel spokesperson confirmed to me today that Connie LeGeand’s contract was not renewed. Born in Columbus, Ohio, LeGrand received a degree in Marketing from Clemson and a Master’s degree from Georgia before she headed into the broadcast world.
Like Krista Voda, she also worked her way up the broadcast ladder working at local broadcast affiliates before co-hosting Speed News on the SPEED Channel. According to the Wikipedia, Her last broadcast was on June 25, 2006. Non-renewal of a contract is not unusual in the broadcast world. A lot of times local television stations and networks are looking to shuffel the deck or add new faces to their lineup and the easiest way to do that is to let current anchor’s contracts expire and not renew them.
Connie LeGrand should land on her feet. She has spent a lot of time behind the anchor desk in the Carolinas and should be a welcome addition to any television station in the country. She was replaced by Nicole Manske.
More on Nicole Manske
Miss Illinois Teen USA 1998 Nicole Manske is the newest face at SPEED but she is not that new to Indianapolis TV viewers and IRL fans. Prior to taking over the anchor chair for Connie LeGrand, Nicole Manske was a sports reporter for WISH TV and a pit reporter for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. During here time at WISH, she made waves when she showed up on the arm of Dan Weldon at the 2005 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles. The Indianapolis Star reported that August that Manske and Weldon were dating. Indy Star reporter Susan Guyett http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050805/COLUMNISTS04/50805025 then questioned Nicole Manske’s reporting because Manske could be reporting on someone she was dating. In an email to Guyett, Manske called the romance a "personal matter" and said that she believed that she could do her job without bias. Nicole Manske’s old bio can still be found at http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1782313 According to the bio, Manske hailing from Danica Patrick’s alleged hometown of Roscoe, Illinois. (Even though fans at the Milwaukee Mile say Patrick was born in Wisconsin but that is a story for another day.)
Courtesy pagent.com
According to http://www.pagent.com/, Nicole Manske is a former Miss Illinois Teen USA in 1998, former Miss Rockford and second runner up in the Miss Illinois Pageant.
Thanks for the Link
I would like to thank a female race fan for linking to this site. Duchess Jane tells about what is going on in her life on her blog http://www.duchessjane.com/blomit/. She appears to be an avid race fan and has a thing for Helio Castroneves.
Feel free to link to me. Drop me a line at johnsonbjv@aol.com to let me know you did.
Wease Tests for Penske
Kentucky Speedway reports that USAC standout Billy Wease tested for Penske Racing Tuesday at the 1.5 mile oval. Wease tested the Penske R&R car. The Indiana native finished third last year in the USAC National Midget Series race at Milwaukee.
Where in the World is Robin Miller?
SPEEDTV.com is reporting that Robin Miller will be in Edmonton covering the Champ Car World Series this weekend. The great one was in Milwaukee covering the IRL weekend there in 2005.
Good Job IRL and CCWS
In the middle of the reunification process, the Indy Racing League and the Champ Car World Series has scheduled races that run at almost the same time together. CCWS starts their timed race at 1pm eastern and the IRL hits the tube at 1:30pm. If that is not bad enough, NASCAR goes green at 2pm. Whoever thought this was a good idea needs to find a spot in the shade because you are suffering from heatstroke. I guess I should just be glad that these series are on TV.
TV Listings
July 21
3:30 pm NASCAR Nextel Cup Qualifying Pocono (LIVE) SPEED
July 22
1:00 pm ARCA RE/MAX Series Pocono (LIVE) SPEED
3:30 pm NASCAR Busch Series Martinsville NBC
7:30 pm Speed News SPEED
July 23
1:00 pm Champ Car from Edmonton CBS
1:30 pm IRL IndyCar Series Milwaukee ESPN
2:00 pm Nextel Cup Race - Pocono TNT
7:00 pm Speed News SPEED
9:00 pm Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain (LIVE) SPEED
Images appearing in this blog courtesy of R.E. Technologies, Pagent.com, SPEED, ABC, ESPN, Indy Racing League and NASCAR Images.
There is one female reporter in SPEED’s lineup that stands above the rest. Not only does she have spunk and good looks, this gal is a journalist.
Yes boys, she is not wearing a ring. I had the opportunity to briefly speak with her this past weekend at the truck race in Memphis. Krista Voda was born in Clinton, Iowa. She has always wanted to be a storyteller.
. She graduated from the University of Northern Iowa but did not hit the big time immediately. She started like most of the good reporters doing local sports. She worked as weekend sports anchor at WLEX in Lexington, Kentucky paying her dues.
She joined the FOX family of networks and her love for journalism immediately showed. She was there for the big stories like the Nextel Title Sponsor Press Conference and the Dale Earnhardt Tribute concert, reporting like someone who had years of experience. I have been around a lot of reporters; too often cute females try to get the job because they enjoy being on TV. Not Krista Voda. The now Pennsylvania native can be seen during NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races running through the pits, gathering information sometimes using hand signals to communicate with teams. Her goal is to make the viewers feel like they are right there.
Even though she grew up in Iowa, she is not from a racing background but yet has adapted to her surroundings so that you would think that she was born into it. Yes Krista Voda is a good-looking pit reporter but more than that, she is a storyteller.
Where did Connie LeGrand Go?
I have receive tons of emails on this subject and I have some bad news for you. A SPEED Channel spokesperson confirmed to me today that Connie LeGeand’s contract was not renewed. Born in Columbus, Ohio, LeGrand received a degree in Marketing from Clemson and a Master’s degree from Georgia before she headed into the broadcast world.
Like Krista Voda, she also worked her way up the broadcast ladder working at local broadcast affiliates before co-hosting Speed News on the SPEED Channel. According to the Wikipedia, Her last broadcast was on June 25, 2006. Non-renewal of a contract is not unusual in the broadcast world. A lot of times local television stations and networks are looking to shuffel the deck or add new faces to their lineup and the easiest way to do that is to let current anchor’s contracts expire and not renew them.
Connie LeGrand should land on her feet. She has spent a lot of time behind the anchor desk in the Carolinas and should be a welcome addition to any television station in the country. She was replaced by Nicole Manske.
More on Nicole Manske
Miss Illinois Teen USA 1998 Nicole Manske is the newest face at SPEED but she is not that new to Indianapolis TV viewers and IRL fans. Prior to taking over the anchor chair for Connie LeGrand, Nicole Manske was a sports reporter for WISH TV and a pit reporter for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. During here time at WISH, she made waves when she showed up on the arm of Dan Weldon at the 2005 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles. The Indianapolis Star reported that August that Manske and Weldon were dating. Indy Star reporter Susan Guyett http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050805/COLUMNISTS04/50805025 then questioned Nicole Manske’s reporting because Manske could be reporting on someone she was dating. In an email to Guyett, Manske called the romance a "personal matter" and said that she believed that she could do her job without bias. Nicole Manske’s old bio can still be found at http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1782313 According to the bio, Manske hailing from Danica Patrick’s alleged hometown of Roscoe, Illinois. (Even though fans at the Milwaukee Mile say Patrick was born in Wisconsin but that is a story for another day.)
Courtesy pagent.com
According to http://www.pagent.com/, Nicole Manske is a former Miss Illinois Teen USA in 1998, former Miss Rockford and second runner up in the Miss Illinois Pageant.
Thanks for the Link
I would like to thank a female race fan for linking to this site. Duchess Jane tells about what is going on in her life on her blog http://www.duchessjane.com/blomit/. She appears to be an avid race fan and has a thing for Helio Castroneves.
Feel free to link to me. Drop me a line at johnsonbjv@aol.com to let me know you did.
Wease Tests for Penske
Kentucky Speedway reports that USAC standout Billy Wease tested for Penske Racing Tuesday at the 1.5 mile oval. Wease tested the Penske R&R car. The Indiana native finished third last year in the USAC National Midget Series race at Milwaukee.
Where in the World is Robin Miller?
SPEEDTV.com is reporting that Robin Miller will be in Edmonton covering the Champ Car World Series this weekend. The great one was in Milwaukee covering the IRL weekend there in 2005.
Good Job IRL and CCWS
In the middle of the reunification process, the Indy Racing League and the Champ Car World Series has scheduled races that run at almost the same time together. CCWS starts their timed race at 1pm eastern and the IRL hits the tube at 1:30pm. If that is not bad enough, NASCAR goes green at 2pm. Whoever thought this was a good idea needs to find a spot in the shade because you are suffering from heatstroke. I guess I should just be glad that these series are on TV.
TV Listings
July 21
3:30 pm NASCAR Nextel Cup Qualifying Pocono (LIVE) SPEED
July 22
1:00 pm ARCA RE/MAX Series Pocono (LIVE) SPEED
3:30 pm NASCAR Busch Series Martinsville NBC
7:30 pm Speed News SPEED
July 23
1:00 pm Champ Car from Edmonton CBS
1:30 pm IRL IndyCar Series Milwaukee ESPN
2:00 pm Nextel Cup Race - Pocono TNT
7:00 pm Speed News SPEED
9:00 pm Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain (LIVE) SPEED
Images appearing in this blog courtesy of R.E. Technologies, Pagent.com, SPEED, ABC, ESPN, Indy Racing League and NASCAR Images.
posted by Blake Johnson at 4:09 PM
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