Wishful Thinking/ Racing Incorporated Part 2 as Good as Part 1/ SPEED Goes Miami Vice/ USAC Notes
Wishful Thinking
Don’t expect to find a letter to fans from the IRL and CCWS announcing their reunification under the Christmas tree. We might have taken a tiny step closer late Thursday when ESPN announced a deal with their family of networks and Champ Car World Series. The multiyear agreement will bring 11 Champ Car races to ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC in 2007 and all of the series races to the family of networks in 2008. The move now puts the IRL and CCWS under the same network umbrella which may help move reunification talks along. Maybe my thoughts on reunification are wishful thinking but it is something both series desperately need. CCWS co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven told ESPN.com’s John Oreovicz that the new deal will help the series get in front of the US race fan. Kalkhoven added that the association will be helpful in future moves towards reunification. The he threw SPEED under the transporter.
"If we can't have open-wheel unification, at least we can have a common broadcast partner,” Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven told ESPN.com's John Oreovicz. “Speed Channel has become so NASCAR-centric that we were just a speed bump in their day."
The first two races of the 2007 season, Las Vegas and Long Beach will most likely be a time buy on CBS or NBC. The first Champ Car race on the ESPN family of networks will be Houston. The Champ Car Atlantic Series will air on ESPN2. The broadcast schedule has not been announced. The 2007 CCWS event schedule is listed below.
April 8 Las Vegas, Nevada
April 15 Long Beach, California
April 22 Houston, Texas
May 20 Zahuhai, China
June 10 Portland, Oregon
June 24 Cleveland, Ohio
July 1 St. Jovite, Canada
July 8 Toronto, Canada
July 22 Edmonton, Canada
July 29 San Jose, California
August 12 Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
August 19 Denver, Colorado
October 21 Surfers Paradise, Australia
November 11 Mexico City, Mexico
December 2 Phoenix, Arizona
Racing Incorporated Part 2 as Good as Part 1
If you read the previous blog, you know that I gave Racing Incorporated Part 1 high marks. Part 2 was just as good as or better than part 1.
Part 2 talked about how Chip Ganassi Racing dealt with its rivals. In the IRL, Roger Penske’s teams are CGR’s rivals. The program talked about how both teams battled with each other for the championship.
It also talked about the rivalry between Riley Technologies (also a Silver Crown chassis producer) and CGR.
Ganassi picked Riley Technologies to build a chassis for them that never had been on the track before. In their first year CGR won the championship only to be bested the following year by Riley.
The program also with Target officials on why CGR is a good fit for them.
Target’s Information Technology folks (computer folks) helped CGR build their IT systems and then worked with Microsoft to develop ways for the engineers to use it for all of their race teams but the IRL teams use it the most.
Racing Incorporated focused on the workout programs for the over the wall guys as well as everyone on the team. Engineers do cardio so they won’t get tired in the heat.
CGR had an interesting approach to attracting over the wall guys for their Cup teams. CGR’s over the wall Cup guys were former stick and ball athletes that were recruited to race. They just do pits and a lot of them never knew anything else about racing until they were hired by CGR.
The program closed out with two quotes from Chip Ganassi about goals for his team and organizations.
“We have to win some races and we have to have a car in the chase next year.”
“When people think about racing in the United States I want them to think about our name and our brand and what is that about? It is about Performance, innovation, integrity and it’s about partnership.”
Racing Incorporated is scheduled for rebroadcast on SPEED on Monday November 20th at 3 and 4pm eastern.
SPEED Goes Miami Vice
Last night SPEED’s program The Chase Is On went throwback with a Miami Vice opening complete with boats,
airplanes,
babes and Miami’s skyline.
Carl Edwards co-hosted the program in makeshift shorts.
Final Truck Open Wheeler Practice Results
1. (22) Bill Lester
4. 17 David Reutiman
13. 98 Erin Crocker
19. 16 Mike Bliss
21. 10 Terry Cook
30. 21 Bobby East
Truck Qualifying 5pm Eastern. The race is live tonight on SPEED.
Wind Tunnel, The State of NASCAR
Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain will broadcast a special edition, The State of NASCAR Sunday at 10am eastern. The season finale of Wind Tunnel will air live Sunday night at 9pm eastern. The always loveable Robin Miller will be one of the hosts.
USAC Notes
USAC National Sprint and Midget Car Series driver Bryan Clauson has been nominated for the RACER Magazine Rookie of the Year award. Indianapolis 500 runner-up Marco Andretti (Indy Racing League), Colin Braun (Grand Am), Dan Clarke (Champ Car), Denny Hamlin (NASCAR) and Robert Kubica (Formula 1) are also up for the same award..
USAC will require all drivers to wear a head and neck restraint system in 2007. The new rule covers all regions and divisions. For more more on this story, please visit www.usacracing.com.
Football Coverage
If you are looking for our football features, they can now be found at http://www.mytoptwentyfive.blogspot.com/.
Images courtesy of SPEED, CBS, NBC, IMS Productions, NASCAR Images, Chet Burks Productions, Champ Car World Series, LLC, Riley Scott and USAC.
Don’t expect to find a letter to fans from the IRL and CCWS announcing their reunification under the Christmas tree. We might have taken a tiny step closer late Thursday when ESPN announced a deal with their family of networks and Champ Car World Series. The multiyear agreement will bring 11 Champ Car races to ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC in 2007 and all of the series races to the family of networks in 2008. The move now puts the IRL and CCWS under the same network umbrella which may help move reunification talks along. Maybe my thoughts on reunification are wishful thinking but it is something both series desperately need. CCWS co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven told ESPN.com’s John Oreovicz that the new deal will help the series get in front of the US race fan. Kalkhoven added that the association will be helpful in future moves towards reunification. The he threw SPEED under the transporter.
"If we can't have open-wheel unification, at least we can have a common broadcast partner,” Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven told ESPN.com's John Oreovicz. “Speed Channel has become so NASCAR-centric that we were just a speed bump in their day."
The first two races of the 2007 season, Las Vegas and Long Beach will most likely be a time buy on CBS or NBC. The first Champ Car race on the ESPN family of networks will be Houston. The Champ Car Atlantic Series will air on ESPN2. The broadcast schedule has not been announced. The 2007 CCWS event schedule is listed below.
April 8 Las Vegas, Nevada
April 15 Long Beach, California
April 22 Houston, Texas
May 20 Zahuhai, China
June 10 Portland, Oregon
June 24 Cleveland, Ohio
July 1 St. Jovite, Canada
July 8 Toronto, Canada
July 22 Edmonton, Canada
July 29 San Jose, California
August 12 Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
August 19 Denver, Colorado
October 21 Surfers Paradise, Australia
November 11 Mexico City, Mexico
December 2 Phoenix, Arizona
Racing Incorporated Part 2 as Good as Part 1
If you read the previous blog, you know that I gave Racing Incorporated Part 1 high marks. Part 2 was just as good as or better than part 1.
Part 2 talked about how Chip Ganassi Racing dealt with its rivals. In the IRL, Roger Penske’s teams are CGR’s rivals. The program talked about how both teams battled with each other for the championship.
It also talked about the rivalry between Riley Technologies (also a Silver Crown chassis producer) and CGR.
Ganassi picked Riley Technologies to build a chassis for them that never had been on the track before. In their first year CGR won the championship only to be bested the following year by Riley.
The program also with Target officials on why CGR is a good fit for them.
Target’s Information Technology folks (computer folks) helped CGR build their IT systems and then worked with Microsoft to develop ways for the engineers to use it for all of their race teams but the IRL teams use it the most.
Racing Incorporated focused on the workout programs for the over the wall guys as well as everyone on the team. Engineers do cardio so they won’t get tired in the heat.
CGR had an interesting approach to attracting over the wall guys for their Cup teams. CGR’s over the wall Cup guys were former stick and ball athletes that were recruited to race. They just do pits and a lot of them never knew anything else about racing until they were hired by CGR.
The program closed out with two quotes from Chip Ganassi about goals for his team and organizations.
“We have to win some races and we have to have a car in the chase next year.”
“When people think about racing in the United States I want them to think about our name and our brand and what is that about? It is about Performance, innovation, integrity and it’s about partnership.”
Racing Incorporated is scheduled for rebroadcast on SPEED on Monday November 20th at 3 and 4pm eastern.
SPEED Goes Miami Vice
Last night SPEED’s program The Chase Is On went throwback with a Miami Vice opening complete with boats,
airplanes,
babes and Miami’s skyline.
Carl Edwards co-hosted the program in makeshift shorts.
Final Truck Open Wheeler Practice Results
1. (22) Bill Lester
4. 17 David Reutiman
13. 98 Erin Crocker
19. 16 Mike Bliss
21. 10 Terry Cook
30. 21 Bobby East
Truck Qualifying 5pm Eastern. The race is live tonight on SPEED.
Wind Tunnel, The State of NASCAR
Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain will broadcast a special edition, The State of NASCAR Sunday at 10am eastern. The season finale of Wind Tunnel will air live Sunday night at 9pm eastern. The always loveable Robin Miller will be one of the hosts.
USAC Notes
USAC National Sprint and Midget Car Series driver Bryan Clauson has been nominated for the RACER Magazine Rookie of the Year award. Indianapolis 500 runner-up Marco Andretti (Indy Racing League), Colin Braun (Grand Am), Dan Clarke (Champ Car), Denny Hamlin (NASCAR) and Robert Kubica (Formula 1) are also up for the same award..
USAC will require all drivers to wear a head and neck restraint system in 2007. The new rule covers all regions and divisions. For more more on this story, please visit www.usacracing.com.
Football Coverage
If you are looking for our football features, they can now be found at http://www.mytoptwentyfive.blogspot.com/.
Images courtesy of SPEED, CBS, NBC, IMS Productions, NASCAR Images, Chet Burks Productions, Champ Car World Series, LLC, Riley Scott and USAC.
posted by Blake Johnson at 4:10 PM
<< Home