TV Times – Standardized Race Start Times Coming?

Could it be that NASCAR and the networks are finally listening to the fans and the TV viewers? NASCAR is expected to have more consistent start times by the 2010 season. Officials confirmed they are working with the networks to standardize starting times that fans have criticized for years.

Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark told reporters on Saturday that the plan is to run most afternoon races at 1 p.m ET and most night races at 7:30pm/et. This may vary for West Coast races. This came from ESPN and Stockcar Gazette.com.

While we are on that subject, some motor heads feel that the ESPN coverage of the NASCAR races are better than those down by Fox Sports. Some also feel that TNT did a better job than Fox. The recent uptick in the NASCAR TV ratings could be the result of ESPN/ABC’s coverage!

It appears that Danica Patrick is going to keep one foot in the IRL Indy Car Series and another in NASCAR. That is in the lower tier divisions. It will be interesting to see if she gets first class equipment. That’s the only way she will be able to work her way up the ladder system and into the Cup Series. Patrick is about the only thing that the IRL has going for it. She’s the biggest ticket seller that club has in its depleted assets locker.

Jeremy Mayfield had an interesting slant on why he claims he was singled out by NASCAR’s drug testing program. An item on StockCarGazette.com quoted him as saying that he was singled out so that the other drivers and team members would fall into line. That’s interesting but far from being conclusive. It will all be revealed when the two adversaries go to court, which could be a year from now. But, then again there’s always the possibility of an out of court settlement.

The Associated Press reported that Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and Bank of Santander president Emilio Botin announced a Santander sponsorship for Ferrari. Santander currently sponsors Ferrari rivals McLaren under a three-year deal ending with this season. The existing deal had been inked after Spanish double world champion Fernando Alonso signed with McLaren. The relationship between the driver and the team ended after one season. The expected Santander-Ferrari announcement is fuelling rumors that Alonso will join the Italian team. This report came from SportsBusinessInternational.com.

The Coronado Speed Festival is Fleet Week San Diego’s marquee event. The event features fast-paced, thrilling auto racing and exhibitions for car enthusiasts of all ages at one of the most distinctive race track locations – Naval Air Station North Island, the birthplace of Naval Aviation. Nowhere else can you see a variety of cars racing on a live runway used by the U.S. Navy.

This is the only Navy Open House on the West Coast. Naval Base Coronado is home to over 20, 000 active duty military and over 4,000 civilian employees. The general public only gets a glimpse of the daily activities happening at the base. This is San Diego’s opportunity to interact with the young men and women who defend our freedom. Climb aboard and tour an active Navy ship berthed at NASNI, visit command displays, watch F-18 flyovers and see military vehicles in action.

Don’t miss out on this annual celebration of speed. The Coronado Speed Festival offers something for everyone to enjoy so race on down to Naval Air Station, North Island on September 26-27 for the premiere-racing event of the season. This event is free for active duty military and their dependants. For more information please go to www.fleetweeksandiego.org/coronadospeedfestival.

Advance purchase general admission tickets are available on the Fleet Week Website (www.fleetweeksandiego.org) – $25 one day and $35 for both days. Tickets will also be available at the venue ($35 for one day and $45 for both days). Children 12 and under are free with paid adult admission. Active duty military and their dependants are free.

These next two items came from SportsBusinessInternational. The Australia-based V8 Supercar series has agreed a three-year race-hosting deal with Abu Dhabi Grand Prix venue Yas Marina.

The new deal, beginning 2010, will see the first two races of next year’s championship take place in the Middle East – the first at Abu Dhabi, and the second in Bahrain. The Autosport.com website reports that Richard Cregan, head of Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management, said the deal was part of the circuit’s plan to host a variety of international race series’ as well as Formula 1.

“Our mandate at ADMM (Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management) is to develop Yas Marina Circuit into a regional and international centre of motorsport excellence,” he said. “These are cars that we all see on the streets of Abu Dhabi, everyday. On the track, spectators and viewers will witness some of the most sensational wheel-to-wheel racing imaginable. “Year round, Yas Marina Circuit will be the venue for many of the world’s top motor racing series as well as offering opportunities for the general public to experience the thrill of motorsport within a safe environment.”

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins this weekend as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races for 300 laps on Sunday, Sept. 20, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. ESPN’s live, flag-to-flag coverage of the race will air on ABC. The telecast begins with NASCAR Countdown presented by Degree V12 at 1 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag is at 2:15 p.m.

ESPN’s coverage of the final 11 races of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule will air on ABC, including all 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. ESPN’s coverage from New Hampshire includes NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying on Friday, Sept. 18, at 3 p.m., and a same-day telecast of NASCAR Sprint Cup final practice on Saturday at 6:45 p.m., both on ESPN2.

Dr. Jerry Punch will be lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN’s coverage, with analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Reporting from the pits will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch, with two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer in the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.

Allen Bestwick will host the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty, co-owner of a winning team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, in the ESPN pit studio.

Also this week, ESPN2 airs a 30-minute special program previewing the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The program airs Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 5:30 p.m. following NASCAR Now.

The New Hampshire race re-airs on ESPN Classic at noon on Monday, Sept. 21. Earlier that day at 8 a.m., ESPN Classic airs an episode of its signature series SportsCentury featuring seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty.

ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will report from Chase Media Day in New York and from historic Fenway Park in Boston in an expanded one-hour episode on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 5:30 p.m. ET. Host Mike Massaro will preview the Chase with driver interviews from New York, while members of the Roush Fenway Racing team and some guests from the Boston Red Sox will be interviewed from Boston during the hour as well.

NASCAR on ESPN analysts Ray Evernham, Ricky Craven and Boris Said will be panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program on Monday, Sept. 21, at 5 p.m. with host Allen Bestwick.

Massaro hosts half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now airing Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 5 p.m. Massaro will be joined by Said for the one-hour weekend edition that airs Sunday, Sept. 20, at 10 a.m. with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire. The weekend wrap-up edition airs at 10 p.m. Nicole Manske and Marty Smith will report from New Hampshire for both programs. .

NASCAR Now is hosted by Massaro, Bestwick and Manske and originates from ESPN’s high definition studios in Bristol, Conn. Contributors include NASCAR Insiders Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis, analysts Ray Evernham, Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Boris Said, Ricky Craven and Randy LaJoie, and ESPN.com reporters Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton. The NASCAR on ESPN team event coverage team of Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Spake and Vince Welch also make frequent contributions to NASCAR Now.

The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series begins its Countdown to 1 playoffs as the series visits zMax Dragway in Concord, N.C., for the NHRA Carolina Nationals this weekend. ESPN2 will air qualifying and eliminations action on a same-day basis. Qualifying airs S aturday, Sept. 19, at 11 p.m. ET, with eliminations airing Sunday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. Finals coverage re-airs Monday, Sept. 21, at 5 p.m. on ESPN Classic.

The most recent addition to the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series was an overwhelming success in its debut last year, when race fans descended on the brand-new facility to enjoy what has been called “the Bellagio of dragstrips.” The event holds a crucial spot on the schedule as the first event of the Countdown to 1. The 10 teams in each category that qualified for this final leg of the championship battle will be looking for strong opening statements to kick off their final pushes for NHRA Full Throttle glory.

Paul Page anchors ESPN2’s coverage with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould, Dave Rieff and John Kernan report from the pits. Rieff and Dunn host NHRA RaceDay on Sunday at 11 a.m. to set the stage for that day’s eliminations action.

Other NHRA programming airing on ESPN Networks this week includes highlights from the 2004 NHRA Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, Ill., airing Monday, Sept. 21, at 3 p.m. on ESPN Classic.

The Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League, which features modified trucks, tractors and other vehicles, will be in action on Sunday, Sept. 20, in a half-hour program beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET on ESPN2.

The programs will feature highlights from an event held in Henry, Ill. The league is sanctioned by the American Tractor Pulling Association.

Let’s see what else is happening on television this week through the weekend for the gearheads courtesy of RaceFanTV.com. On Thursday at 3 p.m. Speed offers the Camping World Series West event from Sonoma, CA. On Friday at noon Speed airs Cup Practice from NH. At 6 p.m. VS airs IRL Qualifying from Montegi, Japan and the IRL race at 10:30 p.m. Saturday gets off and racing at 9 a.m. on Speed with Cup Practice from NH followed by Camping World Truck Qualifying at 10 a.m. then the Truck race at 3 p.m. and the Grand Am event from Tooele, UT at 5:30 p.m. Sunday’s other offerings on Speed begin at 7 p.m. with the Speed Report, Victory Lane from NH and Wind Tunnel at 9 p.m. (END)

NOTE: INFORMATION FOR THIS COLUMN CAME FROM VARIOUS REFERENCED SOURCES, PRESS RELEASES, NOTES AND OTHER SOURCES.