Here is another view of the Winternationals coverage, offered by sometime DRO contributor and editor of our sister publication, www.circleracingonline.com, Ian Tocher

NHRA TV PACKAGE NEEDS TUNE-UP

I watched the final-rounds coverage of the season-opening NHRA AutoZone Winternationals at Pomona, CA, eager to see how the much-vaunted new TV package with ESPN(2) would stack up.

From a cursory glance at the prelims on the Internet, it looked like it was a great day for racing, with lots of story lines in the works, ranging from a rookie on the cusp of scoring his first win in his first race, to the early exit of last year's champions in the early rounds. Too bad I couldn't tell all that from the first few minutes of the broadcast I watched on "the deuce."

I did like the jump straight into Top Fuel, but within a couple of minutes I already was tired of hearing new play-by-play man Marty Reid describe someone "striking the tires" whenever a smoke show began. Yes, yes, I know it's correct terminology, but couldn't he at least have employed a few different clichés, like "boils the hides," "blisters the baloneys," or the ever-popular and elegantly simple "goes up in smoke"? To be fair, I think some astute producer may also have noticed Marty's fixation and tipped him off to some alternatives, since I didn't notice him "striking" as the event progressed.

Cruz Pedregon was adequate, I thought, as Reid's color commentary sidekick, but seemed either reluctant or unsure about saying what really was on his mind. I'll chalk it up to first-time jitters because there's absolutely no doubt Pedregon is up to speed on what's going on (particularly in the fuel ranks), and he's an articulate and observant speaker. We need to hear more from Pedregon than just the usual, "he's got good reaction times" and "he's been running consistent 4.60s all day." Those are legitimate comments, to be sure, but Cruzer can offer so much more. I want to hear him describe the quirks or habits of some of the racers he's faced, what a driver or crew chief can do once they're on the line to take advantage of those traits, and maybe a few tricks of the trade that aren't common knowledge beyond the back doors of the nitro haulers. Give us the scoop, Cruz!

Pit reporters Shelly Anderson and David Reiff were their usual inoffensive selves, not adding a great deal of insight, but not really detracting from the story either. Again, I suspect both could do more with their on-air time, but drag racing coverage has become so formulaic that it sometimes seems like not a lot of thought is put into their segments before the camera rolls. As I mentioned, the unfolding stories were all held until their respective classes took the stage, so it wasn't until well into the broadcast we were told that John Force made a first-round exit or that Jeg Coughlin fared only one round better.

And as far as the end-of-the-strip winner's interviews go, all I can say is, "We miss you, Steve."

Reid and Pedregon both struggled at times, particularly early in the broadcast, with camera views changing just as they began describing what was on the screen. Obviously there's some communication issues to be worked out between the announcers, directors, and camera operators before this is even going to approach the quality we've become used to with NASCAR, CART, F-1, or even World of Outlaws coverage. But ESPN was one of the acknowledged masters with the roundy-round crowd, so I expect it will soon catch on to what makes a straight-line show sizzle.

The telecast I saw was pretty staid in its presentation, other than what I thought was a great camera angle from a blimp flying overhead the strip. Maybe this has been used before, but it was the most consistently satisfying angle to see where the groove was and how each car gained or lost ground to the other. Plus, I've never seen a better representation of the deceleration the Top Fuelers and Funny Cars face once the chutes are out. Ground-level cameras and even the above-the-finish-line shots just don't do justice to conveying the tremendous force these drivers must experience every time they drop the laundry, but the "blimp-cam" captured it perfectly. More, please!

On the other hand, please NHRA, give the Winston gal a purpose or get rid of the whole trophy queen concept. She seems like a very nice young lady, and she's certainly attractive, but if she's going to be out there, at least give her something to do other than standing in the background grinning at the camera after every final round! I mean, does this really add anything to the program? Especially since it's been the same person in the red and white Winston leathers for the last few years now (and I'm not talking about Angelle Seeling).

Okay, I'll stop now. You know I'm getting particularly curmudgeonly when I start complaining about the presence of pretty girls.

Now admittedly, I saw only the one-hour of final-rounds coverage late on Sunday night (and I even missed a few minutes here and there as I attended to needs beyond getting a drag racing fix), so some of my concerns may well have been addressed and I don't even know about it. If that's the case, I apologize in advance to the unfairly aggrieved parties.

Regardless, from what I did see, I think there's room for improvement. That's okay, though, because I also firmly believe there's even more room for potential - and that's all NHRA and ESPN(2) need to "build the program and get it into the winner's circle before this year's over." Back to you, Marty.

See you at the races!

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