NHRA on FOX - Here's the schedule (1 Viewer)

[Nobody]

Slightly off topic. If NHRA did not own the production with ESPN, will they have access to video? I would presume rebroadcast rights were included in the contract, but would be weird not to have flashbacks to last years event on the coverage.

 

[Rajunz]

If you buy an Amazon Fire Stick you'll be able to stream Fox Sports GO as long as you have an internet connection. Amazon products are the only ones that FOX allows to stream. Not Roku or others. The only issue with streaming is you can't easily record it, but the schedule shows lots of reruns.

 

[Bullard Anderson]

One reason this is AWESOME because if you fill your Sunday's with outdoor activities you can roll the DVR at 6pm to watch. There was a lot of waiting to 8pm or 9pm with ESPN2. Having the peak of your broadcast occur between 11:30 to Midnight is just terrible TV. Also, let me be the first to say to you fellow Maters: Add the 3hr extension to all your DVR's!!!!! Huge!

 

[rckymtn3]

Slightly off topic. If NHRA did not own the production with ESPN, will they have access to video? I would presume rebroadcast rights were included in the contract, but would be weird not to have flashbacks to last years event on the coverage.

For you sensitive fanboy types, stop reading now, lest your precious values are molested by my words and thoughts.

I understand that you like flashbacks. That's cool. You should be a very sated cowboy after years and years of it from ESPN. I believe though ABC/ESPN houses most of the footage of NHRA, the NHRA is free to use the archives as it is their sanctioning body and their racing, and it is the NHRA who licensed ESPN to show their sport in this latter era. The old Wide World of Sports is probably ABC/ESPN property, but again, if they were on the ball, the execs would have signed a contract saying they can use the images. If (unbelievably) that's not true, then chalk up another terrible business choice made by NHRA and it's incredible execs.

Actually, staying in the moment is what I want personally. I hated the frequency of flashbacks ESPN used.

Last weeks winners, two weeks previous winners, three weeks previous winners, last year's winners, 3 years ago winners....ugh.

I'm all for showing true special moments in the sport, but replaying previous races and weeks and years past just because you have nothing to say is a lazy media tool. All those flashbacks were useless to me, and to most anyone else. You either know the history, or you don't. You're either interested, or not. For those interested, there's many many ways to learn the history without having it spoon fed to viewers.

Basic Statistics.
Winning last year at (insert track here) has zero bearing on whether you win at (insert track here) this year. That's a fact. Running statistical analysis on something provides a measured correlation, but it's not always relevant to an outcome. Statistics rely on science, and science relies on experiments that prove a theory. Experiments run a matrix, changing each and every variable and measuring it's effect on the whole. Then, and only then can a statistic prove it's correct, or just a coincidence. Like the statistic that 100% of people that breathe air will eventually die. It's a true statement, there's a correlation, but it's hardly relevant to making a prediction.

I personally hope Fox, unlike ESPN, gives all that statistics junk a rest for once, and gets back to the business of televising a race.

I understand ESPN thought they would connect with all the stick and ball people if they crammed racing into a statistics based program much like ERA's RBI's etc. They were wrong.

When you become so enamored with statistics that you speak about them while the two cars are roaring down the track, you need an intervention man.

I'm not speaking of the obligatory ET MPH and Reaction Time stats, that's a given. I speak of all the other useless stuff. Hey, it's interesting if these two racers head to head are lopsided...0-14. But letting us know that these two on the track are 3 and 7 in second round appearances, 5 and 11 in first round appearances, that Buddy Ray used to be married to Jimmy's Half Brother, and that two years ago, they met in a final round at a race that will happen in three weeks. Seriously. Give it a break.

Since most the ESPN crew is the new Fox crew, I don't have much faith that they will adopt the Steve Evans/Dave McClelland school of drag racing video coverage. Let the cars tell the stories, know the sport, ask relevant questions, stand back and enjoy the race with the crowd.

Too many plate spinners and not enough Rolling Stones will kill your show.

 

[PJ]

I don't get the pull of the live show, as much as I love drag racing I'm not giving up that many weekends to sit and watch it in the summer. I will DVR it, plus the dead time between the semi's and finals drives me nuts. We already know what each driver is going to pull out of the cliché backpack in their interviews, I'd like if they should a little sportsman action then. Let the casual fan know that there is more out there. Now with that said a live time it should give a more consistent time frame to for casual fans to watch it, which is a good thing.

 

[vegasnitro]

This TV package is not being put together for the hard core 1% like us. It is being put together for the casual fan and to attract new fans. This new TV package should be able to do that as we will have TWO things we have never had, a consistent time slot and live coverage. If you still DVR it and watch it later that's fine, but I find it odd that people are complaining about what should be a nice step forward in coverage (unless you don't get the channel, then I understand the frustration with the dilemma of paying more money).

 

[SoCal Racer]

Like many of you I don't care about live broadcasts either. However, being on the Left Coast it means they will be aired early in the day, so I can watch the DVR'd program earlier if I want to. We have plentiful sunny afternoons here in SoCal, but I still won't sacrifice my weekend fun in the sun for TV.

Since most the ESPN crew is the new Fox crew, I don't have much faith that they will adopt the Steve Evans/Dave McClelland school of drag racing video coverage. Let the cars tell the stories, know the sport, ask relevant questions, stand back and enjoy the race with the crowd.

This is the crux of drag racing broadcasting. As Wally Parks would say, "The cars are the stars!" I truly hope FOX Sports does something good with the presentation and that it's not just rehashed ESPN.

 

[mick]

whether you think it's correct or not, my best .02 guess is the new format will show a lot of faces.....they are going to want the viewers to get to know the individual racers, and then of course their corresponding red, napa, white, amalie or whatever color/sponsor car they drive.......here's the cast of characters so if you're a frequent viewer by the 4th or 5th race the casual viewer will most likely know john hale just as well as john force. said it before, the cars and the drivers are the stars, each depends on the other. the blue napa car is ron capps....ron capps is the blue napa car.

and furthermore about spending more to pick up fsn1 (dish network's next pkg. in my particular case)......i could care less about the extra $15/mo. or so they want......it's the damn principal of it, i won't give them another cent; what i pay already for the crap channels i receive is ridiculous enough......i mean really, $80/month to watch TV!?.....and i know there are many folks who pay a lot more than that per month. we grew up with free tv.....i can see paying $30-50/mo. maybe for a few select channels i want, but $80/mo. and up for the p.o.s. channels they cram down our throats.......it really pisses me off.

if dish bumps fsn1 down and i get it; will also dvr.....no tv program is worth watching on a beautiful
summer afternoon. i am very excited for nhra and this venture with fox. i love the programming, it
is only going to be great for nhra. selfishly i have loved the sunday nite broadcasts for years and
will miss them.

 

[Race Fan]

Mike

I see that your thinking about ordered the book "Top Fuel For Life"
You should and Read it ASAP.
Maybe, just maybe you'll change your mind.

 

[Rajunz]

I don't get the pull of the live show.........

How many professional sports can you name that are not presented live? There are many reasons for it. Just this week I read where Alexis wrote "Wow, I'll finally be able to Tweet results on raceday. I never even considered that aspect. Gambling came to mind though.

 

[PJ]

How many professional sports can you name that are not presented live? There are many reasons for it. Just this week I read where Alexis wrote "Wow, I'll finally be able to Tweet results on raceday. I never even considered that aspect. Gambling came to mind though.

I understand the reasons to go live, even agree with many. My concern is that we have automatic down time between rounds as well as oil downs. You mentioned other sports are all live but they don't have the delays (accidental or intentional) that we do. Basketball and hockey rarely stop for anything. Football plays through just about everything. Baseball will stop for rain but it's not an everyday occurrence. Nasbore, the cars are still out there driving in circles to clean up a wreck(not sure what they do in rain). I don't want to see 45 minutes of pointless interviews between semi's and finals. I think that will chase the casual fan away too. After the 2nd 30 minute oil down cleanup I can see the casual fan turning away. Hell I'm hardcore and I'll just FF through it.

 

[JB3]

whether you think it's correct or not, my best .02 guess is the new format will show a lot of faces.....they are going to want the viewers to get to know the individual racers, and then of course their corresponding red, napa, white, amalie or whatever color/sponsor car they drive.......here's the cast of characters so if you're a frequent viewer by the 4th or 5th race the casual viewer will most likely know john hale just as well as john force. said it before, the cars and the drivers are the stars, each depends on the other. the blue napa car is ron capps....ron capps is the blue napa car.

and furthermore about spending more to pick up fsn1 (dish network's next pkg. in my particular case)......i could care less about the extra $15/mo. or so they want......it's the damn principal of it, i won't give them another cent; what i pay already for the crap channels i receive is ridiculous enough......i mean really, $80/month to watch TV!?.....and i know there are many folks who pay a lot more than that per month. we grew up with free tv.....i can see paying $30-50/mo. maybe for a few select channels i want, but $80/mo. and up for the p.o.s. channels they cram down our throats.......it really pisses me off.

if dish bumps fsn1 down and i get it; will also dvr.....no tv program is worth watching on a beautiful
summer afternoon. i am very excited for nhra and this venture with fox. i love the programming, it
is only going to be great for nhra. selfishly i have loved the sunday nite broadcasts for years and
will miss them.

Slightly off topic response, but I agree with Mike 1,000%. It costs too damn much to watch TV these days to begin with. My provider is Comcast and they do carry FS1.

Me and the family are all staunch Yankee fans, son is also a diehard Brooklyn Nets fan. Turned on YES Network the other night to watch Nets hoops with my son. Was greeted by a black screen that says due to an expired contract and disagreement, Comcast is no longer broadcasting this channel. Did my research to find out that Fox (majority owner of YES) and Comcast do not agree on fees and hence the end of the relationship. When I called Comcast to register my stern complaint, the CS Rep. gave me the token apology and quickly informed me that I could always purchase their MLB package so I do not miss Yankee games. Seriously, WTF?

Because of their greed, the customer looses out and the solution is to educate me that if I spend a little more money, all will be good.