0 2014 Formula 1 Season Preview: The Changes

 

 2014 Formula 1 Season Preview: The Changes

 

Almost two months from now, the 2014 Season of the FIA Formula One World Championship will be back upon us — March 14th, to be exact. The first race, which will be held in Melbourne, Australia, will bring back the familiar scenes of open-wheel race cars with deafening noise going around in circles, as the teams in their quest for glory try their best to score the maximum points.

However, with all the regulation changes being made for the 2014 season, that’s where the familiarity ends. The 2014 season will see a revolution in Formula 1 with radical changes made to the exterior design, engines, powertrain and aerodynamics features.

With a more stringent set of rules focusing to increase fuel efficiency and at the same time reducing dependence on aerodynamics, 2014 will see a lot of innovation driven by the new, tighter regulations in one of the most technologically advanced racing series in the world.

Read our report on all you need to know that will be different this March when Formula 1 returns and the 2014 schedule after the jump.

Detail: 2014 Formula 1 Season Preview: The Changes

0 Live Blogging Sprint Cup Series From Daytona (12PM - FOX)

The NASCAR on FOX team comes out of the gate in 2011 trying to get different results from exactly the same personalities in front of and behind the cameras. It's going to be a tall task to get the momentum flowing in the right direction where NASCAR fans and TV are concerned.

As you can tell from the picture above, the theme of this one is going to be Dale Earnhardt Jr. trying to win the race on the 10th anniversary of his father's passing. Fans will once again hold up three fingers on lap 3 of the race. Keep an eye on how FOX handles this topic during the event.

Chris Myers is back in the Hollywood Hotel and it should be interesting to see if he continues the same act of being Mr. Confused. In fact, Myers is now in his second season of hosting Inside NASCAR on Showtime. Myers has a long history in TV as an informed and sophisticated on-air professional.

Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Hammond join Myers for the pre-race show. Hammond has been outstanding this season with focused TV comments and an informed presence. Waltrip has been overused by SPEED and the result has been a tired guy who is talking too much. A well-rested Waltrip is going to be needed for this race that promises to have a very different dynamic.

Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds join Waltrip in the booth for the race. This mix has been effective for many years, but Waltrip's non-stop chatter last year at this event set the tone for what was to be a rough season. If the producer allows Joy to take charge and direct traffic, things should be fine.

Steve Byrnes, Krista Voda, Matt Yocum and Dick Berggren are the top of the heap in terms of pit road reporters. A diverse group of professionals with other interests and TV projects, FOX has failed to effectively use their talents for several seasons. Hopefully, a new focus on information will allow them more air time.

There is no RaceBuddy for the FOX races this season. That means during TV commercials fans have nowhere to continue watching the race. NASCAR.com has a live leaderboard but no free scanners. Basically, FOX and the radio are the only two information sources for the event.

FOX has not embraced social media and there is no focused location for tweets or Facebook conversation with fans during the telecast. Darrell Waltrip has an active Twitter account, so it should be interesting to see if he will be interacting with fans from the TV booth during the race.

The network has FLIR technology, new in-car camera angles and a race where two cars can pull away from the pack. It's an interesting combination of elements where making TV is concerned. FOX has a long history of overusing in-car angles, trying to build drama and focusing on the winner instead of all the finishers.

There are four years left in the current TV contract. In reality, FOX may well have only four more cracks at covering the Daytona 500. After last season's pothole issues and the erosion of TV viewers, the pressure is on to deliver a memorable and informative telecast.

We will use this post to host your comments on the TV coverage of the Daytona 500 on FOX. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thank you for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet for the fifth season.

Detail: Live Blogging Sprint Cup Series From Daytona (12PM - FOX)

0 Live Blogging Nationwide Series From Daytona (12PM - ESPN2)

The ESPN boys had all winter to lick their wounds and recover from the thumping they took in the media and with the fans about the TV coverage of both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series down the stretch last season.

Now, instead of making changes in the broadcast line-up, the only news is that Rusty Wallace's TV contract has been extended through 2014. That is the current end of ESPN's NASCAR agreement to cover the sport. The fact that Ray Evernham quietly stepped away wasn't even a blip on the radar.

In ESPN's world, everything is always fine. In reality, it certainly is not. Marty Reid struggled with the sport and his play-by-play down the stretch was off-balance. He returns to this role today with the Nationwide Series race from Daytona.

Alongside of Reid are Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree. It should be interesting to see if Jarrett takes this role and expresses his opinion or continues to be just a bit too polite and far too politically correct. Jarrett still has tremendous credibility and he could be the key to returning ESPN to a position of authority in the sport.

Consistency has defined Andy Petree but the faces around him have continually changed. He started with Rusty Wallace alongside, then the next season Jerry Punch left and Reid came aboard. His original producer is gone and this year he again is cast in the role of the third guy in the booth.

Allen Bestwick will lead the Infield Pit Studio group. Wallace and Brad Daugherty are alongside and assuming their normal roles. Wallace gets agitated and intense, while Daugherty speaks in broad and general terms about any topic in the sport. While Bestwick is the best in the business on TV right now, he is surrounded by a less than stellar cast but still makes the best of it.

There really is nothing to say about Tim Brewer and the Tech Garage. He is cast in the role of making guesses about incidents on the track and is often completely incorrect. His updates on the very basics of the sport make fans feel stupid. In his fifth season in this role, it should be interesting to see how he is presented.

Jamie Shiftan is the new ESPN producer. He is popular with the crew, a homegrown production veteran and maintains good relationships with almost everyone in the sport. The reaction when he was named to this position was overwhelmingly positive. Now, it is his turn to make the TV donuts beginning with the biggest race of the Nationwide Series season.

This blog will host your TV-related comments as we watch the pre-race and race coverage from Daytona. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thank you for taking the time today to stop by The Daly Planet.

Detail: Live Blogging Nationwide Series From Daytona (12PM - ESPN2)

0 Live Blogging Trucks in Daytona (SPEED - 7PM)

The familiar feel of the Camping World Truck Series TV package comes back tonight in Daytona. One face is gone, however, and a new one steps in.

Adam Alexander has left the truck TV package to anchor the new SPEED Center show back in Charlotte, NC. It will be Hermie Sadler stepping in to fill his shoes for the entire season. Sadler will also continue his reporter duties on the RaceDay show for the network as well.

Krista Voda kicks off another season as the host of the pre-race show and sometimes a pit road reporter. Voda's style has always meshed well with this series and she has proven her value to NASCAR and SPEED for many years.

Rick Allen will call the race with Phil Parsons. These two have been the core of the TV package in the booth for a long time. Tonight, Darrell Waltrip steps in because younger brother Michael is racing.

Yes, Michael has an in-truck camera and it should be interesting to see how the producer manages the contact between the two Waltrips. These two have been on a self-promotion tour this week and frankly, it's getting to be too much.

Ray Dunlap will be returning to anchor pit road along with Sadler. Watching these two this season should be fun. This is the first opportunity for Sadler to put his personal stamp on something for the entire season. This assignment is quite different than the scripted RaceDay program.

The same producer and director return as well, two guys who strive to produce old school television coverage that focuses on the racing and the drivers instead of fancy TV gizmo's and announcer personalities.

The field is packed with a ton of personalities from Kyle Busch to 18 year-old Johanna Long. No two-by-two drafting in this series. The trucks should put on a good show.

This post will serve to host your comments on the Camping World Truck Series race from Dayton on SPEED. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for stopping by.

Detail: Live Blogging Trucks in Daytona (SPEED - 7PM)

0 Trucks Ready To Steal TV Spotlight

While the Sprint Cup Series still has the established superstars and the Nationwide Series boasts dynamite new cars, this weekend it just might be the Camping World Trucks stealing the TV spotlight in Daytona.

Throughout practice sessions and now after the Gatorade Duels, it's become apparent that the Sprint Cup Series is going to look like well, click here for a wonderful video of the chain races at Bowman Gray Stadium. Two cars, forever locked, until something bad happens. Motorsports ballet if you will.

We also saw a bunch of the Sprint Cup guys cross-over and do the same thing in the Nationwide Series cars. They were even switching partners in practice just to find out how the bumpers of the different manufacturers lined-up. The Nationwide Series race could also be a story of the best two-car drafters having a big advantage.

Meanwhile, over in truck land there is a whole lot of shaking going on. A ton of good drivers did not make the race, including Mike Skinner, Rick Crawford and Tayler Malsam. Ultimately, the starting grid for the race is an incredible mix of motorsports personalities.

While Austin Dillon capturing the pole might be expected, Ricky Carmichael and 18 year-old Johanna Long, pictured above, sneaking into the top five certainly was not. Experienced drivers like Kyle Busch, Elliott Sadler and Aric Almirola will be racing with Jeffrey Earnhardt, Miguel Paludo and Craig Goess Jr.

Even good old Michael Waltrip decided to take a ride in this one. He is joined by hard-charging Johnny Sauter and truck series veteran Todd Bodine. There is no lack of speed in the field and none of the start-and-park chaos that dogged this series in 2010.

SPEED knows it suddenly has an opportunity to outshine ESPN and FOX. Instead of a cult classic, this may well be the season that the trucks move up the ladder in terms of respect among the competitors and the NASCAR media. In addition to the new faces, there is a neat twist in the series coverage.

Ford Trucks is the company that has made arrangements to sponsor TruckBuddy for every single race this season. That means at NASCAR.com the free four-box live video application with sound, scoring and social media chat will be ready to roll.

This is the first of NASCAR's three national touring series to offer an online video companion for all the races. While this does not have all the bells and whistles of the RaceBuddy app used on TNT's Sprint Cup Series races, that's not an issue.

The truck series has always been different and prided itself on that. New faces have come while others have gone as drivers on different career paths converged in this interesting form of racing. The one constant along the way has been TV coverage.

SPEED picked-up the entire series in the last TV contract and got off to a slow start. The race coverage developed into a strong presentation, but the network offered absolutely no support programming in terms of a weekly show. Fans got the pre-race, the race and a nice goodbye until next time.

This year, SPEED has come slamming out of the gate with a mature Race Hub program backed by additional live shows from the tracks. Steve Byrnes and company have made sure to provide the truck series with a lot of exposure it has been lacking.

All of a sudden, a series that in one race featured over 20 trucks starting and parking of 36 total now looks very different. Live TV coverage for practice, qualifying and the races. RaceBuddy for every single race free to fans online worldwide. Support programming in the form of Race Hub four days a week and added TV in the form of NASCAR Live from the tracks.

NASCAR.com, Jayski and SPEED's website have all been beefing up coverage of the trucks and that is only going to help a fan base increasingly using online resources to follow racing. Throw in Twitter and Facebook pages for the drivers, teams and sponsors and suddenly the Camping World folks look pretty smart for sticking with this series.

Krista Voda hosts The Setup pre-race show at 7PM ET Friday night to start the coverage. With Adam Alexander moving to the new SPEED Center show on weekends, it will be Hermie Sadler pairing with Ray Dunlap in the truck series pits this season. Rick Allen, Phil Parsons and Darrell Waltrip will call the Daytona race since Michael is racing.

We will live blog this race, but in the meantime feel free to add your comments on the series, the new media and the TV coverage. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.

Detail: Trucks Ready To Steal TV Spotlight