ESPN Camera
posted by Andy Hall on May 22, 2013 8:00 AM
Fans who watch ESPN telecasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races hear the voices of anchor Allen Bestwick and analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree as they call the action perched high above the start/finish line at racetracks across America.
But what fans don’t see is the sophisticated bank of high-tech equipment that the announcers use in the television booth. continue reading…
posted by Front Row Staff on May 8, 2013 12:13 PM
David Ragan celebrates his Talladega win. (courtesy www.davidragan.com)
Here at ESPN’s Front Row, we like to think we know a little something about the responsibility that comes in living our lives with an unobstructed view of the finish line. So it was with great pleasure that we watched David Ragan win Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Talladega for his team Front Row Motorsports.
Although there is no affiliation between our Front Row and Ragan’s Front Row, there is a kindred spirit. We’d like to think that as we wave our banner proudly in Bristol, Conn., so too does the Front Row team in Statesville, N.C.
Congrats to Ragan and his team. We thank you for representing the name in such fine fashion.
posted by Andy Hall on May 3, 2013 10:16 AM
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Carl Edwards visited the ESPN campus this week and appeared on several ESPN programs and platforms.
Edwards has been moonlighting as an analyst for ESPN since 2011, first on SportsCenter during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and then in the broadcast booth during select NASCAR Nationwide Series races. Edwards called two races last year and is doing three this season, the final one being this Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). continue reading…
posted by David Scott on April 29, 2013 9:08 AM
posted by Andy Hall on April 2, 2013 6:07 PM
NASCAR reporter Marty Smith. (Joe Faraoni/ESPN)
ESPN had itself a day on Tuesday with original reporting on four national stories of note.
From Scott Van Pelt’s radio (and SportsCenter’s simulcast) interview with Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott to Outside the Lines’ disturbing story of Rutgers coach Mike Rice’s practice behavior to Josina Anderson’s feature on why Derrick Rose hasn’t returned to the Chicago Bulls, the network’s journalists were working overtime to deliver stories on the topics sports fans were most discussing.
The day was capped off with ESPN NASCAR lead reporter Marty Smith obtaining an exclusive sit-down interview with driver Joey Logano, who has been at the center of controversy early in this NASCAR season. Front Row gives some insight into how Smith got the interview: continue reading…
posted by Joe Walsh on March 8, 2013 10:00 AM
Welcome to another edition of the Fan Central Mailbag. Remember, if you have an ESPN-related question, follow us @ESPN_FanCentral and use #FanCentralMB to tweet your questions. Also, be sure to “like” our new Fan Central Facebook page. You can also e-mail questions to FanCentral@espn.com.
Before we get to the latest mailbag questions, let’s first address some programming news. This Sunday night’s 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) game between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico will be simulcast in Spanish on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. ET. There will be another Spanish-language WBC simulcast on ESPN2 Tuesday, March 12, at 1 p.m. The Spanish-language simulcasts are part of the exclusive Spanish-language, live coverage of all 39 WBC games on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes+.
We realize some fans are curious about the decision to have Spanish-language simulcasts on ESPN and ESPN2, so we spoke with Executive Vice President, Programming & Acquisitions Norby Williamson about the offering.
“The World Baseball Classic provides a great showcase of how ESPN’s resources can document a global event with strong multi-cultural appeal,” Williamson said. “Having the exclusive Spanish-language rights to all 39 WBC games on Deportes and Deportes+ for both the 2013 and 2017 events provides us with unique opportunities to serve fans across our television, audio and digital properties. The upcoming simulcasts are the latest examples.”
Two other quick baseball-related notes: First, ESPN’s first spring training game of the 2013 season takes place this Monday at 1 p.m. when the St. Louis Cardinals visit the New York Yankees (Full Spring Training schedule). Second, for those on Twitter, you now can get all your ESPN baseball news, updates and insight by following @BBTN.
Now onto your questions:
Note: This first question was directed to Jamie Little, pit reporter for ESPN’s NASCAR and IndyCar coverage and a reporter for the Winter X Games.
ESPN’s Jamie Little (Andy Hall/ESPN)
I always wondered about who makes the replacement car parts that are destroyed during each race and who makes the new interior roll cages for each car? – Bill continue reading…
posted by Sheldon Spencer on February 27, 2013 9:23 AM
In late January, NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson walked the streets of New York for an ESPN The Magazine “Music Issue” photo shoot paying tribute to iconic album covers.
Sunday afternoon in Florida, the five-time Sprint Cup champion scored his second career Daytona 500 victory.
Less than 24 hours later in Connecticut, he navigated the familiar hallways of ESPN’s Bristol headquarters for a “Car Wash” (appearances across ESPN) befitting the latest driver to tame Daytona International Speedway. continue reading…
posted by David Scott on February 25, 2013 9:19 AM
Front Row knows you have better things to do all weekend than check your social media feeds, so we do it for you.
Here, from the ESPN PR universe, are some of the Tweets, posts and other commentary you may have missed.
You can thank us later!
But first, some behind-the-scenes photos from ESPN’s coverage of NASCAR in Daytona, courtesy of ESPN Images.
posted by Hannah Worster on February 23, 2013 12:00 PM
To longtime NASCAR fans, the No. 3 of the late champion Dale Earnhardt is almost sacred.
Richard Childress, who owned Earnhardt’s cars, withheld No. 3 from NASCAR competition after Earnhardt’s death until Childress’ grandson, Austin Dillon, began racing in NASCAR’s upper echelons three years ago.
ESPN televises the entire NASCAR Nationwide Series and Dillon’s use of the No. 3 in the series is the subject of a new promotional spot that will debut during the telecast of the season-opening race from Daytona International Speedway today at noon ET. The commercial continues ESPN’s “Names Are Made Here” campaign for the Nationwide Series.
In the spot, images of NASCAR fans demonstrating their reverence for the No. 3 run under a narration from Dillon, who speaks of his respect for Earnhardt, the number and NASCAR fans, as well as his desire to make his own mark in the sport.
“The goal this year as with every Nationwide campaign is to let fans know that these drivers represent future stars and champions of the sport. Communicating that effectively means harnessing the uniqueness behind each driver’s story,” said Andrew Barge, ESPN associate marketing manager, who helped develop the spot.
“From a storytelling standpoint, Austin was an obvious choice for us. He had an impressive rookie season and comes from such a well-known NASCAR family. To also have his lineage traced back to the No. 3, a number so synonymous with greatness within the sport, offered a concept with a lot of potential to resonate with our core fans,” he said.
“Fortunately, NASCAR and Richard Childress Racing agreed.
“It is a very inspiring spot,” he said. “We’re hoping fans share strong, favorable reactions, because it reflects Austin’s great appreciation for NASCAR’s history and his confidence going into this season.”
Fittingly, Dillon recorded the narration in a studio at the NASCAR Hall of Fame where Earnhardt was enshrined in 2010.
“He gave a really genuine, passionate, heartfelt read,” Barge said. “He and his team exhibited a lot of respect and passion for the concept from the beginning, which really benefitted the creative process.
“It ultimately allowed us to create an ad worthy of its powerful subject matter.”
Wieden + Kennedy New York is the creative agency for the campaign.
ICYMI: Highlights from the past week on Front Row
• ESPN’s roster of sideline reporters is deep, diverse and talented. Samantha Ponder shared details of her first two years on the job for ESPN and offered tips for others looking to follow in her footsteps.
• ESPN’s lead soccer studio analyst Alexi Lalas talked about his recent appearance on The Colbert Report where match-fixing and the popularity of the sport in the U.S. were among the topics of discussion.
• When the NBA trade deadline was approaching, former head coach and current analyst Flip Saunders discussed this season’s trade market, his deadline day memories and his transition to broadcasting.
• The busy Sarah Spain took some time from her various ESPN responsibilities to talk Twitter, her “That’s What She Said” series on espnW and upcoming events on her calendar.
Row of Four
Our favorites from across ESPN over the past week continue reading…
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