TV Not Allowed To Show Pit Road Speeds
While viewers can see how fast cars are going on the track during races, NASCAR does not allow TV networks to display speeds and other data on pit road, officials with NBC and TNT confirmed on Wednesday. Speeds on pit road have been on the minds of many fans and competitors since Sunday's race at California Speedway. In that race, eventual winner Kasey Kahne was penalized for speeding on pit road while Dale Earnhardt Jr. - right on Kahne's bumper - was not.
All of NASCAR's TV partners - including Fox and FX, which carried the first half of the season - display telemetry during the races. Viewers can see how fast cars are going on the track and such details as the amount of braking and engine RPMs, too. The networks have the capability to show the information on pit road, just as they do under green-flag conditions during the races, but NASCAR won't allow it.
"We are not allowed to use any telemetry on pit road, as per NASCAR," NBC spokeswoman Alana Russo said.
Asked if TNT wanted to display the information or felt that race fans might want to see it, the cable network answered with a statement from executive producer Jeff Behnke:
"We've discussed it with NASCAR and it is a competition decision, which obviously takes precedence over television enhancements."
Pit road penalties have long been a source of debate among fans and competitors, not just since the Labor Day weekend Cup race. Before the 2005 season, NASCAR officials using stopwatches made random checks of cars on pit road, calculating average speeds between two points.(That's Racin')
While viewers can see how fast cars are going on the track during races, NASCAR does not allow TV networks to display speeds and other data on pit road, officials with NBC and TNT confirmed on Wednesday. Speeds on pit road have been on the minds of many fans and competitors since Sunday's race at California Speedway. In that race, eventual winner Kasey Kahne was penalized for speeding on pit road while Dale Earnhardt Jr. - right on Kahne's bumper - was not.
All of NASCAR's TV partners - including Fox and FX, which carried the first half of the season - display telemetry during the races. Viewers can see how fast cars are going on the track and such details as the amount of braking and engine RPMs, too. The networks have the capability to show the information on pit road, just as they do under green-flag conditions during the races, but NASCAR won't allow it.
"We are not allowed to use any telemetry on pit road, as per NASCAR," NBC spokeswoman Alana Russo said.
Asked if TNT wanted to display the information or felt that race fans might want to see it, the cable network answered with a statement from executive producer Jeff Behnke:
"We've discussed it with NASCAR and it is a competition decision, which obviously takes precedence over television enhancements."
Pit road penalties have long been a source of debate among fans and competitors, not just since the Labor Day weekend Cup race. Before the 2005 season, NASCAR officials using stopwatches made random checks of cars on pit road, calculating average speeds between two points.(That's Racin')
