Here we go with the tandem racing Nationwide Series style from Daytona. ESPN has Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett and Rusty Wallace working the pre-race show. The task is going to be setting up for primetime viewers what in the world this kind of racing is really about.
Jarrett then joins Marty Reid and Andy Petree to call the race from the TV booth high atop the Daytona tower. These three are the lead announce team for NASCAR racing on ESPN and will be handling the Sprint Cup Series Chase races once coverage switches to ESPN at The Brickyard.
The TV task today is to follow the different strategies of teams that have planned ahead for this tandem racing. We may see some top teams drop to the rear of the field like the Sprint Cup Series races have featured. Then, with only a handful of laps left in the race, they come to the front having never contended once during the actual event.
Reid is having a tough season and it seems to be getting tougher. He is just not up to speed on this sport and it has begun to show. ESPN moves Reid back and forth between NASCAR and the network's five IndyCar races. Reid's professional history in motorsports does not feature NASCAR. He has been prominent on both NHRA and IndyCar coverage over the last few years.
Both series have finished qualifying and the 30 minute pre-race is scheduled to start on time. There is not current threat of rain, but this is Florida in the summer.
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