Cars in field: 40
Pole: Joey Logano (22)
Outside Pole: Josh Berry (21)
Stages: 60-100-100
Cloudy, 71°F, Feels like 72°, Wind WNW 2 mph, Wind Gusts 8 mph
Tyler ‘TyRed’ Reddick (45) edges out Chase Elliott (9) for the stage two win.
Caution on lap 176 of 260 for a slide by Shane ‘SVG’ Van Gisbergen (88).
Caution on lap 185 of 260 for a spin by Darrell ‘Bubba’ Wallace (23).
Caution on lap 196 of 260 for a spin by Erik Jones (43).
Caution on lap 203 of 260 for a spin by David Starr (66).
I fell asleep around lap 202 of 260.
Watched the recording of the third stage of the race, since I fell asleep during it last night. That was exciting. That was the most exciting Atlanta night race I’ve seen since probably the first one. The cameras primarily stayed outside the cars and above the track following the passes for the lead from a reasonable distance. We watched the replay without sound and was able to follow the race and really enjoy the hard racing to the finish. The winner – Chase Elliott (9) – winning at his hometown race was incredibly satisfying and exciting. Watching Chase’s view making the final pass and heading to the finish line AFTER the race is fine. Seeing Chase celebrating the win from inside the car, AFTER the conclusion of the race, is okay. Looking out the back window is generally a dumb shot overall. I don’t mind post-race replays from inside the car, or of the driver, or through the front windscreen. Those views add variety AFTER the conclusion of the race. During the race the c
amera shots should be outside the cars. Since the numbers are smaller the camera shots need to be closer to the cars so the viewer can see the car number. They are very difficult to read and with the frequent sponsor and color changes, and the tiny weird font on the on-screen ‘ticker’, the viewer needs to be able to visually identify the cars.
Congrats to Alex Bowman (48) on a good run to a third place finish.
The TNT broadcast overall was what I expected. Shannon Spake, Jamie McMurray, and Parker Kligerman on the broadcast desk were mediocre, the lower end of mediocre at that. Parker is the best that desk has to offer. He continues to get better, but the other two kill the quality of the desk. The booth of Adam Alexander, Steve Letarte, and Dale Earnhardt Jr was unlistenable. The PRN broadcast was mediocre as usual. NASCAR media around the Atlanta race is lacking. The Atlanta Motor Speedway was renamed to Echo Park Speedway prior to this event. The old name was meaningful, descriptive. The new name, not so much. The new color scheme – okay; lime green; totally not my color, so I may be unable to wear very much of the merchandise. That color won’t be flattering on most complexions, and who wants to look pale and sickly in their favorite hometown track’s t-shirt.
The Ludacris segment opening the show was good. It made the event feel special, and the piece made sense overall.
The Cup race was a good return to watching NASCAR for me after the Amazon break.