NASCAR on CBS

NASCAR on CBS is the branding formerly used for broadcasts of NASCAR races produced by CBS Sports,[5] the sports division of the CBS television network in the United States from 1960 to 2000.

NASCAR on CBS
GenreAuto racing telecasts
Created byNeal Pilson
Directed byBob Fishman
Larry Cavolina
Presented byKen Squier
Mike Joy
Ned Jarrett
Buddy Baker
See commentators section below
Theme music composerMark Wood[1] (1995–1997)
Godfrey Nelson & Lorainne Nelson Wolf[2] (1998–2000)
ComposersMark Wood (1995–1997)
Godfrey Nelson & Lorainne Nelson Wolf (1998–2000)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersNeal Pilson
Rich Gentile
Terry Ewert[3]
ProducersBob Stenner[4]
Eric Mann
Lance Barrow
Production locationVarious NASCAR venues
EditorsCharlie Liotta
Ed Givnish
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time4 hours or until race ended (including commercials)
Production companyCBS Sports
Release
Original networkCBS Sports
Picture format480i (SDTV)
Original releaseFebruary 12, 1960 (1960-02-12) – July 15, 2000 (2000-07-15)
Chronology
Followed byFox NASCAR (2001-present)
NASCAR on NBC (2001-2006) (2015-present)
Related showsCBS Sports Spectacular
NASCAR on TNN
External links
Website

History of coverage

Races covered by CBS
Races covered by CBS
Race Track Years covered Series
Gatorade 125s Daytona International Speedway 1960, 1979–1981, 1985–2000 Winston Cup Series
Daytona 500 Daytona International Speedway 1960, 1979–2000[6] Winston Cup Series
Atlanta 500 Atlanta International Raceway 1964 Winston Cup Series
World 600 Charlotte Motor Speedway 1964, 1975–1981 Winston Cup Series
Winston 500 Alabama International Motor Speedway 1975–1977 Winston Cup Series
Champion Spark Plug 400 Michigan International Speedway 1975 Winston Cup Series
Riverside 400 Riverside International Raceway 1976 Winston Cup Series
Los Angeles Times 500 Ontario Motor Speedway 1976–1980 Winston Cup Series
Bud Shootout Daytona International Speedway 1979–2000[7] Winston Cup Series
Kmart 400[8] Michigan International Speedway 1982–2000 Winston Cup Series
DirecTV 500 Texas Motor Speedway 1997–2000[9] Winston Cup Series
Pepsi 400*[10][11] Daytona International Speedway 1999–2000 Winston Cup Series
Dixie 500 Atlanta Motor Speedway 1975–1977 Winston Cup Series
DieHard 500 Talladega Superspeedway 1976–1997 Winston Cup Series
Sears DieHard 200 The Milwaukee Mile 1995–2000 Craftsman Truck Series
Chevy Silverado 200 Nazareth Speedway 1998–2000[12] Craftsman Truck Series
Pikes Peak 300K Pikes Peak International Raceway 1998 Craftsman Truck Series
Federated Auto Parts 250 Nashville Speedway USA 1999 Craftsman Truck Series
thatlook.com 200 New Hampshire International Speedway 2000 Craftsman Truck Series
NAPA Auto Parts 300 Daytona International Speedway 1997–2000 Busch Series: Grand National Division
Albertson's 300 Texas Motor Speedway 1997–2000 Busch Series: Grand National Division
CarQuest Auto Parts 250 Gateway International Raceway 1997–1998 Busch Series: Grand National Division
Jiffy Lube Miami 300 Miami-Dade Motorsports Complex 1995–1997 Busch Series: Grand National Division
BellSouth Mobility 320 Nashville Speedway USA 1999 Busch Series: Grand National Division
Sears DieHard 250 The Milwaukee Mile 2000 Busch Series: Grand National Division

Notes:

  • 1. The 1998 Pepsi 400 at Daytona was scheduled to be broadcast by CBS, but due to wildfires occurring in the immediate Daytona Beach area, the race was postponed until later in the season, and the broadcast rights were moved to CBS' cable partner, TNN.
  • 2. The Gatorade 125's were run on Thursday, but CBS would air them via tape-delay on Saturdays before or after the Busch Series race.

Pre-1979

The very first NASCAR races to ever be shown on television were broadcast by CBS. In February 1960, the network sent a "skeleton" production crew to Daytona Beach, Florida and the Daytona International Speedway to cover the Daytona 500's Twin 100 (now the Bluegreen Vacations Duel) qualifying races on February 12, 1960.[13] The production crew also stayed to broadcast portions of the Daytona 500 itself, two days later. The event was hosted by John S. Palmer. CBS would continue to broadcast portions of races for the next 18 years, along with ABC and NBC.[14]

1979 Daytona 500: The breakthrough

CBS Sports president Neal Pilson and motorsports editor Ken Squier believed that America would watch an entire stock car race live on television. Prior to 1979, television coverage of the Daytona 500 either began when the race was halfway over, or as an edited highlight package that aired a week later on ABC's Wide World of Sports. On February 18, 1979, CBS presented the first flag-to-flag coverage of the Daytona 500[15] (and 500-mile race to be broadcast live on national television in general). The Indianapolis 500 was only broadcast on tape delay that evening in this era; most races were broadcast only through the final quarter to half of the race, as was the procedure for ABC's Championship Car racing broadcasts; with the new CBS contract, the network and NASCAR agreed to a full live broadcast. That telecast introduced in-car and low-level track-side cameras, which has now become standard in all forms of automotive racing broadcasts. The race drew incredible ratings, in part due to the compelling action both on and off the track, and in part because a major snowstorm on the East Coast kept millions of viewers indoors.

1980 World 600
Main article: Coca-Cola 600

On May 29, 1980, CBS paid a fee of roughly US$50,000 or $100,000 to Charlotte Motor Speedway to broadcast the World 600 NASCAR stock-car race. Benny Parsons edged out Darrell Waltrip to win a grand prize of $44,850 in a race that was watched by perhaps 3.7 million viewers on the network.[16]

1983 Daytona 500

During its coverage of the 1983 Daytona 500, CBS introduced an innovation which director Bob Fishman helped develop – a miniature, remote-controlled in-car camera called RaceCam.[17] Fishman[18] directed every Daytona 500 telecast on CBS, with the exception of 1992, 1994 and 1998 because Fishman was away directing CBS' figure-skating coverage for the Winter Olympics.

1990 and 1998 Daytona 500

After years of trying to win it, Dale Earnhardt appeared headed for certain victory in the 1990 Daytona 500 until a series of events in the closing laps. On lap 193, Geoff Bodine spun in the first turn, causing the third and final caution of the race. Everyone pitted except Derrike Cope, who stayed out. On the lap 195 restart, Earnhardt retook and held the lead, only to puncture a tire when he drove over a piece of metal bell housing from the failed engine of Rick Wilson's car on Lap 199. As Earnhardt's damaged car slowed, Cope drove past and earned his first Winston Cup (now NASCAR Cup) victory. It was the first of two victories for the relatively unknown Cope in the 1990 season.[19] In an ironic twist, KIRO-TV, the local CBS affiliate serving Cope's hometown at the time in the Seattle suburb of Spanaway, opted to pre-empt the race to telecast a Seattle SuperSonics basketball game, and the race was delayed until 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time because of the pre-emption.

Earnhardt would eventually win the race in 1998 (under caution), with commentator Mike Joy describing Earnhardt's victory as the "most anticipated moment in the history of motor racing" after his "20 years of trying, 20 years of frustration" of failing to win the race.

1992 Busch Clash and Daytona 500
Main article: Busch Clash

For one year, Daytona 500 pole qualifying and the Busch Clash swapped days: the Busch Clash was held on Saturday, and qualifying was held Sunday. This move was made at the request of CBS, who wanted the additional time on Sunday for its coverage of the 1992 Winter Olympics.

The network had aired the Busch Clash since it began in 1979. The race debuted on a Sunday, which CBS broadcast live. Pole position qualifying for the Daytona 500 would start Sunday at 10:00 a.m., followed by the Daytona ARCA 200. The Busch Clash would be held after the ARCA race at 3:00 p.m.

1996 DieHard 500
Main articles: 1996 DieHard 500 and Alabama 500

Dale Earnhardt took a horrifying tumble down the front straightaway in "The Big One," after Ernie Irvan got into the side of Sterling Marlin which caused him to hit Earnhardt. After he hit the wall hard, Earnhardt was hit by multiple cars upside down and on the car's side. He ended up breaking his collarbone, and this helped begin a winless streak that spanned the rest of the 1996 season and all of the 1997 season. The race was cut short due to the wreck, and a rainstorm earlier in the race added the factor of darkness, with Jeff Gordon winning. These events helped push the DieHard 500 from the heat, humidity, and almost commonly occurring afternoon thunderstorms of late July to a much cooler, and in the case of the weather, more stable early October date. This was the last Cup race to not be televised live because of the rain delay; the broadcast of the race aired one week later, as an abridged broadcast on CBS.

1998 Craftsman Truck Series
Main article: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series

In 1998, a CBS-televised race at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colorado, scheduled for 186 laps ran 12 extra laps (totaling 198) because of multiple attempts at a successful green-white-checkered finish.

1999 Daytona 500

20 years after its Daytona 500 broadcast, CBS used at least 200 people and more than 80 cameras for their coverage:[20]

  • 33 in-car cameras - three cameras in 11 different cars.
  • 10 "pole" cameras above the pits.
  • 35 cameras around the track.
  • A camera in a blimp.
  • A camera with each of the three pit reporters.
  • A camera in the booth.

CBS also planned to use more computerized graphics and a super slow-motion camera with a long lens.

Affiliation with The Nashville Network (TNN)
Main article: NASCAR on TNN

TNN[21][22] had two self-operating and self-promoting sub-divisions, TNN Outdoors and TNN Motor Sports. TNN Outdoors was responsible for the programming of hunting and fishing shows; TNN Motor Sports was responsible for production of all the network's racing coverage, including NASCAR Winston Cup, Indy Racing League, and smaller outfits such as USAC, NHRA and ARCA. Motorcycle and speedboat racing was also broadcast. TNN Outdoors and TNN Motor Sports also marketed themselves, selling a variety of merchandise and licensing their brands for use on video games.

In 1995, the motorsports operations were moved to Concord, North Carolina into the industrial park located at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where TNN had purchased controlling interest in motorsports production company World Sports Enterprises. Among TNN personalities from the motorsports operation were Mike Joy, Eli Gold, Buddy Baker, Neil Bonnett, Randy Pemberton, Ralph Sheheen, Dick Berggren and Rick Benjamin.

Westinghouse Electric Corporation, which at the time owned the CBS networks and had an existing relationship with TNN through its Group W division, purchased TNN and its sister network CMT outright in 1995 to form CBS Cable (along with the short-lived startup network Eye On People).

Most of the original entertainment-oriented programming ceased production, and the network began to rely more on TNN Outdoors and TNN Motor Sports for programming. The network's ties to CBS allowed it to pick up country-themed dramas from the 1980s that originally aired on the broadcast network such as The Dukes of Hazzard and Dallas, neither of which had been seen on television since their original runs ended, and also allowed it to serve as an overflow feed for CBS Sports broadcasts, which happened during a NASCAR Busch Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in 1999 and also a PGA Tour event at Firestone Country Club.

The end of NASCAR on CBS (2000)

NASCAR wanted to capitalize on its increased popularity even more, so the organization decided that future deals would be centralized; that is, the networks would negotiate directly with NASCAR for a regular schedule of telecasts. That deal was struck on December 15, 1999.[23] The old deal arrangement saw each track negotiate with the networks to broadcast their races. As a result, NASCAR had races on CBS, TNN, ESPN, ABC, NBC and TBS. However, NBC, which had just entered the sport, showed only one race in 2000. NASCAR wanted to increase the number of races by each partner, and have as many races on broadcast networks as possible, to prevent fans from missing races.

Fox Sports, FX, NBC and TBS (later moved to TNT) agreed to pay $2.4 billion for a new six-year package,[24] covering the Winston Cup (now NASCAR Cup) Series and Busch (now Xfinity) Series schedules.

  • Fox and FX would televise the first 16 races of the 2001, 2003, and 2005 seasons and races 2 through 17 of the 2002, 2004, and 2006 seasons. Fox would air the Daytona 500 in the odd-numbered years. All Busch Series races during that part of the season would also be on Fox/FX.
  • NBC and TNT would televise the final 17 races of the even-numbered years as well as the Daytona 500 and the last 18 races of the odd-numbered years, as well as all Busch Series races held in that time of the year.

CBS also had broadcasting rights to college and NFL football, college basketball and golf, therefore scheduling conflicts prevented them to air as many races as NASCAR wanted.[25] As a result, NASCAR's relationship with CBS, its oldest television partner, concluded at the end of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. While the 2000 Pepsi 400 was the last Winston Cup Series race to be broadcast on CBS, their true final NASCAR race in general was the Craftsman Truck Series' Chevy Silverado 200, broadcast on July 15, 2000.

Ratings
See also: NFL on CBS § CBS loses the NFL to Fox (1994–1997), and 1994 United States broadcast TV realignment

The television ratings[26] for the Daytona 500[27] have surpassed those of the Indianapolis 500 since 1995, even though the 1995 race was available in fewer homes than in the past. CBS had lost affiliates in several major markets as a result of a realignment in the wake of Fox landing the broadcast television rights to the National Football Conference of the NFL,[28] and was actually not available in a NASCAR Busch Series market, Milwaukee; that city's new CBS affiliate, WDJT-TV, was not available to some Southeastern Wisconsin cable providers.

On-air staff
See also: List of Daytona 500 broadcasters

Former commentators

References
  1. "CBS Sports - Daytona 500". Mark Wood Music. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14.
  2. "Nelson/Wolf Sample Reel". Manchester Music Library.
  3. NASCAR on CBS Theme (Extended Version) on YouTube
  4. CBS Sports Nascar Closing Music From the Early 1980s on YouTube
  5. "Google Search - NASCAR on CBS". Google.
  6. CBS's Goodbye To The Daytona 500 - 2000 Daytona 500 on YouTube
  7. "Retro Racing: Maumann Shootout". NASCAR. February 5, 2009. The race was broadcast live on CBS, a precursor to the 500 one week later -- and most NASCAR fans remember how that one turned out.
  8. "Berggren joined the CBS Sports racing announce team for the Michigan 400 at Michigan Speedway in 1994". Archived from the original on December 16, 2000. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  9. "April 2 - Texas - CBS; 6.0 rating; 6,053,000 viewers; 3rd highest rated sports show on the broadcast networks". Archived from the original on September 18, 2000. Retrieved 2017-09-14.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. "CBS will return in July for the nighttime running of the Pepsi 400, the last of its four Winston Cup races this year in all". Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  11. 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Pepsi 400 on YouTube
  12. 2000 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Chevy Silverado 200 on YouTube
  13. "NASCAR Countdown: Chicagoland". ESPN MediaZone. July 7, 2007. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008.
  14. http://the506.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1232064927/0%5B%5D
  15. Wilhelm, Chase (February 13, 2017). "List of Daytona 500 announcers since 1979". Fox Sports.
  16. "TV Racing's Mantra: 'Show Me the Money!'". Car & Driver. May 2002.
  17. Archive index at the Wayback Machine Quote: "Then in 1983, we introduced the in-car camera. We put the average race fan in the driver's seat. They got a sense for speed, a sense of how close the traffic was. Until 1983, cars didn't look that fast on a 19-inch television screen. All of a sudden you're behind the wheel and you learned these cars drive like a sailboat going 200 mph. You got a sense of what it's like to be a driver. It was reality and fantasy television all in one."
  18. Fay, John (February 12, 1999). "Sports on TV-Radio: CBS to let wheels do the talking". The Cincinnati Enquirer. E. W. Scripps Company. Bob Fishman plans to give viewers a few laps of pure, roaring speed. “We have some great low-angle shots,” Fishman said. “It brings those cars right in your face. You see the cars roaring by. I plan to show some laps with nothing but speed shots.”
  19. "The 1990 Daytona 500". NASCAR.com. July 28, 2003. Archived from the original on August 17, 2007.
  20. "CBS to let wheels do the talking". The Cincinnati Enquirer. E. W. Scripps Company. February 12, 2012.
  21. "MotorsportsTV.com - TNN". Archived from the original on September 18, 2000. Retrieved 2017-09-14.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  22. "Pocono Qualifying on TV - But Not Live". Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved 2007-06-10.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  23. "2001 TV Deal". Archived from the original on September 18, 2000. Retrieved 2017-09-14.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Quote: In 2000, the last year of the old TV contracts, the total annual TV revenue for Winston Cup races is $100 million. One example of the money under the old system is Las Vegas, where the track had a 5-year deal with ABC for $7 million a year.
  24. "2001 TV Deal". Archived from the original on September 18, 2000. Retrieved 2017-09-14.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Quote: While many fans were upset that ESPN and CBS lost the rights, insiders say that their bids were close to $100 million annually under the winning bids from Fox and NBC.
  25. NASCAR wanted more races on network TV - Ernest Hooper, St. Petersburg Times, 18 February 2000
  26. "TV Ratings - 2000 Season". Archived from the original on February 6, 2001. Retrieved 2017-09-14.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  27. "TrackCast Rating". Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved 2017-09-14.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  28. "Accounting profit on NASCAR only tells part of the story. Demographics and network prestige are just as important". Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved 2007-06-10.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Quote: Remember what happened to CBS after they lost the NFL and look at the positive that has happened there since they regained the NFL. The Olympics don't make money for the networks directly either. But they're still worth the big bucks for other reasons.
  29. "BUDDY BAKER (CBS Sports Analyst)". Archived from the original on March 29, 2001. Retrieved 2017-09-14.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  30. "DICK BERGGREN (CBS Sports Reporter)". Archived from the original on December 16, 2000. Retrieved 2017-09-14.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  31. "Eli Gold". RacingSpeakers.com. Archived from the original on 2007-06-08. Eli Gold has also worked in a play-by-play role with both CBS Sports and NBC Sports in their coverage of NASCAR racing.
  32. Fay, John (February 12, 1999). "Sports on TV-Radio: CBS to let wheels do the talking". The Cincinnati Enquirer. E. W. Scripps Company. CBS has added its biggest sports name, Greg Gumbel, as co-host with Ken Squier. Gumbel is a mainstream name, who could help bring some non-racing fans to the broadcast. What he doesn't bring is any racing expertise. “I don't know a fender from a spoiler,” he said. That's an exaggeration. Gumbel did local sports for 71/2 years and SportsCenter on ESPN for 51/2 years, so he's familiar with racing. He won't try to fool NASCAR fans. “I am not an expert,” he said. “But I'm working with a bunch of them.”
  33. "NED JARRETT (CBS Sports Analyst)". Archived from the original on March 21, 2001. Retrieved 2017-09-14.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  34. "MIKE JOY (CBS Sports Play-by-Play)". Archived from the original on March 21, 2001. Retrieved 2017-09-14.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  35. Lauer, Cheryl (February 16, 2007). "Behind the Microphone with Mike Joy, NASCAR on Fox". SpeedCouch. During the 1984 Daytona 500, Mike began working as a pit reporter for CBS. Since CBS only broadcast a few races, he was able to continue working the MRN broadcasts through 1985. During this time, he also continued do public address work at Stafford and actually worked as the promoter at Lime Rock Park, also in Connecticut. Unfortunately, as Mike was really getting into that job and making big plans for the next season, CBS greatly increased his network workload, so he reluctantly had to give up the Lime Rock job. Mike worked for TNN from 1991 to 1995. After that he became primary anchor in the CBS booth for Daytona 500 coverage beginning in 1998 and through 2000, the last year on their NASCAR contract.
  36. "RALPH SHEHEEN (CBS Sports Reporter)". Archived from the original on March 21, 2001. Retrieved 2017-09-14.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  37. "BILL STEPHENS (CBS Sports Reporter)". Archived from the original on February 9, 2001. Retrieved 2017-09-14.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  38. "KEN SQUIER (CBS Host)". Archived from the original on March 21, 2001. Retrieved 2017-09-14.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
Preceded by
ABC		 Daytona 500 television broadcaster
1979–2000		 Succeeded by
Fox (odd numbered years) and NBC (even numbered years)
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