NASCAR TV taking fans to different places; More Mayfield mayhem among attorneys

Don't worry folks, it's only a month until the Bud Shootout at Daytona, pole qualiying for the Daytona 500 and Danica Patrick's stock car debut in the ARCA race.

 

With that in mind, here's a look at some of the TV things fans will start to see and could see in the next month.

 

Speed Channel, which can be seen in 74 million homes in the U.S., has many things planned for race fans, beginning with next week. Speed's NASCAR Hub show returns on Monday, Jan. 11. The show has scheduled Danica Patrick as a guest for the Tuesday episode. The show will feature rotating hosts of Adam Alexander, Randy Pemberton, Krista Voda and Rick Allen during the season. The show airs Monday-Thursday. For the first time, Hub will offer a West Coast airing all season long.

 

Next week, NASCAR fans will get more attention from Speed as it will air two programs from the NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fest at Daytona. The show is titled "NASCAR 2010 Live from Daytona'' and will air from 8-10 p.m. on Jan. 15 and from 4-6 p.m. Jan. 16. Among those scheduled to appear are Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

 

Also, while you're aware of HBO's four-part reality show Jimmie Johnson 24/7,which airs its first episode on Jan. 26, Speed Channel will have a similar show but on Joe Gibbs Racing. It's called "JGR's Countdown to the Daytona 500.'' The four hour-long episodes go behind the scenes to show fans how the team prepares for the 500. The first episode airs at 6 p.m. Eastern on Jan. 24.

 

And, while there's been some talk of the possibility of more race broadcast online, Speed might have something for you. Plans remain tentantive but the network is looking into showing the Daytona ARCA race onlne, the race where Patrick debuts. How and in what form the network might show it (whether it's the race or some sort of Danica-cam) that is to be determined, a network spokesperson said. Whether any other races -- Speed has the Gatorade Duels and the all-star race -- are shown online remains cloudy. Turner has the online video rights for NASCAR events. That's why you see the TNT races on NASCAR.com but none others. A Turner executive told me last month that they'd like to work with the networks to get more Cup races online. As to if that will happen remains iffy. An ESPN spokesperson said in regards to if its races might be shown online that ESPN had "nothing to announce.''

 

As for other Speed programming, a spokesperson said Speed's regular NASCAR shows will be back with maybe a litlte change with some here and there with personalities. The Monday night show "This Week in NASCAR'' has not been set on who will be on it yet. One thing that fans might see more of is possibly Kyle Petty on the "Race Day'' show.

 

On a slightly different topic. While you likely heard about ESPN's 3D network that will debut later this year, a network spokesperson said that the network has "no plans at this time'' to air any NASCAR races on that network.

 

Also, Showtime's "Inside NASCAR'' show will be available via the Internet and mobile phone, according to Sports Business Journal.

 

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A few other odds and ends:

 

# Doug Richert has been hired as crew chief for Keyed Up Motorsports, a new Cup team this year that is owned by commericial construction owner Raymond Key. The team's shop is in Mooresville, N.C., but its headquarters is in Virginia Beach. No driver has yet been announced for the ride.

 

# Robby Gordon won the fourth stage of the Dakar  Rally. It was Gordon's first stage win in the event. He's racing a Hummer. Overall, Gordon was eighth after that stage.

 

# Front Row Motorsports announced that Travis Kvapil and rookie Kevin Conway will be its drivers for this season. Also the team is switching to Ford. The team is owned by Bob Jenkins and with joining Ford will use Roush/Yates engines.

 

# NASCAR has done some wind tunnel testing on its cars in light of cars getting airborne at  Talladega last year (Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman and Mark Martin getting upside down). The results are being analyzed so no word on any possible changes at this point heading into Daytona. That could change once the data is studied.

 

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AND FINALLY

 

Thursday, NASCAR and Jeremy Mayfield are back in federal court. A judge has called both sides to court over issues of discovery. In his order, Judge Graham C. Mullen wrote: "Therefore, the parties, exhibiting a need for adult supervision, are ordered to appear for a status/discovery scheduling conference ...''

 

At issue is NASCAR saying that Mayfield's attorneys have not provided the information requested in discovery and employing delay tactics. Mayfield's side is contending that NASCAR is asking for too broad of things and not being realistic on what it is asking. It's made for some interesting e-mail exchanges, which are included in the court documents. Here are some:

 

In an e-mail from an attorney, Shelley Kaufman, with the group representing Mayfield, to one of the attorneys on NASCAR's side, Kaufman writes on Dec. 7, 2009:

 

"The tone and threatening nature of your email is not appreciated nor appropriate. Your client field a disingenuous and meritless dispositive motion, which nonetheless takes time to respond to.'' and the note continues about rescheduling a conference call.

 

The reply from Jarrod Reich to Shelley Kaufman on Dec. 7, 2009: "Nothing in my email can be construed as improper or otherwise threatening, and your resort to unsupported rhetoric serves no useful purpose. Rhetoric is not compliance with your obligations to produce documents or meet and confer; rather, it is avoidance of those obligations.''

 

On Dec. 10, 2009, Jarrod Reich sent this to  Shelley Kaufman: "We are glad to hear that you will be sending supplemental documents. However, we do not agree that we should await receipt of these documents to continue the meet and confer process. We have been awaiting documents for nearly a month now and do not think we need to delay any further.'' And it goes on trying to set up a time for a conference.

 

At the end of that note, Reich writes: "We are prepared to draft a motion to compel if you cannot find time to, and be prepared for, a meet and confer early next week. Best regards, Jarrod.''

 

On Dec. 14, 2009, Michael Merley sent this e-mail to Shelley Kaufman: "Despite your representations that we would receive a supplemental production of documents, we have not yet received any supplemental documents. Nor have we heard back from you since December 9, 2009.

 

"Please let us know when we can expect to receive supplemental documents. Please also indicate when you intend to respond to our correspondence, including Jarrod's email to you, below. If you do not respond by Wednesday, December 16, 2009, we must conclude that you have failed to meet and confer. Despite our reluctance to seek court intervention on yet another discovery matter in this litigation, will be forced to seek court intervention if you continue to fail to respond. Regards, Mike.''

 

In a Dec. 22, 2009 email, Shelley Kaufman writes to Michael Marley:

 

"Regarding request 28, 29, 30, 38, 43, 44, 46, 47, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, we believe the objections are justified and correct. If you wish to state in writing why the scope of those requests as presently stated mandate production, please do so, or alternatively, you may propose a modification of the requests. I am willing to reconsider the objections in light of a modified request.''

 

Later, she writes: "Regarding Requests 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 31, 32, 37, 39, 40, 41, 45, 48, contrary to your comment that we have not articulated any reason why certain documents are not being produced, we have in fact stated valid and specific objections to those requests which preclude production.''

 

Later, she writes: "Regarding text messages, (Request No. 37), the objection is valid and stands. You cannot assert that any and all text messages are relevant nor that Plaintiffs (Mayfield) are required to determine how a text message could be printed from the telephone and go through a mechanism if one exists.'' And the letter continues on a few other points.

 

Here's a Dec. 30, 2009, email from Shelley Kaufman to Michael Merley: "We cannot withdraw our objections as stated in earlier emails. May of the requests as noted are overboard, irrelevant, violative of privileges, as so stated. If you endeavor to narrow the requests (the ones we noted where the objections stand and no production is being made), we can try and work out a resolution. Thus far your position has been for plaintiffs (Mayfield Motorsports) to either produce as phrased, or defendants (NASCAR) will file their motion to compel. There has not been any interest from defendants in reaching a resolution.'' And the note continues about some procedural issues in obtaining some info.

 

Michael Merley responds 41 minutes later to Shelley via email that day, writing: "Shelley, We appreciate your offer to "try and work out a resolution.'' However, you have not -- as your email makes abundantly clear -- sought to modify any of your initial postions at all or to otherwise rectify the current deficiencies in your production (other than the "corporate documents'' you reference, below). We have tried for six weeks to contact you to "work out a resolution,'' and have already discussed narrowing requests (what is bold also is underlined in note) provided you actually explain the basis, if any, (also underlined in note), if your boilerplate objections.

 

"Your email is inaccurate to the extent it states or imples that Defendants (NASCAR) have not considered narrowing their Requests. And it does not contain any real offer to seek a reasonable compromise.

 

"Seeking a resolution without the need for Court intervention is precisely (also underlined in note) what Defendants have sought to do since they received your document reponses (which did not include any documents). But at every turn, you seek to give only the appearance of cooperation, while at the same time wholly shirking your discovery obligations. As I indicated, below, you have made a number of promises that you have not kept in scheduling meet-and-confers, providing letters, or producing documents. You could have picked up the phone and called me, Helen, or Jarrod to discuss these issues at any time since our last discussion on November 30, 2009. You have not done so. Regards, Mike.''

 

 

 

 

 

 

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