I read during the winter of NASCARless Racing Discontent that DirecTV had cancelled their NASCAR HotPass service. HotPass is an innovative premium service enabling one to follow the race from inside the car of one of four selected drivers. A bird’s eye view of racing drama, if there ever was one.

As it turns out, Direct has cancelled their paid HotPass for the season. A revamped version, with “some features no longer available”, will be available for free for the ’09 NASCAR campaign. The details are available here.

Seems a little strange that a pioneering, if money losing service, would be replaced by a revamped free one. Not that I’m complaining; it could be that the laid-in infrastructure was already in place to support these telecasts, and DirecTV didn’t want to see it all wasted. I don’t know. But, if you want unique coverage of racing, whether or not you are a race fan, tune to DirecTV channels 795-798 for the running of the race tomorrow. If you don’t have DirecTV, take some beers, chips and dip to the house of a friend who does have DirecTV. It’ll be a treat.

Finally, here’s tomorrow’s lineup:

1. Ch 795 – Kasey Kahne – car #9
2. Ch 796 – Jimmie Johnson – car #48
3. Ch 797 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – car #88¹
4. Ch 798 – Carl Edwards – car #99

Enjoy!

-k-

NASCAR, DirecTV, HotPass

Even an Al Bundy vacation doesn’t deter me from posting The DirecTV HotPass Lineup for tonight’s under the lights running of the Subway Fresh Fit 500 from Phoenix. And a cut and paste from Jayski later, we have:

Phoenix International Raceway scheduled drivers
(DIRECTV channel, car#, driver)
SD (standard definition) Channels
790, #18-Kyle Busch
791, #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr
792, #07-Clint Bowyer
793, #17-Matt Kenseth

HD (high definition) Channels
795, #18-Kyle Busch
796, #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr
797, #07-Clint Bowyer
798, #17-Matt Kenseth

As soon as I’m allowed to upgrade to HD, I can publish those channels, too. Really. Call my CFO, and work out the details. Please? the number to call is BR-549.

-k-
[stags]NASCAR, HotPass, DirecTV[/stags]

Technorati Tags: directv, HotPass, jayski, NASCAR

For today’s running of the Samsung 500 from the Texas Motorplex, the DirecTV HotPass lineup looks like the following:

1. 790 – Martin Truex JR, #1
2. 791 – Dale Earnhardt JR, #88
3. 792 – Jimmie Johnson, #48
4. 793 – Tony Stewart, #20

Looks like channel 791 is all Earnhardt, all the time. The green flies in about 2 hours, A nice break from roundball.
-k-
[stags]NASCAR,DirecTV,HotPass[/stags]

Technorati Tags: NASCAR, DirecTV, HotPass

The DirecTV NASCAR HotPass Lineup for today’s running of the Food City 500 from high-banked Bristol Motor Speedway is as follows:

• 790 – Tony Stewart, #20
• 791 – Dale Earnhardt JR, #88
• 792 – Jeff Gordon, #24
• 793 – Kevin Harvick, #29

No rain showing up in my weather data for Bristol. Even if the skies open down there, today has the perfect rain delay killer: NCAA Men’s Basketball conference championships.

March Madness, and Bristol, too. I’ll check the batteries on the remote control; it’s in for a workout.

-k-
[stags]NASCAR,DirecTV,HotPass[/stags]

Technorati Tags: directv, HotPass, NASCAR

The HotPass Lineup for today’s Kobalt Tools 500 from Hotlanta Motor Speedway looks like this:

• 790 – Carl Edwards, #99¹
• 791 – Dale Earnhardt, JR, #88²
• 792 – Jimmie Johnson, #48
• 793 – Kasey Kahne, #9

Coverage on FOX starts at 1:30 EDT. Be there!

-k-
[stags]NASCAR,DirecTV, HotPass[/stags]

Technorati Tags: directv, HotPass, NASCAR

For today’s running of the UAW-Dodge 400, the HotPass channel/driver/car numbers are as follows:

• 790 – Jeff Burton, #31
• 791 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr, #88
• 792 – Jeff Gordon, #24
• 793 – Denny Hamlin, #11

And, on channel 794, something I’ll have to check out; it’s called the NASCAR HotPass Network Coverage with Team Radios. I listen on my scanner when I’m at the track live; some of the things you hear are pure poetry; at Martinsville, Dale Earnhardt JR, was heard saying “That effing Bodine is driving all over the track.” Only he didn’t say effing. Or Kevin Harvick, after Ricky Rudd unceremoniously dumped him into the fence at Richmond: “That c-sing m-effer.” Only he didn’t say c-sing. Or m-effer either.

Yeah, team radios. I like that.

-k-
[stags]NASCAR,HotPass, DirecTV[/stags]
[tags]directv, HotPass, NASCAR[/tags]

And the roar of powerful engines is heard over Daytona, with the 50^th running of the Daytona 500 this afternoon. There are only 4 DirecTV driver channels with this year’s HotPass package. The good news is that all HotPass channels are now in HD.¹ Even better news is that there’s a free preview of HotPass this weekend. So if you don’t have DirecTV, grab some brews and head to the house of a friend who does. Especially if he has HD.

Today’s lineup is as follows(channel/driver/car):

790 – Tony Stewart, #20.
791 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr – #88².
792 – Jeff Gordon, #24.
793 – Kevin Harvick, #29.

With all the changes in sponsors, numbers and drivers, this may be the first year I need a program to watch one of these, thereby forfeiting my redneck status.

-k-
[stags]NASCAR, HotPass, DirecTV[/stags]
[tags]NASCAR, HotPass, DirecTV[/tags]

[tags]directv[/tags]

As the curtain closes on the 2007 NASCAR Chase for the Nextel Cup, the listings for the Ford 400 from Homestead-Miami Speedway are as follows:

795 – Jimmie Johnson, #48
796 – Clint Bowyer, #07
797 – Jeff Gordon, #24
798 – Jeff Burton, #31
799 – Carl Edwards, #99

With only two contenders, Johnson and Gordon, having a chance of winning the Chase, and Johnson leading by 86 points, it will take a miracle for Jeff Gordon to overtake him. I suspect that even the lop-sidedness of the standings will not deter the teevee coverage from intensive hype. Enjoy it, though; there’s a long winter between now and Daytona in February¹.

-k-
[stags]DirecTV,HotPass,NASCAR[/stags]
[tags]directv, HotPass, NASCAR[/tags]

For today’s running of the Checker Auto Parts 500 from Phoenix, the HotPass drivers are:
795 – Kevin Harvick, #29
796 – Tony Stewart, #20
797 – Denny Hamlin, #11
798 – Clint Bowyer, #07
799 – Jeff Burton, #31

Looks like Richard Childress Racing vs Joe Gibbs Racing for the event today.

Only two more races left in the Chase; be there!

-k-
[stags]DirecTV,HotPass,NASCAR[/stags]

[tags]directv, HotPass, NASCAR[/tags]

Three races remain in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Today’s venue is Texas Motor Speedway, for the running of the Dickies 500. And the HotPass Lineup features 4 of the top 5 drivers in the standings, to wit:

795 – Carl Edwards, #99^*
796 – Kevin Harvick, #29
797 – Jeff Gordon, #24^*
798 – Jimmie Johnson, #48^*
799 – Tony Stewart, #20^*

An asterisk indicates a driver in the top 5.

-k-
[stags]DirecTV,HotPass,NASCAR[/stags]
[tags]directv, hotpass, NASCAR[/tags]