As I sat down to watch the race today, I was somewhat excited and sad at the same time.  This would be my first race in HD since my cable company doesn’t have FOX or Speed in HD but they do have TNT.  I was a little sad because Darrell Waltrip is one of my favorite guys in the booth but, I’m willing to give TNT a chance.

When the race started, I quickly remembered why it was so easy for me to quit watching races at about this point last year.  Kyle Petty, Wally Dallenbach Jr. and Bill Weber are in the booth for today’s race.  I have to admit, in past years, I haven’t been incredibly impressed with Wally Dallenbach Jr. in the booth but I like Kyle Petty and I like Bill Weber much better than I did Chris Meyers so I had high hopes.

Well, my high hopes and expectations were quickly dashed with the start of the first lap.  Personally I love the excitement that Larry McReynolds and DW bring to the race, starting as the field takes the green flag.  Actually, I’ve gotten used to it which is probably why I’m so critical of everyone else.

When the green flag dropped at Pocono, the was silence.  Haunting, deafening silence for about the first lap or two.  No one from the booth said a thing.  Not one word….  Then, for several laps around lap 10, there was no audio at all.  TNT then cut to commercial and when they returned the sound was horrible.  Which, of course, they apologized for but still was horrible.

As I sit here watching I just think, maybe it’s just me but the TNT coverage sucks.  Oh well, Daytona is only about eight months away.