WindTunnel with Dave Despain
Encyclopedia
WindTunnel with Dave Despain is a live viewer call-in show exclusively for auto racing
fans that debuted on Speed Channel
on February 22, 2003. During the course of the show, host Dave Despain
fields telephone
calls and reads e-mail
from viewers, some of them directed at the guest Despain is interviewing, which is done just after the first segment, titled "Hot Topics", which Despain reads the big stories from the racing world. After the interview segment, Despain does a segment just for him, titled "My Take", in which he gives his opinion on news from the racing world. There is also an award for the best e-mail or phone call from each show, as the winning viewer receives a Despain bobblehead. It's a coveted prize among viewers.
When WindTunnel debuted, the show aired Friday nights at 11 PM. The pilot episode was only a half-hour long. The time length was changed to an hour the very next week. In August 2003, WindTunnel expanded to four nights a week (Monday-Thursday) and moved to a 9 PM timeslot. In 2005, to the chagrin of some of the series' fans, WindTunnel was scaled back to one night a week, airing for two hours beginning at 9 PM on Sunday nights. In 2006, WindTunnel was scaled back to one hour. There have been special episodes of WindTunnel shown as part of the lead-up to the Daytona 500
and the Sprint All-Star Race.
The 2006 season brought about guest co-hosts in the form of racing personalities like drivers (such as Tony Stewart
, Mario Andretti
) and journalists (such as David Hobbs, Robin Miller
, Ed Hinton
, and Bob Varsha
). In 2009, Despain began to take breaks during the season; guest hosts such as Krista Voda
, Tommy Kendall
, and Robin Miller have presented the show while Despain was off. Before this, only Ralph Sheheen
in 2004 had replaced Despain for an episode due to illness.
The show takes a hiatus following the last NASCAR
Sprint Cup race to late January during the racing off-season. During this time, best-of episodes titled WindTunnel: The Interviews are shown. Only the most popular interviews from the previous season are shown, and have included interviews with NASCAR
great Richard Petty
, NASCAR star Jeff Gordon
, and drag racing
legend John Force
. Starting in 2009 Golden Corral
, an American restaurant chain, became the show's sponsor. Previous sponsors have been Carquest
, an automobile parts store chain in 2007, and Alltel
, a cell phone company in 2008.
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
fans that debuted on Speed Channel
SPEED Channel
Speed , is a cable and satellite television network broadcast to various parts of North America, but primarily the United States...
on February 22, 2003. During the course of the show, host Dave Despain
Dave Despain
Dave Despain is an American motor sports journalist. He is the host of WindTunnel with Dave Despain on Speed Channel, and formerly the host of Inside Nextel Cup, until the latter underwent a format change at the beginning of the 2008 NASCAR Season.-Early life and career:A native of Fairfield,...
fields telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
calls and reads e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
from viewers, some of them directed at the guest Despain is interviewing, which is done just after the first segment, titled "Hot Topics", which Despain reads the big stories from the racing world. After the interview segment, Despain does a segment just for him, titled "My Take", in which he gives his opinion on news from the racing world. There is also an award for the best e-mail or phone call from each show, as the winning viewer receives a Despain bobblehead. It's a coveted prize among viewers.
When WindTunnel debuted, the show aired Friday nights at 11 PM. The pilot episode was only a half-hour long. The time length was changed to an hour the very next week. In August 2003, WindTunnel expanded to four nights a week (Monday-Thursday) and moved to a 9 PM timeslot. In 2005, to the chagrin of some of the series' fans, WindTunnel was scaled back to one night a week, airing for two hours beginning at 9 PM on Sunday nights. In 2006, WindTunnel was scaled back to one hour. There have been special episodes of WindTunnel shown as part of the lead-up to the Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
and the Sprint All-Star Race.
The 2006 season brought about guest co-hosts in the form of racing personalities like drivers (such as Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart
Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."Stewart...
, Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
) and journalists (such as David Hobbs, Robin Miller
Robin Miller
Robin Miller may refer to:* Robin Miller , also known as the "Sugarbird Lady", female Australian aviator and nurse* Robin Miller , American motorsports journalist* Robin Miller , British businessman and honorary knight...
, Ed Hinton
Ed Hinton
Edward Talmage "Ed" Hinton is currently a senior motorsports columnist for ESPN.com.Hinton attended the University of Mississippi and later The University of Southern Mississippi, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, graduating in 1970. He began working for the covering the NASCAR racing...
, and Bob Varsha
Bob Varsha
Bob Varsha is one of the on-air personalities for Speed Channel. Varsha is presently the host of the network's live Formula One coverage. In 2002 and 2003, Varsha was the host of SPEED's Champ Car coverage. Rick DeBruhl took over Varsha's Formula One host chair for that period. In 2004, Varsha...
). In 2009, Despain began to take breaks during the season; guest hosts such as Krista Voda
Krista Voda
Krista Voda is an American sportscaster who covers auto racing. Voda is a pit reporter for NASCAR on Fox and is the host of The Setup, the pre-race show for coverage of the Camping World Truck Series, as well as Trackside on Speed Channel.Voda was born and raised in Clinton, Iowa and attended the...
, Tommy Kendall
Tommy Kendall
Tommy Kendall is an American race car driver and television broadcaster. He is best known for his SCCA Trans-Am Series career....
, and Robin Miller have presented the show while Despain was off. Before this, only Ralph Sheheen
Ralph Sheheen
Ralph Sheheen is currently a pit reporter for NASCAR on TNT, an announcer for AMA supercross and superbike racing on the Speed Channel, and is the lead commentator of CBS Sports' coverage of the AMA....
in 2004 had replaced Despain for an episode due to illness.
The show takes a hiatus following the last NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Sprint Cup race to late January during the racing off-season. During this time, best-of episodes titled WindTunnel: The Interviews are shown. Only the most popular interviews from the previous season are shown, and have included interviews with NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
great Richard Petty
Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series...
, NASCAR star Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
, and drag racing
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
legend John Force
John Force
John Harold Force is an NHRA drag racer, a 15-time Funny Car champion driver, and a 17-time champion car owner. Force owns and drives for John Force Racing. He is one of the most dominant drag racers in the sport with 133 career victories...
. Starting in 2009 Golden Corral
Golden Corral
Golden Corral is an American family-style restaurant chain that features a large buffet and grill offering numerous hot and cold items, a carving station and their Brass Bell Bakery...
, an American restaurant chain, became the show's sponsor. Previous sponsors have been Carquest
Carquest
Carquest Auto Parts is a chain of auto-supply stores. There are over 3,400 Carquest Auto Parts locations in North America. The company is a supplier to National Account customers like Goodyear, Firestone, CarMax, Meineke, Midas, American Tire Dealers. General Parts International Inc. is the largest...
, an automobile parts store chain in 2007, and Alltel
Alltel
Alltel Corporation is a wireless service provider, primarily based in the United States. Before an acquisition by Verizon Wireless, it served 34 states. After the merger, Alltel continues to serve six states, mostly in rural areas...
, a cell phone company in 2008.
Programming segments
- Hot Topics-Highlights from the weekend's races and motorsports news.
- Fired Up (2006-) - A short segment with callers (via voice mail) expressing heated opinions about topics regarding motorsports.
- Eye Candy - A high energy musical video package including clips from that weekend's races.
- My Take - A short editorial segment where Despain offers his opinion on a controversial topic in motorsports, usually offering a potentially simple solution to a complex problem.
- Stat Rat (debuted July 15, 2007) - A reference of statistics regarding the performance of a team, driver, or manufacturer over a specific time period. While not a regular segment, it is used to highlight a guest's achievements.
- Last Call - The last call from a viewer or a driver. Last call is announced by a graphic of what is likely intended to be an Italian bartender, but fans call him the "pizza guy" saying he looks like a worker in a pizza restaurant and that his long sleeves would get wet if he were a bartender. Despain counters, "Why would a pizza guy be saying "last call!"?
- WindTunnel EXTRA (2009-) - An extra 30-minute program that starts immediately after the television broadcast, available on Speed Channel web site. Despain often does a second "My Take" on a different subject. It is not unusual for a guest from the broadcast to remain for the webcast. Despain often answers questions from the live interactive chat that runs concurrent with the show.
- Dave's Favorite E-Mail (2010-) - Dave reads and reacts to his favorite user-submitted e-mail of the week, usually of a comedic or satirical nature.
- Help Yourself to Happiness - Sponsored by restaurant chain, Golden CorralGolden CorralGolden Corral is an American family-style restaurant chain that features a large buffet and grill offering numerous hot and cold items, a carving station and their Brass Bell Bakery...
. Dave highlights a particular moment or event of the previous week in which a racer "helps them-self to happiness." Usually features a dramatic or meaningful overtaking maneuver. - Question of the Week - Sponsored by RACER Magazine, Dave asks viewers to respond via phone or e-mail to a particular question. Usually relates to a "Hot Topic" or to a guest of the show.