NASCAR TV News
June 22, 2007
NASCAR TV guide on newsstands NOW: Junior is shaking things up, the Hendrick boys are unstoppable, and the Car of Tomorrow is here today. The 2007 NASCAR tour has only reached the halfway point, but it’s already the most fascinating season in years. This week TV Guide explains why in its annual NASCAR mid-season issue (June 25 issue, on newsstands June 21), featuring a comprehensive tear-out schedule card and four collectible covers—one each with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. (TV Guide PR)
June 19, 2007
NASCAR ratings fall to #3 in weekend sports ratings: NASCAR on TNT garnered a 3.1 (2.4 million households). Down 23% from last year's race on Fox from Michigan International Speedway. The NASCAR Busch Series on ESPN2 pulled a modest 1.1 ratings (847,000) down slightly from FX's 2006 coverage of the same race. (USAToday.com)
July 10, 2006
NASCAR reigns supreme in sports ratings: July 2, Fox’s Pepsi 400 NASCAR race ranked No. 1 with an average 5.1 household rating. (Making it #1 watched sports program of the week) (MediaLife)
July 7, 2006
J. Gordon featured on ESPN SportsCenter's Make-A-Wish Series: ESPN and the Make-A-Wish Foundation will collaborate for a unique 10-part SportsCenter series titled “My Wish” beginning Sunday, July 9. As part of the initiative, 10 children across the country with life-threatening medical conditions will have sports-related wishes granted. Each story and experience will be the subject of a SportsCenter feature segment airing July 9-23, hosted by Emmy Award-winning reporter Chris Connelly. Wishes range from pitching with Roger Clemens to coaching the Philadelphia Eagles to a NASCAR experience with Jeff Gordon to basketball-themed activities with Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady to a day with Derek Jeter and much more. (ESPN PR)
FOX Daytona ratings down: Fox's broadcast of Saturday night's Pepsi 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup race earned an overnight Nielsen Media Research rating of 4.7 and a 10 share, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports. The rating is 4.1 percent lower than the 4.9/12 overnight figures NBC earned when it carried the race under the rotation system used in 2005. (NASCAR Scene Daily)
July 4, 2006
Ferrell to ride along in TNT's Wally's World: The second half of the NASCAR season revs up on TNT on Sat., July 8 with NASCAR Busch Series Racing from Chicago presented by Pennzoil Platinum at 4 p.m. ET. TNT NASCAR coverage continues on Sun., July 9 with the Bank of America Countdown to Green pre-race show at 3 p.m. ET, featuring Talladega Nights star Will Ferrell taking a spin with TNT's Wally Dallenbach in this season’s first edition of Wally’s World. Following at 3:30 p.m. ET is NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Racing from Chicago. The TNT NASCAR announcing stable will include Bill Weber (pre-race host and play-by-play), Benny Parsons (analyst), Wally Dallenbach (analyst), Allen Bestwick (pit reporter), Dave Burns (pit reporter), Marty Snider (pit reporter) and Matt Yocum (pit reporter).(Turner Sports PR)
June 29, 2006
NASCAR on Fox tops weekend sports ratings: The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway was the highest rated televised sporting event last weekend nationwide. The event earned a 5.1 rating on FOX, with the next closest sporting event being the Dodge/Save Mart 350 pre-race show, also on FOX (3.1). The race rating also represented a 9-percent increase over the 2004 Dodge/Save Mart 350 (4.7 on FOX). It was the second-highest rated NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event in the history of Infineon Raceway, trailing only the 2005 event in Sonoma (5.7, highest rated and most viewed road-course race in the history of NASCAR). The 2006 race attracted 8.2 million viewers. Locally, the race generated a 2.6 rating in San Francisco and a 6.1 rating in Sacramento on FOX. The Sacramento market was up 30-percent over last year’s rating of 4.7. The Dodge/Save Mart 350 aired directly up against the PGA, MLB, Track and Field, FIFA World Cup, College World Series, Champ Car, Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series and the Dew Action Sports Tour. One rating point equals one-percent of all U.S. households. All data used was obtained from Nielsen Media Research. (Infineon Raceway PR)
June 27, 2006
NASCAR FOX Sonoma ratings match 2005: Fox's broadcast of Sunday's Dodge/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Infineon Raceway earned a 4.6 overnight Nielsen Media Research rating and a 10 market share, matching 2005's numbers, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports. (NASCAR Scene)
June 24, 2006
MI. Final ratings slip: Fox's broadcast of last Sunday's 3M Performance 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Michigan International Speedway earned a final Nielsen Media Research rating of 4.5 and an 11 market share, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports. The rating is down 6.3 percent from the 4.8/12 the race earned in 2005. (NASCAR Scene Daily)
June 22, 2006:
R. Wallace to host NASCAR Angels: Rusty Wallace will host "NASCAR Angels," a reality TV show that will begin airing this fall, according to Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily. The show, which will feature top NASCAR competitors showing deserving families a look behind the scenes of NASCAR, is scheduled to debut Sept. 12 on various networks, including ABC. (NASCAR Scene Daily)
2007 Start times pushed back after 2:00 pm: The 2007 racing schedule hasn't been released but one significant change is expected: All races will start no earlier than 2pm. The later starting times come at the demand of television networks Fox, FX, ABC, TNT and ESPN. They pushed NASCAR to start most races at 4pm to better capture West Coast viewers and create a link to prime-time shows, but they settled for a mix. None of the times, however, will be any earlier than 2pm. (Augusta Chronicle)
Earnhardt, Jr. on TV Guide for 12th time: As NASCAR approaches the midpoint of its 2006 Nextel Cup season, TV Guide magazine roars into newsstands with annual mid-season special issue, featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr., (June 26 issue, on sale June 22). In an exclusive interview with TV Guide’s resident NASCAR expert Robert Edelstein, Earnhardt speaks candidly about his reemergence at the head of the pack--after enduring his worst season ever last year, finishing 19th—and how adopting a new attitude has made all the difference. (TV Guide PR)
June 20, 2006:
NASCAR Mich. ratings slightly off: Overnight Nielsen Media Research numbers show that Fox's broadcast of Sunday's 3M Performance 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup race matched the 2005 event, Street and Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports. This year's race earned a 4.0 rating and a 9 share, while the 2005 event earned a 4.0 overnight rating and a 10 share. (NASCAR Scene Daily)
NASCAR RaceDay Ratings up in 2006: NASCAR RaceDay – Built by The Home Depot®, SPEED Channel’s definitive NASCAR pre-race show hosted by John Roberts and NASCAR drivers Jimmy Spencer and Kenny Wallace, is much more than a television show for SPEED. It’s a unique opportunity to come face to face with fans, sponsors and viewers in a meaningful way throughout the season. SPEED officially renamed the popular pre-race show from NASCAR This Morning to NASCAR RaceDay at the start of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. Since then, the overall Nielsen household ratings for NASCAR RaceDay have increased more than 20 percent, with younger audiences (men 18–34) showing nearly a 60-percent increase from a year ago. “The energy level at the stage keeps growing and growing,” said Chris Long, SPEED VP of Studio Production. “We work very closely with our track partners to create a tremendous live-event environment, which in turn makes for an entertaining television show. NASCAR RaceDay is the total pre-race package for SPEED.” (SPEED PR)
June 17, 2006:
J. Gordon to Co-host Regis and Kelly
June 16, 2006:
Budweiser/Earnhardt Legacy ads
June 13, 2006:
Pocono 500 ratings down: Fox's broadcast of Sunday's Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway earned 4.6 overnight rating and an 11 market share from Nielsen Media Research, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports. The rating is 9.8 percent lower than the 5.1/12 Fox drew overnight for the June Pocono race last year. (NASCAR Scene Daily)
June 7, 2006:
NASCAR Fourth among Nielson Cable ratings: FX’s Sunday afternoon presentation of its weekly NASCAR Nextel Cup race, which took fourth place on the week with 5.99 million viewers, and Comedy Central’s Blue Collar Comedy movie, which drew 5.31 million viewers Sunday night. (MediaWeek)
June 1, 2006:
NASCAR on FOX scores Top 20 Network television rating: FOX's Sunday coverage of Coca-Cola 600 from Lowe's Motors Speedway, edged into Nielson Media Research top 20 Network television. NASCAR coverage garnered a 8.4 million viewers tying for 17th, with CBS's The King of Queens", and ABC's Lost.. FOX's American Idol dominated the week with a 36.4 mil. viewers. (Detroit Free Press)
May 29, 2006:
NASCAR Tops Sunday Night Ratings: Fans of NASCAR may be fans year round, but when it comes to TV ratings, it doesn't hurt that the official TV season is over. The racing sport topped households on Sunday night with a 5.0 rating/10 share. CBS was second with a 4.5/9, followed by ABC, 3.9/8; NBC, 3.5/7 and The WB, 1.2/2. A 3.0 gave FOX the edge among 18 to 49-year-olds as well, followed by ABC's 2.0, CBS' 1.5, NBC'2 1.2 and The WB's 0.7. (Zap2it)
May 16, 2006:
NASCAR on FOX tops Sat. night ratings, including NBA playoffs and coveted 18-49: FOX drove away with viewers intersted in a little NASCAR action on Saturday, averaging a 5.0 rating/9 share. The network barely sped by CBS and NBC, which earned a 4.9/9 and 4.8/9, respectively. ABC followed from afar with a 2.8/5. FOX had a more decisive victory among adults 18-49, taking in a 3.1 in the coveted demographic. Both NBC and CBS tied for second with a 1.9, while ABC once again trailed with a 1.5. At 8 p.m. FOX's NASCAR coverage and "Dateline NBC" were neck and neck with a 4.5/9 apiece, followed closely by CBS' repeat of "CSI: Miami" (4.3/9) and eventually ABC's NBA Playoff coverage (2.2/5). CBS pushed ahead in the 9 o'clock hour, with "CSI: NY" taking a 5.1/9. NASCAR still kept the pace with a 4.9/9, with NBC's "Law & Order: SVU" keeping up with a 4.3/8. ABC kept shooting hoops to the tune of 2.6/5. (Zaptoit) 18-49 demo, NASCAR outdrew NBA, Fox's "NASCAR Nextel Cup Dodge Charger 500" (7.9 million, 2.9/11) came in ahead of ABC's Dallas-San Antonio NBA playoff game (4.7 million, 1.7/6)
May 16, 2006:
Dale Jr. featured on ESPN Sportscentury and the Budweiser Hot Seat: The ESPN SPORTSCENTURY documentary of Dale Earnhardt Jr. will debut Monday on ESPN2 and ESPN Classic. The one-hour special looks at the life of Dale Jr., as told by his family, friends and competitors. Among the many who appear in the special are interviews with Dale Jr., his sister Kelley, his mom Brenda Jackson, crew chief and cousin Tony Eury Jr., Dale Jarrett and Greg Biffle. The show will debut Monday, May 22 at 2 PM ET on ESPN2. It will then re-air at 8pm and midnight ET that evening on ESPN Classic. The show will also air repeatedly later in 2006. The Budweiser Hot Seat: Dale Jr. makes a return visit via satellite to the Bud Hot Seat on ESPN's Sportscenter tomorrow night (Wed,) at 6 pm ET.
(Budweiser Racing/Fingerprint, Inc. PR)
May 11, 2006:
FX Richmond highest ever: FX's official debut of regularly scheduled NASCAR NEXTEL CUP RACING earned a 3.5/7 (5.633 million viewers) for the Richmond 400 this past Saturday. That is up +3% over last year's 3.4/7 and ranks as FX's highest rating for the Richmond race ever. These are national figures that will not change. (FX PR)
May 5, 2006:
FOX NASCAR Rain delayed telecast tops NHL, NBA Playoffs, NFL Draft, PGA: Fox Sports officials say Sunday's coverage of the rain delay of the Aaron's 499 from Talladega Speedway still ranked as the top sporting event of the weekend. The Nextel Cup race wound up being run Monday after Sunday's event was postponed because of constant rain at the track. According to Nielsen Media Research, Sunday's coverage produced a 4.5/11 national rating, outdrawing the NFL draft, the PGA and the NHL playoffs, among other things. "NASCAR is the gift that keeps on giving," Fox Sports President Ed Goren said. "The sport's fan base is as loyal as they come, and it's amazing that in recent memory some considered NASCAR a regional sport." (NASCAR Scene Daily)
Future holds big things for NASCAR fans on TV, ESPN & DirecTV: Starting next season, NASCAR fans can expect to see Nextel Cup races in ways they never have.Plans are for races to be shown on multiple channels and broadcast over the Internet. Expanded race information will be available on network-related Web sites and NASCAR.com. Even cell phones will provide an outlet . “We’re kind of in a different age,’’ said David Berson, senior vice president, program planning and development for ESPN and ABC Sports. “People consume things in many different ways.’’ ESPN has provided glimpses of what some NASCAR broadcasts might be like. The network showed a Duke-North Carolina men’s basketball game in March on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU , giving fans three versions of the same contest . Berson said the network plans to broadcast some NASCAR events next season using that full-blanket coverage . He mentioned the Daytona Busch race, which marks ESPN’s return to televising the sport, and the Mexico City Busch race as targets. Berson also said the network might do the all-inclusive coverage for the Indianapolis race, the Bristol night race, the Richmond fall race and the season finale at Homestead. Berson said it’s unlikely ESPN will provide as extensive coverage for all 10 chase races next year because the network has other programming. The chase takes place in the heart of the college football and NFL seasons. ESPN won’t be alone. While Fox won’t detail its plans, it is owned by the same corporation that owns Speed Channel and DirecTV. That would create the opportunity for Fox to provide extra viewing choices for fans. DirecTV is expected to have a pay-per-view service similar to its NFL Sunday Ticket package. (In oar from Virginian Pilot)
May 3, 2006:
NASCAR on Fox wins 3 Emmys: Fox Sports officials announced that the network has won three Emmy awards for its NASCAR coverage. "NASCAR on Fox" won Emmys for Outstanding Technical Team Remote, Outstanding Live Event Audio/Sound and Outstanding Live Sports Series. This is the second time NASCAR on Fox has been recognized for an outstanding live sports series and raises the series' Emmy total to nine in five years of coverage. (NASCAR Scene Daily)
April 25, 2006:
SPEED to carry HOF Ceremony: SPEED will air a one-hour special from the 16th Annual International Motorsports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on May 1 at 10:00pm/et from the SPEED Dome in Talladega. This year's inductees include Dale Earnhardt, Harry Gant, Janet Guthrie, Jack Roush and Humpy Wheeler. The special will re-air at May 6 at 1:00pm/et. (SpeedTV)
Phoenix ratings down, but tops NBA, NHL playoffs: Fox's broadcast of Saturday night's Subway Fresh 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway earned a 4.1 overnight rating from Nielsen Media Research and a 7 market share, Street and Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports. The rating is 8.9 percent lower than the 4.5/8 Fox earned overnight in 2005, but the race still recorded the highest figures of any weekend sports event. ABC's broadcast of Sunday's NBA playoff game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns was second with a 4.0 overnight rating. (NASCAR Scene Daily) Note: NASCAR last year did not compete against the NHL playoffs, which scored 1.3 this weekend.
April 21, 2006:
NASCAR Texas ratings up compared to last years vs. Masters: Final Nielsen Media Research numbers show that Fox's broadcast of the April 9 Samsung/RadioShack 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway earned a 5.4 rating and a 13 share. The rating is 5.3 percent lower than the 5.7/15 Fox earned for the Texas race in 2005, but that race was on a different weekend from the Masters, one of golf's four major events. The Masters traditionally draws strong television ratings. The 5.4 rating is 5.9 percent higher than Fox's 5.1/13 for its coverage of the 2005 Martinsville race, which aired opposite the Masters. (NASCAR Scene Daily) Note: Compare CBS Master ratings from last year, CBS saw a 14% decline, dropping 1.4 to 8.3. Compare this years NASCAR's race vs. Master, NASCAR ratings were up .3 and 5.9% vs. Masters and in addition, 200,000 plus fans at Texas Motor Speedway would slightly bump it up .2 or .3.
April 19, 2006:
NASCAR/ESPN agree to global distribution rights: In a significant move to continue to expand international television distribution of NASCAR, officials from ESPN International and NASCAR announced that beginning in 2007, ESPN International will become the exclusive worldwide syndication agent for NASCAR outside of North America. ESPN International will handle the worldwide television syndication rights for NASCAR and help identify broadcast partnerships on a country-by-country basis. Through the partnership, NASCAR and ESPN will leverage their combined resources to expand the scope and reach of NASCAR coverage. ESPN International is one of the leading syndicators of sports programming throughout the world and this relationship will help maximize coverage of NASCAR’s three major national series - the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, the NASCAR Busch Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series - and provide a solid base of distribution."It is tremendously exciting for ESPN International to be selling such a high quality, dynamic sports product as NASCAR,” said Murray Barnett, Senior Director of Sales for ESPN International. “We believe that ESPN International and NASCAR are a perfect match for the development of NASCAR's already impressive international TV distribution." With a 10-month racing season, the longest of any major North American sport, NASCAR provides broadcasters with the most competitive series in all of motorsports and dedicated viewers from February to November. The power of the NASCAR brand, the sport’s unique side-by-side racing among athletes viewed by fans as genuine and accessible, combined with a strong global interest in motorsports, positions NASCAR as one of the leading sports entertainment properties in the world. “This agreement is an important step in the continued growth of NASCAR beyond the U.S.,” said Robbie Weiss, International Managing Director for NASCAR. “We are excited to partner with ESPN International and their worldwide syndication team to help strengthen NASCAR’s reach and bring NASCAR to audiences all over the world. We believe this new partnership will provide great value to our fans as well as the entire NASCAR industry -- drivers, teams, media partners, licensees and sponsors.” (ESPN/NASCAR PR)
April 10, 2006:
Texas Overnight ratings slightly off: Fox's broadcast of Sunday's Samsung/RadioShack 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway earned an overnight Nielsen Media Research rating of 4.8 and an 11 market share, Street and Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports. The rating is 4 percent lower than the 5.0/11 Fox earned for the 2005 Texas race, but last year's race was a week later and was not broadcast opposite the Masters golf tournament, which typically draws strong ratings. CBS earned a 9.0/19 overnight for this year's final round of the Masters, making it the weekend's highest-rated sports event. (In part from NASCAR Scene Daily) Note: Full ratings will be in by week's end for national broadcast ratings, usually NASCAR scores higher ratings outside the top 50 markets.
FOX Mock car goes upside down: Fox didn't get to use its mock car during the telecast because it fell off its jack stands and turned over on its roof early in the race. NASCAR officials covered it with a black tarp. Fortunately, no one was standing close to the mock car when it fell. Fox broadcaster Jeff Hammond uses the car to illustrate situations that happen with the racecars during the event. (Dallas Morning News)
April 9, 2006:
ESPN plans big NASCAR return: ESPN plans to pull out all the bells and whistles when NASCAR returns to the cable sports network in 2007. "ESPN has really morphed or grown since we were last in the sport," said ESPN president George Bodenheimer, who was at Texas on Sunday. "We're really considered a multimedia network now. We're looking to take this property and blow it out, if you will." The network will offer plenty of coverage in studio shows, analysis and a heavy online presence. Much of it has yet to be formalized, said Bodenheimer, also president of ABC Sports. ESPN and ABC will broadcast 17 Cup races beginning in 2007, the first year of an eight-year contract the networks signed with NASCAR. (AP/ESPN.com)
April 8, 2006:
NASCAR ratings not going down, Ratings on record pace: While the cars go round and round, the ratings continue to go up, up, up. NASCAR's television ratings are on a record pace. Again. The left-turn crowd on the Nextel Cup circuit set a ratings record last season. The average rating for a race was 6.1. Nextel Cup is on pace to top it this go-round. If this keeps up much longer, other sports may lobby Nielsen to slap restrictor plates on its monitoring meters. Going into Sunday's race on Fox at Texas Motor Speedway, NASCAR is cruising along at 6.5. "The really nice thing is that there has been a steady growth in the ratings," said Ed Goren, president of Fox Sports, which owns the rights to the first half of the season. "In today's TV environment, that's really impressive." What can be more embarrassing than having split national games in March featuring Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James partnered with the Mavericks-Nets losing out to rainout coverage from Nextel Cup race in Atlanta. Final rating score: Rain 3.7, NBA 1.7. Ditto baseball's Game of the Week on Fox. Its ratings aren't in the same ballpark as Nextel Cup. For all the ink the NCAA Tournament gets, George Mason's overtime victory over Connecticut, the ultimate upset on the way to the Final Four, attracted fewer viewers than NASCAR's Bristol race. (In part from Dallas Morning News)
April 7, 2006:
Martinsville ratings sets record: Not only was the DirecTV 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway a sellout last Sunday afternoon, it was a huge hit on television. The race scored a 6.2 final national rating on FOX, up 22 percent over the 5.1 final national rating a year ago. The 2006 DirecTV 500 was the highest rated, most viewed NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event in the history of Martinsville Speedway, out-performing the previous record rating by 15 percent. The previous record had been a 5.4 on FOX for the 2001 and 2004 spring events. The 6.2 final rating meant that 9,766,000 people watched the race in 6,810,000 households. The Kroger 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Saturday also drew record television numbers for Martinsville Speedway. The Kroger 250 earned a 1.1 rating on SPEED, up 10 percent from the 1.0 rating for the 2005 race. (Martinsville PR)
March 28, 2006:
FOX statement on indecent word during broadcast: Fox Sports spokesman Dan Bell points out that race announcer Mike Joy immediately apologized, with Bell saying: "We are very sorry that comment escaped our screening process, We take audio very seriously and make painstaking efforts to offer only the best. We will continue to evaluate our policy but as of now there is no delay in place during our live coverage." (Broadcasting & Cable)
March 27, 2006:
NEXTEL Cup ratings slightly off: Overnight Nielsen Media Research ratings were down for Fox's broadcast of Sunday's Nextel Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway, but the network saw an increase for Saturday's Busch Series race, Street and Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports. Sunday's Food City 500 earned a 5.3/11, down 5.4 percent from 2005's overnight 5.6/13. (NASCAR Scene Daily) Articles notes FOX Busch Saturday rating were up nearly 10%.
March 23, 2006:
Jewel stars in NASCAR commercial: NASCAR will showcase a Jewel this weekend when the solo-named singer, who is a big NASCAR fan, is featured in a TV spot for the racing circuit. The 30-second spot, “Nascar: How bad have you got it?” will debut March 26 on Fox during its coverage of the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn. It will then run for about six weeks on FOX, FX, NBC, TNT and Speed Channel during NASCAR race broadcasts and licensed NASCAR programming. The spot was handled in-house by NASCAR and was produced by NASCAR Images. Spend was not disclosed. The spot was filmed during a concert appearance by Jewel at the California Speedway’s Auto Club 500 race in Fontana, Calif. It features her song, “Again and Again,” from her new CD, Goodbye Alice In Wonderland, which hits store May 2. (Brand Weekly)
March 22, 2006:
NASCAR rained out Sunday Coverage, out duels NBA's King James & Kobe: Fox is crowing about the ratings of Sunday afternoon's rainout coverage of the Nascar race from Atlanta Motor Speedway. According to the Nielsen Media Research overnight ratings, the March 19 Nascar telecast, which consisted of interviews, commentary, and clips of last year's Atlanta race, generated a 3.3 household rating and 7 share from 1:30-4 p.m., which head-to-head topped ABC's NBA telecast of the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (2.0/4) by 39 percent and the final round of the PGA Bay Hill Invitational on NBC (2.7/6) by 18 percent. (Media Week)
Kt Busch does NYC Media tour: In support of the Gillette Young Guns program, Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch will be doing a "media blitz" in New York City on Wednesday, March 22. KB is scheduled to appear on "Live with Regis & Kelly," ESPN's "Cold Pizza" and FOX News Channel's "Dayside with Linda Vestor." (Alan Taylor Communications)
March 20, 2006:
ESPN unclear about broadcasters: ABC-ESPN executives are trying to line up an on-camera crew for their return to the NASCAR tour. But it doesn't look like NBC's crew - Bill Weber, Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach - will be at the top of the list. But Krista Voda could get a nod. The highly polished Weber is easily the sport's top broadcaster, but it's unclear where his future might be. Questions about who will be in front of the cameras aren't the only TV questions being raised. The production crews may also be in some doubt. (Salem-Journal)
March 15, 2006:
NASCAR ratings steady: Fox says its broadcast of Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler earned a 6.2 national rating from Nielsen Media Research and a 12 share, drawing 10.3 million viewers. Fox says final Nielsen figures are expected to show that the race was the weekend's top-rated sports program, easily topping CBS's NCAA basketball tournament selection show, which earned national figures of 4.6/9. The 6.2/12 for this year's race, however, is 3.1 percent lower than last year's 6.4/14 for the race. (NASCAR SceneDaily.com) NASCAR wins coveted 18-49 Demographic: A 7 o’clock installment of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” was a very strong second in its hour to Fox’s NASCAR overrun among Adults 18-49 (4.0/11 vs. 4.4/13). (Nielsen Media Research)
March 10, 2006:
FOX brings Skycam to NASCAR: Fox officials say the network is bringing its popular Cablecam for Sunday's coverage of the UAW-DaimlerChrylser 400 Nextel Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The high-definition camera, made popular by NFL on Fox, will be suspended above the track by a system of cables, puleys and computer-controlled winches. The camera moves within a 250,000-square-foot area covering the front stretch, the start/finish line and pit road at LVMS. (NASCAR Scene Daily)
Mar. 3, 2006:
California Speedway atop sports television ratings last weekend: 2006 West Coast Premiere of NASCAR At California Speedway Wins The Rating Race March 2nd, 2006 The 2006 West Coast Premiere of NASCAR at California Speedway dominated the Nielsen Media Services television ratings for sports this weekend (February 24-26), with both the NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series races scoring top finishes. According to data received from NASCAR, Sunday’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Auto Club 500 on Fox was number seven nationally for total households in primetime, and number four among adults, with a rating of 7.4 and average viewership of 12.5 million. The race ranks as the fourth highest rated auto racing event (with the exception of Daytona 500 broadcasts) in broadcast history. It was the top-rated competitive sporting event for the week, finishing second only to the Winter Olympics closing ceremonies. Saturday’s NASCAR Busch Series Stater Bros. 300 was the No. 1 cable sporting event of the weekend, with a 2.1 rating and an average of two million households tuning in. The race finished ahead of cable broadcasts of both NBA and college basketball games (including the Celtics/Lakers game), and the PGA tour. (California Speedway PR)
Feb. 25, 2006:
Biography channel highlights young NASCAR drivers: Some of NASCAR's newest stars will be highlighted in a new series on The Biography Channel, beginning March 8. "NASCAR, Driven to Win" debuts with 30-minute features on Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch, the two most-recent rookies of the year in Nextel Cup. The series, with 13 half-hour episodes, will focus predominantly on younger Cup drivers. Among other subjects the show will explore are Carl Edwards, Brian Vickers, Casey Mears, Steven Wallace, the son of longtime NASCAR star Rusty Wallace, and the Richard Childress Racing team. (AP/Miami Herald)
Feb. 24, 2006:
Younger Dallanbach: Jake Dallenbach, the 15-year-old son of former driver and current NBC NASCAR analyst Wally Dallenbach, is racing a Legends car at Lil' Texas Motor Speedway. Jake earned a victory in his fourth start, taking the checkered flag in a Legends Semi-Pro feature event. (Dallas Morning News)
Feb. 23, 2006:
Waltrip extends contract with FOX Sports: FOX Sports and Darrell Waltrip have agreed upon a multi-year contract extension that expands the top-rated NASCAR network's relationship with the sport's premier analyst into the new television rights contract that commences with the 2007 season. The announcement was made today by FOX Sports Chairman David Hill and FOX Sports President Ed Goren. "I love FOX Sports," said Waltrip. "I love being part of a big sports family. David Hill and Ed Goren have embraced me. I have said it before, it's like being part of a championship race team. They have surrounded me with the best of the best - Jeff, Larry, Mike, Steve and all the others. Plus, FOX also has the best folks that work behind the scenes. I love my job and now I get to do it for a long, long time!" Prior to joining FOX Sports in 2001, legendary stock car driver Darrell Waltrip compiled 84 wins and three Cup series championships in an outstanding NASCAR career. He was voted the Most Popular Driver twice (1989-90) and was the proud recipient of the prestigious Bill France Award of Excellence in 2000, honoring his lifetime of achievements. In 2003, Waltrip was elected into the National Motorsports Hall of Fame, an honor followed by an induction into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2004, Waltrip's autobiography, DW: A lifetime Going Around in Circles, debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list. FOX Sports drops the green flag on its 2006 NASCAR on FOX season this Sunday, Feb. 26 (3:30pm/et) in Fontana, CA, with a live presentation of the Auto Club 500. Over 60 cameras and 100 microphones will be strategically placed in and around California Speedway as NASCAR on FOX presents the first of 14 Nextel Cup races in high definition and Dolby 5.1 audio. In 12 years of existence, FOX Sports has earned 63 Emmy Awards, including six in five years of NASCAR coverage, more than any other network during the same stretch of time. David Hill and Ed Goren are the Executive Producers of FOX Sports. Bill Brown is Senior Producer. Scott Ackerson is the Coordinating Producer of the NASCAR on FOX Prerace show. (FOX Sports PR)
Speed Channel record Speedweeks Ratings: NASCAR RaceDay, the revamped high-energy NASCAR pre-race show on SPEED, opened the season with strong numbers from Daytona, scoring an average Nielsen Rating of 1.72 (1,118,000 households) and peaking at 2.34 (1.5 million households) for the live, 2.5-hour program. In 2005, the SPEED pre-race show NASCAR This Morning averaged a Nielsen Rating of .68. Overall, SPEED delivered a 12 percent increase in Daytona Speedweeks ratings over a year ago, with nine shows scoring above a full 1.0 Nielsen mark and several peaking above a 2.0. On the track, coverage of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, the Crown Royal IROC Series event and the ARCA Re/MAX Series were among the highest rated SPEED programs over the network's 10 days of Speedweeks coverage. Top 10 SPEED Shows from Daytona Speedweeks by Nielsen Rating average (households in parenthesis):
1. NASCAR Live! (Feb. 12, afternoon) -- 2.00 (1,300,000 HH)
2. NASCAR RaceDay (Feb. 19) - 1.72 (1,118,000 HH)
3. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race (Feb. 17) - 1.69 (1,101,000 HH)
4. NASCAR Live! (Feb. 12, evening) - 1.36 (885,000 HH)
5. NASCAR Nextel Cup Series practice (Feb. 11) - 1.16 (755,000 HH)
6. NASCAR Live! (Feb. 11, evening) - 1.12 (731,000 HH)
7. Crown Royal IROC Series race (Feb. 17) - 1.09 (708,000 HH)
8. NASCAR Live! (Feb. 11, afternoon) - 1.05 (686,000 HH)
9. NASCAR Live! (Feb. 18) - 1.02 (664,000 HH)
10. NASCAR Nextel Cup Series final practice (Feb. 18) -- .99 (647,000 HH) (Speed Channel)
Feb. 21, 2006:
Daytona 500 most watched NASCAR race ever: NBC's coverage of the 2006 Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb 19th attracted 37 million total, unduplicated viewers and drew a record 11.3 household rating and 23 share, the highest NASCAR rating in history and the most viewed Daytona 500 ever, according to fast national data from Nielsen Media Research. The 11.3/23 makes NBC's only three Daytona 500 broadcasts three of the top four highest rated and most viewed Daytona 500s ever (NBC 2002 and Fox 2005, 10.9; NBC 2004, 10.6). Last year's coverage of the Daytona 500 on Fox drew a 10.9/23. Yesterday's rating peaked with a 13.6 between 6-6:30 p.m. "I am thrilled that we were able to give NASCAR this record-breaking rating for the exciting sport of stock car racing," said Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics. The top ten metered markets for yesterday's broadcast of the Daytona 500 on NBC were: 1. Greenville, S.C. 24.7/39 2. Greensboro, N.C. 23.0/37 3. Orlando, Fla. 22.7/39 4. Indianapolis, Ind. 21.2/34 5. Charlotte, N.C. 21.0/36 6. Knoxville, Tenn. 19.2/31 7. Jacksonville, Fla. 18.7/29 8. Nashville, Tenn. 17.8/30 9. Dayton, Ohio 17.7/30 10. Louisville, Ky. 17.3/28. (NBC Universal PR)
Feb. 11, 2006:
Will Farrell NASCAR movie gets a title: The city will be the namesake of an upcoming comedy feature film starring Will Ferrell as Ricky Bobby, a NASCAR racing sensation, Columbia Pictures announced Friday. "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" is currently in post-production, and will be released in theaters nationwide Aug. 4. Talladega Superspeedway officials expressed excitement about the film in a release Friday. "We have enjoyed being part of this project and are thrilled to have our facility figuring so prominently in the film," said Rick Humphrey, Talladega Superspeedway vice president. "A lot of buzz has been generated about this movie, and we are as excited as everyone else about the final product. We know it will bring a lot of exposure to our facility and hope it will encourage new fans to visit us for what is going to be one of the most exciting years to date at Talladega Superspeedway." With Ferrell playing the lead, the race track will most likely be background to the comedian’s outrageous slapstick style. The film, written by Ferrell and director Adam McKay, details the experiences of Bobby and his childhood friend Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly), who create a racing phenomenon as they fearlessly finish most races in the Nos. 1 and 2 spots, with Naughton always coming in behind Bobby. (Daily Home)
Home Depot new NASCAR commercials: The Home Depot will debut a new NASCAR-themed television ad during the broadcast of the Daytona 500 featuring Stewart and members of the #20 Home Depot Racing Team. The spot accentuates The Home Depot's brand promise of "know-how" by linking Stewart's on-track success and, ultimately, his 2005 Nextel Cup championship, to his recent spate of home improvement projects. The 60-second spot, "Zippy's Link," features Stewart giving crew chief Greg Zipadelli a tour of his home highlighting the various home improvement projects he completed over the course of the season. Starting with a kitchen renovation, Stewart impresses Zipadelli with the installation of a new garbage disposal and hardwood floors, replacing a ceiling fan, repairing a toilet, painting the living room and finally, building a new outdoor brick patio in honor of winning the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, his lifelong dream. During the ad, Stewart tours a skeptical Zipadelli through the house showing him each completed project and how it relates back to a specific race success during the 2005 season in order to convince his crew chief of the direct link between home improvement and racing. The ads underline that the secret to success is know-how, whether you are a do-it-yourselfer conducting a home improvement project or a racing superstar. (True Speed Communications)
Feb. 9, 2006:
NASCAR, NBC and TNT set Green Flag this weekend: As the green flag drops on the NASCAR Nextel Cup season, NBC and TNT have the next two weeks of racing covered from Daytona International Speedway, including exclusive live coverage of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500 on NBC. Live coverage begins this Saturday with TNT's broadcast of the Budweiser Shootout preceded by the "Bank of America Countdown to Green" pre-race show at 8pm/et. NBC presents Daytona Bud Pole Qualifying at 12noon/et Sunday. NBC will broadcast the 48th annual Daytona 500 live on Sunday, Feb. 19, with coverage beginning at 2:30pm/et, preceded and followed by coverage of the Torino Winter Olympics. The Daytona 500 is one of the most-watched sporting events of the year. The 2004 Daytona 500 was watched by 33.5 million viewers and posted a 10.6/24 national rating. In 2002, NBC's inaugural Daytona 500 set a record with 35 million viewers and a 10.9/26 national rating during the middle Sunday of NBC's coverage of the Salt Lake Olympics [2005 Daytona 500 on Fox 10.9/23 national rating/share]. The NBC & TNT broadcast crew, including play-by-play announcer and pre-race host Bill Weber and analysts Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach, will call the action from the booth, with Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Matt Yocum reporting from the pits.(NBC PR)
Feb. 7, 2006:
C. Edwards on Fox's "24": Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Office Depot Ford Fusion, traveled to Chatsworth, Calif. to appear in his first role in a primetime drama. Edwards, who was in town to promote the upcoming race at California Speedway on February 26, took part in the filming of FOX's hit show "24" that is set to air Monday, April 3 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). This wasn't Edwards' first foray into acting as he made a guest appearance as himself on the hit soap opera "The Guiding Light" back in October of 2005. (Roush Racing)
Feb. 6, 2006:
More night racing? RacingOne reports; "there are rumblings that next year's [2007] Cup schedule will have some schedule changes to accomodate ESPN's new contract. Two more night races are rumored and the possibility of a second Vegas race, in the "Chase," has been discussed."
Feb. 5, 2005:
Johnson on Las Vegas Monday: Jimmie Johnson will make a primetime guest appearance on the Monday night episode of NBC's Las Vegas (9-10pm/et). In the episode, entitled "Urban Legends," Johnson, appearing as himself, is invited to judge a Chevy Custom Car Show taking place at the Montecito Casino. Johnson and his #48 Chevy are also featured in portions of the episode shot at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he is first approached to judge the car show. "It's definitely not as easy as it looks," said Johnson. "Fortunately, I got to play myself so I think that made it a little easier for me. I'm not sure how I would have done if I had to play someone else and read lines as that character. It was fun, but I think I'll stick to driving my race car." (Team Lowe's Racing PR)
Jan. 20, 2006:
Wallace to audition for Disney's networks: Don’t look now, but the IRL’s television broadcast team is about to get a new face. Actually, it figures to be an old one. Auditioning as Autoweek went to press was retiring NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace, who appears to be prepping for a switch to the Nextel Cup announcers booth when ABC and ESPN get back in the game in 2007. Hiring Wallace, an avid Indy car fan, figures to be a win-win for all parties, including the IRL, which is in desperate need of a ratings jolt. The IRL’s play-by-play voice figures to be Brian Kenny, host of Friday Night Fights on ESPN2, with former driver Scott Goodyear joining Wallace in the booth. Jerry Punch, Jack Arute and Jamie Little will be the pit reporters. (Autoweek)
NASCAR highlights Detroit Auto Show on NBC: The International Auto Show from Detroit becomes a sports show from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday on NBC (the last day the public will be invited), with NASCAR hosting. I'm not certain exactly what is going to be shown, but it won't be from the car lot down the street. This auto show has been a yearly habit since 1907, when all cars were painted black and none had DVD players for the kids in the back seat. New models will be shown along with production cars, concept cars and a truck or two for those who wear boots to work. Perhaps there will be leggy models draped over the cars as they are in magazines and television advertising. That's not enough for this show as NASCAR's play-by-play commentator Bill Weber, along with Benny Parsons, Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns and Marty Snider, will be part of the telecast. (Daily News) various camping options and purchase directly from the ticket office. (AMS PR)
Jan. 19, 2006:
SPEED covers Speedweeks with 70hrs of coverage: SPEED, celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2006, will be live from Daytona Speedweeks for 10 days, beginning Feb. 10 at 2pm/et with Speedweeks on SPEED. In addition to live coverage of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race (Feb. 17, 8pm/et), the IROC race (Feb. 17, 6pm/et), the ARCA race (Feb. 11, 4pm/et), SPEED also will air multiple practice and qualifying sessions from all of NASCAR's three major divisions. SPEED favorites, including Trackside, Inside Nextel Cup, NASCAR Live, NASCAR Performance, SPEED News and NASCAR Victory Lane also will be on-site, with a new high-energy pre-race show entitled NASCAR RaceDay [instead of NASCAR This Morning] set to make its Daytona debut. "NASCAR RaceDay will take the team from NASCAR this Morning and add several new segments, including tech reports from crew chiefs Chad Knaus and Bootie Barker, off-track items from Vicki Johnson and Craig Reynolds and long-form interviews with the weekend's storymakers," said Chris Long, SPEED VP of Studio Production. "John Roberts, Jimmy Spencer and Kenny Wallace will continue to anchor the show and offer their no-holds-barred perspective, something our viewers have come to expect from SPEED. NASCAR RaceDay will set the tone for the entire weekend." SPEED will have multiple stages on-site, including its 53-foot mobile stage truck just outside the main tunnel entrance, a central location inside the track in the FanZone and a third stage positioned atop the viewing garage in the NASCAR Nextel Cup team area. SPEED also has multiple specials planned for Speedweeks, including NASCAR Five Years Later, a look at NASCAR five years after the loss of Dale Earnhardt, a Daytona documentary hosted by Dave Despain, a look back at Toyota's NASCAR experience and Champions Quest, a one-hour special on the Rolex 24 at Daytona efforts of NASCAR champions Tony Stewart and Rusty Wallace. As part of its coverage, SPEED will announce the 2005 SPEED Channel Driver of the year with a special one-hour program on Feb. 15 beginning at 8pm/et. (SPEED Channel)
Jan. 12, 2006:
NASCAR producer to produce NHL hockey telecast: Sam Flood has produced NBC's successful National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing broadcast for the past five years, but he also has a background in hockey. He played at Williams College in Massachusetts. His father was a high-school coach. "Sam was a tremendous -- not a good -- but a tremendous hockey player in college," said TSN analyst Pierre McGuire, who will work on the NBC telecasts and has known Flood's family for years. "In the States, networks have always tried to plug other sporting people into hockey, but this guy's a hockey man." NBC's telecasts, which will start on Saturday, will use innovations such as a lipstick-sized camera that fits into a goaltender's helmet. (Globe and Mail)
Jan. 8, 2006:
Parson's named Grand Marshall of Rolex 24hrs: In honor of BMW’s 30th anniversary of their 1976 Rolex 24 At Daytona triumph, Benny Parsons, a former Rolex 24 competitor with BMW and 1975 Daytona 500 champion, will serve as Grand Marshal for the 44th anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 28-29 at historic Daytona International Speedway. Throughout the Rolex 24 weekend, Daytona International Speedway and Rolex will celebrate BMW’s 30th anniversary of their Rolex 24 victory as well as their continued commitment to sports car racing. The winning No. 59 BMW that Brian Redman, Peter Gregg and John Fitzpatrick drove will be on display in the NEXTEL FANZONE and will return to the race track in the Rolex 24 Heritage Exhibition that will be held the Saturday morning before the start of the Rolex 24. In addition, BMW will also have a display in the Grand-Am Cup garage that looks back on their past cars and storied racing history. Parsons, currently an analyst for NBC and TNT’s NASCAR coverage, competed in 1976 Rolex 24 co-driving a BMW with David Hobbs. The duo’s car was in third place before losing 90 minutes to rebuild the transmission. Parsons settled for a 10th-place finish, making him the highest finisher among the eight NASCAR drivers that competed in the prestigious sports car race that year. After overcoming mechanical issues that began with five-hours remaining, the team’s lead car driven by Redman, Gregg and Fitzpatrick captured BMW’s only Rolex 24 triumph by a 14-lap margin over the Al Holbert and Claude Ballot Lena Porsche. “This is going to be a big thrill for me,” Parsons said. “I’m very impressed with what Grand American has been able to accomplish in such a short time. I remember the first year when they had only six Daytona Prototypes on the grid at Daytona. This year they might have more than 35. To come that far in only four years is just incredible. “The 1976 Rolex 24 was my first experience at running 24 hours. It was also my last. It was quite a race. It was a really, really neat experience. It’s an honor to return as the event’s Grand Marshal.” (Rolex 24/ DIS)
Dec.. 7, 2005:
NASCAR Television Package announced: The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) today announced the completion of comprehensive broadcast agreements that will benefit the industry and its fans for years to come. Under the new eight year agreements NASCAR races will be broadcast on a combination of networks that includes FOX, SPEED, Turner’s TNT and ABC/ESPN beginning in 2007. “NASCAR’s new network agreements mark a historic moment for the entire NASCAR community,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “This is a major accomplishment for the NASCAR drivers, teams and track operators that have made this sport what it is today. It represents a significant reward for the competitive side-by-side racing our fans have come to expect. It also validates the marketing and production enhancements our current media partners have brought to the sport. The new broadcast partnership is also good for the fans because they will have so much more NASCAR content from a variety of media and new media sources." “NASCAR is proud to continue its relationship with FOX, SPEED and TNT, while welcoming back ABC/ESPN into the family of broadcasters,” said NASCAR Vice President Dick Glover. “By signing deals with three of the largest and best media companies in the world, NASCAR will meet the growing nationwide fan demand for more NASCAR content into the next decade,” Glover said. NASCAR expands its relationship with News Corp as FOX becomes the official home of the Daytona 500.
FOX - FOX’s broadcast agreements for the NFL Playoffs, the Super Bowl, the Bowl Championship Series and American Idol provide an excellent opportunity for cross promotion around the Daytona 500 held each year in mid-February. The deal also includes a brand-new comprehensive multi-media distribution program which includes Internet, wireless and broadband platforms. “FOX is extremely excited to extend its relationship with NASCAR for another eight years, and come 2007 be known as the official television home of the Daytona 500, by far the most watched auto race in this country,” said FOX Sports President Ed Goren. “Our production team has done an amazing job over the last five years to put NASCAR broadcasts on par with America's most popular sports, and we look forward to pushing the production envelope further as we move forward.”
SPEED - SPEED will increase NASCAR programming as the continuing exclusive home for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series as well as the new home for the Gatorade Duels, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Pit Crew Challenge and NASCAR Nextel Cup Series All-Star Challenge.
TNT - NASCAR looks forward to continued great exposure and coverage of the sport from TNT, which will be entering its 22nd year with NASCAR, the longest continuous relationship of any media company with the sport. TNT will broadcast six consecutive races in the middle of the season including the July 4th weekend extravaganza, the Pepsi 400 from Daytona.
ABC/ESPN - ABC and ESPN will provide comprehensive coverage of NASCAR on their numerous outlets. The final 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events will be broadcast on ABC or ESPN with the last 10, the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, on ABC. All NASCAR Busch Series races will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN or ESPN 2. In addition, ESPN will bring NASCAR coverage to its full suite of media including its cable TV networks, ESPN360, Mobile ESPN, ESPN.com and affiliated international networks throughout the world. “This agreement totally embraces NASCAR’s multimedia future,” said George Bodenheimer, ESPN Inc. and ABC Sports president and co-chairman of Disney Media Networks. “NASCAR is a strong and growing property, and the ESPN of the 21st century – an array of new media platforms and content outlets reaching fans wherever and however they consume sports – will take the sport to even higher levels of exposure and growth. ABC Sports first exposed sports fans to the racing excitement of NASCAR in the 1960s, and ESPN and the sport grew up together in the 1980s and ‘90s. Our tradition is rich, and our future is bright. To NASCAR, its drivers and fans we say, ‘Welcome back.” “NASCAR thanks NBC for its stellar coverage and commitment to the sport for the past five years and looks forward to another great year in 2006,” Glover concluded.
Under the Agreement
Beginning in 2007, each NASCAR season will be launched on FOX with the telecast of the Daytona 500. FOX will also carry NASCAR “Speedweeks” events including the Budweiser Shootout and Daytona Pole Qualifying. FOX will also broadcast the 12 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races following the Daytona 500.
TNT will broadcast six consecutive NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races (races 14 through 19).
The final 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series points races will be broadcast on ABC or ESPN. The final 10 races, the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, will be broadcast on ABC. The NASCAR Busch Series will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN or ESPN 2, with no less than four events on ABC.
SPEED will be home to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with the exception of two events, which will be broadcast by FOX.
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series qualifying practice and “happy hours” will be broadcast on a combination of SPEED Channel, ESPN and ESPN2.
SPEED will broadcast the Gatorade Duels held each year during “Speedweeks” to determine part of the Daytona 500 starting order.
SPEED will also broadcast the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series All-Star Challenge and its companion all-star event, the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Pit Crew Challenge.
ESPN will launch specially NASCAR-branded news and information programming.
All broadcast partners will have new interactive rights, special “season preview” and “season end review” programming rights and other ancillary content. NASCAR fans will be able to receive NASCAR coverage from an expanded range of outlets including highlights and live streaming, content from and on each network’s Web pages, datacasts and newly-developed multimedia programming. (NASCAR Media Services)
McReynolds wins Gold Medal: Legendary NASCAR crew chief and popular television commentator Larry McReynolds has won a gold medal for his book, How to Become a Winning Crew Chief. The award was presented during the International Automotive Media Awards (IAMA), held at the famous Sardi's restaurant in New York City. McReynolds shares his medal with co-author, Jeff Huneycutt. "For this book to win an award in motorsports publishing far exceeds my expectations," McReynolds said. "It's quite an honor to have the book recognized by the IAMA and judged over similar books of this type. The most rewarding part of being involved in writing the book is this kind of feedback, and knowing from readers that the book has made an impact on them and helped their racing." Publisher David Bull said, "I'm proud that Larry and Jeff's work has been honored with the gold medal. It's a great reflection of the quality of the information they've provided and the indispensable help it offers to racers." "How to Become a Winning Crew Chief" is on bookstore shelves, or you may order your own autographed copy from www.DWStore.com.
