NASCAR on television and radio
Encyclopedia
The following is the history of the coverage of NASCAR racing on television and radio. Although coverage of NASCAR
dates back to at least 1960, the first flag-to-flag coverage of the sport on television
was in 1979.
, parts of which was presented as part of CBS Sports Spectacular
, with announcer Bud Palmer.
In the ensuing years, but before 1979, there were three main sources of NASCAR telecasts:
President Neal Pilson and motor-sports editor Ken Squier
believed that America would watch an entire stock car race live on television. On February 18, 1979, CBS
presented the first flag-to-flag coverage of the Daytona 500
. Richard Petty
won NASCAR's crown-jewel race for the sixth time, but the big story was the post-race fight on the track's infield between Cale Yarborough
and Donnie Allison
, who crashed together on the final lap while leading. The race drew incredible ratings, in part due to the compelling action both on and off the track, and in part because a major snowstorm on the East Coast
kept millions of viewers indoors.
As time passed, more Winston Cup races ended up on TV. ESPN
broadcast its first race in 1981, from North Carolina Motor Speedway (its first live race was later in the year at Atlanta International Raceway
), and TNN
followed in 1991. All Cup races were nationally televised by 1985; networks struck individual deals with track owners, and multiple channels carried racing action. Many races were shown taped and edited on Wide World of Sports and syndication services like Mizlou
and SETN
, but almost all races were live by 1989. By 2000, the last year of this arrangement, six networks televised at least one Cup series race: CBS
, ABC
, ESPN
, TNN, TBS
, and NBC
. Also, a growing number of races in the Busch Grand National Series and Craftsman Truck Series were made available for broadcast, and some track owners even threw in support races in lesser series.
NASCAR wanted to capitalize on its increased popularity even more, so they decided that future deals would be centralized; that is, the networks would negotiate directly with NASCAR for a regular schedule of telecasts.
, FX
, NBC and TBS agreed to pay $
2.4 billion for a new six-year package, covering the Winston/Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series schedules.
ESPN retained the rights to the Craftsman Truck Series through 2002 under a separate contract. Beginning in 2003, Speed Channel became the exclusive broadcast home of that series.
The centralized TV deal caused consternation among many longtime NASCAR fans. The biggest criticisms include an increase in commercial breaks, emphasis on the more popular drivers and teams to the exclusion of others, and the de-emphasis of actual racing coverage in exchange for more fluff
and hype
.
NBC and FX no longer carried NASCAR. NBC's departure is probably no surprise, given that it is paying $2.8 billion for six years of Sunday night telecasts
of the National Football League
. Most production members will stay with TNT. Both the new NFL and old NASCAR deals overlapped in 2006, which forced some postrace coverage at NBC races to air on CNBC
. FX no longer aired sporting events from 2006 to 2010; the last such event regularly aired by FX, the UEFA Champions League final, has moved to the main Fox network, though it will air college football in 2011. (It also showed the ninth inning of a rain-delayed Fox game between the New York Yankees
and the Boston Red Sox
when it conflicted with the start of the 2008
Subway Fresh Fit 500, as well as other games which have overrun into the starts of NASCAR races.)
The new contracts increase the amount of coverage from each weekend's races. When the 2007 season began, all practices for Nextel Cup Series races were televised, whereas only the final practice ("happy hour") was carried before. In addition, all Busch Series final practices and qualifying sessions were also shown; before, a few qualifying sessions were not seen and only a handful of practices were seen. Most, if not all, truck series time trials are also broadcast.
However, as the season progressed, the TV partners began to skip some non-race events. For example, Speed Channel did not show final practice for the Goody's Cool Orange 500 on March 31, instead covering the Barrett-Jackson
vintage car
auction
. Also, neither Speed Channel nor ESPN2 planned coverage of either practice or qualifying for the Busch Series
O'Reilly 300
at Texas Motor Speedway
on April 12 (a Thursday), opting to begin the weekend's coverage the next day (Friday, April 13) with Sprint Cup practice and qualifying.
From 2007 to 2010, average race viewership has fallen from 7.85 million at its height to 5.99 million in 2010, according to the Sports Business Journal.
Bill Weber left the TNT NASCAR race broadcasts in the early part of the 2009 season and was replaced by Ralph Sheheen for the rest of that season. Sheen was replaced by Adam Alexander for 2010.
From 2002—2006, all races were heard on XM
channel 90 across the continental United States
. In 2007, national satellite radio rights moved to Sirius
channel 90. Among the programs on Sirius NASCAR Radio are a weekly program co-hosted by TV pit reporter Matt Yocum
and Tony Stewart
, and a morning drive time show with David Poole of the Charlotte Observer and Marty Smith
of ESPN.com
.
Following the merger of XM and Sirius, Sirius NASCAR Radio is heard on the XM through the "Best of Sirius" package on channel 90.
All three networks also have affiliation deals with hundreds of local radio stations. Many stations sign with more than one of these networks to ensure coverage of the entire season.
, Premier Sports
, Sportsnet, The Score, Bell TV, Speed Latin America, Speed Brazil, Fox Sports Latin America, Fox Middle East, Fox Sports Australia, Channel 5, ESPN America, Viasat
, StarHub
, Dubai Sports Channel, SNTV, and American Forces Network
. Neo Sports in India start broadcasting NASCAR Races in March 2010 at Martinsville.
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...
dates back to at least 1960, the first flag-to-flag coverage of the sport on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
was in 1979.
Early years
One of the earliest telecasts of a NASCAR race was the 1960 Daytona 5001960 Daytona 500
The 1960 Daytona 500 was won by Junior Johnson driving a 1959 Chevrolet. Johnson drove the number 27 to victory in just over four hours after starting in the 9th position. Johnson took the lead with nine laps remaining when Bobby Johns spun, and Johnson went on to win the race. The win was...
, parts of which was presented as part of CBS Sports Spectacular
CBS Sports Spectacular
CBS Sports Spectacular is a sports anthology program produced by CBS Sports. The series began on January 3, 1960 as The CBS Sports Spectacular, and has been known under many different names, including CBS Sports Saturday, CBS Sports Sunday, Eye on Sports and The CBS Sports Show.The program...
, with announcer Bud Palmer.
In the ensuing years, but before 1979, there were three main sources of NASCAR telecasts:
- ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Wide World of SportsWide World of Sports (US TV series)ABC's Wide World of Sports is a sports anthology series on American television that ran from 1961 to 1998 and was originally hosted by Jim McKay. The title continued to be used for general sports programs until 2006...
, the famous sports anthology program, provided coverage of select NASCAR Winston Cup races in the 1970s. In 1971, it presented a 200-lap race at Greenville-Pickens SpeedwayGreenville-Pickens SpeedwayGreenville-Pickens Speedway is a race track located in Pickens County, South Carolina, just west of Greenville, South Carolina, USA, and just east of Easley, South Carolina. The track hosts weekly NASCAR sanctioned races. Several touring series visit the track each year, including the Whelen...
in its entirety, the first such broadcast of a NASCAR race. Throughout the 1970s, ABC presented portions of the Daytona 500Daytona 500The 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....
, Southern 500Southern 500The Showtime Southern 500 is the annual spring NASCAR Sprint Cup race held at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, USA, and is the second such event at Darlington to bear the name. It began in 1957 as a race in the Convertible Division, known as the Rebel 300. In 1966, the race was...
, and other important races. - In the late 1970s, CBS Sports Spectacular aired some races; like Wide World of Sports, they were taped and edited.
- Car & Track, a weekly auto racing show hosted by Bud LindemannBud LindemannGordon "Bud" Lindemann was a pioneer in motor sports broadcasting.-Early history:Lindemann graduated from high school in 1940. He joined the United States Coast Guard during World War II, and was stationed on the USS Eastwind in the North Atlantic...
, recapped all of NASCAR's top-series races in the 1960s and '70s in a weekly 30-minute syndicated show. (Today, the show has been repackaged, renamed Back in the DayBack in the Day (SPEED Channel program)Back in the Day is a television show on the North American cable/satellite network, Speed Channel. It is hosted by NASCAR superstar driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr....
, and airs on the Speed ChannelSPEED ChannelSpeed , is a cable and satellite television network broadcast to various parts of North America, but primarily the United States...
with host Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Jr.* NOTE: References to "Earnhardt", "he", and "him" refer to the subject of this article, unless otherwise specified. References to his father will include "Sr."...
)
Flag-to-flag coverage
CBS SportsCBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
President Neal Pilson and motor-sports editor Ken Squier
Ken Squier
Ken Squier is an American sportscaster and motorsports editor from Waterbury, Vermont. From 1979-1997, he was the lap-by-lap commentator for NASCAR on CBS, and was also a lap-by-lap commentator for TBS from the time they had rights to NASCAR until 2000. Squier was the first announcer to give...
believed that America would watch an entire stock car race live on television. On February 18, 1979, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
presented the first flag-to-flag coverage of the Daytona 500
1979 Daytona 500
The 1979 Daytona 500 was the second race of the 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup season. It was held on February 18, 1979. Critics consider the 1979 Daytona 500 to be the most important race in stock car history....
. 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...
won NASCAR's crown-jewel race for the sixth time, but the big story was the post-race fight on the track's infield between Cale Yarborough
Cale Yarborough
William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough , is a farmer, businessman and former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships...
and Donnie Allison
Donnie Allison
Dunkiny "Donnie" Allison is a former driver on the NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup circuit, who won ten times during his racing career, which spanned the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. He was part of the "Alabama Gang," and is the brother of 1983 champion Bobby Allison and uncle of Davey Allison...
, who crashed together on the final lap while leading. The race drew incredible ratings, in part due to the compelling action both on and off the track, and in part because a major snowstorm on the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
kept millions of viewers indoors.
As time passed, more Winston Cup races ended up on TV. ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
broadcast its first race in 1981, from North Carolina Motor Speedway (its first live race was later in the year at Atlanta International Raceway
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track just outside Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles south of Atlanta. It is a quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960 as a standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track...
), and TNN
The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows...
followed in 1991. All Cup races were nationally televised by 1985; networks struck individual deals with track owners, and multiple channels carried racing action. Many races were shown taped and edited on Wide World of Sports and syndication services like Mizlou
Mizlou Television Network
The Mizlou Television Network was an early syndicator of sports television in the United States. It was founded in 1961 by brothers Claude and Vic Piano. Its first telecast was of the 1968 Peach Bowl football game....
and SETN
Special Events Television Network
Special Events Television Network is the name of a defunct syndicated television package that broadcast tape delayed NASCAR races from 1984 to 1988. SETN aired races that didn't have live television deals at the time...
, but almost all races were live by 1989. By 2000, the last year of this arrangement, six networks televised at least one Cup series race: CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, TNN, TBS
TBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
, and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. Also, a growing number of races in the Busch Grand National Series and Craftsman Truck Series were made available for broadcast, and some track owners even threw in support races in lesser series.
NASCAR wanted to capitalize on its increased popularity even more, so they decided that future deals would be centralized; that is, the networks would negotiate directly with NASCAR for a regular schedule of telecasts.
Fox Sports, FX, NBC and TNT
That deal was struck on December 15, 1999. Fox SportsFox Sports (USA)
Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company . It was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League games...
, FX
FX Networks
FX is the name of a number of related pay television channels owned by News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group...
, NBC and TBS agreed to pay $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
2.4 billion for a new six-year package, covering the Winston/Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series schedules.
- Fox and FX would televise race 1 through 16 of the 2001, 2003, and 2005 seasons and race 2 through 17 of the 2002, 2004, and 2006 seasons. Fox would air the Daytona 500Daytona 500The 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....
in the odd-numbered years and the Pepsi 400Coke Zero 400The Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona is a 160 lap, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held annually, beginning in 1959, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida; the second major stock car event held at Daytona on the Sprint Cup circuit...
in even-numbered years. All Busch Series races during that part of the season would also be on Fox/FX. - NBC and TBS would televise the final 17 races of the even-numbered years as well as the Daytona 500 and the last 18 races, including the Pepsi 400, of the odd-numbered years, as well as all Busch Series races held in that time of the year. In March 2001, Turner SportsTurner SportsTurner Sports is the division of Turner Broadcasting System responsible for sports broadcasts on Turner channels including TBS, TNT, and TruTV, and for operating the interactive properties , , , and...
moved the upcoming races scheduled to be shown on TBS to its sister network, TNT. - The year-by-year alternating of the Daytona 500Daytona 500The 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....
was packaged with the additional events of SpeedweeksSpeedweeksHershey's Milk & Milkshake Speedweeks is a name given to a three-week series of auto races held at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States of America in early February...
. The Budweiser ShootoutBudweiser ShootoutBudweiser Shootout at Daytona, generally referred to as the Bud Shootout, is an annual invitation-only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series exhibition event held at Daytona International Speedway in February, the weekend before the Daytona 500. It is the first competitive event of the season and serves as a...
, Daytona 500 pole qualifying, Gatorade 125s/DuelGatorade DuelThe Gatorade Duel is NASCAR Sprint Cup Series preliminary event to the Daytona 500 held annually in February at Daytona International Speedway. It consists of two races, and serves as a qualifying race for the Daytona 500...
, as well as the 300-mile Busch Series event. The network covering the Daytona 500 in a given season, also carried the those other events.
ESPN retained the rights to the Craftsman Truck Series through 2002 under a separate contract. Beginning in 2003, Speed Channel became the exclusive broadcast home of that series.
The centralized TV deal caused consternation among many longtime NASCAR fans. The biggest criticisms include an increase in commercial breaks, emphasis on the more popular drivers and teams to the exclusion of others, and the de-emphasis of actual racing coverage in exchange for more fluff
Fluff
Fluff is a noun for anything light, soft, or fuzzy and may also be:* Belly button fluff, also known as navel lint* A lightweight file manager using the FLTK user interface library and the default file manager in Tiny Core Linux-A brand or product:...
and hype
Promotion (marketing)
Promotion is one of the four elements of marketing mix . It is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer's purchasing decision....
.
Fox/Speed Channel, ABC/ESPN, and TNT
Late in 2005, NBC announced that they no longer wanted to carry NASCAR races on their schedule. ABC/ESPN took the opportunity to regain the series. On December 12, 2005, NASCAR announced its next TV contract: eight years, $4.8 billion with Fox/Speed Channel, ABC/ESPN, and TNT. This time, the deal bundles the Camping World Truck Series in with the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series:- Fox shows the first 13 Cup races along with the Budweiser ShootoutBudweiser ShootoutBudweiser Shootout at Daytona, generally referred to as the Bud Shootout, is an annual invitation-only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series exhibition event held at Daytona International Speedway in February, the weekend before the Daytona 500. It is the first competitive event of the season and serves as a...
every year, including the Daytona 500Daytona 500The 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....
. Formerly the package ran through the first weekend in June and the race at Dover International SpeedwayDover International SpeedwayDover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino...
, but due to schedule changes the last race in the package is currently the STP 400STP 400The STP 400 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. Kansas received a second date beginning in 2011 as part of NASCAR's latest round of schedule realignment; since 2001 the track had always held a race in late September/early October that became part of...
at Kansas SpeedwayKansas SpeedwayKansas Speedway is a tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. The speedway was built in 2001 and currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also raced at the speedway until 2011...
. - TNT, which split from former partner NBC, then picks up the coverage, with the next six telecasts, which currently covers the following tracks: PoconoPocono RacewayPocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...
, MichiganMichigan International SpeedwayMichigan International Speedway is a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than in Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas...
, SonomaInfineon RacewayInfineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...
, LoudonNew Hampshire International SpeedwayNew Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic...
, DaytonaDaytona International SpeedwayDaytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...
(Coke Zero 400Coke Zero 400The Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona is a 160 lap, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held annually, beginning in 1959, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida; the second major stock car event held at Daytona on the Sprint Cup circuit...
), and KentuckyKentucky SpeedwayKentucky Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, which has hosted ARCA, NASCAR and Indy Racing League racing annually since it opened in 2000. The track is currently owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and Jerry Carroll, who, along with four other investors, owned...
. The Coke Zero 400 is presented with limited commercial interruptions. - ESPN then televises most of the rest of the schedule. Three Saturday-night races are on ABC under the Disney brand "ESPN on ABCESPN on ABCESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
". The Brickyard 400 begins the package. Formerly ESPN broadcast the first 6 and ABC under the ESPN on ABCESPN on ABCESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
banner broadcast the last 11, including the entire Chase for the Sprint Cup, but due to NASCAR moving up the start times to earlier in the day, conflicts with ABC's political programming have precipitated all but 3 races now on ESPN. - Speed Channel carries the Gatorade Duel at DaytonaGatorade DuelThe Gatorade Duel is NASCAR Sprint Cup Series preliminary event to the Daytona 500 held annually in February at Daytona International Speedway. It consists of two races, and serves as a qualifying race for the Daytona 500...
, just before the Daytona 500, and the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Challenge at Charlotte Motor SpeedwayCharlotte Motor SpeedwayCharlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
in May. - ESPN2ESPN2ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
and ABC carry all Nationwide Series races during this time. The plan for 2010 is to have four Nationwide races on ABC, with the rest on ESPN or ESPN2. ESPN's return to NASCAR television took place at the Orbitz 300 on February 17, 2007. - Speed Channel moved two of its Camping World Truck Series races to Fox from 2007–09; usually, they were scheduled to be the California race and the spring race at Martinsville. Since 2010, all CWTS races are on Speed.
- The Coors Light Pole qualifying sessions for Cup racing are shown on Speed Channel and ESPN2 with the exception of Daytona 500 qualifying, which is shown on Fox.
- On the pay-per-view front, DirecTVDirecTVDirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
premiered NASCAR Hot PassNASCAR Hot PassNASCAR Hot Pass is a complementary television package available exclusively on DirecTV in the United States and on various cable & satellite providers in Canada. It debuted at the 2007 Daytona 500, which aired on February 18 of that year. In 2007 and 2008, it was a pay-per-view subscription package...
at the 2007 Daytona 500. The package consists of four channels, each dedicated to a particular driver with team communications among the driver, crew chief, and spotter. From 2007–08, Hot Pass also had separate lap-by-lap announcers and color commentators for each channel.http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPage.jsp?assetId=P3980112&CMP=ILC-Q406-RHR-HotPass
NBC and FX no longer carried NASCAR. NBC's departure is probably no surprise, given that it is paying $2.8 billion for six years of Sunday night telecasts
NBC Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football is a weekly television broadcast of Sunday evening National Football League games on NBC that began airing on Sunday, August 6, 2006 with the pre-season opening Hall of Fame Game. Al Michaels serves as the play-by-play announcer, with Cris Collinsworth as the color...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. Most production members will stay with TNT. Both the new NFL and old NASCAR deals overlapped in 2006, which forced some postrace coverage at NBC races to air on CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
. FX no longer aired sporting events from 2006 to 2010; the last such event regularly aired by FX, the UEFA Champions League final, has moved to the main Fox network, though it will air college football in 2011. (It also showed the ninth inning of a rain-delayed Fox game between the New York Yankees
2008 New York Yankees season
The 2008 New York Yankees season was the 106th season for the New York Yankees franchise. The Yankees hosted the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday July 15, 2008. It was the 83rd and last season at Yankee Stadium prior to the team's move to a new ballpark just north of the current...
and the Boston Red Sox
2008 Boston Red Sox season
The Boston Red Sox' 2008 season began on March 25, in Tokyo, Japan for the MLB Japan Opening Day 2008. The Red Sox were attempting to become the first repeat World Series Champions since the 1999–2000 New York Yankees and also be the first repeat Champions of the 21st century. They also tried to...
when it conflicted with the start of the 2008
2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season began on February 9, 2008 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout, followed by pole qualifying on Sunday, February 10, 2008 for the 50th Daytona 500 on February 17...
Subway Fresh Fit 500, as well as other games which have overrun into the starts of NASCAR races.)
The new contracts increase the amount of coverage from each weekend's races. When the 2007 season began, all practices for Nextel Cup Series races were televised, whereas only the final practice ("happy hour") was carried before. In addition, all Busch Series final practices and qualifying sessions were also shown; before, a few qualifying sessions were not seen and only a handful of practices were seen. Most, if not all, truck series time trials are also broadcast.
However, as the season progressed, the TV partners began to skip some non-race events. For example, Speed Channel did not show final practice for the Goody's Cool Orange 500 on March 31, instead covering the Barrett-Jackson
Barrett-Jackson
Established in 1971 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction provides products and services to classic and collector car owners, collectors and automotive enthusiasts...
vintage car
Vintage car
A vintage car is commonly defined as a car built between the start of 1919 and the end of 1930 known as the "Vintage era". There is little debate about the start date of the vintage period—the end of World War I is a nicely defined marker there—but the end date is a matter of a little...
auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
. Also, neither Speed Channel nor ESPN2 planned coverage of either practice or qualifying for the Busch Series
Busch Series
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
O'Reilly 300
O'Reilly 300
The O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race that takes place each spring at Texas Motor Speedway, and was first held in 1997. In 2005, TMS was rewarded with a second Nationwide Series event in November, the O'Reilly Challenge...
at Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas....
on April 12 (a Thursday), opting to begin the weekend's coverage the next day (Friday, April 13) with Sprint Cup practice and qualifying.
From 2007 to 2010, average race viewership has fallen from 7.85 million at its height to 5.99 million in 2010, according to the Sports Business Journal.
Broadcasters
The broadcast teams for each package are as follows:- Fox retained most of the same announcers that have worked for the network since 2001: Mike JoyMike JoyMike Joy is an American TV sports announcer, who currently serves as the lap-by-lap voice of FOX Sports' NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage. His color analysts are Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds. Joy has broadcast more than 30 Daytona 500s, NASCAR's biggest event...
, Larry McReynoldsLarry McReynoldsLawrence Joseph McReynolds III is a former NASCAR crew chief and currently serves as a racing analyst on Fox Sports, TNT and a columnist on Foxsports.com. He currently lives in Mooresville, North Carolina...
, and Darrell WaltripDarrell WaltripDarrell Lee Waltrip is a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion , 3-time runner-up , winner of the 1989 Daytona 500 and 5-time winner of the prestigeous Coca-Cola 600 ,...
in the booth, pit reporters Steve ByrnesSteve ByrnesSteve Byrnes is an American television announcer and producer from New Carrollton, Maryland. He graduated from the University of Maryland. Afterward, he began his television career as a sports producer where he covered several NFL teams. In 1985, he began producing and hosting NASCAR segments...
, Dick BerggrenDick BerggrenDr. Dick Berggren is a motorsports announcer and magazine editor from Manchester, Connecticut in the United States. Born in Westerly, Rhode Island, he now lives in Ipswich, Massachusetts with his wife Kathy. He is commonly seen wearing a trademark flat cap.- Academia :Berggren described himself...
, and Matt YocumMatt YocumMatt Yocum is a long standing reporter in motorsports. He is best known for his pit reporting in the sport of NASCAR.-Biography:Matt Yocum's exposure to automobile racing began at an early age...
; and prerace hosts Chris MyersChris MyersChristopher Patrick "Chris" Myers ) is an American sportscaster.-Biography:With more than 20 years in broadcasting, Chris Myers has covered premiere events, including the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, NCAA Final Four, The Masters and U.S...
and Jeff Hammond. Krista VodaKrista VodaKrista 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...
moved up from Speed, and replaced Jeanne ZelaskoJeanne ZelaskoJeanne Zelasko is a journalist and sportscaster who took over as the pre-game host of Fox's MLB games in 2001 after the departure of Keith Olbermann until October 2008. She also covered pre-game for MLB 2K6, MLB 2K7, and MLB 2K8 alongside Steve Physioc...
as the fourth pit reporter, working all races. (That change was necessary because Major League Baseball on Fox, on which Zelasko also works, now lasts the entire season with the 2007 MLB contract.) - The ESPN/ABC team: Marty ReidMarty ReidMarty Reid is an American television sportscaster who has worked for ESPN since 1982.Reid is currently the lead television announcer for ESPN on ABC's coverage of the IndyCar Series, including the Indianapolis 500, and was the lead announcer for ESPN and ABC's NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage for the...
, Dale JarrettDale JarrettDale Arnold Jarrett is a former American race car driver and current sports commentator known for winning the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship...
, and Andy PetreeAndy PetreeAndy Petree , is a long-time fixture in NASCAR. After racing for years at local short track , Andy became part owner of the #32 Busch Series car for Dale Jarrett. By the age of 28, Andy was already a NASCAR Winston Cup crew chief on the Leo Jackson racing team...
in the booth; Allen BestwickAllen BestwickAllen Bestwick is the host of ESPN's NASCAR pre-race show NASCAR Countdown and play-by-play announcer for the Sprint Cup Series races for the same company. He took over that position in 2011 after serving as the countdown to green host from 2008-2010 and a pit reporter for the network in 2007...
, Dave BurnsDave BurnsDave Burns , is a Dutch-British football coach. He is fluent in English and Dutch, and has basic knowledge of French and German....
, Jamie LittleJamie LittleJamie Little from Las Vegas, Nevada is the pit reporter for NASCAR Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series coverage on ESPN/ABC. Little is a former pit reporter for ESPN/ABC coverage of the Indy Racing League, although she returned to her pit reporting duty for the 2007 and 2008 Indianapolis 500...
, and Mike MassaroMike MassaroMike Massaro is a racing analyst at ESPN for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. On October 12, 2006, ESPN announced that Massaro will be a pit reporter when NASCAR coverage returns to ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC in 2007....
in the pits. Coordinating producer Neil GoldbergNeil GoldbergNeil Goldberg is the creator and producer of Cirque Dreams productions. His Cirque Dreams franchise, which was founded in 1993, includes: Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy, Cirque Dreams Illumination, Cirque Dreams and Dinner, and Pop Goes The Rock amongst others...
returned to ESPN in 2007 after six years at Fox. - TNT kept Bill WeberBill WeberBill Weber is a former television sports commentator, perhaps best known for his work on TNT and NBC NASCAR broadcasts. Weber was also the lead announcer for Champ Car World Series events and other auto racing series on NBC. He currently is working as an illusionist.-Early life and career:Weber...
as lap-by-lap announcer and Wally DallenbachWally Dallenbach, Jr.Wally Dallenbach, Jr. is an American former NASCAR Winston Cup driver. He competed in 226 Winston Cup races from 1991 to 2001 and had 23 top 10 finishes. The son of open wheel racer and former CART chief steward, Wally Dallenbach, Sr., Wally Jr. is also a road racer...
as analyst. After some speculation, Kyle PettyKyle PettyKyle Eugene Petty is a former American NASCAR driver and is currently a co-host for NASCAR RaceDay and panel member for NASCAR Smarts which are both on SPEED. He also commentates for TNT in the summer. He is the son of racer Richard Petty, grandson of racer Lee Petty, and father of the late Adam...
was revealed as the second analyst for the network's coverage on February 7, 2007. He will continue as an active NASCAR driver. Benny ParsonsBenny ParsonsBenjamin Stewart Parsons was an American NASCAR driver, and later an announcer/analyst on TBS, ESPN, NBC and TNT...
, who was an NBC/TNT analyst, died on January 16, 2007 and it is unclear if he would have returned to the booth in any event, as he had reportedly talked about retirement after 2006. The pit reporters are Yocum, Marty SniderMarty SniderMarty Snider is an American Sportscaster. Snider is a pit reporter for NASCAR on TNT. He has been a part of Turner Sports' NASCAR coverage since 1998. Snider also served as a NASCAR pit reporter for NBC Sports from 1999-2006. In 2006, Snider was a part of the Emmy award winning NBC/TNT NASCAR...
, Ralph SheheenRalph SheheenRalph 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....
, and Lindsay CzarniakLindsay CzarniakLindsay Ann Czarniak , is an American sports anchor and reporter. After spending 6 years with WRC-TV , the local NBC television affiliate in Washington, D.C., Czarniak joined ESPN as a SportsCenter anchor in August 2011.She has also been a pit reporter for TNT's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series coverage...
. McReynolds, a booth analyst for Fox, is the pre-race analyst. Weber also continues as host of the Countdown to Green pre-race show. Marc Fein joins McReynolds on a new "pre-pre-race" show called NASCAR on TNT Live.
Bill Weber left the TNT NASCAR race broadcasts in the early part of the 2009 season and was replaced by Ralph Sheheen for the rest of that season. Sheen was replaced by Adam Alexander for 2010.
Current broadcasts
Currently, three separate networks cover NASCAR races on radio:- MRNMotor Racing NetworkThe Motor Racing Network is the principal radio broadcasting operation of NASCAR, promoting themselves as "The Voice of NASCAR." It broadcasts coverage of most major NASCAR races at the top three levels of NASCAR at tracks owned by International Speedway Corporation as well as Dover International...
: Founded by Ken SquierKen SquierKen Squier is an American sportscaster and motorsports editor from Waterbury, Vermont. From 1979-1997, he was the lap-by-lap commentator for NASCAR on CBS, and was also a lap-by-lap commentator for TBS from the time they had rights to NASCAR until 2000. Squier was the first announcer to give...
and Bill France, Jr.Bill France, Jr.William Clifton France , nicknamed "Bill Jr." and "Little Bill," was an American motorsports executive who served from 1972 to 2000 as the head of NASCAR, the sanctioning body of United States-based stock car racing. He succeeded the founder of NASCAR, his father Bill France, Sr., as its head...
in 1971, it covers all Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series events at tracks owned by ISCInternational Speedway CorporationInternational Speedway Corporation is a corporation whose primary business is the ownership and management of NASCAR race tracks. ISC was founded by NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. in 1953 for the construction of Daytona International Speedway and in 1999 they merged with Penske Motorsports to...
, as well as DoverDover International SpeedwayDover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino...
and PoconoPocono RacewayPocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...
. It also cover all events of the Truck Series. - PRNPerformance Racing NetworkThe Performance Racing Network is a radio network controlled by Speedway Motorsports, Inc..Performance Racing Network broadcasts all NASCAR-sanctioned Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series events held at Speedway Motorsports-controlled tracks which include Atlanta, Bristol, Infineon, Las Vegas,...
: Covers all Sprint Cup and Nationwide events at tracks owned by Speedway Motorsports. - IMS Radio NetworkIndianapolis Motor Speedway Radio NetworkThe Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network , is an in-house radio syndication arrangement which broadcasts the Indianapolis 500, IndyCar, and the Brickyard 400 to radio stations covering most of North America....
: Covers the Brickyard 400, with many of the same announcers and production staff that covers the Indy 500Indianapolis 500The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
, with assistance from some PRN staff.
From 2002—2006, all races were heard on XM
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
channel 90 across the continental United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 2007, national satellite radio rights moved to Sirius
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
channel 90. Among the programs on Sirius NASCAR Radio are a weekly program co-hosted by TV pit reporter Matt Yocum
Matt Yocum
Matt Yocum is a long standing reporter in motorsports. He is best known for his pit reporting in the sport of NASCAR.-Biography:Matt Yocum's exposure to automobile racing began at an early age...
and 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...
, and a morning drive time show with David Poole of the Charlotte Observer and Marty Smith
Marty Smith
Marty Smith is a former professional motocross racer. He won three AMA National Motocross championships, all aboard Hondas, and was runner-up twice...
of ESPN.com
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
.
Following the merger of XM and Sirius, Sirius NASCAR Radio is heard on the XM through the "Best of Sirius" package on channel 90.
All three networks also have affiliation deals with hundreds of local radio stations. Many stations sign with more than one of these networks to ensure coverage of the entire season.
Beyond the United States
While NASCAR does not produce a "world feed" broadcast, it does have 23 international broadcast partners. Among them are TSNThe Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
, Premier Sports
Premier Sports
Premier Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels, operated by the Luxembourg registered Premier Media S.à r.l., broadcasting in United Kingdom.-History:...
, Sportsnet, The Score, Bell TV, Speed Latin America, Speed Brazil, Fox Sports Latin America, Fox Middle East, Fox Sports Australia, Channel 5, ESPN America, Viasat
Viasat
Viasat is a DBS distributor and TV broadcaster, owned by the Swedish media conglomerate Modern Times Group. Broadcasting from London, the target markets are in the Nordic and the Baltic Countries...
, StarHub
StarHub
StarHub Limited is a full-fledged telecommunications company providing a full range of services over mobile, internet and fixed platforms in Singapore...
, Dubai Sports Channel, SNTV, and American Forces Network
American Forces Network
The American Forces Network is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces American Forces Radio and Television Service for its entertainment and command internal information networks worldwide...
. Neo Sports in India start broadcasting NASCAR Races in March 2010 at Martinsville.