SPEED Sets Broad NASCAR Foundation for 2010
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Courtesy SPEED TV
By Editor
(SPEED TV PR)
With a slate of new programs, an updated and enhanced Web presence and an upgraded 14,400-square-foot, at-track production and interactive marketing compound offering more to race fans than ever before, SPEED is putting the finishing touches on the most ambitious NASCAR on SPEED season in network history.
Coming off a season of record Nielsen ratings for six NASCAR programs, including its live coverage of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, SPEED plans to keep the momentum moving forward in 2010.
“This isn’t a once-a-year process at SPEED,” said network President Hunter Nickell. “Developing and strengthening ideas across all of our NASCAR on SPEED platforms is ongoing … ideas coming to fruition over the next few weeks were born months ago and ideas just now being discussed will roll out later this year. SPEED is never ‘finished’ when it comes to finding the next cool way to connect with NASCAR fans.”
This week, SPEED signed former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty to a new multiyear deal that will position the veteran television personality with John Roberts, Kenny Wallace and Wendy Venturini on the popular NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pre-race show, NASCAR RaceDay Built by The Home Depot. Petty also will appear on the post-race program, NASCAR Victory Lane, and continue his role on the popular game show, NASCAR Smarts.
“I drove a car for 30 years but my interaction with fans last year seemed double that of what it was my entire career because there are so many fans who come to the SPEED Stage and stand around when nothing on-track is going on, just waiting for something to happen,” Petty said. “Just talking to fans and seeing their perspective. Sometimes you have a perspective of the sport — and mine was always inside those four fences of the garages and inside that circle — but to step outside that offers a little different perspective. I now can see why fans say certain things or do certain things or act certain ways where before I didn’t understand it at all.”
As the season gets underway, SPEED is dedicating much of its effort to strengthening its Monday Night NASCAR lineup, with the following rotation beginning Feb. 15 — NASCAR Race Hub (7:30 & 11:30 p.m. ET), NASCAR in a Hurry – Monday Edition (8 p.m. ET) and a new 30-minute talk show with fan favorite Jimmy Spencer, entitled What’s the Deal?, at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Nicky Morse, The Racing Chef, will join the NASCAR on SPEED team in 2010, visiting restaurants around the race track and highlighting the culinary expertise of race fans who take enormous pride in their campground feasts.
“They are very dedicated and very, very competitive,” said Morse, who will be featured on NASCAR Race Hub to open the season. “Somebody is going to cook 100 pounds of crawfish at their boil, so the next person wants to cook 200 pounds and some shrimp. They are very competitive, but they are very generous. I’ve never walked through the infield or a campground where someone doesn’t invite you in to sample what they are cooking.”
Three additional Monday night NASCAR shows are in development, with a planned rollout following the Las Vegas racing weekend.
Race replays for all three NASCAR national touring series are scheduled throughout the week, beginning with an encore presentation of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Mondays at noon. Tuesday nights, SPEED will air a cut-down version of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, tentatively titled NASCAR Fast Laps, at 8 p.m. ET. The full Cup race will re-air Wednesdays at noon and the full NASCAR Nationwide Series race replay will air Thursdays at noon. In addition, SPEED will air NASCAR Classics on Thursdays at 3 p.m. ET.
In addition to its weekly NASCAR on SPEED lineup, SPEED will continue to be the home for the Gatorade Duel at Daytona, the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, all three NASCAR national touring series awards ceremonies and the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
The only title not returning in 2010 will be the long-running This Week in NASCAR.
“Everyone at SPEED has a tremendous amount of respect for this franchise,” said Steve Craddock, SPEED SVP of Programming. “While it went through several hosts, set designs and even titles, the basic concept of a little Monday night bench racing amongst friends remained the cornerstone of the production. SPEED grew up with this series, spinning off ideas and building what has grown into NASCAR on SPEED 2010. We owe a lot to this show and the teams that have worked on it over the years.”
At the race track, the SPEED Stage continues its evolution, as the network teams with Jay Howard Enterprises (JHE) and GMR Marketing to deliver a one-of-a-kind fan experience. First producing shoulder programming from the track in 2004, the original effort took only a single tractor trailer and two JHE employees to deliver. In 2010, the five-tractor-trailer effort now rolls in with three SPEED Stages and a lineup of interactive fan activities, where ‘SPEED Fanatics’ (my.speedtv.com) can experience what its like to operate a camera, sit on mock sets and get autographs from SPEED personalities and other NASCAR stars.
SPEEDtv.com, the online motorsports authority, also is strengthening its NASCAR offerings, recently hiring five-time NMPA writer of the year Mike Hembree to serve as NASCAR editor under award-winning Editor-in-Chief Tom Jensen. Hembree, who most recently worked at NASCAR Scene, also is a three-time winner of the Russ Catlin Award.
“Mike is one of the most talented and respected journalists in NASCAR, a great writer and reporter for more than two decades,” Jensen said. “We are extremely fortunate to have him on board at SPEEDtv.com.”
In addition to strengthening its editorial staff for 2010, and its continued content relationship with NASCAR.com, SPEEDtv.com is working on a number of initiatives aimed at enhancing its NASCAR position, including:
- Fantasy racing and statistical support
- Enhanced standings, results and race schedules
- Re-designed homepage and article templates
- More original and related content and features
SPEED™, anchored by its popular and wide-ranging coverage of NASCAR, is the nation’s first and only cable television network dedicated to automotive and motorcycle racing, performance and lifestyle. Now available in more than 79 million homes in North America, SPEED is among the industry leaders in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services. For more information, please visit SPEEDtv.com, the online motor sports authority.
