CUP: SPEED Adds Rudd, Palumbo To 2012 Team

Sprint Cup

CUP: SPEED Adds Rudd, Palumbo To 2012 Team

Former Sprint Cup Series driver Ricky Rudd and former Miss Sprint Cup Monica Palumbo have joined SPEED...

Erik Arneson | Posted February 07, 2012 Charlotte, NC

SPEED.com - The Online Motor Sports Authority (Image: SPEED)

SPEED™ ADDS NASCAR ‘IRONMAN’ RICKY RUDD AS SPEED CENTER ANALYST

FORMER MISS SPRINT CUP MONICA PALUMBO SIGNS WITH SPEED AS SOCIAL MEDIA REPORTER

Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ricky Rudd signed with SPEED this week to be an analyst on the popular weekend motor sports news program, SPEED Center. Rudd, a winner of 23 Cup Series races, including the 1997 Brickyard 400, was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.

“Anytime you add someone with Ricky’s credentials, you give the viewers a voice and a perspective that has real impact,” said SPEED President Scott Ackerson.

Scheduled to begin Feb. 12, Rudd could be in for a long run on the network. After all, his 788 consecutive starts are the most in Cup history, earning the Chesapeake, Va., native the honorary title of NASCAR’s “Ironman.”

New to SPEED, Monica Palumbo formerly worked as Miss Sprint Cup. (Photo: SPEED)

“I’m really looking forward to the next chapter,” said Rudd, the 1977 Rookie of the Year. “It’s going to be a lot of fun working with the gang at SPEED.”

Also added to the SPEED team this week, former Miss Sprint Cup Monica Palumbo joins the network as a Social Media Reporter. Palumbo, the longest-serving Miss Sprint Cup, held the position from 2008 through last season and appeared on NASCAR Race Hub and other SPEED programs in that role.

As a Social Media Reporter, Palumbo works with producers, creating original SPEED content for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media outlets. In addition, she provides reports from various tracks and locations and serves as a broadcast contributor with social media updates from second-screen touch points.

About SPEED™
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 nearly 84 million homes in North America, SPEED, a member of the FOX Sports Media Group, is among the industry leaders in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services, including SPEED2, a groundbreaking new broadband network featuring live, streaming and on-demand events complementing offerings of the linear network. For more information, please visit SPEED.com, the online motor sports authority.

About FOX Sports Media Group
FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) is the umbrella entity representing News Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets under Chairman & CEO David Hill. Built with brands that are capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FSMG includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FSMG now includes FOX Sports, the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; Fox’s 19 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; SPEED and SPEED2; Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus; FUEL TV; and Fox College Sports. In addition, FSMG also includes FOX Sports Interactive Media, which comprises FOXSports.com on MSN, whatifsports.com and scout.com, reaching almost 30 million unique visitors monthly. Also included are Fox’s interests in joint-venture businesses FOX Deportes, Big Ten Network and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network, FOX Sports Skybox restaurants and FOX Sports Grills.