SPEED Notes: From Phoenix To Abu Dhabi

Sprint Cup

SPEED Notes: From Phoenix To Abu Dhabi

SPEED will offer 18 hours of original NASCAR programming from Phoenix this weekend...

Megan Englehart | Posted November 10, 2010 Charlotte, NC

Eighteen finalists are in the running for the 2010 Mario Andretti Trophy. (Image: SPEED)

A NASCAR RECORD UP FOR GRABS IN FRIDAY’S NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES RACE FROM PHOENIX

SPEED OFFERS 18 HOURS OF ORIGINAL NASCAR CONTENT FROM PHOENIX THIS WEEKEND

NASCAR RACE HUB: The Hub (7 p.m. ET Monday-Thursday) on Wednesday features interviews with Trevor Bayne, who finished 17th in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at Texas, and Sprint Cup Series owner Tad Geschickter. Danielle Trotta stops by Joe Gibbs Racing to chat with Mike Ford and Larry McReynolds and Ray Dunlap are in the Hub for analysis.

Thursday’s show features a sit-down interview with Brad Keselowski, newly-crowned NASCAR Nationwide Series champion and Penske Racing driver in the Sprint Cup Series.

On NASCAR possibly not allowing Cup drivers to win Nationwide championships in the future:
“There’s a part of you that feels like you’re being treated as a criminal for winning the championship,” Keselowski said. “And then there’s a part of me that puts myself in other drivers’ shoes that are trying to make it in the Nationwide Series … essentially, to remove the Cup drivers out of the Nationwide Series aligns the goals of the series very similar to that of the Truck Series or the ARCA series. And there’s a question in my mind whether that’s healthy for the sport.”

On whether his championships has silenced his critics:
“No, absolutely not. I hope I never do. Hell, Jimmie Johnson wins four straight championships and everyone criticizes him for having Chad Knaus. I think all you can do is make them look for other excuses.”

Additionally on Thursday, Jimmy Spencer offers his take on the latest happenings in NASCAR.

For more show information, please visit http://www.speedtv.com/programs/nascar-race-hub/.

TRUCKIN’ IN THE DESERT: SPEED kicks off its NASCAR Camping World Truck Series coverage from Phoenix International Raceway with live presentation of qualifying Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET. Krista Voda sets the stage for Friday’s race with NCWTS Setup at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by live race coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Rick Allen, Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip will call the action with pit road reporting by Adam Alexander and Ray Dunlap.

Twenty-one-year-old Caitlin Shaw could make NASCAR history by qualifying for Friday’s Truck Series race. She would become the sixth female to compete in a Truck race this year, breaking the record for the most females in a national touring series in any given season in NASCAR history. The current record stands at five females – set in the Truck Series in 2009 and 2010 and in the 1950 Cup season. Additionally, last month’s Truck Series race from Martinsville featured four females, the most to compete in any one NASCAR race in history.

“I remember literally having to get the keys from my dad to sneak into the garage area because women were not allowed access,” said Patti Wheeler, daughter of iconic track operator and promoter H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler and newly named EVP of Programming and Production at SPEED. “The first frontier for women in racing was in communications -- marketing, public relations and journalism. The second frontier was marked by women earning meaningful roles within track and sanctioning body operations. And I think now we are firmly in the third and final frontier for women in racing – being a part of the competition.”

For more information on the potential record-breaking race, please visit: http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/trucks-women-could-break-nascar-record-at-phoenix/

The Truck Series rides a wave of momentum into Phoenix. According to Nielsen Media Research, ratings for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race from Texas were up 6 percent year-to-year, with last Friday night’s live coverage on SPEED scoring a .73 (561,000 households) against last year’s .69 (517,000 households). The race, won by Kyle Busch, peaked at a .93 (714,000 households), up 11 percent from last year’s peak of .84 (618,000 households).

After early season postponements at Daytona (rain) and Gateway (electrical) put the series in a ratings hole, the Trucks continue to build momentum with two races remaining in the season, scoring increases in seven of the last 11 events (Pocono up 78%, Darlington up 19%, Bristol up 3%, Kentucky up 115%, Las Vegas up 17%, Martinsville up 41% and Texas). Since July, NCWTS ratings are up 3 percent year-to-year.

FORMULA ONE CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK: SPEED kicks off its weekend presentation of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the final race in the 2010 F1 championship, with live coverage of practice Friday at 8 a.m. ET. SPEED offers live coverage of qualifying from the United Arab Emirates Saturday at 8 a.m. ET, followed by live race coverage Sunday at 7:30 a.m. ET. Bob Varsha will call the race with analysis from David Hobbs and Steve Matchett and reporting by Will Buxton.

NASCAR RACEDAY: Sunday’s NASCAR RaceDay Built by The Home Depot from Phoenix International Raceway has a packed show. Live interviews include Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Joey Logano and Gil Martin. NASCAR RaceDay airs Sunday at 12 p.m. ET.

NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED SERIES: SPEED presents delayed coverage of June’s The Made in America Whelen 200 from Martinsville Speedway on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.

SPEED DOWN UNDER: SPEED and Premier Media Group turned on the lights for SPEED Australia last week, with a multi-year agreement that brings more than 150 hours of SPEED programming to the group’s already expansive motor sports rights lineup – including all three of NASCAR’s national touring series.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/motor-sports

TONIGHT! NASCAR Race Hub 6 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday. (Image: SPEED)

TRACKSIDE: John Roberts, Larry McReynolds, Jeff Hammond, Elliott Sadler and Rutledge Wood welcome Brad Keselowski, 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion, and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., driver of the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in the Nationwide Series. Trackside on Friday airs at 10:30 p.m. ET.

WIND TUNNEL: It’s a two-for-one special on Sunday’s Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain as Mike Joy, host of NASCAR on FOX, and Adam Alexander, host of NASCAR on TNT and SPEED anchor/reporter, serve as guest co-hosts in Despain’s absence. Bob Varsha, Voice of F1 on SPEED, will offer analysis on the weekend’s race from Abu Dhabi.

NASCAR SMARTS: Kyle Petty and Rutledge Wood test their NASCAR trivia mettle against Germain Racing’s Todd Bodine and Mike Hillman, Jr., the driver/crew chief combination who currently hold down the top spot in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. NASCAR Smarts from Phoenix airs Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET.

THE RACING CHEF: Saturday’s edition of The Racing Chef includes a look at Chef Nicky Morse’s trip to The Asphalt Chef event at Texas Motor Speedway with Guy Fieri, Mario Batali, Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch. Saturday’s show also features Chef Nicky’s trip to Babe’s Fried Chicken in Texas, as well as a look at the catering quarters in the NASCAR broadcast TV compound of Chef Lloyd. The Racing Chef airs Saturday at 11 a.m. ET.

GP2 CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: The network presents coverage of the GP2 Championship Series from Abu Dhabi Sunday at 6 a.m. ET.

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 more than 80 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. 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 over 20 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.