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SPEED To Re-Air Earnhardt Special On 10th Anniversary; Premiere Met Overwhelming Response
SPEED's premiere of The Day; Remembering Dale Earnhardt earned the highest non-event rating on the network since July 2008...
Megan Englehart  |  Posted February 15, 2011   Charlotte, NC
SPEED.com - The Online Motor Sports Authority (Image: SPEED)
SPEED TO RE-AIR THE DAY: REMEMBERING DALE EARNHARDT ON 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH

PREMIERE MET OVERWHELMING RESPONSE; SCORED NETWORK’S HIGHEST NON-EVENT RATING IN MORE THAN TWO YEARS

The Boston Globe: “… None was done better …”

HONORING EARNHARDT: SPEED will re-air The Day; Remembering Dale Earnhardt on the 10th anniversary of his death, Friday, Feb. 18, at 10 p.m. ET. SPEED’s Feb. 11 premiere of the one-hour special scored a .78 (640,000 households) Nielsen Rating, making it the highest non-event rating on the network since July 2008.

Response to the one-hour special has been overwhelming in the media and across social media outlets.

Mike Vega of The Boston Globe wrote, “But none was done better than ‘The Day: Remembering Dale Earnhardt’ … It's worth watching, especially for the poignant interviews with Richard Childress, Earnhardt's car owner, and Ken Schrader … My stomach churned as I watched the moving retrospective on Earnhardt's death because it sent me reeling back to what had been -- by far -- the hardest day I've ever experienced as a sportswriter.”

Reaction on SPEED’s Facebook page included:

“Show just got over, and with a heavy heart and tears in my eyes, I say’ thank you,’ SPEED, for a fantastic tribute.”

“It was an awesome show! SPEED, my hat goes off to you guys! You did one hell of a job interviewing …”

“All I can say is ‘wow.’ What a show … brought back tears, laughs and memories for us all.”

Among those interviewed for The Day included Ken Schrader, who hadn’t spoken publicly about being the first to Earnhardt’s car until he sat down with Pam Surbaugh, a Senior Producer for NASCAR Media Group who produced the special and recently was tabbed as features producer for NASCAR RaceDay Built by The Home Depot. An excerpt from Schrader’s interview on The Day:

“Richard (Childress) came into the infield care center,’ Schrader said. “You’re sitting in there and you’ve got the little curtains and stuff and Richard pulled the curtains and said, ‘What’s the deal?’ I probably turned white. I said, ‘It ain’t good.’ He said, ‘We going to be out for a while?’ I said, ‘Oh, no, buddy. We’ve got bigger problems.’
VIDEO: NASCAR Race Hub - Dale Remembered SPEED experts remember Dale Earnhardt Sr. (Image: SPEED)

“Mikey (Michael Waltrip) had just won the Daytona 500,” Schrader continued. “What a big deal. That was such an important moment for him. I loved Mikey like a brother and I wanted to tell him what I thought the deal was. I just told Mikey that I was awfully happy for him but ‘Listen, Mike, we’ve got a big problem here. I am extremely worried about Dale.’ I remember him looking at me like it didn’t register because he’d been waiting for Dale to come in (to Victory Lane).”

SPEED offers encores of The Day on Feb. 18 at 10 p.m. ET immediately following the network’s live broadcast of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season opener from Daytona (7:30 p.m. ET) and Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

THURSDAY’S DUEL: Numerous rules changes implemented by NASCAR the past few days will be put to the first real test Thursday during SPEED’s live broadcast of the Gatorade Duel at Daytona, beginning with a special edition of NASCAR RaceDay Built by The Home Depot at 1 p.m. ET, followed by live race coverage at 2 p.m. ET. Krista Voda and Jeff Hammond host SPEED’s coverage of the Duel, with the team of Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds calling the race. Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum and Dr. Dick Berggren serve as pit reporters.

TRUCKS RETURN: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns for its ninth season on SPEED in 2011, opening with the Feb. 18 NextEra Energy Resources 250 at 7:30 p.m. ET (NCWTS Setup hosted by Krista Voda at 7 p.m. ET). Rick Allen, Phil Parsons and Darrell Waltrip provide race analysis with Ray Dunlap and Hermie Sadler covering pit road. Todd Bodine returns to showcase his restrictor-plate prowess and defend his 2010 title but should have strong competition in the form of drivers such as Matt Crafton, Johnny Sauter, Austin Dillon, Timothy Peters and others. After early season postponements at Daytona (rain) and Gateway (electrical) put the series in a ratings hole in 2010, the Trucks finished strong with viewers, scoring increases in eight of the last 13 events. NCWTS ratings were up 3 percent year-to-year in 2010 between July and the season finale at Homestead in November.

FRIDAY NIGHT PARTY: Trackside debuts a brand-new set and a more up-close and electric atmosphere Friday at Daytona. The SPEED Stage has undergone a significant makeover for the 2011 season, resulting in a sleeker, more modern look that puts guest drivers and SPEED on-air personalities nearly eye level with and surrounded by fans. A new 24’x24’ platform for Trackside was built on-site early this week, placing hosts Steve Byrnes, Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Hammond more in the middle of the crowd.

The Trackside stage will sit only 30 inches off the ground, giving fans a bird’s eye view of the panel and drivers, reflecting NASCAR on SPEED’s casual, in-depth interview approach to the 2011 season. Friday night’s Trackside guests include Michael Waltrip, who won the 2001 Daytona 500 for car owner and friend Dale Earnhardt, and Brian Vickers, who returns to the seat of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota after sitting out most of 2010 for health reasons.

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 82 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.
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