Written by:
Erik Arneson
01/28/2007 - 07:00 PM
Charlotte, NC
Jimmie Johnson leads a pack of cars at the start of the 2005 Duel #2 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) ยป More Photos
SPEED will offer special "Duels Day" coverage on Feb. 15 from Daytona Speedweeks, as the network hosts the high-anxiety qualifying races for the first time. Opening the broadcast day at 11 a.m. with NASCAR Live!, SPEED will offer 14 hours of programming from Daytona, including live coverage of the Gatorade Duel at Daytona at 2 p.m. ET and a Prime Time replay at 10 p.m. ET.
Dave Despain will host SPEED coverage of the Duel 150s, with Mike Joy offering play-by-play and Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds and Jeff Hammond providing Analysis. SPEED pit reporters will include Steve Byrnes, Dick Berggren, Krista Voda and Matt Yocum.
"In my book, even though the Daytona 500 is an intense race that can make a driver's, a crew chief's or even a tire-changer's career, the Duels will be the most intense races of the week," McReynolds said. "You have some of the top competitors with some of the top sponsors not yet locked into the Daytona 500. It's hard to believe that a 150-mile race can have this much impact on the season, but Duels Day truly is D-Day for a lot of these teams. Some of these guys will finish in the Top 10 in their race and still have to pack up and go home."
In addition to inaugural SPEED coverage
The Duels at Daytona are two 150-mile qualifying races to determine the starting order for the Daytona 500. Two drivers from each race will earn spots not already achieved in the 2006 owner point standings and Bud Pole Qualifying.
SPEED is the nation's first and foremost cable television network dedicated to motor sports and the passion for everything automotive. From racing to restoration, motorcycles to movies, SPEED delivers quality programming from the track to the garage. Now available in more than 74 million homes in North America, SPEED is among the fastest-growing sports cable networks in the country, the home to NASCAR on SPEED and an industry leader in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services.
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