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2007 broadcast coverage of the ARCA RE/MAX Series will begin on Saturday afternoon, February 10 at Daytona Int’l Speedway, with live, flag to flag coverage of the 44th annual Daytona ARCA 200 season opener.

In addition to Daytona, events scheduled for coverage in ‘07 include both at Toledo Speedway on May 20 and October 14 and both at Pocono Raceway on June 9 and August 4. Kansas Speedway on April 27, Iowa Speedway on June 2, Michigan Int’l Speedway on June 15, Kentucky Speedway on July 13, Nashville Superspeedway on August 11, the Milwaukee Mile on August 26, Gateway Int’l Raceway on August 31, Chicagoland Speedway on September 8 and Talladega Superspeedway on October 5 will complete the coverage.

“The 2007 broadcast schedule will provide fans of the ARCA RE/MAX Series a great opportunity to view the series from a variety of first-class venues,” said Mark Gundrum, ARCA VP of Marketing & Communications. “From the short-tracks of Toledo Speedway, to state of the art facilities like Kentucky, Nashville and Chicagoland, right up to the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega, fans will get a unique look at the diversity in this series. Having 14 events scheduled for live or same-day delayed broadcast is quite a statement, especially in the current television environment.”

SPEED, currently available in 75 million households in North America, will once again serve as the exclusive broadcast partner for the ARCA RE/MAX Series in 2007. Dating back to 1997, SPEED has aired a total of 134 ARCA RE/MAX Series events.

The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and AMA Pro Racing have announced the creation of a new professional ATV racing championship set to begin with the 2007 season. The series will be based on motocross style competition and will feature 450cc machines. An expansion to include a 250cc-based class is expected for 2008.

“With the continued sales growth and availability of sport ATVs in the United States and the expanding popularity of racing, the time is right to launch this championship,” said AMA CEO Patti DiPietro. “This discipline will receive the same level of support as our other pro racing series and will help elevate the awareness and professionalism of ATV competition.”

A television package is under development as is a dedicated website. AMA staff is preparing a rule book and homologation information. The 2007 schedule will feature up to 12 outdoor events managed by ATV-specific racing staff members. Five to six indoor events will be added in 2008. Transponder timing and scoring will be utilized. AMA staff is working with the major ATV manufacturers to establish a contingency program. An AMA Pro ATV Racing rules-making committee will also be created comprised of participants involved with the championship.

DiPietro added that the new pro series will run in conjunction with current ATVA events and will create a better progression for amateur riders aspiring to become professionals. “We will issue pro licenses to top riders competing in ATVA competition,” commented DiPietro. These competitors will have the opportunity to earn an AMA Pro number one plate and be recognized as an AMA Champion.”

Danica Patrick is the latest racing superstar to join the on-air team at XM Satellite Radio, the nation’s number-one satellite radio company with more than seven million subscribers. The IndyCar Series driver is now officially a member of the Andretti Green Racing (AGR) team, the winningest team in Indy Racing League (IRL) history. Patrick will co-host the exclusive XM Radio show “The Andretti Green Racing Hour” with AGR teammates Mario Andretti, Dario Franchitti, Bryan Herta, and Tony Kanaan, as well as AGR co-owner and IndyCar racing legend Michael Andretti. The weekly, one-hour show debuts spring 2007 on the sports talk radio channel XM Sports Nation (XM Channel 143). XM is also the exclusive home for radio shows hosted by NASCAR 2006 Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and NASCAR megastar Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

“I am thrilled to become part of both the Andretti Green Racing and XM Satellite Radio teams,” said Patrick. “‘The Andretti Green Racing Hour’ promises to be much more than a racing show, featuring the team’s experiences both on the track and off. My experiences as the newest member of AGR are guaranteed to be interesting.”

Winner of the Rookie of The Year trophy at her first Indianapolis 500 in 2005, Patrick has become an international sensation, appearing everywhere from the covers of Sports Illustrated and TV Guide to the new music video for Jay-Z’s “Show Me What You Got,” which features Patrick racing alongside Earnhardt and Jay-Z in Monaco.

“Danica is one of the most popular competitors in sports today,” said Eric Logan, executive vice president, programming, XM Satellite Radio. “XM is the exclusive home of racing’s biggest stars, and we’re proud to welcome Danica to the family.”

More subscriber radio news has former ESPN RPM2Nite host, John Kernan, hosting a show on Sirius Satellite Radio called Driver’s Seat, co-hosted by former Cup driver Buddy Baker, a former TV colorman, along with other drivers. Driver’s Seat will air Mondays-Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3:00pm/ET. After NASCAR bailed on ESPN, Kernan did an outdoor program for the Bristol, CT based cable channel. Baker hasn’t done much since TNN left the motorsports scene.

In a continued effort to better serve the Latino sports fans in the U.S., ESPN Deportes Radio and MRN Radio, the primary source for NASCAR stock car racing and related radio programming, announced a five-year agreement that makes ESPN Deportes Radio the exclusive Spanish-language radio home of NASCAR racing’s premier events, it was announced by Traug Keller, senior vice president, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio and David Hyatt, President of MRN Radio.