| The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race from Talladega broke the million-household mark at its peak and continued a strong, season-long trend of NCTS ratings increases on SPEED. The event scored an average Nielsen Household Rating of 1.11 (816,000 households), an 18-percent increase from last year. Race coverage peaked at 1.36 (1 million households), a 15-percent increase over last year’s peak of 1.18. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events on SPEED have enjoyed double-digit Nielsen Ratings increases in 10 of the last 14 races. This report came from SPEED/TV PR and StockcarGazette.com. |
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ABC’s broadcast of that Sunday’s Amp Energy 500 Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway earned a 4.0 overnight rating from Nielsen Media Research, Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Daily reports. The rating is 4.8 percent lower than the 4.2 the Cup race earned overnight on ABC in 2007. This report came from SceneDaily and StockCarGazette.com.
Here’s the final rating, though. ABC earned a 4.6 national rating for its live telecast of the AMP Energy 500 Sprint Cup race from Talladega Superspeedway, the same rating as was earned by last year’s race telecast, also on ABC. The race averaged 7,439,614 viewers. The race earned ABC’s highest rating so far this season and matched its highest rating from 2007. The network is televising all 10 races in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. This report came from ESPN and StockCarGazette.com.
NASCAR, ESPN and SPEED have announced broadcast plans for the Oct. 25 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Memphis Motorsports Park. The Kroger on Track for the Cure 250 presented by the Southern Dodge Dealers will be simulcast live on ESPN Classic and SPEED. Online broadcasts of the race will also be streamed live on ESPN360.com and NASCAR.com. “The simultaneous broadcasts on SPEED and ESPN Classic, along with live streaming on NASCAR.com and ESPN360.com, will provide our fans with a wide range of opportunities to watch the race on various platforms,” said Robbie Weiss, NASCAR’s vice president, broadcasting. “This is a busy time of year for live sports and we really appreciate ESPN and SPEED working together to come up with a plan that takes care of our fans. ESPN and SPEED will work aggressively to promote this simulcast.”
SPEED TV will again air the Rite Aid 200 from the New York State Fairgrounds during their fall schedule on October 25 at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Fans can catch all the action from the 37th running of the great Fall Classic one more time from the comfort of their own home.
Long-time DIRTcar announcer and voice of the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds, Shane Andrews, will be giving the play-by-play call, while former World of Outlaws Late Model Series Champion and World Series 200 Modified winner Tim McCreadie will provide color analysis.
Super DIRT Week XXXVII is sure to provide more lasting memories, and fans can re-live all of them with SPEED TV’s re-airing of the 200-mile spectacle.
With the Hooter’s sponsorship leaving the USAR Pro Series at the end of the year, it’s going to have an impact. The series had the capability to train drivers to move into the NASCAR ladder system. The officials of the USAR Pro Series claim that they are searching for a replacement sponsor. Given the struggling economic climate, we wish them luck.
Daytona International Speedway will continue the tradition of exciting, must-see activities as well as thrilling motorcycle racing at “The World Center of Racing” during upcoming Fall Cycle Scene on Oct. 16 – 19.
Daytona International Speedway will once again host Kickstand City. In addition to offering a wide-variety of overnight parking packages and the exciting on-track racing, Daytona International Speedway will offer a plethora of must-see activities for any motorcycle enthusiast.
Free demo rides: Outside of historic Daytona International Speedway, motorcycle enthusiasts can test-ride the latest and greatest motorcycles with free manufacturer demo rides. Top OEM’s participating includes Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Harley-Davidson, Buell, Victory, Triumph, Boss Hoss and more. Custom builders will be located in the area outside of Turn 4 include Covington, Bourget, Ridley, Big Dog Motorcycles and many more. The metric display will be located in Lot 1. Riders must hold a valid motorcycle driver license and DOT approved helmet in order to participate in the demo rides. Demo rides run Thursday, Oct. 16 – Sunday, Oct. 19.
Motorcycle Racing: Daytona International Speedway will have a jam-packed schedule of bikes races between Oct. 16-19 with racing from the American Sport Bike Association, the Championship Cup Series and the 8 Hours At Daytona SunTrust MOTO-ST Series. Tickets for al the races are available at www.racetickets.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP.
Daytona Motorcycle Marketplace: Bikers can find the nation’s top aftermarket parts, accessories and apparel companies at the Daytona Motorcycle Marketplace. The Daytona Motorcycle Marketplace will be open Thursday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 19.
Monster Dash Around Daytona: On Friday night, Oct. 17, bikers will get the chance of a lifetime to ride Daytona International Speedway in the annual Monster Dash Around Daytona. The parade lap will begin at 7 p.m. followed by the After Party until 9 p.m. Price is $40 per participant and includes an “I Rode Daytona” T-shirt, two parade laps around DIS, two beverage tickets and entertainment at the After Party in the Sprint FANZONE.
Tickets for the Monster Dash are available in the Budweiser Cool Your Pipes Zone outside of Turn 4. A portion of the proceeds from the ride will be donated to charity.
Budweiser Cool Your Pipes Zone: Cool your pipes with two great names…. Budweiser and Daytona International Speedway! Spend the day catching up with old friends at the Budweiser Cool Your Pipes Zone, located just outside the Speedway’s twin tunnels. Enjoy a cold Budweiser and great food next to the area’s largest vendor, display and demo ride marketplace.
Specialty Vehicle, Overnight Parking: Specialty vehicles and overnight tent parking are available inside “The World Center of Racing.” Overnight Specialty Vehicle Parking (with hook-ups) is available for $295 and overnight specialty vehicle parking (no hook-ups) is $175. Both of those packages include two four-day admissions. Overnight tent camping is free with your daily admission ticket and motorcycle trailer parking (West Lot) is $25. For more information, call 1-800-PITSHOP.
D5X: The motorsports attraction will have free admission on Friday, Oct. 17 and Saturday, Oct. 18, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Known as The Daytona 500 Experience, the official attraction of NASCAR will go by the name of D5X and celebrate Fall Cycle Scene with food, beverages and daily entertainment. D5X is home to the 2008 Daytona 500 winning car of Ryan Newman.
It appears that some of the Indy Car drivers who came to NASCAR had problems trying to adapt to NASCAR and sponsor problems. First to depart was Dario Franchitti because his car owner Chip Ganassi couldn’t get a sponsor for Dario’s car. The latest casualty is Patrick Carpentier who had some problems with his team and was subsequently dismissed by the GEM racing principals.
On the F1 front, the FIA and FOCA’s Bernie Eccelstone continues to play suitors, for Formula 1 races, against each other. It appears that the annual late spring running of the GP of Canada is finito. That date goes to Abu Dhabi. And the playoff of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway vs. the Las Vegas strip is still trying to get some traction. That said, even though the gambling business in Glitter Gulch is way down and looking for a way to stimulate business, when old Bernie springs the price tag for one of his F1 Circus events expect the city politicos and the casino owners to gag. Bernie has never sold cheap. In spite of fact that this planet could be in the midst of the worst worldwide recession since the Great Depression.
Yes, He REALLY Said That Ricky Carmichael, on his first laps at Talladega in a Kevin Harvick-owned Chevrolet ARCA car. “I didn’t think, ‘Whoa, what am I doing here?’ but I couldn’t believe how much you move around in the draft. I really couldn’t. That blew me away. We were all over the place.” This came from the Valvoline Track Talk Newsletter.
Let’s see what’s going on for the motorheads this weekend on the tube.
It all get’s underway on Friday with a 2 a.m. Practice session for the F1 cars in Shanghai, China on Speed. At 11 a.m. it’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Practice at Martinsville on Speed. ESPN2 kicks in at noon with Cup Qualifying from Martinsville, VA. Speed comes back at 1:30 p.m. with CTS Final Practice from Martinsville. The Duce teams up with TSN2 at 3:30 p.m. with Cup Qualifying from Martinsville.
Saturday goes like this. Speed/TSN air F1 Qualifying from China at 2 a.m. At 10 a.m. Speed offers NASCAR CTS Qualifying from Martinsville. Stay with Speed for Cup Practice at 11:30 a.m. from Martinsville. Then the CTS race airs from that track at 3 p.m. At 7 p.m. ESPN2 airs Cup Practice from Martinsville.
Sunday is another early airing for the F1 of China, which will be broadcast on RDS/TSN/Speed. Speed comes back at 11 a.m. with RaceDay. At 1:30 p.m. ABC/TSN2 both air NASCAR’s Cup race from Martinsville. NBC offers the ALMS race from Laguna Seca, CA at 2 p.m. while Speed comes back at 6 p.m. with the FIM MotoGP from Sepang, Malaysia. (END)
NOTE: INFORMATION FOR THIS COLUMN CAME FROM VARIOUS REFERENCED SOURCES, PRESSES RELEASES, NOTES AND OTHER SOURCES.
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