FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 1st, 2015
NBC SPORTS GROUP CELEBRATES NASCAR’S RETURN WITH 23.5 HOURS OF HOLIDAY WEEKEND COVERAGE
Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Sunday, July 5, at 7 p.m. ET on NBC
Subway Firecracker 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series Race Saturday, July 4, at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Each Race Proceeded by Countdown to Green Pre-Race Show
Chasing 43: One-Hour Special on the Legacy of Richard Petty’s #43 Car Debuts Sun. at 4 p.m. ET on NBC
4th of July Weekend Coverage Begins Fri., Jul 3, at 2 p.m. ET
with NASCAR XFINITY Series Practice
NBC Sports Live Extra to Stream Coverage
STAMFORD, Conn. – July 1, 2015 – NBC Sports Group begins its 10-year partnership with NASCAR this 4th of July weekend with 23.5 hours of NASCAR coverage. The holiday weekend slate from Daytona International Speedway is highlighted by the 57th running of the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, July 5, at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, and the Subway Firecracker 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday, July 4, at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Profiles and features included within this weekend’s telecasts:
- A profile on Kyle Busch, who triumphantly returned to racing at the end of May after a serious crash at the XFINITY Series race in Daytona this past February.
- A feature with Dale Earnhardt Jr., who sits down with with his former crew chief and NBC Sports Group NASCAR analyst Steve Letarte to talk about his passion for watching classic NASCAR races and recent engagement.
- Jeff Burton takes viewers around a lap at Daytona in the NBC Sports Toyota Camry.
Come race time, announcer Rick Allen joins 21-time NASCAR Sprint Cup winning driver Jeff Burton and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte in the NBC Sports broadcast booth to call both primetime events. NBC Sports’ Krista Voda will sit alongside NASCAR personality Kyle Petty, as well as three-time Daytona 500 champion and Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett, from a state-of-the-art open-air studio located atop pit road to set the stage for both races on NBC Sports Group’s pre-race show, Countdown to Green.
Rutledge Wood, NBC Sports’ NASCAR features reporter and “man about the track,” will present pieces that delve into the experience of attending a race at the famed Daytona International Speedway, and NBCSports.com lead motorsports writer Nate Ryan will be on hand to cover news and timely information affecting the sport. Motorsports reporters Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Mike Massaro, and Dave Burns will cover pit road throughout the 4th of July Weekend telecasts.
In addition, NBCSN presents special on-site editions of NASCAR AMERICA, a news and highlights program dedicated to America’s fascination with speed and stock car racing, this week, beginning Friday, July 3 at 1:30 p.m. ET. The program features regular appearances by NBC Sports’ NASCAR experts, as well as a rotation of guest analysts.
Click here for more information on NBC Sports Group’s NASCAR broadcast team.
NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA
NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs, will provide racing fans with unparalleled interactive digital access to every NASCAR Sprint Cup series race, including exclusive camera angles, custom diver information, and insider track information.
NBC Sports Live Extra will stream NASCAR coverage on NBC and NBCSN via “TV Everywhere,” providing added value to subscribers, and making high quality content available both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store and Apple TV. For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra.
Click here for more information on NBC Sports Live Extra’s NASCAR offerings.
CHASING 43
This Sunday July 5, at 4 p.m. ET, NBC presents Chasing 43, a one-hour special on the legacy of Richard Petty’s famed No. 43 car. Petty captured a record 200 wins in the 43, including seven Daytona 500s. While Petty himself has long stepped out from behind the wheel, the car remains in action and still wears Petty Blue, but with a new sponsor in Smithfield Foods on the hood, and with a new team in the pits and garage.
The piece includes interviews with driver Aric Almirola, who won last year’s Coke Zero 400 in the No. 43, 30 years to the weekend of ‘the King’s’ fabled 200th win on the same track. Petty’s nephew, crew chief Trent Owens, is also interviewed.
NASCAR VICTORY LAP
Following NBC’s Sunday night coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 at 11 p.m. ET, NBCSN will debut NASCAR Victory Lap, a new weekly one-hour NASCAR program, recapping the biggest moments of each weekend’s Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series races on NBC and NBCSN. The premiere of NASCAR Victory Lap will air on-site in Daytona, continuing Sundays at 11 p.m. ET through the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 22.
Click here for more information on NASCAR Victory Lap.
SOCIAL MEDIA
To gear up for the launch of NBC Sports Group’s 10-year chapter as the home of NASCAR’s championship run, NBC Sports Social Media will deploy around-the-clock coverage across all of NBC Sports’ social media platforms this week, including Twitter takeovers, Periscope Q&As, Vine tours of the track at Daytona, and ‘A Day in the Life’ Instagram takeover.
Click here for more information on NBC Sports Group’s social media plans.
NBC SPORTS GROUP AND NBCUNIVERSAL PROGRAMMING
NBC Sports Group and NBCUniversal will surround the launch of NASCAR on NBC with its “Big Event Strategy” to leverage NBCUniversal’s robust collection of broadcast and cable networks, websites, radio and social media platforms, and additional promotional assets to drive further awareness of the launch.
NBC Sports Group’s cross-channel promotional campaign for NASCAR on NBC will include advertising and editorial support on television, radio, online and on-site, and will include NBC, NBCSN, USA, CNBC, MSNBC, Golf Channel, Syfy, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, Cloo, Chiller, Esquire, The Weather Channel, Comcast Spotlight, and the collection of NBCUniversal television, radio and digital networks.
Click here for a full list of programming.
BUMPER NARCARS HIT THE ROAD
NBC Sports Group is launching a national “Bumper NASCAR” tour at races nationwide. Fans can face off, pedal-to-metal, just like their favorite drivers on a custom track located within the Fan Zones of NASCAR venues throughout the 2015 season. Daytona International Speedway marks the first stop on the season-long tour, with the Bumper NASCAR activation open to fans as they head to the track for the Subway Firecracker 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series and Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races throughout the weekend.
Below is the schedule for NBC Sports Group’s NASCAR coverage this week (all times ET):
| Date | Time | Event | Network |
| Wed., July 1 | 6 p.m. | NASCAR K&N Series – Sonoma | NBCSN |
| Thurs., July 2 | 5 p.m. | NASCAR AMERICA | NBCSN |
| Thurs., July 2 | 6 p.m. | NASCAR Whelen Series – Riverhead | NBCSN |
| Fri., July 3 | 1:30 p.m. | NASCAR AMERICA | NBCSN |
| Fri., July 3 | 2 p.m. | NASCAR XFINITY Series – Practice | NBCSN |
| Fri., July 3 | 3 p.m. | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Practice | NBCSN |
| Fri., July 3 | 4 p.m. | NASCAR XFINITY Series – Final Practice | NBCSN |
| Fri., July 3 | 5 p.m. | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Final Practice | NBCSN |
| Fri., July 3 | 6 p.m. | NASCAR AMERICA | NBCSN |
| Sat., July 4 | 2:30 p.m. | NASCAR XFINITY Series – Qualifying | NBCSN |
| Sat., July 4 | 4 p.m. | NASCAR AMERICA | NBCSN |
| Sat., July 4 | 4:30 p.m. | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Qualifying | NBCSN |
| Sat., July 4 | 6:30 p.m. | Subway Firecracker 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race | NBCSN |
| Sun., July 5 | 4 p.m. | Chasing 43 | NBC |
| Sun., July 5 | 5 p.m. | NASCAR AMERICA | NBCSN |
| Sun., July 5 | 7 p.m. | Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race | NBC |
| Sun., July 5 | 11 p.m. | NASCAR Victory Lap | NBCSN |
On July 23, 2013, NASCAR and NBC Sports Group reached a comprehensive agreement that grants NBCUniversal exclusive rights to the final 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, final 19 NASCAR XFINITY Series events, select NASCAR Regional & Touring Series events and other live content, beginning this coming 4th of July weekend from Daytona International Speedway.
With this partnership, NBC’s 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race schedule includes a designation as the exclusive home to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, when the elite national series races through its final 10 events of the season. The Chase culminates with the season-ending championship event, which returns to network television in 2015 for the first time since 2009. Of NBC Sports Group’s 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, seven will be carried on NBC annually, with 13 airing on NBCSN. Four of NBC Sports Group’s 19 NASCAR XFINITY Series races will air on NBC, with 15 airing on NBCSN.
NASCAR AMERICA is NBCSN’s weekday 30-minute news and highlights program dedicated to America’s fascination with speed and stock car racing, and features regular appearances by NBC Sports’ NASCAR experts, as well as a rotation of guest analysts.
–NBC SPORTS GROUP–
