From The Super Bowl to IndyCar to the PGA Tour, NBC Sports Has Covered 30 Championships Across 15 Sports
Two Days Until NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship Sunday
STAMFORD, Conn. – Nov. 20, 2015 – When NBC Sports presents the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship race this Sunday from Homestead-Miami Speedway at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, the event will place an exclamation mark on a remarkable year of Championships on NBC Sports Group platforms. Never before has an individual media group come together to present such a lineup of major events across so many playing surfaces and sporting genres.
Below are Championship highlights from NBC Sports’ storybook year:
NFL: At Super Bowl XLIX, the New England Patriots’ history-making comeback from 10 points behind in the fourth quarter to defeat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 on NBC, became the most-watched television program in U.S. history.
Cycling: Chris Froome (Team Sky) won his second Tour de France this year, becoming the first British rider to ever hold two Tour de France titles.
Figure Skating: Javier Fernandez of Spain and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva both won their first World titles this year, and both placed first in the European Figure Skating Championships. 2014 Sochi Olympics Jason Brown and Ashley Wagner ranked first at the 2015 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
Formula One: Lewis Hamilton captured his second consecutive Formula One Drivers’ Championship this season, clinching the title with a victory at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
French Open: Serena Williams won her third French Open title and 20th Grand Slam Singles title at Rolland Garros this year, and Stan Wawrinka took home his first French Open title.
Golf: Rickie Fowler grasped his first Players Championship win earlier this year. A 22-year-old Jordan Spieth shoots a final-round 69 to claim his first FedEx Cup title, and the U. S. Team won the 2015 Presidents Cup, defeated the International Team at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon, South Korea.
Gymnastics: Team USA’s Simone Biles became the first woman to win three consecutive world all-around titles at the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow this year, while Kōhei Uchimura of Japan took home the men’s title.
Horse Racing: This year, American Pharoah became the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978, winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, and capped off the season with his “Grand Slam” win – the sport’s first-ever - by running to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
IndyCar: In one of the most dramatic finishes in recent history, the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series was decided on the final turn of the final lap of the final race of the season, as Scott Dixon was crowned IndyCar champion for the fourth time with a win at the Grand Prix of Sonoma in late August on NBCSN.
Motocross: Ryan Dungey clinched his third career 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship in the 450 Class, while Jeremy Martin was crowned champion in the 250 Class for the second consecutive year.
NASCAR: The 2015 XFINITY Series Champion will be crowned after Saturday’s showdown at 2:45 p.m. ET on NBC. Defending XFINITY Champion Chase Elliott competes against current XFINITY points leader Chris Buescher, and nearby point contenders Ty Dillon and Regan Smith.
NHL: The Chicago Blackhawks earned their third Stanley Cup title in six years this summer, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 2-0 in Game 6 in the Final, as the Blackhawks won the Cup on home ice for the first time since 1938.
Premier League: Chelsea clinched the title with three games remaining in the season after a 1–0 home win over Crystal Palace. It was their first league title since 2010, and their fourth Premier League title.
RallyCross: Scott Speed clinched his first career Red Bull Global RallyCross title at the final event of the season in Las Vegas.
Rugby: New Zealand won its second consecutive Rugby World Cup title with a 34-17 win against Australia in London, and the California Golden Bears won their third straight Collegiate Rugby Championship with a 17-12 victory against Kutztown.
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