FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017

NBC SPORTS GROUP – HOME OF MOTORSPORTS – REVS UP TO SHOWCASE NEARLY 1,800 HOURS OF MOTORSPORTS ACTION IN 2017

Coverage Includes NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula One, Mecum Auctions, Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, Red Bull Global RallyCross, Red Bull Air Race, American Flat Track, & Original Programming

Live Race Coverage Begins This Sunday, March 26, with Formula One Australian Grand Prix on NBCSN, Kicking Off Nearly 200 Hours of F1 Coverage

NBCSN Presents Nearly 100 Hours of IndyCar Coverage, Beginning Saturday, April 9 with Iconic Grand Prix of Long Beach

Nearly 700 Hours of NASCAR Coverage Spanning Cup and XFINITY Series, K&N and Whelen Modified Series & Original Programming

STAMFORD, Conn. – March 22, 2017 – NBC Sports Group – the home of motorsports – revs up its wheel-to-wheel action in 2017, presenting nearly 1,800 hours of motorsports content across NBC, NBCSN, CNBC — NBCUniversal’s business channel — NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

NBC Sports Group’s extensive motorsports catalog is highlighted by:

  • Nearly 700 hours of NASCAR content, including exclusive coverage of the second half of the NASCAR Cup and XFINITY Series campaigns, beginning July 4th weekend at Daytona International Speedway;

 

  • Coming off the second-consecutive most-watched Formula One season on a single cable network in over two decades on NBCSN, NBC Sports Group will present nearly 200 hours of exclusive F1 coverage in 2017, beginning with live coverage of the Australian Grand Prix this Sunday, March 26, at 12:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN;

 

  • Following an IndyCar season on NBCSN that reached the most viewers since 2009, NBC Sports Group is set to showcase nearly 100 hours of the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series, beginning with the iconic Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 9.

 

2017 marks the third consecutive season that the NASCAR Cup and XFINITY, IndyCar, and Formula One championships will be decided on NBC/NBCSN.

 

2017 NASCAR, INDYCAR AND FORMULA ONE PREMIERES NBC AND NBCSN
Date Series/Race Time Network
Sun., March 26 Formula One Australian Grand Prix 12:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., April 9 IndyCar Grand Prix of Long Beach 4:30 p.m. NBCSN
Fri., June 30 NASCAR XFINITY Series – Subway Firecracker 250 (Daytona) 7:30 p.m. NBCSN
Sat., July 1 NASCAR Cup Series – Coke Zero 400 (Daytona) 7 p.m. NBC

 

NBC Sports Group’s unprecedented motorsports coverage will also feature more than 600 hours of Mecum Auctions programming, as well as season-long coverage of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR K&N Pro Series, Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, Red Bull Global RallyCross, Red Bull Air Race, and American Flat Track.

In addition, NBC Sports Group will present more than 250 hours of original motorsports programming, including weekday episodes of NASCAR AMERICA on NBCSN, the NBCSN original series /DRIVE on NBC Sports, Mecum Top 10 and Shotgun, an automotive quiz show.

 

NEARLY 200 HOURS OF FORMULA ONE COVERAGE BEGINS SUNDAY, MARCH 20, WITH AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX ON NBCSN

NBC Sports Group’s comprehensive coverage of the 2017 Formula One season will feature nearly 200 hours of coverage, and begins this Sunday, March 26, with the Australian Grand Prix at 12:30 a.m. ET (Saturday, March 25, 9:30 p.m. PT) on NBCSN. NBCSN’s 2016 F1 coverage (14 races) averaged 429,000 viewers, up 3% vs. 2015 (418,000; 13 races), to rank as the best F1 season for a single cable network since 1995 (ESPN: 755,000 viewers). Viewership has more than doubled since the first season on NBCSN, up 107% vs. 2013. Click here for more information on last year’s record F1 viewership.

NBC, NBCSN and CNBC will combine to present all 20 races of the F1 season. NBCSN will present 13 races, NBC four, and CNBC three. NBC’s live coverage begins on Sunday, May 28 with the iconic Monaco Grand Prix, and continues Sunday, June 11, with the Canadian Grand Prix. NBC returns on Sunday, Oct. 22, with the United States Grand Prix from the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and concludes on Sunday, Oct. 29, with the Mexican Grand Prix.

NBCSN’s coverage will feature iconic Grands Prix, including the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the Singapore Grand Prix “under the lights” on the streets of the city, and the season finale from Abu Dhabi.

In addition, NBC Sports Group will present comprehensive coverage of practice and qualifying of all 20 races across its family of networks and NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. Streaming coverage will also enhance race coverage with dedicated feeds, including:

  • On-Board Feed – com and the NBC Sports app’s channel for live on-board cameras;
  • Pit Lane Feed – A dedicated channel on pit lane featuring all pit stops and team communication;
  • Driver Tracker – real-time data showing where all 22 cars are on track.

2017 FORMULA ONE SCHEDULE (all times ET)

Date Grand Prix Time Network
Sun., March 26 Australian Grand Prix 12:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., April 9 Chinese Grand Prix 1:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., April 16 Bahrain Grand Prix 10:30 a.m. CNBC
Sun., April 30 Russian Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., May 14 Spanish Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., May 28 Monaco Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBC
Sun., June 11 Canadian Grand Prix 2 p.m. NBC
Sun., June 25 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 8:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., July 9 Austrian Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. CNBC
Sun., July 16 British Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. CNBC
Sun., July 30 Hungarian Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., August 27 Belgian Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., September 3 Italian Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., September 17 Singapore Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., October 1 Malaysian Grand Prix 2:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., October 8 Japanese Grand Prix 12:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., October 22 United States Grand Prix 3 p.m. NBC
Sun., October 29 Mexican Grand Prix 3 p.m. NBC
Sun., November 12 Brazilian Grand Prix 10:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., November 26 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBCSN

 

THIS WEEK’S F1 COVERAGE

This week’s coverage of the F1 Australian Grand Prix begins Thursday at 9 p.m. ET with Practice 1 on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. NBCSN will present Practice 1 later that evening at midnight ET, followed by Practice 2 early Friday morning at 1 a.m. ET. Streaming coverage of Practice 3 takes place on Friday night at 11 p.m. ET, followed by qualifying on NBCSN early Saturday morning at 2 a.m. ET. F1 Countdown kicks off race coverage Saturday night at midnight ET, leading into the start of the 2017 campaign with the Australian Grand Prix early Sunday morning at 12:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN.

NBC Sports Group’s Formula One commentating team returns for a fifth consecutive season, with lead race announcer Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), veteran analyst and former racecar driver David Hobbs, analyst Steve Matchett, a former race mechanic for the Benetton F1 team, and F1 insider Will Buxton, who will provide live reports on-site for all 20 races this season.

This week’s coverage of the Australian Grand Prix will also include a season preview from veteran motorsports essayist Sam Posey, as he discusses the retirement of 2016 F1 champion Nico Rosberg, and the state of F1 without Bernie Ecclestone at the helm for the first time in 40 years.

Following is this week’s motorsports schedule:

 

Date Coverage Time Network
Wed.-Thurs. NASCAR America 5:30 p.m. NBCSN
Thur., March 23 F1 Australian Grand Prix – Practice 1 9 p.m. Streaming*
  F1 Australian Grand Prix – Practice 1** 12 a.m. NBCSN
Fri., March 24 F1 Australian Grand Prix – Practice 2 1 a.m. NBCSN
Mecum Auctions – Kansas City Noon NBCSN
Mecum Auctions – Kansas City** 5 p.m. NBCSN
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West – Tucson 8:30 p.m. NBCSN
Shotgun 9:30 p.m. NBCSN
APEX: The Story of the Hypercar 10:30 p.m. NBCSN
F1 Australian Grand Prix – Practice 3 11 p.m. Streaming*
Sat., March 25 F1 Australian Grand Prix – Practice 2 (Encore) 12:30 a.m. NBCSN
F1 Australian Grand Prix – Qualifying 2 a.m. NBCSN
Mecum Auctions – Kansas City 12:30 p.m. NBCSN
F1 Australian Grand Prix – Qualifying (Encore) 10:30 p.m. NBCSN
Sun., March 26 F1 Countdown 12 a.m. NBCSN
F1 Australian Grand Prix 12:30 a.m. NBCSN
F1 Extra 3 a.m. NBCSN
Mecum Auctions – Kansas City 12 p.m. NBCSN
Mecum Auctions – Kansas City** 2 p.m. NBCSN

*NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app

**delayed coverage

NBCSN PRESENTS NEARLY 100 HOURS OF INDYCAR COVERAGE, BEGINNING SATURDAY, APRIL 9, WITH ICONIC GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH

NBC Sports Group will present coverage of 12 races during the upcoming 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season, beginning with the iconic Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 9, on NBCSN.

Coverage will feature IndyCar’s return to St. Louis and Gateway Motorsports Park on Sunday, August 26, historic circuits such as Road America and Watkins Glen, and the final nine races of the 2017 campaign, including the season finale at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, Sept. 17. Once again, the 2017 IndyCar championship will be decided on NBCSN.

NBC Sports Group is coming off a record-setting year of IndyCar coverage in 2016, which reached more than 6.5 million total viewers, the highest season-total since acquiring IndyCar rights in 2009. Last season also delivered NBC Sports Group’s most-watched IndyCar race ever, when NBCSN and CNBC’s simulcast of the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio averaged 929,000 viewers on July 31. Click here for more information on NBC Sports Group’s record-setting IndyCar viewership in 2016.

Lead IndyCar play-by-play commentator Leigh Diffey returns for his fifth consecutive season.  Paul Tracy, who won 31 career open-wheel races spanning IndyCar, Champ Car, and CART, and was the 2003 CART Champion, returns for his fourth season as race analyst, and IndyCar driver Townsend Bell, who has raced nine times at the Indianapolis 500 and won the GT Class at last year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, is back for his fifth season in the booth. In addition, NBC Sports Group’s lead NASCAR play-by-play commentator Rick Allen and IndyCar pit reporter Kevin Lee will join NBCSN’s IndyCar team to handle play-by-play for select races this season.

NBCSN’s team of IndyCar pit reporters will include Marty Snider, Robin Miller, Jon Beekhuis, Kevin Lee, and Katie Hargitt, who all return following the 2016 season, along with newcomer Anders Krohn. Click here for NBCSN’s full IndyCar schedule.

 

NBC SPORTS GROUP’S 2017 NASCAR CUP AND XFINITY SERIES BROADCAST SCHEDULE

After presenting a noteworthy 2016 NASCAR season that featured more hours of trackside coverage and programing than ever before, NBC Sports Group returns as the home of NASCAR’s Championship run in 2017. NBC Sports’ coverage of the final 19 NASCAR XFINITY Series events and final 20 NASCAR Cup Series races kicks off in primetime Friday, June 30 and Saturday, July 1, respectively.

NBC Sports Group’s exclusive coverage of the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin Sunday, Sept. 17 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN from Chicagoland Speedway and culminates with the Championship race from Miami on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

NASCAR XFINITY Series racing makes its 2017 return to NBC Sports Group on Friday, June 30, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the XFINITY Series consists of four races on NBC and 15 races on NBCSN.

Lead race announcer Rick Allen returns to the booth alongside Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte and 21-time Cup race winner Jeff Burton to call this season’s NASCAR Cup and XFINTIY Series races. Krista Voda returns to host pre- and post-race coverage, alongside three-time Daytona 500 Champion and Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett and auto racing icon Kyle Petty.

Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, and Dave Burns return to report from pit road in 2017, in tandem with features reporter Rutledge Wood and NBCSports.com lead motorsports writer Nate Ryan.

Click here for more information on NBC Sports Group’s 2017 NASCAR Cup and XFINITY Series coverage.

NBCSN will also air 45 hours of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Coverage includes races from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West along with the new unified NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.


NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS MORE THAN 600 HOURS OF MECUM AUCTIONS COVERAGE IN 2017

NBC Sports Group will present more than 600 hours of Mecum Auctions coverage in 2017 — doubling last year’s coverage — providing comprehensive coverage of 13 Mecum Auctions events. Coverage kicked off in January with more than 25 hours of Mecum’s Kissimmee auction, the largest car auction in the world, where more than $86 million dollars worth of automobiles were auctioned off.

Highlights on the 2017 Mecum Auctions schedule on NBCSN include the Houston (April 16-8), Indianapolis (May 16-21), Monterey (Aug. 17-19), Dallas (Sept. 6-9), Chicago (Oct. 5-7), and the final auction of the season in Kansas City (Nov. 30-Dec. 2). NBC will also air a special on the Monterey auction on Saturday, Sept. 3. NBCSN will also present coverage of this weekend’s event in Kansas City, beginning with live coverage on Friday at noon ET, and Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET.

NBC Sports Group’s Mecum Auctions telecast team features Scott HokeJohn KramanStephen Cox, Bill Stephens, and Katie Osborne. Rutledge Wood and Steve Matchett will also contribute to NBC Sports Group’s Mecum Auctions coverage throughout the season.

In addition, Mecum Top 10, the NBCSN original program that takes viewers inside the most exciting moments on the auction block, returns for a second season.


NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS 100 HOURS OF LUCAS OIL PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP, RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS, RED BULL AIR RACE, AND AMERICAN FLAT TRACK IN 2017

NBC Sports Group will present more than 100 hours of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, Red Bull Global RallyCross, Red Bull Air Race, and American Flat Track in 2017.

NBC, NBCSN, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app will combine to air more than 50 hours of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship coverage, beginning Saturday, May 20, at the Hangtown Motocross Classic in Sacramento, Calif.

NBC and NBCSN will produce more than 20 telecasts of the Red Bull GRC Supercar and GRC Lites series, beginning in Memphis, Tenn., on April 30 on NBC. Click here for more information on the 2017 Red Bull Global RallyCross series. This also marks the first seasons that NBC Sports Group will present Red Bull Air Race and American Flat Track coverage. Click here for information on NBC Sports Group’s inaugural season of Red Bull Air Race coverage, and here for information on its inaugural season of American Flat Track coverage.


NASCAR AMERICA
, MECUM TOP 10, /DRIVE ON NBC SPORTS, AND SHOTGUN HIGHLIGHT ORIGINAL MOTORSPORTS PROGRAMMING

NBC Sports Group will present more than 250 hours of original motorsports programming in 2017, led by comprehensive NASCAR coverage on NASCAR AMERICA, NBCSN’s live daily show that provides viewers with the latest news, highlights and access to NASCAR’s dynamic stars and personalities.

This year’s original motorsports programming will also feature the fourth season /DRIVE on NBC Sports, as well as the second seasons of Mecum Top 10 and Shotgun. /DRIVE on NBC Sports follows hosts Chris HarrisMatt Farah and Mike Spinelli as they travel the world to drive some of the world’s most iconic cars. Mecum Top 10, which dovetails off of the Mecum Auctions series on NBCSN, highlights the most exciting moments of the 2017 Mecum Auctions campaign. The program will take viewers inside the most exciting moments from the auction block, from American musclecars to prewar classics and European exotics. NBC Sports Group’s full-throttled automotive quiz show, Shotgun, tests contestants’ skills at answering questions while riding in the passenger seat of a professional race car. In addition, NBC Sports Group’s original motorsports programming will include the second season of Grudge Race on NBCSN, as racers bring their cars to the race track to settle the score.


NBC SPORTS RADIO

NBC Sports Radio will provide coverage of this year’s NASCAR season across its more than 425 affiliated stations nationwide. Race recaps and previews will be featured every Monday and Thursday as part of “Voices of the Game” with host Newy Scruggs. Numerous NBC NASCAR analysts will appear on the show, including Kyle Petty, Steve Letarte, and Jeff Burton.


NBC SPORTS GROUP STREAMING, DIGITAL AND SOCIAL CONTENT

NBC Sports Group will provide comprehensive streaming and digital coverage surrounding its motorsports properties via NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – and NASCAR Talk and MotorSportsTalk, NBC Sports Group’s digital home for the latest motorsports news.

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will provide season-long live streaming coverage of all Formula One practices, qualifying sessions and Grands Prix, including exclusive coverage of practices that will not air on NBC or NBCSN. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream all live NASCAR and IndyCar content that will air on NBC and NBCSN (race coverage and some practice and qualifying). In addition, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app provide digital coverage of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, Red Bull Global RallyCross, Red Bull Air Race, and American Flat Track.

PADDOCK PASS: Paddock Pass is an original digital-only exclusive series on NBCSports.com, which provides fans with a weekly roundup of the latest news and notes inside the F1 racing world. Will Buxton brings fans behind the scenes each week for driver interviews and in-depth analysis each week. Episodes of Paddock Pass will be released weekly on NBCSports.com throughout the F1 season.

NASCAR TALK: NASCAR TALK provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date NASCAR coverage, including Cup, XFINITY, and Camping World Truck Series. The site also promotes videos from NBCSN’s NASCAR AMERICA. Fans can follow @NASCARTalkNBC on Twitter.

MOTORSPORTSTALK: MotorSportsTalk (@MotorSportsTalk) on NBCSports.com brings racing fans up-to-the-minute news, video and information on Formula One, the Verizon IndyCar Series, and other open-wheel and off-road racing from around the world. The site also serves as the destination for all news, analysis and video from NBC and NBCSN productions of IndyCar and F1, including contributions from on-air commentators.

 

Content on NASCAR Talk and MotorSportsTalk is provided by top racing journalists and expert analysts, including:

 

  • Nate Ryan serves as lead writer on NASCAR Talk and an on-air reporter for NBC and NBCSN’s NASCAR coverage, following nine years with USA Today Sports as an auto racing writer. He also contributes long-form stories to MotorSportsTalk and NBC SportsWorld, and hosts a NASCAR on NBC podcast each Wednesday. Ryan has covered 15 seasons of the Cup Series, and more than 400 races, beginning in 1997. Follow him on Twitter at @nateryan.
  • Dustin Long serves as the managing editor and writer for NASCAR Talk, providing content focused on the Cup, XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series. Long is a former Motor Racing Network contributor and was named 2011 NMPA Writer of the Year. Prior to joining MRN, he spent 13 seasons covering NASCAR for the Landmark chain of newspapers that includes the Virginian-Pilot, theRoanoke (Va.) Times and the News and Record in Greensboro, N.C. Follow him at on Twitter @DustinLong.
  • Luke Smith is creator and editor at Richland F1, and works alongside Tony DiZinno in providing F1 content on MotorSportsTalk He’s on Twitter at @LukeSmithF1, primarily handling the F1 scene from Europe in great detail.
  • Tony DiZinno has most recently served as web editor for RACER Magazine and provides open wheel coverage on MotorSportsTalk. DiZinno has more than seven years of experience in the industry. Follow him on Twitter at @TonyDiZinno.
  • Jerry Bonkowski is a veteran NASCAR reporter with more than 30 years of experience, and works alongside Ryan and Long on editorial content for NASCAR Talk. He has contributed to USA Today, Yahoo! Sports and other websites over the course of his career. Follow him on Twitter @JerryBonkowski.
  • Kyle Lavigne joins MotorsportsTalk this year after covering a myriad of racing series for numerous publications, including SPEED SPORT Magazine and MotorSport Illustrated News. Lavigne will report across all motorsports series, and can be found on Twitter at @kylemlavigne.

 

SOCIAL: NBC Sports Group will continue to provide comprehensive motorsports social coverage across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. On Twitter, fans can follow @MotorsportsTalk for all-encompassing content across NBC Sports Group’s motorsports properties. @NASCARonNBC and @NASCARTalkNBC share the latest NASCAR content, @F1onNBCSports provides the latest news in Formula One, and @IndyCaronNBCSN delivers up-to-the-minute information on the Verizon IndyCar Series.

In addition, the NASCAR on NBC Facebook page will provide users with videos, interactive content and much more. Fans should also “like” NBC Sports on Facebook for the most up-to-date news, videos and commentary about NBC Sports Group’s motorsports properties.

*To date, NBC Sports Group has aired 150 of its nearly 1,800 hours of scheduled motorsports coverage this year.

-NBC SPORTS GROUP-