FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 27th, 2022

NOTES AND QUOTES – NBC SPORTS’ NASCAR CUP SERIES 2022 SEASON OPENER FROM NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY

“We’ve been calling him the road course king the last few years, we might want to change that to concrete king!” – Marty Snider on Chase Elliott

“Every race is almost impossible to predict…That’s great for race fans and unfortunately pressure-packed for the competitors.” – Steve Letarte on the 2022 NASCAR Season

Dolly Parton Starred in Opening Tease of Race Coverage

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – June 26, 2022 – Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports took the checkered flag in the NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400, as NBC Sports began its coverage of the 2022 NASCAR season this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway.

NBC and Peacock presented coverage of the Ally 400 for the opening 140 laps of the race. Due to a lengthy weather delay, race coverage concluded on USA Network and Peacock beginning at 10 p.m. ET.

Two-time Daytona 500 champion and NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., 21-time Cup Series race winner and “The Mayor” of NASCAR Jeff Burton, and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte served as analysts for the race with lead NASCAR race announcer Rick Allen. Marty Snider, Dave Burns and Parker Kligerman reported from pit lane.

NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett and JTG Daugherty Racing team owner Brad Daugherty anchored studio coverage with Snider from the Peacock Pit Box.

NBC Sports’ Rutledge Wood served as a “CityView” reporter and shared stories from Nashville’s famous Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge to highlight the atmosphere and excitement around the race on Broadway in Music City.

RACE RESULTS

Position Driver Car#
1 Chase Elliott 9
2 Kurt Busch 45
3 Ryan Blaney 12
4 Kyle Larson 5
5 Ross Chastain 1

Race coverage from Nashville Superspeedway featured:

  • Dolly Parton: Tennessee native and music icon Dolly Parton starred in NBC Sports’ opening tease. Click here to view the piece.
  • Keith Urban: Throughout the past month, four-time GRAMMY© Award winner Keith Urban helped kick off NBC Sports’ NASCAR promotional campaign featuring music inspired by his hit single Wild Hearts filmed at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. Click here for more details.
  • Trackhouse Racing: A feature on Trackhouse Racing’s success this season with Daniel Suarez, coming off his historic first career victory at the Toyota Save Mart 350, Ross Chastain, and co-owner Justin Marks with Marty Snider filmed at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge.

Following are highlights from today’s NASCAR Cup Series race coverage on NBC and Peacock:

Snider on Chase Elliott: “We’ve been calling him the road course king the last few years, we might want to change that to concrete king!”

Earnhardt Jr. on Elliott: “It’s been some frustrating times for Chase Elliott…He’s remained patient. He’s got a great crew chief and a great crew around him. He knew they’d figure it out.”

Letarte on the 2022 NASCAR season: “Every race is almost impossible to predict. Some teams are better than others, but it’s not consistent week in and week out…That’s great for race fans and unfortunately pressure-packed for the competitors.”

Earnhardt Jr. on how the delay will affect the racetrack: “It won’t handle the same way. It’s been really hot throughout the afternoon. I’m not sure what type of racetrack we’ll have going forward. Some of these teams are going to have to work hard.”

Burton on the driver’s mentality following a delay: “You’ve got to get your mind back in this race. You’ve been out of the car for a long time, it’s been hot, you’ve got to get yourself re-focused.”

Earnhardt Jr. on down shifting into the braking zone: “I never loved it. We did this at Pocono (Raceway) for years. Down shifting with your hand off the wheel and braking into a corner. All of those things — it’s like rubbing your belly and patting your head. You can’t do it.”

Jarrett on racing during hot weather: “I worked really hard at hydrating myself, putting on six to eight pounds of water weight during the week starting Wednesday to get to Sunday and get ready because you’re going to lose 10-12 pounds out here this afternoon. These drivers have their hands full with the first time in this heat in this new Next Gen car.”

Earnhardt Jr. on the legacy of Bruton Smith: “Outside of the France family, I don’t know anybody who has had a bigger role in growing the sport…He leaves an incredible legacy…Without him, I don’t think the sport gets challenged to grow in the directions it went.”

Burton on Smith: “He had a goal of showcasing what NASCAR can be…The professionalism that Brut and his group brought to our sport in regards to racetracks — creating that show for the fans, always wanted the fans to be first.”

Jarrett on Smith: “We could do a whole show on the impact he’s had on the sport, the innovation…He was ahead of his time and made the sport better.”

The official home of the NASCAR Championship and Playoffs, NBC Sports will once again present the final 20 NASCAR Cup Series races and 19 NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2022 across NBC, Peacock and USA Network, culminating with the Championship at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 5-6. Click here for more information on NBC Sports’ 2022 NASCAR coverage.

–NBC SPORTS–