April 14, 2010
UNPRECEDENTED APRIL/MAY PROGRAMMING SLATE INCLUDES FIRST LOOK, GRAND OPENING & FIVE INDUCTEE SPECIALS TO MARK MOMENTOUS EVENT
NICKELL: ‘BIGGEST WEEKEND IN HISTORY OF THE NETWORK’
As the official television network of the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (May 23, 1 p.m. ET) and NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXVI (May 22, 7 p.m. ET), SPEED is offering live and exclusive coverage of both events, with more than 40 hours of related programming in the days leading up to the historic weekend.
“The weekend of May 22-23 will be the biggest in the history of the network … period,” said SPEED President Hunter Nickell. “With the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday and the first-ever NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction on Sunday, SPEED has an awesome opportunity to remind viewers why they became fans of NASCAR in the first place.
“Viewers will see today’s best-of-the-best battle under the lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway for $1 million,” Nickell added. “And less than 24 hours later, the biggest names in the history of the sport – France, Petty, Earnhardt and Johnson – will take their places in the brand new NASCAR Hall of Fame. What an extraordinary weekend.”
SPEED kicks off its support of the historic NASCAR Hall of Fame induction with a series of one-hour specials celebrating each of the five members of the inaugural class.
The specials premiere beginning Friday with a look at NASCAR founder Bill France. Multiple re-airs scheduled in prime time leading up to the historic induction event at the newly completed Hall on May 23 at 1 p.m. ET. The specials will include content never before seen or heard in public, including audio files from NASCAR founder Bill France discovered during the move of the International Speedway Corporation (ISC) archives.
As the special day gets closer, SPEED also is bringing viewers an exclusive “sneak peek” inside the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte before the facility is open to the public. NASCAR Hall of Fame: The First Look is scheduled to premiere April 21 at 9 p.m. ET.
In addition, SPEED is offering live coverage of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Opening Ceremonies on May 11, beginning at 9 a.m., as fans get their first look at the much anticipated facility. The outdoor opening ceremonies are free and open to the public. For fans interested in tickets to enter the NASCAR Hall of Fame, please visit www.NASCARHall.com.
Live coverage of Induction Day begins at noon ET on May 23.
SPEEDtv.com is supporting the festivities online and through SPEED social networking outlets, with expanded editorial coverage of the venue, the events and the inaugural class of inductees.
NASCAR Hall of Fame and NASCAR Sprint All-Star Week on SPEED programming highlights (all times ET and subject to change):
NHOF Inductee Specials
During NASCAR Sprint All-Star Week, SPEED is expanding its nightly program, NASCAR Race Hub, from 30 minutes to one hour.
SPEED™, anchored by its popular and wide-ranging coverage of NASCAR, is the nation’s first and only cable television network dedicated to automotive and motorcycle racing, performance and lifestyle. Now available in more than 79 million homes in North America, SPEED is among the industry leaders in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services. For more information, please visit SPEEDtv.com, the online motor sports authority.
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