Statement from H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler on NASCAR's new TV deal

   STATEMENT FROM H.A. (HUMPY) WHEELER ON NBC-NASCAR TV DEAL

   "Is this better for them than the ESPN-ABC deal?  Is the parking meter full of dimes or quarters? With no info on the meter who knows? However, I think the meter is pretty full. If so, it is a major step for NASCAR and NBC. NBC stuck its toe in NASCAR waters a few years ago but I think they are much more serious this time.

   "Mark Lazaurus (NBC sports president) has been around a long time and knows NASCAR from the time he spent with Turner. They've done some good stuff lately and the new NBC Sports Channel will greatly benefit NASCAR particularly if they show a lot of the minor league races like the modifiers and K&N. The sport needs that to show off new talent and we are sadly lacking that now."

NASCAR statement on construction of new TV deal

NASCAR and NBC Sports Group Reach Landmark Media Rights Agreement

Ten-Year Agreement Returns NASCAR to NBC Family of Networks Beginning in 2015, Further Underscores Strength of NASCAR’s Live Racing Product And Positions Industry for Continued Growth

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. and NEW YORK (July 23, 2013) – NASCAR and NBC Sports Group announced today they have reached a comprehensive agreement that grants NBCUniversal exclusive rights to the final 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, final 19 NASCAR Nationwide Series events, select NASCAR Regional & Touring Series events and other live content beginning in 2015. Financial terms of the agreement, which runs through the 2024 season, were not disclosed.

 

With this partnership, NBC’s 20 Sprint Cup race schedule includes becoming the exclusive home to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR’s final 10 races of the season, including its season-ending championship event which will return 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 NBC Sports Network (NBCSN). Four of NBC Sports Group’s 19 NASCAR Nationwide Series races will air on NBC, with 15 airing on NBCSN.

 

“NBC is known for being an exceptional partner and delivering outstanding production quality and presentation of live sports, as well as its broad portfolio of broadcast and digital properties so we are thrilled with the commitment they have made to NASCAR and its future,” said NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brian France. “We know this partnership will yield great value to our entire industry, provide a premium experience to our most important stakeholders, the fans, and help us achieve a number of strategic growth objectives. Our new partnership with NBC and the recent extension by FOX validate the strength of our fan base and the many bold steps we have taken the last several years to provide fans with better, more accessible racing.”

 

In addition to rights to NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series races, NBC has also obtained exclusive rights to practice and qualifying sessions for NBC’s national series events during their portion of the season, as well as rights to broadcast the NASCAR K&N Series, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Toyota (Mexico) Series, the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony and NASCAR’s season-ending banquets. Further, NBC has been granted Spanish-language rights, certain video-on-demand rights and exclusive TV Everywhere rights for its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series events.

 

“Acquiring the rights and bringing NASCAR back to NBC comes at an important point in time for NBC Sports Network, NBC, and all of our distributors and affiliates,” said NBC Sports Group Chairman, Mark Lazarus. “We look forward to working with Brian and his management team, who have brought a renewed focus to NASCAR's intersection of sports and technology.”

 

“We are excited about the cross-promotional opportunities NBC provides, especially in the timeframes right before NBC’s NASCAR schedule and during the Chase,” said NASCAR VP of Broadcasting and Productions, Steve Herbst. “We’re confident NBC will utilize its powerful Championship Season lineup, including the NHL Playoffs, Premier League, the French Open, the Kentucky Derby and other events, to build interest and excitement for NASCAR. Those opportunities, combined with the opportunity to lead into the number one show on television – NBC’s Sunday Night Football – for select Chase races, were both very attractive prospects when considering this partnership.”

 

Summary of key NBC Sports Group Exclusive Rights – 2015-2024:

·         Final 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races (7 on NBC, 13 on NBCSN)

·         Final 19 NASCAR Nationwide Series races (4 on NBC, 15 on NBCSN)

·         NASCAR K&N Series and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events

·         NASCAR Toyota (Mexico) Series events

·         NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony and season-ending banquets

·         ‘TV Everywhere’ live-streaming rights for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series

·         Spanish-language broadcast rights on Telemundo and Mun2 for national series events and NASCAR Toyota (Mexico) Series

 

Clint Bowyer is trading racing for talking this week

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Clint Bowyer trades his driving suit for a microphone on Wednesday night, joining the FOX Sports’ SPEED broadcast team and its live coverage of the inaugural CarCash Mudsummer Classic from Tony Stewart’s half-mile Eldora Speedway dirt track in Rossburg, Ohio starting at 9:30 p.m. ET

 

Bowyer and Krista Voda co-host all the action from the “Hollywood Hotel,” which includes qualifying races at 7 p.m. ET, NCWTS Setup with Krista Voda at 9 p.m. ET and the Mudsummer Classic, a historic first dirt race for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

 

Calling the race is long-time Truck Series voice Rick Allen, teamed with color commentators Phil Parsons and Bowyer’s Sprint Cup Series car owner Michael Waltrip. Truck Series insider Ray Dunlap, former driver Hermie Sadler and NASCAR analyst Bob Dillner are set to cover everything unfolding throughout the pits.

 

Bowyer replaces Kenny Wallace, who received late entry into the race and will handle in-race reporter duties for the show.

The driver feud that won't end continues at Bowman Gray Stadium

This week's incident



A wild driver feud at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., which became a YouTube hit this week, took another crazy turn on Saturday night.

Bryant Robertson, who was spun from the lead a week earlier by Derek Stoltz, slammed into Stoltz’s car under caution in the closing stages of the second of two Sportsman races Saturday night. Robertson was immediately suspended for the remainder of the 2013 season by track officials.

Last week, Mike Robertson, Bryant's brother, climbed aboard Stoltz's car and was dragged across the track and flung into a wall. Mike Robertson felt like he got bumped out of the way by Stoltz. Stoltz said he felt Mike was blocking for his brother Bryant.

Last week's incident:

Elliott Sadler 'still ticked' over incident with Regan Smith

   NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Elliott Sadler was asked Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway about whether he and Regan Smith had spoken about their on-track incident last weekend at New Hampshire.

    This was Sadler's complete response:

    "You can ask us all you want, and we understand you have a job to do also. Yes, Regan (Smith) did reach out to me this week and we had a 20 or 30 minute conversation and also Dale Jr. (Earnhardt) reached out to me this week because he's the owner of the car and he and I have been friends since we were teenagers, and had some good conversation. 

   "I'm still pissed about it and Regan knows that and he knows where I stand. He took 100 percent of the blame and understood why I'm upset and why I was upset. The biggest problem I had with it is I gave him a huge break at Iowa -- a huge break -- he hit the wall off Turn 4 and went into Turn 1 and I could have easily made it three-wide, that was the same day as the Pocono race, so none of us, a lot of us that use spotters, so I knew he didn't have his (regular) spotter at Iowa and I gave him a huge break and could have easily -- he could have easily wrecked.


   "I felt like he didn't give me the same courtesy and I actually gave him a big break at the beginning of the race at New Hampshire -- I caught him from a straightaway behind, raced him for 15 laps and got in the back of him in the middle of (Turns) 3 and 4 and I just slowed down and stopped and let him get back in front of me and then tried to race him clean again. For him to do what he did at New Hampshire -- I'm still ticked about it. But, we talked and we agreed that our racing is going to change a little bit between us, but we know that we're going to be racing around each other a lot between now and Homestead and they feel like they have a chance to win the championship. We feel like we have a chance amongst other drivers, so we're probably going to see each other a lot between now and November."

Tough day? See how this Hendrick Motorsports employee gets through his

   The Sunday, July 21, 10 a.m. ET edition of ESPN's flagship news and information program SportsCenter will include a feature on Richie Parker, an engineer for the Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR team. Parker, who was born without arms, has risen to the top of NASCAR through determination. The program airs on ESPN2.

   You can watch a video teaser here.


  

NASCAR suspends use of aerial camera systems at its events

   NASCAR on Friday issued a statement indicating that it has suspended all use of aerial camera systems at its events pending further investigation of the incident which took place during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.

   Here is the statement issued by NASCAR:

   "Pending further investigation of the cable camera system incident during the NASCAR race in Concord, North Carolina in May, NASCAR has decided, in collaboration with its broadcast partners, to suspend all media partner usage of aerial camera systems that hang over race tracks during its sanctioned events. The safety of our competitors and our fans remains NASCAR’s number one priority, and until total evaluation and analysis have been completed, usage of this particular technology enhancement and any similar enhancements, has been suspended."

   You can read the original story of what took place at Charlotte here.