NBC SPORTS GROUP IS THE HOME OF MOTORSPORTS IN 2015
NEARLY 1,400 HOURS OF COVERAGE, INCLUDING NEARLY 800 HOURS OF LIVE RACE COVERAGE
Coverage Includes NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula One, Mecum Auctions, Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship and Red Bull Global RallyCross, & Original Programming
800 Hours of Race Coverage Begins This Sunday, March 15 with Formula One Australian Grand Prix on NBCSN
NBCSN Presents Nearly 100 Hours of IndyCar Coverage, Beginning April 12 with Inaugural Grand Prix of Louisiana in New Orleans
NASCAR's Return to NBC Sports Group Features Nearly 400 Hours of Coverage on NBC and NBCSN; Coverage Begins July 4th Weekend in Daytona
STAMFORD, Conn. - March 10, 2014 - NBC Sports Group is the home of motorsports in 2015, providing nearly 1,400* hours of coverage in 2015, spanning NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula One, Mecum Auctions, the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship and Red Bull Global RallyCross. The total includes nearly 800 hours of live motorsports content airing across NBC, NBCSN and CNBC, NBCUniversal's business channel, as well as on NBC Sports Live Extra. It all begins this week with comprehensive coverage of the F1 Australian Grand Prix, which opens the 2015 F1 season on Sunday at 12:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN.
This marks the first time a U.S. sports media company has broadcast all NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula One in the same year, and all three series championships will be decided on NBC or NBCSN.
NBC Sports Group's 2015 motorsports coverage is highlighted by nearly 400 hours of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series coverage, beginning July 4th weekend in Daytona; nearly 100 hours of the Verizon IndyCar Series on NBCSN, which begins April 12 in New Orleans with the inaugural Grand Prix of Louisiana; and more than 200 hours of the 2015 Formula One Season, beginning with the Australian Grand Prix this Sunday, March 15, at 12:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN.
2015 NASCAR, INDYCAR AND FORMULA ONE PREMIERES NBC AND NBCSN
Date Series/Race Time Network
Sun., March 15 Formula One Australian Grand Prix 12:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., April 12 IndyCar Grand Prix of Louisiana 3 p.m. NBCSN
Sat., July 4 NASCAR XFINITY Series - Subway Firecracker 200 (Daytona) 7:30 p.m. NBCSN
Sun., July 5 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - Coke Zero 400 (Daytona) 7 p.m. NBC
NBC Sports Group's unprecedented motorsports coverage will also feature more than 300 hours of Mecum Auctions programming, as well as season-long coverage of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, Red Bull Global RallyCross, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR K&N Pro Series.
In addition, NBC Sports Group will present more than 250 hours of original motorsports programming, including weekday episodes of NASCAR AMERICA on NBCSN, as well as the NBCSN original series Mecum Dealmakers, Off The Grid, and /DRIVE on NBC Sports.
MORE THAN 200 HOURS OF FORMULA ONE COVERAGE BEGINS THIS SUNDAY WITH AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX ON NBCSN
NBC Sports Group's comprehensive coverage of the 2015 Formula One season will feature more than 200 hours of coverage, and begins this Sunday, March 15, with the Australian Grand Prix at 12:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN.
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 coverage begins on Sunday, May 24 with the Monaco Grand Prix, and continues Sunday, June 7, with the Canadian Grand Prix. NBC's coverage returns on Sunday, Oct. 25, with the United States Grand Prix from the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and concludes on Sunday, Nov. 1, 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 Singapore, the return of the Mexican Grand Prix, 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 NBC Sports Live Extra.
Formula One is coming off its most-watched season ever for a single cable network, averaging 385,000 viewers for its 12 races on NBCSN, up 86% vs. 2013. For all 19 races, NBC Sports Group's coverage averaged 477,000 viewers, up 30% vs. 2013 (366,000) and up 15% vs. 2012 (414,000; FOX/SPEED; 20 races). Click here for more information on last year's record F1 viewership: http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2014/11/26/nbcsn-delivers-best-f1-season-ever-for-a-single-cable-network/
2015 FORMULA ONE SCHEDULE
Date Grand Prix Time Network
Sun., March 15 Australian Grand Prix 12:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., March 29 Malaysian Grand Prix 2:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., April 12 Chinese Grand Prix 1:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., April 19 Bahrain Grand Prix 10:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., May 10 Spanish Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., May 24 Monaco Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBC
Sun., June 7 Canadian Grand Prix 2 p.m. NBC
Sun., June 21 Austrian Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., July 5 British Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. CNBC
Sun., July 19 German Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. CNBC
Sun., July 27 Hungarian Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. CNBC
Sun., Aug. 23 Belgian Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., Sept. 6 Italian Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., Sept. 20 Singapore Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., Sept. 27 Japanese Grand Prix 12:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., Oct. 11 Russian Grand Prix 6:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., Oct. 26 United States Grand Prix 2:30 p.m. NBC
Sun., Nov. 1 Mexican Grand Prix 1:30 p.m. NBC
Sun., Nov. 15 Brazilian Grand Prix 10:30 a.m. NBCSN
Sun., Nov. 29 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 9:30 p.m. ET with Practice 1 on Live Extra, and will continue on Live Extra and NBCSN on Friday and Saturday (see grid below for full practice and qualifying air times). F1 Countdown kicks off race coverage Sunday at 12 a.m. ET, leading into the Australian Grand Prix at 12:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN. An encore presentation of the race will air Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
NBC Sports Group's Formula One full announce booth returns for a third season, with lead race announcer Leigh Diffey providing live play-by-play commentary. Diffey is joined by veteran analyst and former racecar driver David Hobbs, and analyst Steve Matchett, a former race mechanic for the Benetton F1 team. Rounding out the broadcast team is F1 insider Will Buxton, who will provide live reports on-site for all 20 races this season.
Following is this week's motorsports schedule:
Date Coverage Time Network
Mon.-Thurs. NASCAR AMERICA 5 p.m. NBCSN
Thurs., March 12 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Practice 1 9:30 p.m. NBC Sports Live Extra
Fri., March 13 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Practice 1 12:30 a.m. NBCSN
F1 Australian Grand Prix - Practice 2 1:30 a.m. NBCSN
F1 Australian Grand Prix - Practice 3 11 p.m. NBC Sports Live Extra
Sat., March 14 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Practice 3 12:30 a.m. NBCSN
F1 Australian Grand Prix - Qualifying 2 a.m. NBCSN
Mercedes: Race to Repeat (Encore) 11 p.m. NBCSN
Sun., March 15 F1 Countdown 12 a.m. NBCSN
F1 Australian Grand Prix 12:30 a.m. NBCSN
F1 Extra 3 a.m. NBCSN
F1 Australian Grand Prix (Encore) 6 a.m. NBCSN
F1 Australian Grand Prix (Encore) 4 p.m. NBCSN
F1 Extra (Encore) 6:30 p.m. NBCSN
NBCSN PRESENTS NEARLY 100 HOURS OF INDYCAR COVERAGE, BEGINNING APRIL 12 WITH INAUGURAL GRAND PRIX OF LOUISIANA IN NEW ORLEANS
NBCSN will present coverage of 11 races during the upcoming 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season, beginning on Sunday, April 12, with IndyCar's inaugural race at NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans, La., for the Grand Prix of Louisiana.
Coverage will also feature the Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 19, and the final eight events of the season, including the Streets of Toronto on June 14; Auto Club Speedway from Fontana on Saturday, June 27; the annual race at the Milwaukee Mile on Sunday, July 12; a visit to Pocono Raceway on Sunday, August 23; and the season finale at Sonoma Raceway on August 30.
Lead IndyCar play-by-play commentator Leigh Diffey returns for his third consecutive season calling IndyCar on NBCSN. Former IndyCar, Cart and Champ Car driver Paul Tracy returns for his second season as race analyst, and IndyCar driver Townsend Bell, who has raced eight times at the Indianapolis 500 and won the GT Class at last year's Rolex 24 at Daytona, is back for his third season in the booth.
NBCSN's team of IndyCar pit reporters will include Marty Snider, Robin Miller, Kelli Stavast, Jon Beekhuis, Kevin Lee, who all return for the 2015 season. Katie Hargitt joins NBC Sports Group this year for her first season as an IndyCar pit reporter.
NBCSN's coverage of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series averaged 378,000 viewers, the second-highest average for a season on NBCSN (formerly VERSUS) since IndyCar rights were acquired in 2009 (402,000 in 2011). NBCSN's 2014 IndyCar coverage (12 races) was up 34% from the network's average viewership for the 2013 season (282,000, 13 races), according to data provided by The Nielsen Company. Click here for more information on last year's IndyCar viewership on NBCSN: http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2014/09/03/2014-verizon-indycar-series-on-nbcsn-delivers-second-best-viewership-since-2009/
NASCAR'S RETURN TO NBC SPORTS GROUP FEATURES NEARLY 400 HOURS OF COVERAGE ON NBC AND NBCSN; COVERAGE BEGINS JULY 4TH WEEKEND IN DAYTONA
NASCAR returns to NBC Sports Group this year with a combined 39 Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series races across NBC and NBCSN, beginning on July 4th weekend from historic Daytona International Speedway. The schedule is highlighted by exclusive coverage of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, including the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 22, on NBC. NBC Sports Group's 2015 coverage will feature more than 250 hours of Sprint Cup Series action.
Of NBC Sports Group's 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, seven will be carried on NBC, with 13 airing on NBCSN. Four of NBC Sports Group's 19 NASCAR XFINITY Series races will air on NBC, with 15 airing on NBCSN. NBC Sports Group's NASCAR coverage will visit numerous storied tracks across the country, including Daytona, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Watkins Glen International, Michigan International Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, and Talladega Superspeedway.
Rick Allen will serve as the lead race announcer for NBC's coverage, alongside former driver and analyst Jeff Burton, and former Dale Earnhardt Jr. crew chief Steve Letarte. Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Mike Massaro, Dave Burns and Nate Ryan will provide coverage from pit road. Krista Voda will host NBC Sports Group's pre- and post-race coverage, alongside Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett and veteran Kyle Petty. In addition, Rutledge Wood will serve as a reporter and host across NBC Sports Group's multiplatform motorsports coverage, presenting features on NASCAR, as well as NBC Sports Group's other motorsports properties.
NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS MORE THAN 300 HOURS OF MECUM AUCTIONS COVERAGE IN 2015
NBC Sports Group will present more than 300 hours of Mecum Auctions coverage in 2015, providing comprehensive coverage of 12 Mecum auctions Coverage kicked off with 25 hours of Mecum's Kissimmee auction, the largest car auction in the world, where more than $60 million dollars worth of automobiles were auctioned off.
Highlights on the 2015 Mecum Auctions schedule on NBCSN include the Houston auction from April 9-11, Indianapolis (May 14-19), Monterey (Aug. 13-16), Dallas (Sept. 16-20), Chicago (Oct. 8-11), and the final auction of the season in Anaheim (Dec. 10-17).
NBC Sports Group's Mecum Auctions telecast team of Scott Hoke, John Kraman, Stephen Cox, and reporter Bill Stephens return for their second season. Rutledge Wood will also contribute to NBC Sports Group's Mecum Auctions coverage throughout the season.
NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS MORE THAN 100 HOURS OF LUCAS OIL PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP, RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS, NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES AND NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR COVERAGE
NBC Sports Group will present more than 100 hours of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, Red Bull Global RallyCross, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR K&N Pro Series coverage in 2015.
NBCSN will air more than 50 hours of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Coverage includes all 25 K&N Pro Series races between the top developmental series, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. NBCSN will present 14 races from the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour schedules. NBSCN's K&N Pro Series slate kicked off on Feb. 19, with the season-opener in New Smyrna, Fla.
NBC and NBCSN will combine to air 39 hours of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship coverage, including 11 hours of live coverage. NBC and NBCSN will air comprehensive coverage of the 2015 Red Bull Global RallyCross series, with all events premiering on NBC, and encore presentations airing on NBCSN. The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship season kicks off on NBCSN on Saturday, May 16, at the Hangtown Motocross Classic in Sacramento, Calif. The Red Bull Global RallyCross slate begins Saturday, May 31, on NBC in St. Petersburg, Fla.
NASCAR AMERICA, MECUM DEALMAKERS, OFF THE GRID, AND /DRIVE ON NBC SPORTS HIGHLIGHT ORIGINAL MOTORSPORTS PROGRAMMING
NBC Sports Group will present more than 250 hours of original motorsports programming in 2015, 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 return of Mecum Dealmakers, Off The Grid, and /DRIVE on NBC Sports, which all made their debuts in 2014.
· Off The Grid is NBC Sports Group's original series that takes motorsports fans off the track and into sights and sounds of the culture that surrounds motorsports. Off The Grid will debut on Sunday, April 19, with Off The Grid: Melbourne, taking a look at the F1 Australian Grand Prix with F1 insider Will Buxton. In addition, NBCSN will also debut NASCAR editions of Off The Grid from Daytona and Talladega, featuring Rutledge Wood and Kelli Stavast, which will air later this year.
· /DRIVE on NBC Sports follows hosts Chris Harris, Matt Farah and Mike Spinelli as they travel the world to drive some of the world's most iconic cars. The first of six /DRIVE on NBC Sports episodes premieres on Saturday, April 18, with a special that will explore the unique car culture of the Arabian peninsula in some of the world's fastest cars.
· Mecum Dealmakers, which dovetails off of the Mecum Auctions series on NBCSN, tells the story of President and Founder Dana Mecum and his son Frank Mecum, as the father-son tandem works together to manage the high pressure of the auction floor, where buyers and sellers hope to make the deal of a lifetime, often with hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line. Mecum Dealmakers will premiere Thursday nights at 10 p.m. ET on NBCSN, beginning on July 30 with Mecum Dealmakers: Kissimmee.
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 Friday 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 NBC Sports Live Extra - 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.
NBC Sports Live Extra 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. Live Extra will stream all live NASCAR and IndyCar content that will air on NBC and NBCSN (race coverage and some practice and qualifying). In addition, Live Extra will provide streaming coverage of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship and Red Bull Global RallyCross series.
NASCAR TALK: NBC Sports Digital has added NASCAR Talk to the already established SportsTalk franchises on NBCSports.com. Fans can visit NASCAR TALK for the most comprehensive and up-to-date NASCAR coverage, including Sprint 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 will also contribute long-form stories to MotorSportsTalk and NBC SportsWorld. Ryan has covered 12 seasons of the Sprint Cup Series, and more than 300 races, beginning in 1997. Follow him on Twitter at @nateryan.
· Dustin Long joins NBC Sports Group as the managing editor and writer for NASCAR Talk, providing content focused on the Sprint 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, the Roanoke (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, which begins its second season this year. Smith 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.
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, while @F1onNBCSports provides the latest news in Formula One. Prior to the start of the IndyCar season, NBC's social team will launch @IndyCaronNBC to provide up-to-the-minute IndyCar news and highlights.
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 1,400 hours of scheduled motorsports coverage this year.
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