FOX and NASCAR Bring A Second Season of ‘Beyond the Wheel’

via press release:

FOX Sports and NASCAR Productions Collaborate on Second Season of ‘Beyond the Wheel’

FS1 and NASCAR Productions will present the second season of the acclaimed documentary series Beyond the Wheel as part of FS1’s NASCAR RACE HUB. Created to depict the sport’s most pivotal moments and compelling narratives, the short films focus on influential characters – both past and present – and the unique stories that have shaped NASCAR as a sport since its inception. The first film premieres on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. ET during NASCAR RACE HUB on FS1.

The second season of the documentary short film series is comprised of the following:

    Bonneville 71 details how NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Bobby Isaac set 28 land speed records with a banned Dodge Charger Daytona on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1971, accompanied only by his crew members, a USAC official and a Chrysler engineer. Using the authentic No. 71 K&K Charger and featuring interviews with original crew members Buddy Parrott and Ken Troutt, the documentary pays homage to Isaac’s historical runs by revisiting the Salt Flats to shoot all-new footage down a 10-mile straightaway. A remarkable story of innovation, the short film depicts Isaac’s desire and dedication to always test the limits of speed, no matter the barriers.

    Sueños de NASCAR follows NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Daniel Suárez from his roots in Monterrey, Mexico, to his rise in one of the sport’s top series through the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program. As Suárez returns home to visit family and friends, the film explores his place in Mexican racing culture, how the country has embraced stock car racing, and the impact of Mexican drivers on the future of the sport. Illustrating the young driver as a source of inspiration, the documentary also examines Suárez’s success as the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series race and his current pursuit of the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship.

    Miracle at Daytona – The Tiny Lund Story recounts how DeWayne “Tiny” Lund risked his life to rescue fellow driver, Marvin Panch, from his burning Maserati at Daytona International Speedway before going on to win the 1963 DAYTONA 500 just days later. The true story of a journeyman driver who was one of the most likeable characters of his era, Lund was also awarded the Carnegie Hero’s Medal for his selfless bravery in what became one of the greatest DAYTONA 500 stories of all time. 



The second film in the series featuring Daniel Suárez will premiere on Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. ET, while the original special on Tiny Lund will air in early 2017. Each documentary will also be available on FOX Sports GO and FOXSports.com following its premiere.

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NASCAR Is Back On TV! (Sort Of)

With the Daytona 500 coming up on February 23, 2014, things are starting to pick up with the anticipation of the new season that won't need points to settle the score!  (Yes, I'm still on the bubble about how the new rules structure is using the points)

But be it as it may, that means that we'll start seeing more televised NASCAR events on TV.  Sort of.

Now unlike previous years, where you could turn on SPEED TV and watch for NASCAR updates all day long, our venue for watching NASCAR updates has been funnelled down to certain days and times now.  And it's on FOX Sports 1.

Here's the FS1 TV schedule for all things Daytona (If you're a cable subscriber who gets the channel):

Monday, February 10

4:00 p.m. ET - NASCAR Race Hub

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Tuesday, February 11

4:00 p.m. ET - NASCAR Race Hub

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Wednesday, February 12

4:00 p.m. ET - NASCAR Race Hub

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Thursday, February 13

10:00 a.m. ET - Daytona 500 Media Day
4:00 p.m. ET - NASCAR Race Hub

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Friday, February 14

4:00 p.m. ET - NASCAR Live
5:00 p.m ET - Sprint Cup Practice
6:00 p.m. ET - NASCAR Live
6:30 p.m. ET - Sprint Cup Final Practice
7:30 p.m. ET - FOX Sports 1 on 1: Jimmie Johnson
8:00 p.m. ET - The Day: Daytona Primetime
9:00 p.m. ET - Return of the 3
10:00 p.m. ET - The Day: Remembering Dale Earnhardt

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Saturday, February 15

10:30 a.m. ET - Sprint Cup Practice
12:30 p.m. ET - NASCAR Live
1:30 p.m. ET - Sprint Cup Practice
3:30 p.m. ET - NASCAR Live
4:15 p.m. ET - ARCA Race
6:30 p.m. ET - NASCAR RaceDay
8:00 p.m. ET - Sprint Unlimited

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Sunday, February 16

12:00 p.m. ET - NASCAR Live
9:00 p.m. ET - Daytona 500 Pole Day

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The 'Goody's Fast Relief 500' At Martinsville, TV Times and Some Stats

The gang is landing at Martinsville for the 127th time (Cup race) and it's time for some good old fashion fender rubbing fun for the Goody's Fast Relief 500.  And at this track, where wheel-men rule the day, so be it, if their cars can last through the day.

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Martinsville TV Times

Most events will be televised on Speed, but the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race will be televised on Fox.  (All noted times are ET)

On Friday, March 30th:

12:30 PM First Practice  - Speed
3:30 PM  Second Practice - Speed

On Saturday, March 31st:

QUALIFYING at 11:30 AM - Speed

on April 1st, 2012:

The Goody's Fast Relief 500 at 12:30 PM, on Fox.

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Coming to Martinsville, it's a good bet that by the end of the day, we'll probably be looking at either Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon or Denny Hamlin fighting for that swath of checkered cotton!

In the last seven races at Martinsville, Denny Hamlin has won three of them, Jimmie Johnson snagged two and Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick each had one a piece.

But looking at the average finishing top contenders for the track, these numbers say a lot:

Jimmie Johnson - 3.7
Jeff Gordon - 4.3                   
Denny Hamlin - 6.5
Dale Earnhardt Jr.  - 11.5
Ryan Newman - 12.9
Tony Stewart - 12.9

But don't be fooled...  Jeff Gordon has the most wins at this track, with seven victories to his credit.

{Hey Ryan, aren't you supposed to let the boss win?}

Also if you look at laps led, from the loop data, Johnson leads the pack with 21.5%.  He's followed by

Jeff Gordon (17.7%)
Denny Hamlin (16.8%)
Tony Stewart (12.0%)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5.9%)

Again, though we don't see Greg Biffle at the top of this statistical heap, he's been having a great year so far and I somewhat expect his emotional momentum to carry forward into Martinsville as well.  I mean face it, if you've ever seen some of his saves, he is definitely a wheel-man!

Time to see who Lady Luck will smile or frown upon!

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Fontana: Some Stats, 'Auto Club 400' TV Times and Other Things

It's time to visit the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 event.  The big old D-shaped track is, well, a big D-shaped track.  They go round and round, with lots of space for everyone.  Hence, the cautions are minimal and it all comes down to pit stops and fuel mileage.  Of course this year, I'm betting the teams are getting mild ulcers from worrying about the new EFI system, but if all goes according to plan, it should be a good tactical experience for all the teams.

NASCAR Sprint Cup TV Schedule
If you're wondering about when what is on... all practices and qualifying will be carried on Speed TV with the race live on Fox on Sunday.  (All times ET)

Friday, March 23rd:

First Practice 3 pm
Qualifying 7 pm

Saturday, Mar 24th:

Second Practice 12:30 pm
Final Practice 3:30 pm

Sunday, Mar 25th:

Auto Club 400 @ 2:30 pm on FOX

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The last five races at the track has seen Jimmie Johnson win two of those, with Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth winning the others.

Of that pack, actually, of all the drivers, Johnson has the best average finish from the loop data that's been collected over the last 13 events at Fontana:

Jimmie Johnson (4.2)
Matt Kenseth (8.8)
Carl Edwards (9.2)
Clint Bowyer (10.6)
Kyle Busch (11.1)

And Johnson has led the most laps, 23.7%, with Kyle Busch (12.5%), Kenseth (11.5%), Greg Biffle (8.5%) and Jeff Gordon having led 6.6% of all laps in the last 13 races.

And if you look at the above stats, then look at the driver standings, with Biffle, Harvick and Kenseth being pretty strong early-season contenders, you have to keep one thing in mind:  Jimmie Johnson is only 11th because of a 1st lap wreck at Daytona.  You can never count them out.

I think it's going to come down to Johnson vs. Biffle. 

But don't forget to temper your expectations with practice and qualifying performances for the weekend when picking your fantasy line-up for the Auto Club 400.

You might also want to check out iFantasyrace's Auto Club Fantasy Picks for the weekend.

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Overturned Penalties
Folks were honestly shocked, the penalty cloud hanging over the No. 48 team has been lifted. 

Now that Johnson's team has been absolved (technically) of all wrong doings from their inspection woes at Daytona, Chad Knaus et al can now truly get laser focused on the task at hand.  Though it's been my observation that they get more focused when Chad takes enforced sabbatical.

Though the penalties have been lifted, they still owe the fine.  Not sure that that's about.  Though I have to wonder, with all fines applied to the NASCAR Foundation, are they tax-deductible?  Seems win-win for everyone, if that is indeed the case.

Here's a great details article on the matter:  Suspension Overturned.

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Now Streaming

And if you heard the news, SiriusXM NASCAR content will be streaming online starting Saturday at Fontana.  That's good news and it's about bloody time.  Well, except for the fact that SiriusXM wants additional fees to get the content you're already subscribed to.  (online access fee.)

Despite the SiriusXM decisions on fees, this is the first bonus for the fans, from NASCAR getting its own digital rights back.

The Daly Planet has more on this new streaming content development.

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'Daytona 500' Set For a 7PM ET Monday Night Start, Weather Permitting

The postponed Daytona 500:  That was the thought on my mind when I woke up this morning.  For the first time in the history of the Daytona 500, it was postponed from its scheduled start day.  Ug!

I snagged my smartphone and started dissecting Twitter to see if the weather forecasts were right or not about it raining all day today in Daytona Beach, FL..  And sure enough, I was seeing tweets like if I had to guess, I'd say a 5 or 6 hour delay.  And others were tweeting about the liquid sunshine getting in the way of the Daytona 500 starting at noon, ET.

I looked over the weather forecast for the region and noted that it predicted weather all day up until around 6pm local time, and then after 6pm, a 20% chance of rain.

Then the media reports started coming in and from The Daly Planet, the consummate media covering outlet is this:

"Confirmed: FOX confirms all local TV station affiliates nationwide will carry Daytona 500 tonight 7PM ET."

This means 4pm for the west coast and 7pm for the east coast.  But what I don't know is what is going to happen to the House Winter Finale on Fox tonight!

-Bruce

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Is It Time To Run The Gatorade Duels On The Weekend?

As I watch the qualifying run for the Daytona 500, presently Martin Truex (pole) and Mark Martin on the front row as I write this.

I realize that if I want to watch the Gatorade Duels live, I need to figure out something out work wise so I can do this.

With NASCAR changing the practice rules, the drivers had a lot of time to make public appearances in the preceding weeks, I have to wonder if it's time to change the race schedule also?

What I mean by that is rather than having the qualifying runs today, should they have had them last weekend? In this way, we get our racing back on TV a week earlier. But more importantly, could they run the Gatorade Duels on a Saturday so we don't have to either play hooky, take a long lunch, or risk watching the streamed event at work?

I know I'm bucking tradition, but NASCAR is already doing that as they change the rules and cars and what not. I think it's time they think of the viewing audience for this one. I also think they should think of their precious advertisers return on the their dollar. I'd think it would be higher on a weekend than it would be during the week.

I'd like the Duels on a weekend. What do you think?

This Weekend's New Hampshire TV Schedule

The Nationwide Series takes a break until the 20th when they show up at Dover, so we've got two shows to look after this weekend coming from NASCAR:


NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Loudon | 2:30 p.m. Sat. | SPEED
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Loudon | 1 p.m. ET Sun. | ABC

Enjoy!

NASCAR TV Schedule for Sept 5-6 2008

Hi all,

It's time to plot your TV couch time with NASCAR racing:

(UPDATED TIMES DUE TO STORM)

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Gateway | 2 p.m. ET Sat. | SPEED
NASCAR Nationwide Series Richmond | 7:30 p.m. ET Fri. | ESPN2 (7PM Sunday)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Richmond | 7 p.m. ET Sat. | ABC (1PM Sunday)

Enjoy and see you at the races!

NASCAR TV Schedule for July

NASCAR Nationwide Series Gateway | 9 p.m. ET Sat. | ESPN2
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kentucky | 6:30 p.m. ET Sat. | SPEED

There's no Cup action this weekend, until
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Indianapolis | 1 p.m. ET 7/27 | ESPN

So it's all Nationwide and Truck Series racing on Saturday.

NASCAR TV for the Weekend of June 20th

Friday night we have the Truck Series on SPEED,
Saturday evening we have the Nationwide race on ESPN2
and on TNT, the Cup Series comes at us from the West Coast, right up the street, so to speak, from me.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Milwaukee | 8:30 p.m. ET Fri. | SPEED
NASCAR Nationwide Series Milwaukee | 8 p.m. ET Sat. | ESPN2
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Infineon | 3:30 p.m. ET Sun. | TNT

Dover Weekend TV Schedule

Here's the set aside times where we all head to the garage or extra room or sports bar to have our quality time with our beloved sport:

• NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Dover | 8 p.m. ET Fri. | SPEED
• NASCAR Nationwide Series Dover | 2:30 p.m. ET Sat. | ESPN2
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Dover | 1:30 p.m. ET Sun. | FOX

TV Broadcast Schedule for Richmond

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Richmond | 7 p.m ET Saturday | FOX
NASCAR Nationwide Series Richmond | 7 p.m. ET Friday | ESPN2***

Please note that the Nationwide broadcast is being broadcast on
ESPN Classic and simulcast on Speed Channel because of a conflict with the NBA Playoffs.

I've heard it's also going to be simulcast on ESPN.com, ESPN360.com, and NASCAR.com but I haven't stopped to confirm it so don't quote me!!

Following the basketball game, ESPN2 will cut to live coverage of the race and a replay following the race's conclusion.

NASCAR TV Weekend for October 12-13

Here's the TV schedule for the NASCAR races this weekend at Lowe's Motorspeedway.

Upcoming NASCAR Kansas TV Weekend

Cup Entry List

Busch Entry List

Dover TV Schedule and Standings

This weekends upcoming TV schedule,

(snapshot, courtesy www.NASCAR.com)

The current top 12, going into Dover.
(Snapshot courtesy of www.SceneDaily.com)

The Chase for the Cup - TV Schedule

Below is the TV schedule for the 10 remaining Chase for the Cup races.
All times are eastern!

09/16/07 Sylvania 300 New Hampshire International Speedway ABC/1 p.m.
09/23/07 Dover 400 Dover International Speedway ABC/1 p.m.
09/30/07 Kansas 400 Kansas Speedway ABC/1 p.m.
10/07/07 UAW-Ford 500 Talladega Superspeedway ABC/1 p.m.
10/13/07 Bank of America 500 Lowe's Motor Speedway ABC/7 p.m.
10/21/07 Subway 500 Martinsville Speedway ABC/1 p.m.
10/28/07 Pep Boys Auto 500 Atlanta Motor Speedway ABC/1 p.m.
11/04/07 Dickies 500 Texas Motor Speedway ABC/3 p.m.
11/11/07 Checker Auto Parts 500 presented by Pennzoil Phoenix International Raceway ABC/3 p.m.
11/18/07 Ford 400 Homestead-Miami Speedway ABC/3 p.m.

Race / TV schedule for Labor Day Weekend

NEXTEL Cup: ESPN, Sunday, 7pm ET
NASCAR Busch Series: ESPN2, Sat, 9:30pm ET
NASCAR Craftsman Trucks: SPEED, Sat 5 pm ET.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

The Weekend Starting June 30 '07

The Trucks are on Speed, Saturday, 8:30 pm, ET.
The Busch Series is on ABC, Saturday, 2:30 pm, ET
The Cup Series is on TNT, Sunday, 1 pm ET.

THIS DATE: June 28, 1998 -- Jeff Gordon gets his first win at Sonoma. His five wins on the California road course are tops among Cup drivers.

All info courtesy of www.nascar.com