Speed Channel will be the exclusive home of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for the third consecutive year in 2005. The 25-event season launches at Daytona with a one-hour 10th anniversary special set to air Feb. 17 at 5:30pt/et. Rick Allen, Michael Waltrip, and Phil Parsons will continue to add commentary to each live broadcast from the booth, while Ray Dunlap and Wendy Norris pass along the stories from pit road. Pre- and post-race coverage will remain on-tap with more interviews, enhanced graphics, and behind-the-scenes footage with the drivers who provide the most action-packed racing on cable television. Its an honor to be a part of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series during its 10th Anniversary season, Allen said. Knowing where this Series started in 1995 and in ten years to have progressed from mid-race breaks to the most competitive racing in NASCAR is truly amazing. And Speed Channels commitment to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series has never been stronger.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is the cornerstone of our NASCAR TV programming package, said Speed Channel President Jim Liberatore. Working closely with NASCAR, we have increased ratings and household reach each of the first two years the Series has been on the network.”
The season-opening race in Daytona in 2004 was Speed Channels highest-rated program ever, Liberatore added. If the Series continues to offer the best of fresh, young talent combined with some of the legendary names in racing, we expect nothing but the continued growth and interest in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. In 2004, an average of 422,000 households tuned in, up 21 percent from the previous year. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series continues to be the No. 1 rated motor sports series on Speed Channel and the No. 3 rated motor sports series on cable television.(Speed Channel PR)(1-26-2005)
