Beginning Sept. 19, SPEED Channel will air NASCAR Nation on Mondays only, making room for a pair of new shows focused on the NASCAR Chase for the NEXTEL Cup and NASCAR’s annual “Silly Season.”
“With 10 races to go in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season, fans want to know about two things – the championship and what’s going on with their favorite driver,” said Hunter Nickell, SPEED Channel Executive VP & General Manager. “With adjustments to already existing SPEED programming and the addition of new shows like One-Track Mind, Back-Seat Drivers and The Chase is On, the network is uniquely positioned to deliver coverage that matches the viewers’ interests in both areas.”
One-Track Mind will be a weekly, long-form interview with each of the driver-crew chief combinations in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.
Back-Seat Drivers, hosted by NASCAR.com’s Marty Smith and Shannon Spake, will be a weekly look at the hot topics in the NASCAR garage. If NASCAR fans are talking about it, Back-Seat Drivers will be talking about it. “Even if your favorite driver is Jeff Gordon, you still want to know what’s going on at DEI or Roush Racing during Silly Season,” Nickell added. “Back-Seat Drivers will talk about driver changes, crew changes, sponsors coming and going – everything is fair game.”
In addition to the new shows, SPEED Channel also is expanding the popular Thursday night program Beyond the Wheel to a one-hour Beyond the Wheel – Chase Edition.
SPEED Channel’s new weekday 7:00pm programming wheel (7 p.m., 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. ET & PT):
* Monday – NASCAR NATION (30 minutes)
* Tuesday – One-Track Mind (30 minutes)
* Wednesday – Back-Seat Drivers (30 minutes)
* Thursday – Beyond the Wheel (Expanded to one hour)
SPEED Channel also recently announced The Chase is On, a weekly preview of each of the 10 races making up NASCAR’s Chase for the NEXTEL Cup with Ralph Sheheen and 1999 Cup champion Dale Jarrett. The show debuts Thursday at 8:00pm/et and pt.(SPEED Channel)(9-13-2005)
