TNT goes under the lights this Saturday, July 7 when the network televises the Pepsi 400 Nextel Cup Series race from the Daytona International Speedway with the debut of a new television format, a special on #24-Jeff Gordon, a special feature on Richard Petty and continued TNT post-race coverage exclusively on NASCAR.COM. TNT’s pre-race coverage begins with NASCAR on TNT LIVE! at 6:30pm/et, followed by Allstate Countdown to Green at 7:30pm/et. The Pepsi 400 will begin at 8:00pm/et. Including Gordon, 22 of the 24 living Daytona 500 champions are expected to be at the track for one of NASCAR’s premier racing events, many of whom will be interviewed during pre-race festivities by TNT’s on-air announcers. The network’s pre-race coverage will also include a feature in which Florida State graduate Matt Yocum tours the city of Daytona and documents its importance in NASCAR’s history, as well as a special edition of the Pride of NASCAR in which Kyle Petty interviews his father Richard Petty. This year’s coverage of the Pepsi 400 will mark the debut of TNT’s Wide Open Coverage, a unique television format that will feature no national commercial interruptions, only three local commercial breaks per hour and an innovative on-screen video box for sponsor branded content. The branded content will include animated sponsor messages and graphics from sponsors. The branded content for sponsors includes a mix of vignettes running 60 seconds to two minutes in length, and feature notable faces from around the world of NASCAR.(TNT PR)(7-5-2007)
