POSTED: Friday May 22nd 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TNT Starts the Engines of its 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coverage with Exclusive Pre-Race Features and Return of Interactive TNT RaceBuddy

Wally’s World goes Virtual; TNT’s RaceBuddy on NASCAR.COM adds exclusive pit road reporter and gets more interactive

Turner Network Television (TNT) is gearing up for its 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series six week race package with its marquee roster of announcers, the return of the network’s acclaimed Pride of NASCAR series and the launch of a new, supersized TNT RaceBuddy on NASCAR.COM.  The green flag will drop on TNT’s coverage beginning June 7th in Pocono, followed by consecutive weeks of exclusive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series coverage with races in Michigan (June 14), Sonoma (June 21) and Loudon (June 28), and primetime Saturday night races in Daytona (July 4) and Chicago (July 11).  This summer marks Turner’s 26th consecutive year of televising NASCAR Sprint Cup Series coverage.

“TNT’s six weeks of coverage allows us to showcase the skills of 43 drivers along with providing informative and innovative telecasts that cover all aspects of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series,” said Jeff Behnke, Turner Sports executive producer.  “TNT and NASCAR.COM will once again join forces to provide an unparalleled multi-platform experience that engages the audience and highlights the best of television and online coverage.” 

TNT’s staple pre-race segment Wally’s World will return this year with analyst Wally Dallenbach breaking down the strategy of each race in virtual reality.  Dallenbach will be superimposed into live race footage from last season as he walks along the track to discuss the nuances necessary to be successful on each of TNT’s six tracks, with ability to stop the race footage and interact with the cars virtually.  The segment will air each week during pre-race coverage. 

Also airing during the network’s pre-race show, TNT’s popular Pride of NASCAR series will feature racing legends such as Darrell Waltrip, Dan Gurney and Dave Marcis, among others.  The series explores the rich history of the sport by profiling NASCAR greats who helped make the sport what it is today, with exclusive interviews with each driver profiled.

TNT’s 90-minute pre-race coverage will feature “Countdown to Green,” hosted by Bill Weber, which will take the telecast to green flag racing with reports from the network’s stable of announcers, including Weber (host), Kyle Petty (analyst), Wally Dallenbach (analyst), Larry McReynolds (analyst/cut-away car specialist) and pit reporters Marty Snider, Matt Yocum, Ralph Sheheen and Lindsay Czarniak.  Prior to “Countdown to Green,” TNT’s coverage will rev up with “NASCAR on TNT Live!” hosted by Marc Fein. He will be joined by Petty and McReynolds for commentary and analysis, interviews with drivers, and several regular features.

TNT RaceBuddy, the award-winning multiplatform experience, will return to ride shotgun with viewers to provide companion coverage on NASCAR.COM.  RaceBuddy’s new enhancements include a dedicated pit reporter, social media interaction and new views of the race.  The entire complement includes:  

• Pit Road Plus: An enhanced produced feed that     shows the action and features a pit reporter dedicated to  providing     ongoing reports and updates exclusively on NASCAR.COM.
• Battle Cam:  A camera     that will stream the most intense head-to-head competition between drivers     on the track throughout the race.
• In-Car Driver Cam: Users have the     ability to vote for their favorite driver to watch and listen from inside     his car; drivers change periodically throughout the race.
• Track Cam: Video streaming     from various camera angles of the racetrack.
• Mosaic View:  Fans can view all four     streams – Pit Road Plus, Battle Cam, In-Car Camera, Driver Cam and     Track Cam– at one time.
• Virtual: Using TrackPass RaceView     technology, fans can watch amazing 3-D views from unique angles not     available anywhere else.
• Pit Buddy: Real-time text updates from pit     reporters direct from pit road.
• Enhanced LIVE Leaderboard: Full featured     leaderboard showing all the vital lap speeds, positions and more.
• Connect and chat: Using MySpace, Facebook and     Twitter, or all three at once in a seamlessly integrated experience,     allowing fans to stay connected with friends as well as other fans, while     watching the race.
• Live Photostream: See the race from a different     perspective with constantly updating photos that capture the exciting race     moments.

 

2009 NASCAR on TNT Summer Series:

ALL TIMES EASTERN (ET)

 

SUNDAY, JUNE 7     

 

12:30 – 2:00 p.m.           NASCAR on TNT Live! and Countdown to Green

 

2:00 – 6:30 p.m.             NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Racing from Pocono

 

SUNDAY, JUNE 14

 

12:30 – 2:00 p.m.           NASCAR on TNT Live! and Countdown to Green

 

2:00 – 5:30 p.m.             NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Racing from Michigan

 

SUNDAY, JUNE 21   

 

3:30 – 5:00 p.m.             NASCAR on TNT Live! and Countdown to Green

 

5:00 – 8:30 p.m.             Toyota/Save Mart 350 (from Infineon Raceway)

 

SUNDAY, JUNE 28

 

12:30 – 2 p.m.           NASCAR on TNT Live! and Countdown to Green

 

2 – 5:30 p.m.             NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Racing from Loudon

 

SATURDAY, JULY 4

 

6:30 – 8:00 p.m.             NASCAR on TNT Live! and Allstate Countdown to Green            

 

8:00 – 11:15 p.m.           Coke Zero 400 at Daytona powered by Coca-Cola (from Daytona Intl. Speedway)

 

SATURDAY, JULY 11          

 

6:30 – 8:00 p.m.             NASCAR on TNT Live! and Countdown to Green

 

8:00 – 11:30 p.m.           NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Racing from Chicago

 

Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., presents some of the best and most popular sporting events worldwide and is a leader in televised and online sports programming.  With events airing on TBS and TNT, Turner Sports’ line-up includes NASCAR and NASCAR.COM, the NBA, Major League Baseball, professional golf, PGATour.com and PGA.com.  Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA League Pass, NBADLeague.com and WNBA.com. 

Turner Network Television (TNT), one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama and home to such original series as the acclaimed and highly popular detective drama The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick; Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter; Raising the Bar, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben and Jane Kaczmarek; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; HawthoRNe, with Jada Pinkett Smith; and Dark Blue, starring Dylan McDermott.  TNT also presents such powerful dramas as Bones, Cold Case, Law & Order, Without a Trace, ER and Charmed; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA.  TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

 

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Keywords · NASCAR Sprint Cup Series · Wally's World · Pride of NASCAR · Darrel Waltrip · Dan Gurney · Dave Marcis · RaceBuddy

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Name: Jeff Pomeroy
Organization: Turner Sports
Email:
Phone: +1.404-827-4786
URL: http://www.tbs.com/

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