NASCAR on TNN
Encyclopedia
NASCAR on TNN was the name of a television program that broadcast NASCAR
races on The Nashville Network (now Spike).
, but it had aired taped coverage of a few Winston Cup races in the 1980s on its American Sports Cavalcade
program.
TNN had a self-operating and self-promoting sub-division called TNN Motor Sports, and aired races produced by that division from 1991 to 2000. Under the TNN Motor Sports umbrella, NASCAR
series races (including those of the then-Winston Cup Series and Busch Grand National Series, as well as the Craftsman Truck Series) were the most prominently featured, but races of smaller circuits such as the International Motor Sports Association
IMSA Sports Car Series, ASA
, USAC
, the NHRA, and ARCA were also showcased, as was motorcycle and speedboat racing.
In 1995, the motorsports operations were moved into the industrial park located at Charlotte Motor Speedway
in Concord, North Carolina
, where TNN had purchased controlling interest in World Sports Enterprises, a motorsports production company.
Also by 1995, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, who at the time owned the CBS
networks and had an existing relationship with TNN through its Group W division, purchased TNN and its sister network CMT
outright to form CBS Cable, along with a short-lived startup network entitled Eye On People (now Investigation Discovery). TNN's ties to CBS allowed it to carry CBS Sports
' run overs, which happened during a NASCAR Busch Series race at Texas Motor Speedway
in 1999.
, Pocono
, Loudon, and Phoenix
, were among the events signed. In general, ESPN abandoned slower races which used large broadcast windows. 500-mile races at Rockingham, Dover and Pocono were known to last upwards of five hours. (The races at Rockingham and Dover were shortened to 400 miles in 1995 and 1997, respectively, It wasn't until 2012 that Pocono shortened its races to 400 miles.) TNN's relatively open schedule for Sunday afternoons allowed large NASCAR broadcast windows.
TNN also picked up rights to The Winston when it was moved to prime time.
In 1998, TNN acquired the one-time rights (from CBS) of the Pepsi 400
. Due to wildfires, the race was postponed from July 4 to October.
The Winter Heat Series
meanwhile, aired during the winter months between November and January (during NASCAR
's offseason). The program began during the 1994-1995 winter and ran through the 1998-1999 winter. The races were held at the 3/8 mile Tucson Raceway Park
in Tucson, Arizona. TNN originally broadcast the races before ESPN took over. Broadcasters for TNN were Mike Joy
, Buddy Baker
, Glenn Jarrett
and Ralph Sheheen
.
, FX
, NBC
and TBS
(later moved to TNT) agreed to pay $
2.4 billion for a new six-year package, covering the Winston (now Sprint) Cup Series and Busch (now Nationwide
) Series schedules.
The end of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, marked the end of a nearly 10-year relationship between The Nashville Network and NASCAR.
, Mike Joy
, Steve Evans, Eli Gold
, Buddy Baker
, Neil Bonnett
, Randy Pemberton, Brock Yates
, Glenn Jarrett
, Steve Byrnes
, Ralph Sheheen
, Dick Berggren
, Larry McReynolds
, and Rick Benjamin
.
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
races on The Nashville Network (now Spike).
History
TNN started showing races live in 19911991 in NASCAR
The 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Season began February 10 and ended November 17. Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing was crowned champion at the end of the season. It was his fifth championship.-1991 Team Chart:-Busch Clash:...
, but it had aired taped coverage of a few Winston Cup races in the 1980s on its American Sports Cavalcade
American Sports Cavalcade
American Sports Cavalcade was an American motorsports television show produced by Diamond P Sports that aired on TNN from 1983 to 1995. American Sports Cavalcade was also a winner of the cable television Ace Awards for their motorsports coverage....
program.
TNN had a self-operating and self-promoting sub-division called TNN Motor Sports, and aired races produced by that division from 1991 to 2000. Under the TNN Motor Sports umbrella, NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
series races (including those of the then-Winston Cup Series and Busch Grand National Series, as well as the Craftsman Truck Series) were the most prominently featured, but races of smaller circuits such as the International Motor Sports Association
International Motor Sports Association
The International Motor Sports Association is an American sports car auto racing sanctioning body based in Braselton, Georgia. It was started by John Bishop, a former employee of SCCA , and his wife Peggy in 1969 with help from Bill France, Sr...
IMSA Sports Car Series, ASA
American Speed Association
The American Speed Association is a sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States formed in 1968. The Association was based in Pendleton, Indiana and currently is headquarters in Daytona Beach, Florida. ASA was most famous for a national touring series which began in 1973 but was...
, USAC
United States Automobile Club
The United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, the USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500...
, the NHRA, and ARCA were also showcased, as was motorcycle and speedboat racing.
In 1995, the motorsports operations were moved into the industrial park located at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
in Concord, North Carolina
Concord, North Carolina
Concord is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. According to Census 2010, the city has a current population of 79,066. It is the largest city in Cabarrus County and is the county seat. In terms of population, the city of Concord is the second largest city in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area...
, where TNN had purchased controlling interest in World Sports Enterprises, a motorsports production company.
Also by 1995, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, who at the time owned the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
networks and had an existing relationship with TNN through its Group W division, purchased TNN and its sister network CMT
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
outright to form CBS Cable, along with a short-lived startup network entitled Eye On People (now Investigation Discovery). TNN's ties to CBS allowed it to carry CBS Sports
NASCAR on CBS
NASCAR on CBS was a series of NASCAR races airing on CBS Sports from 1960-2000.-Races covered by CBS:*Jiffy Lube Miami 300*Michigan 400...
' run overs, which happened during a NASCAR Busch Series race at Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas....
in 1999.
Races aired
TNN picked up several of the "second tier" Winston Cup races of the time, whose rights packages were allowed to expire by ESPN. Races at tracks such as Rockingham, DoverDover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino...
, Pocono
Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...
, Loudon, and Phoenix
Phoenix International Raceway
Phoenix International Raceway, also known as PIR, is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. The track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the Indycar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series...
, were among the events signed. In general, ESPN abandoned slower races which used large broadcast windows. 500-mile races at Rockingham, Dover and Pocono were known to last upwards of five hours. (The races at Rockingham and Dover were shortened to 400 miles in 1995 and 1997, respectively, It wasn't until 2012 that Pocono shortened its races to 400 miles.) TNN's relatively open schedule for Sunday afternoons allowed large NASCAR broadcast windows.
TNN also picked up rights to The Winston when it was moved to prime time.
In 1998, TNN acquired the one-time rights (from CBS) of the Pepsi 400
Coke Zero 400
The Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona is a 160 lap, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held annually, beginning in 1959, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida; the second major stock car event held at Daytona on the Sprint Cup circuit...
. Due to wildfires, the race was postponed from July 4 to October.
The Winter Heat Series
Winter Heat Series
Winter Heat Series was a television program on TNN and later ESPN2 that featured stock car racing.-History:The program aired during the winter months between November and January . The program began during the 1994-1995 winter and ran through the 1998-1999 winter...
meanwhile, aired during the winter months between November and January (during NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
's offseason). The program began during the 1994-1995 winter and ran through the 1998-1999 winter. The races were held at the 3/8 mile Tucson Raceway Park
Tucson Raceway Park
Tucson Raceway Park is a 3/8-mile paved oval racetrack located at the Pima County Fairgrounds, off Interstate 10 just south of Tucson, Arizona. It is one of only three paved ovals in the state of Arizona . The track is currently closed. -History:The track was built in 1968, originally as a clay oval...
in Tucson, Arizona. TNN originally broadcast the races before ESPN took over. Broadcasters for TNN were Mike Joy
Mike Joy
Mike Joy is an American TV sports announcer, who currently serves as the lap-by-lap voice of FOX Sports' NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage. His color analysts are Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds. Joy has broadcast more than 30 Daytona 500s, NASCAR's biggest event...
, Buddy Baker
Buddy Baker
Elzie Wylie Baker, Jr. , nicknamed "Leadfoot" or more famously Buddy, is a former American NASCAR racecar driver.-Early life:...
, Glenn Jarrett
Glenn Jarrett
Glenn Jarrett is a former NASCAR driver from Conover, North Carolina and the oldest son of Ned Jarrett and older brother of Dale Jarrett. He made 10 Winston Cup starts from 1978 to 1983 with a best finish of 12th at Ontario Motor Speedway...
and Ralph Sheheen
Ralph Sheheen
Ralph Sheheen is currently a pit reporter for NASCAR on TNT, an announcer for AMA supercross and superbike racing on the Speed Channel, and is the lead commentator of CBS Sports' coverage of the AMA....
.
TNN loses NASCAR
NASCAR wanted to capitalize on its increased popularity even more, so they decided that future deals would be centralized; that is, the networks would negotiate directly with NASCAR for a regular schedule of telecasts. That deal was struck on December 15, 1999. Fox SportsFox Sports (USA)
Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company . It was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League games...
, FX
FX Networks
FX is the name of a number of related pay television channels owned by News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group...
, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and TBS
TBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
(later moved to TNT) agreed to pay $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
2.4 billion for a new six-year package, covering the Winston (now Sprint) Cup Series and Busch (now Nationwide
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company & Affiliated Companies is a group of large U.S. insurance and financial services companies based in Columbus...
) Series schedules.
- Fox and FX would televise race 1 through 16 of the 20012001 in NASCARThe 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup season began on February 11 at the Daytona International Speedway and ended on November 23 at the New Hampshire International Speedway. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports was crowned series champion for the fourth time in seven years. The season was marked by tragedy,...
, 20032003 in NASCARThe 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup began on Saturday February 8 and ended on Sunday November 16. Matt Kenseth with Roush Racing driving a Ford was crowned the Winston Cup champion, despite winning only one race all year. Chevrolet took home the NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship after capturing 19 wins...
, and 20052005 in NASCARThe 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series began on Saturday, February 12. The ten race Chase for the Nextel Cup started with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 18, and ended on Sunday, November 20, with the Ford 400....
seasons and race 2 through 17 of the 20022002 in NASCARThe 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup began on Saturday, February 10, and ended on Sunday, November 17. Tony Stewart with Joe Gibbs Racing was crowned the Winston Cup champion. The NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship was captured by Ford after winning 14 events, and gaining 245 points over second place...
, 20042004 in NASCARThe 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup season began on Saturday, February 7 and ended on Sunday, November 21. Kurt Busch with Roush Racing driving a Ford was the Nextel Cup champion....
, and 20062006 in NASCARThe 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season started at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 12 with the Bud Shootout and ended on Sunday, November 19 with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup began with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 17 at New Hampshire...
seasons. Fox would air the Daytona 500 in the odd-numbered years. All Busch Series races during that part of the season would also be on Fox/FX. - NBC and TNT would televise the final 17 races of the even-numbered years as well as the Daytona 500 and the last 18 races of the odd-numbered years, as well as all Busch Series races held in that time of the year.
The end of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, marked the end of a nearly 10-year relationship between The Nashville Network and NASCAR.
Commentators
Notable TNN racing personalities included Ken SquierKen Squier
Ken Squier is an American sportscaster and motorsports editor from Waterbury, Vermont. From 1979-1997, he was the lap-by-lap commentator for NASCAR on CBS, and was also a lap-by-lap commentator for TBS from the time they had rights to NASCAR until 2000. Squier was the first announcer to give...
, Mike Joy
Mike Joy
Mike Joy is an American TV sports announcer, who currently serves as the lap-by-lap voice of FOX Sports' NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage. His color analysts are Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds. Joy has broadcast more than 30 Daytona 500s, NASCAR's biggest event...
, Steve Evans, Eli Gold
Eli Gold
Eli Gold is an American sportscaster. Gold is best known as the radio voice for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, along with Tom Roberts, as part of the Crimson Tide Sports Network since 1988. He has also been the host of NASCAR Live on the Motor Racing Network since 1982...
, Buddy Baker
Buddy Baker
Elzie Wylie Baker, Jr. , nicknamed "Leadfoot" or more famously Buddy, is a former American NASCAR racecar driver.-Early life:...
, Neil Bonnett
Neil Bonnett
Lawrence Neil Bonnett was a NASCAR driver who compiled 18 victories and 20 poles over his 18-year career. The Alabama native currently ranks 35th in all-time NASCAR Cup victories. He appeared in the 1983 film Stroker Ace and the 1990 film Days of Thunder...
, Randy Pemberton, Brock Yates
Brock Yates
Brock Yates is an American journalist and author. He was longtime executive editor of Car and Driver, an American automotive magazine. He was a pit reporter for CBS' coverage of certain NASCAR Sprint Cup series races in the 1980s, including the Daytona 500...
, Glenn Jarrett
Glenn Jarrett
Glenn Jarrett is a former NASCAR driver from Conover, North Carolina and the oldest son of Ned Jarrett and older brother of Dale Jarrett. He made 10 Winston Cup starts from 1978 to 1983 with a best finish of 12th at Ontario Motor Speedway...
, Steve Byrnes
Steve Byrnes
Steve Byrnes is an American television announcer and producer from New Carrollton, Maryland. He graduated from the University of Maryland. Afterward, he began his television career as a sports producer where he covered several NFL teams. In 1985, he began producing and hosting NASCAR segments...
, Ralph Sheheen
Ralph Sheheen
Ralph Sheheen is currently a pit reporter for NASCAR on TNT, an announcer for AMA supercross and superbike racing on the Speed Channel, and is the lead commentator of CBS Sports' coverage of the AMA....
, Dick Berggren
Dick Berggren
Dr. Dick Berggren is a motorsports announcer and magazine editor from Manchester, Connecticut in the United States. Born in Westerly, Rhode Island, he now lives in Ipswich, Massachusetts with his wife Kathy. He is commonly seen wearing a trademark flat cap.- Academia :Berggren described himself...
, Larry McReynolds
Larry McReynolds
Lawrence Joseph McReynolds III is a former NASCAR crew chief and currently serves as a racing analyst on Fox Sports, TNT and a columnist on Foxsports.com. He currently lives in Mooresville, North Carolina...
, and Rick Benjamin
Rick Benjamin
Rick Benjamin is Speed Channel's voice of the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, and has been the voice of Champ Car racing for HDNet from 2004 until then end of the final season of Champ Car in 2007...
.