FOX NASCAR gears up for 17th season with 100 hours of Daytona Speedweeks coverage
With an on-air team featuring a combined seven NASCAR premier series championships, FOX NASCAR announces its 2017 Daytona Speedweeks broadcast schedule, which culminates with the 59th running of the iconic Daytona 500 from Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 26 (2:00 p.m. ET). Live coverage begins at 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX NASCAR Sunday.
Marked by the network’s 17th consecutive season covering the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, FOX NASCAR’s presentation of Daytona Speedweeks features approximately 100 hours of multi-platform programming, including The Clash at Daytona, Can-Am Duel at Daytona, NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season openers.
DAYTONA 500
For the Daytona 500, FOX NASCAR is armed with seven championships’ worth of analysis and insight from Hall of Famer and three-time champ Darrell Waltrip alongside four-time champion Jeff Gordon, with veteran play-by-play announcer Mike Joy, covering his 42nd Daytona 500, and former Daytona 500-winning crew chief Larry McReynolds with race analysis.
Delivering stories and updates from pit road are pit reporters Jamie Little, Chris Neville, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum. Chris Myers hosts FOX NASCAR Sunday and the network’s coverage from the famed Hollywood Hotel alongside Michael Waltrip, Darrell Waltrip and Gordon.
“The Great American Race” is streamed live in both English and Spanish through FOX Sports GO, the critically acclaimed app that provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content at home or on-the-go. All FOX NASCAR programming in 2017 is live streamed on FOX Sports GO. FOX Deportes, the No. 1 Spanish-language sports network in the U.S., also offers live coverage of the Daytona 500 and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season opener at Daytona.
FOX Sports’ Daytona Speedweeks coverage kicks off Friday, Feb. 17 on FS1 with Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice for The Clash at Daytona (5:00 p.m. ET).
THE CLASH AT DAYTONA
The Clash at Daytona, the first NASCAR event of the season, airs live on FS1 on Saturday, Feb. 18 (8:00 p.m. ET). Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. call the 75-lap, non-points race with McReynolds and pit reporters Little, Welch and Yocum. Myers and Michael Waltrip host the network’s coverage from the Hollywood Hotel. The annual all-star event debuted in 1979, originally known as the Busch Clash. Following several name changes over the years, the once-iconic moniker is back.
DAYTONA 500 QUALIFYING
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers hit the track again Sunday, Feb. 19, for Daytona 500 qualifying, live on FOX (3:00 p.m. ET), to set the prestigious first and second starting positions for the Daytona 500, as well as the starting order for the Can-Am Duel at Daytona.
CAN-AM DUEL AT DAYTONA
The complete Daytona 500 starting order is determined following the Can-Am Duel at Daytona, live on FS1 on Thursday, Feb. 23 (7:00 p.m. ET). The pair of qualifying races, historically one of Daytona Speedweeks’ most exciting events, are under the lights with Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Gordon on the call with race analysis by McReynolds and pit reporting by Little, Neville and Yocum. Myers and Michael Waltrip host.
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
FOX Sports begins its third year of coverage of the NASCAR XFINITY Series from Daytona on Saturday, Feb. 25 with the season opener at 3:30 p.m. ET. Adam Alexander calls the action alongside Michael Waltrip and 2014 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick with pit reporting by Little, Neville and Yocum. NASCAR RaceDay - XFINITY, FS1’s XFINITY Series pre-race show, hosted by Shannon Spake with analysts Larry McReynolds, Michael Waltrip and Kenny Wallace, previews the action at 3:00 p.m. ET.
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series opens its season on Friday, Feb. 24 (7:30 p.m. ET) on FS1, with complete pre-race coverage beginning with NCWTS Setup at 7:00 p.m. ET. Vince Welch has the call alongside Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip. Hermie Sadler and Kaitlyn Vincie cover pit road. John Roberts hosts NCWTS Setup with analysis from two-time series champion Todd Bodine and reporting by Sadler and Vincie.
NASCAR RACEDAY
Before FOX coverage of the Daytona 500 begins on Sunday, Feb. 26, NASCAR RaceDay, which was up 6% in total viewership in 2016 versus 2015, is live on FS1, bringing viewers the latest news as drivers prepare for the biggest race of the year. John Roberts hosts from the Charlotte studio, with Spake co-hosting from the FOX Sports set inside the Daytona Rising stadium. They are joined by analysts Jeff Hammond, Wally Dallenbach and Andy Petree. NASCAR RaceDay also airs immediately preceding The Clash at Daytona and the Can-Am Duel on FS1.
NASCAR RaceDay: The Clash (Saturday, Feb. 18 at 6:00 p.m. ET on FS1) includes: a Kenny Wallace sit-down interview with Kevin Harvick regarding family, career and what his future holds; a Martin Truex Jr. piece on his life and career, featuring interviews with key people from his time at Michael Waltrip Racing and Furniture Row Racing; and a look at the evolution of the premier series sponsorship.
NASCAR RACE HUB
FS1’s NASCAR Race Hub, NASCAR’s most-watched daily news and update show, which enjoyed a 7% total viewership increase (144,000 vs. 134,000) in 2016 vs. 2015, airs Monday through Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. ET and is hosted by Alexander and Spake. On the weekends, the show continues with NASCAR Race Hub Weekend Edition, hosted by Roberts. Returning analysts include Dallenbach, Hammond, Petree, Gordon, Michael Waltrip, Bodine, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, David Ragan, Regan Smith, Drew Blickensderfer and “Bootie” Barker, as well as newcomers Austin Dillon, Bobby Labonte and Casey Mears. Alan Cavanna and Vincie offer live reports from the track.
DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY
Daytona 500 Media Day is live from Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday, Feb. 22 (9:00-11:00 a.m. ET) on FS1. Alexander anchors from the Charlotte studio, with co-hosts Myers and Spake interviewing drivers in the Hollywood Hotel in Daytona’s infield. Hammond and Petree offer analysis with Cavanna and Little reporting.
DAYTONA SPECIALS
In addition, FOX Sports has several NASCAR specials planned during Daytona Speedweeks. Immediately following the Feb. 23 Can-Am Duel at Daytona, FS1 premieres Refuse To Lose: Jeff Gordon and the 1997 Daytona 500 (10:00 p.m. ET). FOX Sports and NASCAR Productions team to deliver an inside look at four-time champion Gordon’s first win in the “Great American Race” using never-before-seen footage of the No. 24 team. Airing immediately following Refuse To Lose on Thursday, Feb. 23 (11:00 p.m. ET) is NASCAR Race Classic: The 1997 Daytona 500, a condensed version of the original race broadcast, hosted by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
On Friday, Feb. 24 (6:00 p.m. ET), a Beyond The Wheel short-film series documentary airs featuring Bonneville ’71, Sueños de NASCAR, and Miracle at Daytona: The Tiny Lund Story. One of the short films, Miracle at Daytona – The Tiny Lund Story, premieres Thursday, Feb. 16 during NASCAR Race Hub on FS1 (6:00 p.m. ET).
ARCA RACING SERIES
Catch even more live on-track action as the ARCA Racing Series season opener airs live on FS1 on Saturday, Feb. 18 (4:00 p.m. ET). Kevin Lee calls the race with analysis from Parsons and pit reporting by Jim Tretow and Heather DeBeaux.
