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Turner Sports Revs Up For 30th Year of NASCAR Coverage;
TNT's Six-Race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Schedule Begins June 10 at Pocono
Expanded Role for Adam Alexander
Production Enhancements Include Weekly "NASCAR Generations" Segment;
New Touch Screen Application; Broader Twitter Integration
TNT RaceBuddy Returns on NASCAR.COM with 10 Cameras and Mosaic Options;
Inside Trax and Wide Open Coverage Also Returns
Turner Sports is geared up for its 30th year of NASCAR coverage with TNT's six-race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series set to begin Sunday, June 10, at noon ET from Pocono Raceway. TNT's NASCAR coverage will once again feature analysis by Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach with play-by-play commentator Adam Alexander expanding his role this season. Alexander will add pre-race hosting responsibilities this year, joined by analysts Petty and Larry McReynolds. TNT's reporters will include: Ralph Sheheen, Marty Snider, Matt Yocum and Chris Neville.
TNT's coverage also will include several production enhancements this year including a weekly "NASCAR Generations" segment during the Countdown to Green pre-race show, a new on-set touch screen application, and broader social media integration. Additionally, McReynolds will roll out a customized, unique broadcast unit that will house his very own studio, as well as his base location to provide analysis using a cut-away display car.
TNT's "NASCAR Generations" is a segment which will air during the one-hour Countdown to Green each week featuring a panel discussion hosted by Alexander with five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, legendary NASCAR champions Ned Jarrett and Bill Elliott, as well as TNT NASCAR analysts McReynolds and Petty. The conversation will touch on broad-ranging topics and storylines within the sport.
A new on-set touch screen application will provide the ability to track drivers throughout the race, telestrate the action, offer real-time weather updates and engage with audiences via Twitter. Fans can participate in the social media discussion by using the hashtag #NASCAR leading up to and throughout the races. Throughout the broadcast, TNT's production also will include selectively-displayed race content obtained through Twitter.
"We're fortunate to have the longest history of any broadcast partner covering Sprint Cup races and we strive for innovation and advancements which continue to make NASCAR the best viewing experience possible for fans," said Jeff Behnke, Turner Sports senior vice president and executive producer. "Our announce team of Adam, Kyle and Wally provides consistency, our pit reporters continue to give the most unique perspectives in all of racing and we're excited for our coverage to begin."
Additional production elements include McReynolds utilizing TNT's Off-Track Robotic Car presented by Toyota (TORC) to analyze pit crew strategies. Inside Trax also will return with select crew chiefs and teams miked up to offer fans unique access to the sounds and strategy of NASCAR.
2012 TNT NASCAR Summer Series Schedule:
(All Times Eastern)
SUNDAY, JUNE 10
Noon - 1 p.m. ET Countdown to Green
1 - 4:30 p.m. Pocono 400 (Pocono Raceway)
SUNDAY, JUNE 17
Noon - 1 p.m. Countdown to Green
1 - 4:30 p.m. Michigan 400 (Michigan International Speedway)
SUNDAY, JUNE 24
2 - 3 p.m. Countdown to Green
3 - 6:30 p.m. Toyota SaveMart 350 (Sonoma)
SATURDAY, JUNE 30
6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Countdown to Green
7:30 - 11 p.m. Sprint Cup Racing presented by KFC (Kentucky Speedway)
SATURDAY, JULY 7
6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Countdown to Green
7:30 - 11 p.m. Coke Zero 400 at Daytona powered by Coca-Cola (Daytona International Speedway)
SUNDAY, JULY 15
Noon - 1 p.m. Countdown to Green
1 - 4:30 p.m. New Hampshire 301 (New Hampshire Motor Speedway)
TNT's RaceBuddy on NASCAR.COM
TNT RaceBuddy on NASCAR.COM will once again provide live companion coverage from eight different camera views and an option of two mosaic screens. Camera angles will include four In-Car Driver Cams, two Battle Cams highlighting head-to-head competition between drivers, a Backstretch Cam and a Pit Road Cam. Fans can view up to four angles at once through each mosaic option. Returning features to the site also include the DVR Function, an Enhanced LIVE Leaderboard and RaceView's position tracker. Fans can connect throughout the race on Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo! Messenger and MySpace for a seamlessly-integrated social media experience.
NASCAR.COM will also offer a post-race show featuring TNT announcers with highlights, news and information, and interviews with drivers and crew members.
Wide Open Coverage
TNT's prime time race in Daytona, the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona powered by Coca-Cola, will feature the return of Wide Open Coverage in which the network provides continuous race coverage free of national commercial breaks. Wide Open features more unobstructed race action than that of a standard telecast by using a letterbox widescreen format. In place of the national ads, the telecast features a variety of animated sponsor messages, unique branded content and distinct on-screen graphic elements. This year's sponsors include: Coke Zero, Chrysler, Goodyear, Sprint and Toyota.
Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is an industry leader in televised and online sports programming, airing championship-level sporting events on TBS, TNT and truTV, and managing some of the most popular sports sites on the Internet. Turner Sports' television lineup includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, NASCAR and professional golf. The company's digital portfolio includes NASCAR.COM, NCAA.com and March Madness Live, PGATOUR.COM and PGA.com, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile websites and connected device apps. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA Mobile, the NBA Game Time App, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.
TNT, one of cable's top-rated networks, is television's destination for drama. Seen in 99 million households, the network is home to such original series as The Closer, starring Emmy(R) winner Kyra Sedgwick; Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander; Falling Skies, starring Noah Wyle; Franklin & Bash, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; and Southland, from Emmy-winning producer John Wells, as well as the upcoming series Major Crimes, Dallas, Perception and The Great Escape. TNT also is the cable home to powerful dramas like The Mentalist, Bones, Supernatural, Las Vegas, Law & Order, CSI: NY, Cold Case and, starting this year, Castle; primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards(R); blockbuster movies; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR, the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. TNT is available in high-definition.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world. Turner brands and businesses include CNN/U.S., CNN International, CNN.com and HLN; TBS, TNT, truTV and Turner Classic Movies; Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Adult Swim; and Turner Sports.
Visit the Turner Sports online pressroom at http://news.turner.com. Follow Turner Sports on Twitter at @TurnerSportsPR.
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