FOX trades “Daytona Day” ad campaign for “Daytona 500 Legends”
After a three-year run with a “Daytona Day” ad campaign that turned the day of the Daytona 500 into somewhat of a nationwide tailgate party, FOX has decided to go in a different direction for promoting NASCAR’s biggest race.
FOX will air their new “Daytona 500 Legends” commercial during Sunday’s NFC Championship Game between the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams, a spot that intertwines the old and the new, past winners with present stars, and the defining moments of the “Great American Race”.
The 2019 Daytona 500 is Sunday, February 17th and will start at 2:30PM ET on FOX.
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Several high-profile NASCAR teams participating in eNASCAR iRacing series
We live in an ever-changing, ever-evolving world, most notably when it comes to the advancement of technology and computer simulation. One might argue that no sporting industry knows this better than motorsports, as technological advancements have come with a hefty price tag and closer competition.
As computers and data analytics become more and more of an ever-present part of motorsports, this change in racing culture has brought with it an entirely new genre of competition: sim racing.
Think video games — only much more specialized, realistic, and technologically advanced than, say, the EA Sports Madden NFL games.
Perhaps sim racing’s most prolific advocate is two-time Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr., who discovered Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron through sim racing.
Kyle Larson and Kasey Kahne have also both used, and continue to use, sim racing quite frequently, in particular for their dirt racing endeavors.
So though it’s a headline you probably never thought you’d see, the truth is that many of NASCAR’s most powerful race teams are jumping on board.
JR Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Wood Brothers Racing have all joined the eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series for 2019. iRacing is arguably sim racing’s most realistic depiction of what it’s really like to race in NASCAR, or one of any multiple other forms of racing the platform supports.
The series will have a drivers draft on January 30th where teams can select their driver.
“I have been sim racing for more than 20 years now, so it goes without saying that I am excited to see NASCAR and iRacing working to further legitimize sim racing as a true eSport,” JR Motorsports team owner Earnhardt Jr. said. “Expanding the eNASCAR Peak Antifreeze iRacing Series to include teams like ours is a huge step forward. JRM has worked behind the scenes with iRacing for years on the technical side of the product as well as having an unofficial entry in the series going back to its inception in 2009. We are looking forward to JR Motorsports’ continued collaboration with iRacing to help promote the eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series in 2019 and beyond.”
The season features 18 rounds, including a four-race Playoff format, which takes the green flag on February 12th at Daytona International Speedway. The races are run Tuesday nights at 9:00PM ET and can be viewed live on the iRacing eSports Network on YouTube, iRacing.com, and NASCAR.com.
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Rolex 24 broadcast will include on-air talent very familiar to motorsports fans
As NBC Sports continues to acquire more and more motorsports programming, the network is preparing to broadcast the most prestigious endurance race in the United States, if not the world.
The on-air talent for the broadcast of the Rolex 24 at Daytona will include 17 individuals from the NBC Sports family , representing multiple motorsports disciplines from across the platform.
The Rolex 24 at Daytona kicks off the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and NBC Sports will carry every race in some capacity, whether on a streaming service or on one of their television channels. Their lead commentating team will include Leigh Diffey for play-by-play, along former NASCAR driver A.J. Allmendinger and former IMSA GT driver Calvin Fish as analysts.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., who joined NBC for its NASCAR broadcasts last season, will join fellow NASCAR on NBC regulars Steve Letarte (former NASCAR crew chief) and Krista Voda in the “Peacock Pit Box”, a term that will be familiar to regular NASCAR on NBC viewers.
NASCAR on NBC play-by-play analyst Rick Allen will be working with IndyCar on NBC analysts Paul Tracy and Townsend Bell throughout the weekend.
A mixture of NASCAR and IndyCar pit reporter regulars will be on hand as well, including Marty Snider, Dave Burns, Kelli Stavast, Parker Kligerman, Kevin Lee, and Jon Beekhuis.
NASCAR on NBC regular Rutledge Wood will also be making multiple appearances on the broadcast.
To add to the intrigue, Allmendinger and Bell will both be driving in the Rolex 24 at various points throughout the race with their respective teams.
Coverage of the event will begin at 2:00PM ET on NBCSN.
NBC Sports has provided a tentative schedule for the various on-air talent:
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World of Outlaws gets a new title sponsor
After Craftsman had served as the title sponsor for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series since 2016, the sanctioning body announced that it had signed a multi-year deal for NOS Energy Drink to become the new title sponsor of the series.
The series will now officially be known as the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.
“NOS Energy joined the World of Outlaws last season, and we couldn’t be prouder to have them expand their involvement and become our title sponsor,” said World of Outlaws CEO Brian Carter. “The Greatest Show on Dirt runs the fiercest schedule in all of motorsports, so our drivers, crews and fans need all the horsepower and stamina they can get.”
No kidding. The series has a rather grueling schedule, with 92 races at 47 tracks in 25 states — and yet you will be hard pressed to find a racing series with more dedicated and enthusiastic competitors and fans alike.
“The response last season from World of Outlaws fans, drivers and really the whole community was pretty overwhelming and is really the biggest factor in our decision to expand our involvement,” said Lauren Albano, Marketing Director for NOS Energy Drink. “The World of Outlaws brand of racing is authentic, raw and contagious, and we are more than excited to continue to fuel the sport’s passion on and off the track.”
NOS Energy also recently became the title sponsor for the USAC National Midget Series and will remain as the primary sponsor for the No. 17 Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing team driven by Sheldon Haudenschild in World of Outlaws.
The season will kick off at Volusia Speedway Park in Deleon Springs, Florida for the DIRTcar Nationals beginning February 5th.
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Al-Attiyah wins Dakar Rally, Price earns hard-fought win in bike class
As the 2019 Dakar Rally came to a close, it was obvious that, barring a major catastrophe, Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah was going to be the victor.
And he was — winning his third Dakar Rally title, Al-Attiyah took the win by 46 minutes over runner-up Nani Roma. His other two Dakar Rally titles came in 2011 and 2015.
“It’s fantastic, no mistakes,” Al-Attiyah said. “The good thing was that from day three we were leading and we built on our time every day until we came to the last day with a big, big lead. We felt that a 100 percent Peru rally, with no other country, there would be a lot of sand dunes, so we could do what we know we’re good at.”
The last stage victory went to Carlos Sainz. World Rally Championship driver Sebastian Loeb finished third.
Meanwhile in the bike class, Toby Price overcame the odds by winning his second Dakar Rally title, despite suffering from a broken scaphoid bone in his right wrist, an injury he sustained a few weeks before the Dakar Rally. Teammate and defending champion Matthias Walker finished second overall.
“The pain and torture has been worth it,” said Price. “I thought I would only be able to do two stages and then pull out and that would have been me done, but the support from everyone back home in Australia and then having some things go my way and a bit of luck, it just worked out in the end.
“Pretty much all I can say is that it feels like there are about five people driving a knife in my wrist now.”
The 31-year-old earned Australian bike manufacturer KTM their 18th consecutive bikes title.
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