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FOX AND FOX DEPORTES PRIMED FOR FOUR CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF LIVE NASCAR ACTION BEGINNING WITH SUNDAY’S COCA-COLA 600

by MikeMay 22, 2020

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – FOX NASCAR is live from Charlotte Motor Speedway for four consecutive days during Memorial Day Weekend beginning with the 61^st running of the COCA-COLA 600, NASCAR’s longest race, on Sunday, May 24 (6:00 PM ET on FOX and FOX Deportes), followed by on-track action through Wednesday, May 27.

Continuing a tradition that started in 2009, FOX NASCAR honors American service members who have fallen in the past year with “FOX Sports Remembers” during Sunday’s COCA-COLA 600 broadcast. The tribute features a running scroll on-screen listing the name of every U.S. service member who lost his or her life at home or abroad since last year’s Memorial Day Weekend race.

Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Larry McReynolds call Sunday’s COCA-COLA 600 from the FOX Sports studios in Charlotte. Reporters Jamie Little and Regan Smith cover the action live from the track. FOX Deportes broadcasters, play-by-play announcer Tony Rivera and analyst Jessi Losada, are live from the FOX Deportes studios in Los Angeles. A special edition of NASCAR RACE HUB airs on Sunday (5:30 PM ET on FOX) immediately prior to the race, while FS1 airs qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 live at 2:00 PM ET on Sunday.

For the first-ever scheduled NASCAR race on Memorial Day, Adam Alexander, Jamie McMurray and NASCAR CUP SERIES driver Clint Bowyer call Monday’s NASCAR XFINITY SERIES race from the Charlotte studio with at-track reporting by Matt Yocum. The race airs live on FS1 at 7:30 PM ET, preceded by NASCAR RACE HUB at 6:30 PM ET on FS1. Rivera and Losada are on the call for FOX Deportes from Los Angeles.

On Tuesday, May 26, at 8:00 PM ET on FS1, the NASCAR GANDER RV & OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES returns to action at Charlotte. Vince Welch, Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip call the action from the Charlotte studio with Alan Cavanna reporting from pit road. Rivera and Losada have the call from the FOX Deportes studios.

For Wednesday’s 300-mile NASCAR CUP SERIES encore, Joy, Gordon and McReynolds are back in the studio for the call on FS1 (8:00 PM ET) with Welch reporting from the track. NASCAR RACE HUB airs on FS1 at 7:00 PM ET. FOX Deportes offers live coverage with Losada and Rivera calling the race.

Following Charlotte, NASCAR heads to Bristol Motor Speedway, followed by Atlanta Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. Additional race date announcements are forthcoming.

DATE	RACE	SERIES	NETWORK	TIME (ET)
Saturday, May 30	Bristol 1	Xfinity	FS1/FOX Deportes	3:30 PM
Sunday, May 31	Bristol 1	Cup	FS1/FOX Deportes	3:30 PM
Saturday, June 06	Atlanta	Trucks	FS1	1:00 PM
Saturday, June 06	Atlanta	Xfinity	FOX	4:30 PM
Sunday, June 07	Atlanta	Cup	FOX/FOX Deportes	3:00 PM
Wednesday, June 10	Martinsville 1	Cup	FS1/FOX Deportes	7:00 PM
Saturday, June 13	Miami	Trucks	FS1	12:30 PM
Saturday, June 13	Miami	Xfinity	FOX	3:30 PM
Sunday, June 14	Miami	Xfinity	FS1	12:00 PM
Sunday, June 14	Miami	Cup	FOX/FOX Deportes	3:30 PM
Saturday, June 20	Talladega	ARCA	FS1	2:00 PM
Saturday, June 20	Talladega	Xfinity	FS1	5:30 PM
Sunday, June 21	Talladega 1	Cup	FOX/FOX Deportes	3:00 PM

About FOX Sports

FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing FOX Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, the business has ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing relationships. FOX Sports includes the sports television arm of the FOX Network; FS1, FS2, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Deportes. FOX Sports’ digital properties include FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App, which provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content, instant scores, stats and alerts to iOS and Android devices. Additionally, FOX Sports and social broadcasting platform Caffeine jointly own Caffeine Studios which creates exclusive eSports, sports and live entertainment content. Also included in FOX Sports’ portfolio are FOX’s interests in joint-venture business Big Ten Network, a licensing and commercial relationship with The Stars Group that created the FOX Bet sports betting platform and the FOX Sports Super 6 free-to-play game, as well as a licensing agreement that established the FOX Sports Radio Network.

FOX NASCAR Resumes Live Action From Historic Darlington Raceway Sunday, May 17 on FOX

by MikeMay 12, 2020

FOX Sports Honors Health Care Workers Across the Country with Special Grand Marshal Initiative to Kick off Sunday’s Race

Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Larry McReynolds Call Race from Charlotte Studio; Regan Smith Reports Live from Darlington

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – FOX NASCAR resumes its 20^th consecutive season of coverage at historic Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17 (3:30 PM ET on FOX), with a live broadcast of the first NASCAR CUP SERIES race in 10 weeks. Sunday’s 400-mile event marks the first of seven races at two tracks across three series in the span of 10 days, all airing on the FOX family of networks and the FOX Sports app. The NASCAR XFINITY SERIES returns to Darlington on Tuesday, May 19 (8:00 PM ET on FS1 and FOX Deportes), followed by a second NASCAR CUP SERIES race, a midweek 300-miler, on Wednesday, May 20 (7:30 PM ET on FS1 and FOX Deportes).

To honor those who selflessly have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 battle, NASCAR, FOX Sports and its local affiliates have selected 36 health care workers from various markets across the country to serve as special grand marshals for Sunday’s return race at Darlington. These local heroes appear in an on-air mosaic to simultaneously give the command to start engines. NASCAR drivers, who have been paired with these local heroes, will be posting videos to their social channels to honor these individuals on Thursday, May 14, around 7:00 PM ET.

Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Larry McReynolds call Sunday’s race from the FOX Sports studios in Charlotte. Reporter Regan Smith covers the action live from Darlington. Race producer Barry Landis is based in Charlotte with the broadcast team, while director Artie Kempner is positioned at the track. FOX Deportes broadcasters, play-by-play announcer Tony Rivera and analyst Jessi Losada, are live from the FOX Deportes studios in Los Angeles. A special edition of NASCAR RACE HUB airs on Sunday (3:00 PM ET on FOX) immediately prior to the race.

“We are thrilled for the return of FOX NASCAR this weekend and are incredibly honored to use this time to acknowledge health care workers across the country as they help us kick off Sunday’s race from Darlington,” said Mark Silverman, President, National Networks, FOX Sports. “The health and safety of our employees and all involved remains paramount, and we will continue working in lockstep with our partners at NASCAR and the racetracks to follow all national, state and local health guidelines.”

Adam Alexander, Michael Waltrip and NASCAR CUP SERIES driver Clint Bowyer call Tuesday’s NASCAR XFINITY SERIES Darlington race from the Charlotte studio with at-track reporting by Smith. NASCAR RACE HUB airs at 7:00 PM ET on FS1 immediately preceding the Xfinity race. For Wednesday’s NASCAR CUP SERIES encore at Darlington, Joy, Gordon and McReynolds return to the studio for the call with reporter Matt Yocum live from the track, with a 6:30 PM ET edition of NASCAR RACE HUB airing immediately before on FS1.

Following Darlington, NASCAR heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for a four-race run that kicks off with the 61^st running of the COCA-COLA 600 on Sunday, May 24 (6:00 PM ET on FOX and FOX Deportes), its customary Memorial Day Weekend spot.

Below is the FOX NASCAR broadcast schedule for the current slate of the next seven races:

DATE	TRACK	SERIES	NETWORKS	START (ET)
Sun., May 17	Darlington	Cup	FOX/FOX Deportes	3:30 PM
Tue., May 19	Darlington	Xfinity	FS1/FOX Deportes	8:00 PM
Wed., May 20	Darlington	Cup	FS1/FOX Deportes	7:30 PM
Sun., May 24	Charlotte	Cup (qualifying)	FS1	2:00 PM
Sun., May 24	Charlotte	Cup	FOX/FOX Deportes	6:00 PM
Mon., May 25	Charlotte	Xfinity	FS1/FOX Deportes	7:30 PM
Tue., May 26	Charlotte	Gander Trucks	FS1/FOX Deportes	8:00 PM
Wed., May 27	Charlotte	Cup	FS1/ FOX Deportes	8:00 PM

About FOX Sports

Rita Wilson, Darrell and Stevie Waltrip Serve as Prerace Dignitaries for Sunday’s FOX NASCAR iRACING

by MikeApril 4, 2020

Singer/Songwriter, Actress and Producer Wilson Performs National Anthem for eNASCAR iRACING Pro Invitational Series Race from Virtual Bristol Motor Speedway

NASCAR Hall of Famer and Longtime FOX NASCAR Analyst Darrell Waltrip, Wife Stevie Give Invocation at 1:00 PM ET on FOX, FS1 and the FOX Sports App

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Singer/songwriter, actress and producer Rita Wilson and NASCAR’s Darrell and Stevie Waltrip serve as prerace dignitaries for Sunday’s FOX NASCAR iRACING event from virtual Bristol Motor Speedway via video from their respective homes.

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DANIEL SUÁREZ eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series Texas Preview

by MikeMarch 28, 2020

Details:

• Race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 (Round 2)

• Series: eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series

• Time/Date: 1 p.m. EDT on Sunday, March 29

• Location: Virtual Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)

• Distance: 125 laps (187.5 miles)

Where to Watch:

• FOX network

• Announcers: Jeff Gordon, Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds, with in-race commentary from Clint Bowyer.

• FS1 (DIRECTV Channel 219 and Dish Channel 150)

• FOX Sports Go app

• FOX Sports Racing for fans in Canada

Overview?:

• The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is an exhibition esports series featuring a collection of actual racecar drivers from the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.

• The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series kicked off last Sunday at Homestead and it is a multi-week series emulating the original 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule.

• With the sports world on a necessary hiatus to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series exists in place of actual NASCAR events.

• Each race in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series consists of 35 drivers and all races are broadcast by FOX Sports.

DYK?:

• Last Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway was the single most-watched esports event in U.S. history. The race drew 903,000 viewers on FS1, besting the previous high of 770,000 viewers when Mortal Kombat aired on The CW in 2016.

• The race was the highest-rated broadcast on FS1 since mass postponements of sporting events began on March 15.

• During the race, the #ProInvitationalSeries was the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter in the United States.

Daniel Suárez, Driver of the No. 96 CommScope Toyota Camry

“I don’t even know what to expect, to be honest. Obviously, I think we’re going to have some fun, but at the same time I’m very competitive and I want to do well. I’ve never done iRacing before, I’ve never had an account before and I really didn’t know much about iRacing. I had an old GT25 simulator that I bought used about 10 years ago to race on the PlayStation. As for iRacing, I have no experience before, but for me, that’s not an excuse. I’ve done a lot on other simulators, like the TRD (Toyota Racing Development) simulator, that might help some. But this is way different, it’s its own animal. iRacing is still very realistic and does an amazing job, but it’s still a game. The simulator we use at TRD, that’s not a game, but a lot of things about what iRacing does is very impressive. I borrowed a rig from Toyota and hopefully I can use it for as many races as I need to. A kid named Eric who’s a professional iRacing guy, he’s been helping me with the things I knew I was going to need help with. He’s been great, and he’s going to be my spotter. The whole point is to have some fun and be competitive and get better and give the fans some excitement, like we saw in the first race last week. I don’t know how long this is going to last, but hopefully we’ll be able to have some fun and keep getting better. Overall, I think it’s good for our sport. It’s one advantage we have against some other sports, that we can do stuff like this. Soccer, basketball, American football, they can’t do it like this. I feel it’s fun. We just have to take it for what it is.”

Daniel Suárez Texas Invitational Notes:

• This will be Suárez’s first start in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series and first-ever iRacing event.

• In actual NASCAR Cup Series racing at Texas, Suárez has six career starts with best finishes of third in each of last year’s two races – his only career top-fives and top-10s on the 1.5-mile oval.

• In NASCAR Xfinity Series competition at Texas, Suárez has five career starts with a best finish of fifth the fall 2016 race en route to that year’s series championship. He had another top-10 finish of sixth in the fall 2015 race.

• Suarez finished second in both 2015 races in his first two career NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series at Texas. He added a fifth-place finish in his only other Truck Series start there in the fall 2016 race.

KYLE BUSCH eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Homestead Advance

by MikeMarch 26, 2020

Details:

• Event: O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
• Time/Date: 1 p.m. EDT on Sunday, March 29
• Location: Virtual Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
• Distance: 125 laps (187.5 miles)

Where to Watch:

• FOX network

• Announcers: Jeff Gordon, Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds, with in-race commentary from Clint Bowyer.

• FS1 (DIRECTV Channel 219 and Dish Channel 150)

• FOX Sports Go app

• FOX Sports Racing for fans in Canada

Overview:

• The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series kicked off last Sunday at the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway. Texas Motor Speedway serves as the second race of the series. The Pro Invitational Series is designed to emulate emulating the original 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule from week to week.

• With the sports world on a necessary hiatus to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series exists for the drivers to have a bit of fun until the resumption of their respective series schedules.

• Each race in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series will consist of 35 drivers.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Camry in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series:

How was your first iRacing experience last week?

“It was quite interesting last week. Ty Gibbs offered me up his rig because I did not have one and I was over at his place last weekend running on his rig. I made some phone calls this week to see who had one since I’m hoping after maybe six weeks we can get back to the racetrack and do what we do each week and I won’t really need to have one. So I’m going on the borrowed train right now for my rig.”

Who has been helping you out and what are you using for a rig?

“I got the sim guys over to my house to set one up. Last week, I had to drive 45 minutes over to Ty’s to practice and then 45 minutes back. So now, after we put Brexton (Busch, son) to bed, I can go down there and start working on getting better. Texas seems like it’s going to be a heck of a lot more simple than Homestead was as far as the driving aspect. You just have to hit your marks in turns one and two and get back to the gas and turns three and four, which are going to be wide open. Happy to have Interstate Batteries on board with us this week. They have been a part of iRacing since the beginning with Joe Gibbs Racing, so they’ve been a big supporter of JGR’s regular eNASCAR team. Everyone’s doing it – it’s the hot thing to do – and it was certainly fun to do last weekend to help everyone forget about everything that is happening in the real world. Everyone seems to enjoy it. A lot of guys are getting a little more serious about it and everyone is spending more time, so I figured if I’m going to stop running 30th, I’m going to need to get some more laps (laughing).”

Busch Homestead Invitational Notes:

• This will be Busch’s second ever iRacing start in a virtual NASCAR Cup Series race.

• This is not Interstate Batteries’ first foray into the world of eNASCAR, as the company was the first partner to join Joe Gibbs Racing’s eSports effort last year in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series. For 2020, Interstate Batteries is a weekly sponsor on the No. 18 Toyota driven by Graham Bolin in the regular iRacing Series. Not only was Interstate Batteries the founding sponsor of JGR back in 1992, it was the first to join JGR’s iRacing and NASCAR Heat teams beginning in its inaugural season in 2019.

• In addition to Interstate’s extensive involvement in iRacing, Busch’s Rowdy Energy Drink is a sponsor on the No. 51 Toyota driven by Malik Ray in the weekly eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series for JGR.

• Last weekend, ARCA Menards Series driver Ty Gibbs helped Busch get up to speed in his iRacing rig as Busch had never tried iRacing until practice the day prior to the first iRacing Pro Invitational race last Sunday at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway. This week, Busch has had a rig brought to his house and has been busy practicing for Sunday at virtual Texas. William Hartman, Busch’s engineer on his regular No. 18 Toyota Camry Cup Series car, also helped Busch last weekend and will serve as crew chief for this weekend. In addition to Hartman, Busch’s real-life spotter Tony Hirschman is setting up to spot Busch on Sunday from his home in Pennsylvania.

• In actual NASCAR Cup Series racing on the 1.5-mile Texas oval, Busch has three wins, 12 top-five finishes and 15 top-10s in 28 starts.

FOX SPORTS TO AIR COMPLETE eNASCAR iRACING PRO INVITATIONAL SERIES

by MikeMarch 24, 2020

iRacing Season Simulcast on FOX, FS1 and the FOX Sports App Beginning Sunday from Virtual Texas Motor Speedway

Inaugural FOX NASCAR iRACING Event Draws More Than 900,000 Viewers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Last Sunday, NASCAR, iRacing and FOX Sports teamed up to deliver the first-ever eNASCAR iRacing Pro invitational Series event. Today, FOX Sports is committing to coverage of the remainder of the season, beginning Sunday, March 29, at 1:00 PM ET live from virtual Texas Motor Speedway. Entitled FOX NASCAR iRACING, the races will be simulcast on the FOX broadcast network*, FS1 and the FOX Sports app. Races will be available in Canada through FOX Sports Racing.

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FOX SPORTS TO DELIVER SUNDAY’S INAUGURAL eNASCAR iRACING PRO INVITATIONAL SERIES EVENT ON FS1

by MikeMarch 19, 2020

FOX NASCAR Broadcast Team of Jeff Gordon, Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds on the Call for Star-Studded FOX NASCAR iRACING

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott Among NASCAR Stars Participating

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – FOX Sports, teaming with NASCAR and iRacing, delivers the first-ever eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series event Sunday, March 22, at 1:30 PM ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app. Titled FOX NASCAR iRACING, the 90-minute, simulation-style eSports program includes a cross-section of competitors from the NASCAR CUP SERIES, NASCAR XFINITY SERIES, NASCAR GANDER RV & OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES and a group of NASCAR dignitaries.

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