TSN and TSN2 Get Revved Up with Coverage of More Than 100 Auto Racing Events in 2009
– Jam-packed schedule includes every race from NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, Formula 1 and IndyCar and coverage of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series –
– Highlights include DAYTONA 500, INDIANAPOLIS 500, both IndyCar Series races in Canada and NASCAR Nationwide Series race from Montreal –
– Coverage starts with BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT, Saturday on TSN2 –
Toronto, ON (February 5, 2009) – TSN and TSN2 are putting the pedal to the metal in 2009 with full-season coverage from all of the major auto racing series totaling more than 100 live events beginning this weekend. TSN and TSN2's comprehensive schedules feature every race from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Formula 1 and the IndyCar Series as well as coverage of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (see complete broadcast schedule below).
"With the growth of NASCAR in this country, and the return of the IndyCar Series race to Toronto, this will be a pivotal year for auto racing in Canada," said Phil King, President, TSN. "We are thrilled that TSN and TSN2 will be in the driver's seat - delivering live coverage of more than 100 races from every major series from around the world."
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Live coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series gets underway this Saturday (Feb. 7) at 8 p.m. ET on TSN2, with the first race of the season – the BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT. TSN and TSN2 will also broadcast a pre-race show prior to each of the 39 races.
Highlighting TSN and TSN2's coverage of each Sprint Cup Series race this season is the DAYTONA 500, which airs Sunday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. ET on TSN. Last year's DAYTONA 500 coverage on TSN delivered a national average audience of 554,000 viewers – an increase of 23% compared to the 2007 edition of the race*. TSN will also televise a 30-minute NASCAR SPRINT CUP SEASON PREVIEW on February 12, leading up to the big race. Three-time defending Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson looks for an unprecedented four consecutive titles, but will have to deal with challengers like Carl Edwards who led the series with nine wins and 19 top-five finishes in 2008, and perennial favourites Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon.
TSN2 will be the exclusive Canadian broadcaster for 12 live Sprint Cup Series races in 2009 including one of two road course races with the TOYOTA/SAVEMART 350 from Infineon Raceway on June 21, and the final race of the Sprint Cup season – and potential championship-determining race – the FORD 400 on November 22.
ESPN Classic gets in gear with a weekend full of vintage thrills and spills from Daytona International Speedway with Daytona 500 Weekend from February 13 to 15. The three-day celebration features highlights from past DAYTONA 500s, including Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s triumph in 1998, and Kevin Harvick's win from 2007 in the closest finish ever recorded at Daytona. ESPN Classic also continues to showcase the most memorable moments from across the world of auto racing every Friday night beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
NASCAR Nationwide Series
This also marks the third season of TSN's multi-year deal as the exclusive Canadian English broadcaster for all 35 NASCAR Nationwide Series races. The 10-month NASCAR Nationwide Series hits the speedway on February 14 at the Daytona International Speedway with the CAMPING WORLD 300 at 12 noon ET on TSN. TSN will also have live coverage of the NAPA AUTO PARTS 200 in Montreal on August 30, from Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. To help get race fans ready for the 2009 season, TSN will also televise a 30-minute NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES SEASON PREVIEW on February 12.
TSN2 will be rolling with exclusive Canadian coverage of 14 races from the Nationwide Series calendar this year, including Series' only stop at the always exciting Talladega Superspeedway with the AARON'S 312 on April 25.
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series returns to TSN for another year of excitement from racetracks across Canada. TSN will televise one-hour race broadcasts from this series including race coverage, driver interviews and other features.
Formula 1
Formula 1 is back on TSN in 2009 for another exciting season. Last year's season was one of the most gripping and competitive ever in F-1 with a total of seven drivers from five teams winning at least one race. McLaren-Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton made history when he became the youngest World Champion in Formula 1 history after an incredible performance in the final race of the year. TSN has exclusive Canadian live coverage of the entire 17-race schedule, including pre-race and qualifying for each event. Coverage begins March 28 with qualifying for the AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX.
IndyCar Series
TSN also has complete coverage of the 17-race IndyCar Series season, beginning with HONDA GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG on April 5. Highlights include the return of IndyCar racing to the streets of Toronto with the HONDA INDY TORONTO on July 12 before the series heads west for the REXALL EDMONTON INDY on July 26. The crown jewel of the series – the INDIANAPOLIS 500 – airs live on TSN on May 24.
Seven of this year's races will be available live exclusively in Canada on TSN2, including the first race of the year from St. Petersburg on April 5 as well as the ABC SUPPLY/A.J. FOYT 225 from the legendary Milwaukee Mile on May 31.
Audience Growth
TSN is coming off a successful auto racing season in 2008 in which the network delivered a national average per-race audience of 268,000 viewers for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. Audience figures for the NASCAR Nationwide Series on TSN increased in 2008 with a national average per-race audience increase of 18% compared to the 2007 season (141,000). Formula 1 on TSN delivered a national average per-race audience of 132,000 viewers – a 28% increase over the previous season, as well as a national average per-race audience of 70,000 viewers for IndyCar in 2008 – up 43% compared to TSN's coverage of the Indy Racing League in 2007.
2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on TSN/TSN2
· February 7 – Budweiser Shootout (Daytona International Speedway) (TSN2)
· February 12 – Gatorade Duels at Daytona (Daytona International Speedway) (TSN)
· February 15 – Daytona 500 (Daytona International Speedway) (TSN)
· February 22 – Auto Club 500 (Auto Club Speedway) (TSN2)
· March 1 – Shelby 427 (Las Vegas Motor Speedway) (TSN)
· March 8 – Kobalt Tools 500 (Atlanta Motor Speedway) (TSN2)
· March 22 – Food City 500 (Bristol Motor Speedway) (TSN)
· March 29 – Goody's Fast Relief 500 (Martinsville Speedway) (TSN)
· April 5 – Samsung 500 (Texas Motor Speedway) (TSN)
· April 18 – Subway Fresh Fit 500 (Phoenix International Raceway) (TSN2)
· April 26 – Aaron's 499 (Talladega Superspeedway) (TSN2)
· May 2 – Crown Royal presents the Your Name Here 400 (Richmond International Raceway) (TSN)
· May 9 – Southern 500 (Darlington Raceway) (TSN)
· May 16 – NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (Lowe's Motor Speedway) (TSN)
· May 24 – Coca-Cola 600 (Lowe's Motor Speedway) (TSN)
· May 31 – Dover 400 (Dover International Speedway) (TSN)
· June 7 – Pocono 500 (Pocono Raceway) (TSN)
· June 14 – LifeLock 400 (Michigan International Speedway) (TSN)
· June 21 – Toyota/SaveMart 350 (Infineon Raceway) (TSN2)
· June 28 – Lenox Industrial Tools 301 (New Hampshire Motor Speedway) (TSN)
· July 4 – Coke Zero 400 (Daytona International Speedway) (TSN)
· July 11 – LifeLock.com 400 (Chicagoland Speedway) (TSN)
· July 26 – Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) (TSN)
· August 2 – Pennsylvania 500 (Pocono Raceway) (TSN)
· August 9 – NASCAR Sprint Cup at the Glen (Watkins Glen International) (TSN)
· August 16 – Michigan 400 (Michigan International Speedway) (TSN2)
· August 22 – Sharpie 500 (Bristol Motor Speedway) (TSN)
· September 6 – Pep Boys Auto 500 (Atlanta Motor Speedway) (TSN)
· September 12 – Chevy Rock & Roll 400 (Richmond International Raceway) (TSN)
· September 20 – Sylvania 300 (New Hampshire International Speedway) (TSN2)
· September 27 – Dover 400 (Dover International Speedway) (TSN)
· October 4 – Kansas 400 (Kansas Speedway) (TSN)
· October 11 – Pepsi 500 (Auto Club Speedway) (TSN2)
· October 17 – Bank of America 500 (Lowe's Motor Speedway) (TSN)
· October 25 – Tums Fast Relief 500 (Martinsville Speedway) (TSN)
· November 1 – Amp Energy 500 (Talladega Superspeedway) (TSN2)
· November 8 – Dickies 500 (Texas Motor Speedway) (TSN)
· November 15 – Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 presented by Pennzoil (Phoenix International Raceway) (TSN2)
· November 22 – Ford 400 (Homestead-Miami Speedway) (TSN2)
2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series on TSN/TSN2
· February 14 – Camping World 300 (Daytona International Speedway) (TSN)
· February 21 – Stater Bros. 300 (Auto Club Speedway) (TSN)
· February 28 – Sam's Town 300 (Las Vegas Motor Speedway) (TSN2)
· March 21 – Scott's Turf Builder 300 (Bristol Motor Speedway) (TSN)
· April 4 – O'Reilly 300 (Texas Motor Speedway) (TSN)
· April 11 – Pepsi 300 (Nashville Superspeedway) (TSN2)
· April 17 – Bashas' Supermarkets 200 (Phoenix International Raceway) (TSN2)
· April 25 – Aaron's 312 (Talladega Superspeedway) (TSN2)
· May 1 – Lipton Tea 250 (Richmond International Raceway) (TSN2)
· May 8 – Diamond Hill Plywood 200 (Darlington Raceway) (TSN)
· May 23 – Carquest Auto Parts 300 (Lowe's Motor Speedway) (TSN)
· May 30 – Heluva Good! 200 (Dover International Speedway) (TSN)
· June 6 – Federated Auto Parts 300 (Nashville Superspeedway) (TSN)
· June 13 – Meijer 300 (Kentucky Speedway) (TSN)
· June 20 – Camping World RV Rental 250 (The Milwaukee Mile) (TSN)
· June 27 – Camping World RV Sales 200 presented by RVs.com (New Hampshire International Speedway) (TSN)
· July 3 – Winn Dixie 250 powered by Coca-Cola (Daytona International Speedway) (TSN2)
· July 10 – Dollar General 300 powered by Coca-Cola (Chicagoland Speedway) (TSN2)
· July 18 – Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 (Gateway International Speedway) (TSN)
· July 25 – Kroger 200 (O'Reilly Raceway Park) (TSN)
· August 1 – Iowa 250 (Iowa Speedway) (TSN)
· August 8 – Zippo 200 (Watkins Glen International) (TSN)
· August 15 – Michigan 250 (Michigan International Speedway) (TSN2)
· August 22 – Food City 250 (Bristol Motor Speedway) (TSN)
· August 30 – NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge (Circuit Gilles Villeneuve) (TSN)
· September 5 – Degree V12 300 (Atlanta Motor Speedway) (TSN)
· September 11 – Richmond 250 (Richmond International Raceway) (TSN2)
· September 26 – Dover 200 (Dover International Speedway) (TSN)
· October 3 – Kansas Lottery 300 (Kansas Speedway) (TSN)
· October 10 – Camping World 300 RV 300 presented by Coleman (Auto Club Speedway) (TSN2)
· October 16 – Dollar General 300 (Lowe's Motor Speedway) (TSN2)
· October 24 – NASCAR Nationwide Series 250 (Memphis Motorsports Park) (TSN2)
· November 7 – O'Reilly Challenge (Texas Motor Speedway) (TSN2)
· November 14 – Arizona 200 (Phoenix International Raceway) (TSN2)
· November 21 – Ford 300 (Homestead-Miami Speedway) (TSN)
2009 Formula 1 on TSN
· March 29 – Australian Grand Prix (Albert Park, Melbourne) (TSN)
· April 5 – Malaysian Grand Prix (Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur) (TSN)
· April 19 – Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai) (TSN)
· April 26 – Bahrain Grand Prix (Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir) (TSN)
· May 10 – Spanish Grand Prix (Circuit de Catalunya, Catalunya) (TSN)
· May 24 – Monaco Grand Prix (Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo) (TSN)
· June 7 – Turkish Grand Prix (Istanbul Park, Istanbul) (TSN)
· June 21 – British Grand Prix (Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone) (TSN)
· July 12 – German Grand Prix (Nürburgring, Nürburgring) (TSN)
· July 26 – Hungarian Grand Prix (Hungaroring, Budapest) (TSN)
· August 23 – European Grand Prix (Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia) (TSN)
· August 30 – Belgian Grand Prix (Spa-Francorchamps Circuit, Spa-Francorchamps) (TSN)
· September 13 – Italian Grand Prix (Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza) (TSN)
· September 27 – Singapore Grand Prix (Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore) (TSN)
· October 4 – Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka) (TSN)
· October 18 – Brazilian Grand Prix (Autodromo Carlos Pace, Sao Paulo) (TSN)
· November 1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Yas Marina Circuit, Yas Island) (TSN)
2009 IndyCar Series on TSN/TSN2
· April 5 – Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Streets of St. Petersburg) (TSN2)
· April 19 – Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (Streets of Long Beach) (TSN)
· April 26 – Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 (Kansas Speedway) (TSN)
· May 24 – Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) (TSN)
· May 31 – ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225 (The Milwaukee Mile) (TSN2)
· June 6 – Bombardier Learjet 550 (Texas Motor Speedway) (TSN2)
· June 21 – Iowa Corn Indy 250 (Iowa Speedway) (TSN2)
· June 27 – SunTrust Indy Challenge (Richmond International Raceway) (TSN)
· July 5 – Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen (Watkins Glen International) (TSN)
· July 12 – Honda Indy Toronto (Streets of Toronto) (TSN)
· July 26 – Rexall Edmonton Indy (Rexall Speedway) (TSN)
· August 1 – Meijer Indy 300 (Kentucky Speedway) (TSN2)
· August 9 – Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course) (TSN2)
· August 23 – Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma (Infineon Raceway) (TSN)
· August 29 – PEAK Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 (Chicagoland Speedway) (TSN)
· September 19 – Indy Japan 300 (Twin Ring Motegi) (TSN2)
· October 11 – Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300 (Homestead-Miami Speedway) (TSN)
TSN2
TSN2, a division of CTVglobemedia, brings Canadian sport fans a jam-packed lineup of major league sports action, with exclusive live events, encore telecasts of key sporting events and better timeslots for viewing in Western Canada. TSN2's roster features an exciting lineup of sports and events, including the NHL, NBA, Curling, International Hockey, Golf, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, IndyCar Series, Grand Slam Tennis, UEFA Champions League Soccer, Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts, and NCAA Football and Basketball. Also available in High Definition, sports fans can access TSN2 through television service providers across the country. For more information on TSN2 and a complete list of participating television providers, visit TSN.ca. TSN2 operates pursuant to an authorization in the TSN broadcast licence from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.
TSN
TSN, a division of CTVglobemedia, is Canada's Sports Leader. Setting the Canadian sports broadcasting standard, TSN was voted the No. 1 source for sports coverage and news by sports fans across the country.** TSN's comprehensive broadcast schedule features SportsCentre, the NHL and first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs; International Hockey including the IIHF World Junior Championship; the Olympic Games through 2012; CFL including Friday Night Football; NFL including Sunday and Monday Night Football; PGA TOUR and all four golf Majors; Blue Jays baseball; Raptors basketball and the NBA Finals; Season of Champions Curling; Auto Racing including NASCAR, Formula One and IRL; Tennis and all four Grand Slam events; EURO 2008 and UEFA Champions League Soccer; and HBO World Championship boxing. TSN HD offers more sports coverage, more hours and more events in High Definition than any other network in Canada. TSN is available in 9 million households. TSN's programming and news content is also available online at TSN.ca.
*All audience figures courtesy of BBM Nielsen Media Research and exclude pre- and post-game
**2007/2008 Roper Reports Canada
For More Information:
Greg McIsaac, (w) 416.384.5180, (c) 416.458.3591, greg.mcisaac@ctv.ca
Chobi Liang, (w) 416.384.7584, (c) 416.859.4738, chobi.liang@ctv.ca
Simon Bassett, (w) 416.384.7599, simon.bassett@ctv.ca
