ESPN EXPANDS, ENHANCES COVERAGE OF NHRA FULL THROTTLE SERIES COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP
Highlights include LIVE coverage on ESPN3; prime-time telecasts on ESPN, ESPN2
GLENDORA, Calif. (Sept. 3, 2010) — Capitalizing on the increasing popularity of the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, NHRA announced today that ESPN will be expanding its coverage of the NHRA Full Throttle Series’ six-race playoff across multiple platforms and making all of the racing available live to racing fans.
The six-race playoff begins Sept. 3-6 with the traditional Labor Day running of the 56th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, the world’s most prestigious drag race, and ESPN2 HD will carry the final eliminations on Monday Sept. 6 from 1-6 p.m. (ET).
Live coverage of the full days of eliminations action for all six races in the Countdown to 1 will be televised on ESPN3, ESPN's live sports broadband network at www.espn3.com. It is available at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection from an affiliated service provider, and is currently available in more than 53 million homes – a majority of U.S. broadband homes. It is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks.
Television coverage of the remaining five races in the Countdown to 1 will be split between ESPN2 HD and ESPN HD and each of the five races will be presented in prime time.
The O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at zMax Dragway in Charlotte (Sept. 19) and the O’Reilly Auto Parts SuperStart Batteries NHRA Nationals at Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas (Sept. 26) will be televised at 7 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2 HD; the final three races – the Toyo Tires Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa. (Oct. 10), the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals from the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Oct. 31) and the Auto Club NHRA Finals from Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California (Nov. 14) – will all begin at 9 p.m. (ET) and be televised on ESPN HD.
ESPN has been the television home of the NHRA Full Throttle Series since 2001 and will remain NHRA’s broadcast partner through the 2016 season. ESPN and ESPN2 are both available in approximately 100 million households.
In addition to coverage on ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD, NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing will be distributed through ESPN International.
2010 NHRA ‘Countdown to 1’ Television Schedule
Event Air Date/Time
Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil ESPN2: Eliminations, 1-6 p.m., Sept. 6
Indianapolis ESPN3.com: Eliminations, 11 a.m., Sept. 6
ESPN2: Race Day, 11 a.m., Sept. 5
O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals ESPN2: Eliminations, 7-10 p.m., Sept. 19
Charlotte, N.C. ESPN3.com: Eliminations, noon., Sept. 19
ESPN2: Race Day, 10 a.m., Sept. 19
O’Reilly Auto Parts Super Start Batteries ESPN2: Eliminations, 7-10 p.m., Sept. 26
NHRA Fall Nationals ESPN3.com: Eliminations, Noon, Sept. 26
Dallas ESPN2: Race Day, 10 a.m., Sept. 26
Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals ESPN: Eliminations, 9-11:30 p.m., Oct. 10
Reading, Pa. ESPN3.com: Eliminations, 11 a.m., Oct. 10
ESPN2: Race Day, 10 a.m., Oct. 10
NHRA Las Vegas Nationals ESPN: Eliminations, 9-11:30 p.m., Oct. 31
Las Vegas ESPN3.com: Eliminations, 2 p.m., Oct. 31
ESPN2: Race Day, 10 a.m., Oct. 31
Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals ESPN: Eliminations, 9-11:30 p.m., Nov. 14
Pomona, Calif. ESPN3.com: Eliminations, 2 p.m., Nov. 14
ESPN2: Race Day, 10 a.m., Nov. 14
* All times Eastern. Schedule subject to change. Please check local listings.
