SPEED Channel's live coverage of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Friday night from Daytona International Speedway scored a Nielsen Rating of 2.1 (1,330,000 households), the highest rating for any program in network history.

"We're obviously very excited to start our 2005 NASCAR season like this," said SPEED Channel President Jim Liberatore. "SPEED enjoyed a strong offseason in the ratings and a lot of us had an expectation that this could be a breakout year for the network.

"Of course, when you have a race where two teams are both convinced they belong in Victory Lane until 15 minutes after the event is over, you know you had a great race with a memorable finish. That's the kind of close, exciting racing the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series brought to the network when we started broadcasting it three years ago."

The rating for the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 was up 31 percent over 2004 (1.6).

Now in its 10th year on the air, SPEED Channel brings viewers live, exclusive coverage of the entire NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule. The next race will be Friday at 9 p.m. ET from Fontana, California.

Other live racing from Daytona on SPEED Channel also earned strong ratings, with the ARCA RE/MAX event scoring a 1.11 (701,000 households) on Feb. 12 and the Crown Royal IROC race getting a 1.47 (932,000 households) on Feb. 18.

SPEED Channel is the nation's first and foremost cable network dedicated to motor sports and the passion for everything automotive. From racing to restoration, motorcycles to movies, SPEED Channel delivers quality programming from the track to the garage. Now available in more than 68 million homes in North America, SPEED Channel is among the fastest growing sports cable networks in the country.