"Traditionally, SPEED Channel has had a hardcore male audience, but our female viewers have been very vocal in letting us know they are every bit as passionate about their racing and about their vehicles," said Bill Osborn, SPEED Channel Sr. VP of Marketing and On-Air Promotion. "Women are very active in SPEED viewer participation shows like Sunday's Wind Tunnel and they are all over the SPEEDTV.com message boards. They are not casual viewers ... they are actively participating and contacting us.

"When we launched our new line of SPEED Swag earlier this year, we were getting regular e-mails asking for women's styles and sizes," Osborn added. "They told us they wanted something more than their husband's t-shirts."

The first SPEED Girl offerings will be available this weekend on SPEEDTV.com and on-site at the NASCAR events in Las Vegas.

"We wanted the SPEED Girl look to be a little more sophisticated and to be set apart from the crowd," said Kristin Morris, the SPEED Channel Marketing Coordinator assigned to the project. "We simply looked for attractive items in a range of styles and sizes that fit well and felt good to wear."

The expansion of SPEED Swag is just one of several branding initiatives the FOX-owned network has entered into already in 2005. A mobile product partnership with Airborne Entertainment, an interactive effort with Proteus Inc., a new mobile marketing program, expansion of SPEED VOD offerings and a major push behind the network's official Web site, SPEEDTV.com, all are aimed at raising awareness of a network rolling toward its 10th Anniversary.

"As we approach our 10-year anniversary, the SPEED Channel brand has established itself with a strong presence in the motor sports and auto enthusiast communities," said Kevin Annison, SPEED Channel VP of Business Development and Operations. "And with all the emerging technologies that SPEED is exploring, the network will continue to reach out to its audience and advertisers in new, cutting edge ways."

Buoyed by record ratings in February, SPEED Channel plans for an affinity program and the possibility of a spin-off SPEED2 network also are in early stages of discussion.

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.