Darrell Waltrip, McReynolds and Joy in the Booth

Krista Voda (SPEED PR Photo)

Krista Voda will host SPEED's inaugural coverage of the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge on May 19 at 7 p.m. ET from Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte.

"This is bigger than front row tickets to a Bon Jovi concert!" said Voda, who also hosts NCTS Set-Up, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series pre-race show on SPEED, as well as serving as a pit reporter for NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races on FOX in 2007. "The All-Star event is all about intensity; blink and you miss something. Every moment is adrenaline-filled and action-packed. No points, no money and the best drivers in NASCAR, there isn't anything else like it.

"I worked with Jeff (Hammond) on the old Totally NASCAR show, so I am excited about being paired with him again on this," Voda added. "I will be playing off of his energy and definitely bringing some of my own. I couldn't be more thrilled about this opportunity, I'm really psyched."

Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds and Mike Joy will be in the SPEED booth for the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge, with Voda and Hammond providing commentary. John Roberts will emcee All-Star driver introductions and Steve Byrnes and Dr. Dick Berggren will report from the All-Star pits.

"SPEED has put together an all-star broadcasting team for what will be the most high-profile event in the network's history," said SPEED President Hunter Nickell. "If the fans voted for an all-star television team, every single member of this crew would be on it, each and every one of them is familiar with the history of the event, the players in the game and the stories behind the stories."

The popular NASCAR RaceDay team of Roberts, Jimmy Spencer, Kenny Wallace and Wendy Venturini will deliver a three-hour NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge pre-race program beginning at 4 p.m. ET, with the team wrapping things up on NASCAR Victory Lane at 11 p.m. ET.

"For a lot of reasons, SPEED landing the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge is huge," said Dave Despain, who will host five All-Star Spotlight specials and a special 90-minute All-Star edition of Wind Tunnel on May 16 at 7 p.m. ET. "On the business side, it's about credibility and competition and all sorts of things that mean a lot to the network. But over on the fan side, it's all about fun. The All-Star race is big fun and I'd like to think SPEED's coverage will deliver more fun per lap than ever before."

For the NASCAR Nextel Pit Crew Challenge, scheduled to air on SPEED on May 19 at 12:30 p.m. ET, Steve Byrnes and McReynolds will call the event, with Hammond and Bob Dillner reporting.

With both McReynolds and Hammond participating in the inaugural Kobalt Tools Crew Chief Race on May 19, SPEED regular Bootie Barker will join Darrell Waltrip and Joy in covering the wrenchers piloting Thunder Roadsters on the Lowe's Motor Speedway quarter-mile oval as part of NASCAR RaceDay.

SPEED is the nation's first and foremost cable television network dedicated to motor sports and the passion for everything automotive. From racing to restoration, motorcycles to movies, SPEED delivers quality programming from the track to the garage. Now available in more than 75 million homes in North America, SPEED is among the fastest-growing sports cable networks in the country, the home to NASCAR on SPEED and an industry leader in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services.