SPEED: Special Features NASCAR Drivers on Dirt

07-12-2007 | TruckSeries.com Report

Driving Stars to Showcase Dirt Track Talents on SPEED Special 'Night of NASCAR Stars'

Kenny Wallace, Bobby Labonte, Casey Mears and a Host of Others Head Back to Their Roots for a Good Cause

SPEED: Special Features NASCAR Drivers on DirtSPEED is set to present the Night of NASCAR Stars special from Macon (Ill.) Speedway on July 22 at 8 p.m., ET, a 25-lap dirt late model race benefiting Kyle Petty's Victory Junction Gang Camp.

NASCAR on SPEED/FOX analyst, Trackside Live and NASCAR Victory Lane host Steve Byrnes delivers the play-by-play, while NASCAR Nextel Cup Series standout Clint Bowyer provides the color. NASCAR drivers Ken Schrader, Marcus Ambrose, Jason Leffler, Stephen Leicht, Mike Wallace, Steve Wallace, J.J. Yeley, Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Kenny Wallace, Bobby Labonte, Dave Reutimann, Nextel Cup Series car owner Ray Evernham and USAC sprint car shoe Aaron Pierce each went back to their roots to engage in this on-track battle.

According to SPEED VP of Production and Executive Producer Frank Wilson, the night was one to remember for everyone involved.

"Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace pitched their idea for a show on the dirt track in Macon, Ill. and SPEED immediately jumped on board," Wilson noted. "The Kennys' promised a crazy race on the fifth-mile dirt oval - and those guys know crazy. After seeing what happened, they more than delivered."

Macon Speedway, which is just outside Decatur, Ill., has been revitalized this season after being purchased in January by NASCAR Nextel Cup Series drivers Tony Stewart, K. Wallace, Schrader and long-time track promoter Bob Sargent.

"Dirt track racing and Macon Speedway have become a passion of mine," said Wallace, who is also a co-host for NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane on SPEED. "I really want to see dirt track racing excel and get back to where it used to be. NASCAR Night at Macon was incredibly exciting! Watching Bobby Labonte, Kyle Busch and the rest of the NASCAR stars have the fun they had was amazing. I'm happy that two nights before Stephen Leicht won his first Busch race, he ran his first dirt race at Macon. I think that goes to show you have to run Macon if you want to have success in NASCAR! (Ha, ha!!!)"

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 76 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.