NBA/NASCAR Nationwide TV Conflict Present Simulcast Opportunity
05-01-2008 8:48 pm

With live NASCAR Nationwide Series racing from Richmond International Raceway and three NBA playoff games scheduled on Friday night, the live broadcast plan for the NASCAR Nationwide Series Lipton TEA 250 at Richmond originally scheduled to air on ESPN2 has changed.

Here is the revised broadcast plan for the race:

• The live telecast of the race in its originally scheduled time slot (7-10:00 p.m. ET) will air simultaneously on both SPEED and ESPN Classic.
• ESPN2 will join the race live immediately following the Cavaliers - Wizards game and will also re-air the race in its entirety immediately following the conclusion of the race broadcast.
• Both NASCAR.com and ESPN.com will stream the race live.
• ESPN and SPEED will begin on-air promotion today (Thursday, May 1).
• SPEED's live coverage from Richmond begins at 1:00 p.m. ET with NASCAR LIVE and will continue straight through the live broadcast of the race until 10:00 p.m. ET.

"This is a busy time of year for live sports and we really appreciate ESPN and SPEED working together to come up with a plan that takes care of our fans," said Robbie Weiss, NASCAR's Vice President, Broadcasting. "ESPN and SPEED are working aggressively to promote tomorrow night's simulcast.
"The simultaneous broadcasts on SPEED and ESPN Classic along with live streaming on NASCAR.com and ESPN.com will provide our fans with a wide range of opportunities to watch the race on various platforms," he said.
In addition, SPEED has both NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice and qualifying live from Richmond on Friday and will heavily promote the live broadcast of the Lipton TEA 250.