NASCAR.COM Revs Up for Season with Homepage Redesign

NASCAR.COM, the official online destination of NASCAR, is gearing up for the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season by unveiling a new homepage design and an enhanced video channel on the sport’s most comprehensive Web site. The new homepage will debut on Thurs., Jan. 29 and will enhance the user experience by providing a streamlined design that showcases breaking news and new callouts for race standings, schedules and fantasy games. The new video page offers easy access to exclusive broadband features and coverage and debuts a new video player that offers the highest standard in online video. In addition, NASCAR.COM will debut a special race day version of the site for every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, helping fans gear up for the excitement and intensity of the races with exclusive content and live coverage.

Follow the link for the new homepage and video pages: http://www.nascar.com/redesign

“The refreshed look of NASCAR.COM and launch of new enhancements such as the video channel demonstrate our commitment to serving the needs of fans by providing a better user experience through the refreshed design, high-quality video player and a new, exciting race-day look," said Matthew Hong, Turner Sports vice president and general manager of sports digital. “NASCAR.COM continues to lead the way in providing the most comprehensive and innovative NASCAR coverage available on the Web."

NASCAR.COM is also pulling out the stops with enhanced editorial coverage in 2009, debuting several new features such as Inside NASCAR, a weekly in-depth feature that highlights untold stories both on and off the track; Five Things About, personality driven quick hits about NASCAR drivers, team owners, crew members and officials; and No Margin for Error, comparing and contrasting two drivers every week in their quest to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and hoist the NASCAR Sprint Cup trophy. TNT announcers Kyle Petty and Larry McReynolds are among those who will contribute new regular columns and video commentary, while during the network’s six weeks of racing NASCAR.COM will also once again employ RaceBuddy, an animated online companion that provides viewers extended race coverage on-air and online. RaceBuddy was recently awarded a Global Media Award as the outstanding interactive platform of 2008.

The TrackPass RaceView subscription product will return this year, allowing fans to view a live 3-D rendering of the race via their computers, with the ability to pause, rewind and replay the live coverage. During Speedweeks NASCAR.COM will offer free previews of all its TrackPass subscription products. TrackPass PitCommand and TrackPass Scanner will be available free to fans on Sat., February 7 during the Budweiser Shootout, and TrackPass RaceView, along with PitCommand and Scanner, will be available on Thurs., February 12 during the Gatorade Duel. Also, TrackPass RaceView is available on-demand throughout the week after each race, a feature free to all RaceView subscribers. TrackPass RaceView is available for FREE throughout Speedweeks, then available beginning with the Daytona 500 on Sun., February 15 and for every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race during the 2009 season for $12.95 per month or $79.95 per year.

NASCAR.COM Superstore will continue to offer the largest selection of NASCAR merchandise available on the Internet, including newly released gear from drivers on new teams including Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman along with drivers with new paint schemes such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon. The NASCAR.COM Superstore offers more than 15,000 items of officially licensed NASCAR merchandise.

Turner Sports acquired all of NASCAR’s interactive rights in October 2000 and became the exclusive producer of NASCAR.COM in January 2001. NASCAR.COM is one of the fastest growing sports league sites on the Web, consistently ranking among the top three sport league sites on the Internet. In 2003, NASCAR.COM was awarded an Emmy® by the National Television Academy for its TrackPass with PitCommand application and was nominated for an Emmy® in 2007 for TrackPass RaceView.