SPEED to Feature Duels Day
01/29/07 SPEED will offer special “Duels Day" coverage on Feb. 15 from Daytona Speedweeks, as the network hosts the high-anxiety qualifying races for the first time. Opening the broadcast day at 11 a.m. with NASCAR Live!, SPEED will offer 14 hours of programming from Daytona, including live coverage of the Gatorade Duel at Daytona at 2 p.m. ET and a Prime Time replay at 10 p.m. ET.
Dave Despain will host SPEED coverage of the Duel 150s, with Mike Joy offering play-by-play and Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds and Jeff Hammond providing Analysis. SPEED pit reporters will include Steve Byrnes, Dick Berggren, Krista Voda and Matt Yocum.
“In my book, even though the Daytona 500 is an intense race that can make a driver’s, a crew chief’s or even a tire-changer’s career, the Duels will be the most intense races of the week," McReynolds said. “You have some of the top competitors with some of the top sponsors not yet locked into the Daytona 500. It’s hard to believe that a 150-mile race can have this much impact on the season, but Duels Day truly is D-Day for a lot of these teams. Some of these guys will finish in the Top 10 in their race and still have to pack up and go home."
In addition to inaugural SPEED coverage of the Duel 150s, including a special edition of NASCAR RaceDay (1 p.m. ET) with John Roberts, Kenny Wallace, Jimmy Spencer and Wendy Venturini, “Duels Day" will feature NASCAR Victory Lane, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series practice and qualifying for the Chevy Silverado 250, a special edition of The SPEED Report at 8 p.m. ET and the premiere episode of SPEED Road Tour Challenge at 9 p.m. ET.
The Duels at Daytona are two 150-mile qualifying races to determine the starting order for the Daytona 500. Two drivers from each race will earn spots not already achieved in the 2006 owner point standings and Bud Pole Qualifying.