NHRA announces first same-day coverage of entire drag racing event

Cable networks ESPN2 and TNN will provide same-day or live coverage of the NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series this season, combining to air more than 108 hours of original programming for the $40 million series.

In all, ESPN2 will televise 14 events, while TNN will air eight, including the inaugural Las Vegas Nationals from Las Vegas Motor Speedway on April 9. It also was announced that during the first year of the television package, Speedvision and Fox Sports will carry two events.

Highlighting the new television package is the return of an NHRA video magazine show featuring the drivers and personalities of the NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series. The show will air each week before a national event on ESPN2 as a lead-in to ESPN2's RPM2Night.

The 30-minute show will run every Thursday at 3:30 p.m. (PT), debuting on Feb. 3, prior to the season-opening AutoZone Winternationals in Pomona, Calif.

ESPN2's NHRA event lineup includes the season book-end events at Pomona, Calif., the historic Mac Tools Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., the Matco Tools Spring SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J., the FRAM Route 66 Nationals in Chicago, as well as national events in Columbus, Ohio, Denver, Seattle, Sonoma, Calif., Reading, Pa., Dallas and Houston. ESPN2 also will televise the second annual Winston Showdown at Bristol Dragway.

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