Fox closes out its NASCAR season this Sunday with the STP 400 in Kansas. Next week, TNT will start its Summer Season of six races. Kind of harsh to start the season and not get to finish it off, but that’s what happens in NASCAR. Fox gets 14 races, Speed one, TNT 6, ESPN 14 and ABC 3. That’s the split. But I digress. Here’s what Fox is saying as it prepares to say goodbye to NASCAR for another season.
FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTES
McReynolds: NASCAR Sprint Cup Drivers Battle Track This Sunday
2011 NASCAR ON FOX SEASON FINALE THIS SUNDAY – Memorial Day weekend provided the drama as Kevin Harvick nipped Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at the end to capture the Coca-Cola 600. This week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway on Sunday, June 5 (12:30 PM ET) for the final race of the 2011 NASCAR on FOX season. Kevin Harvick, the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins leader, has perfected the art of closing. In his three victories in 2011, Harvick has led only a combined nine laps and Dale Jr. has most often been his target. At Martinsville, Harvick swiped the lead away from Jr. with four laps remaining. Last Sunday, he won his first Charlotte points race, again snatching the lead from Earnhardt – this time on the final lap. Will Sunday’s race come down to these two warriors again?
NASCAR on FOX prerace show host by Chris Myers looks for the answers. The prerace show, which also features analysts Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Hammond, airs live from the infield and includes updates from drivers, crewmen and officials shaping the day’s action. Once the green flag drops, the voice of NASCAR Mike Joy is alongside analysts Waltrip and Larry McReynolds to call all the twists and turns on the track while Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Krista Voda and Matt Yocum patrol the pits for reports on teams and pit stops.
LARRY MAC: RACING SURFACE IN KANSAS KEEPS DRIVERS GUESSING – NASCAR on FOX esteemed race analyst and former crew chief Larry McReynolds points to the challenges drivers will face this Sunday afternoon from Kansas Speedway. “The small degree of banking this track has makes it much tougher than other mile and a half tracks when handling the car 190mph into the corners,” said McReynolds. The extreme climate in Kansas City, KS is another issue that takes its toll on the track. “The hot summers and cold bitter winters experienced in Kansas further deteriorate the racing surface. Every time we go there, this track has lost grip and seems to develop more and more bumps. That is another huge handling adjustment for these drivers.”
And that will do for the Fox Sports press releases. Coming up next, some ratings news for the NBC and the NHL.
