SPEED & FOX Team Up for Rolex 24 at Daytona
FOX opens with 90 minutes of coverage beginning Jan. 24 at 3 p.m. ET, two hours later than recent years, switching over to SPEED at 4:30 p.m. ET for an additional five-and-a-half hours. SPEED once again picks up the broadcast on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 7 a.m. ET, taking the race to its conclusion.
“We’re looking forward to another great start to the racing season as we have world-class drivers at a world-class event," said Rick Miner, SVP of Production & Network Operations, Executive Producer. “We’ll open the show through the broadcast platform of FOX, and then many of those new viewers, along with all the great sports car enthusiasts will join us for another 14 and a half hours on SPEED."
Bob Varsha, the Voice of Formula One on SPEED, will host pre-race activities and lead the booth throughout the event along with long-time sports car talker, Leigh Diffey. Color commentary will be provided by David Hobbs and Calvin Fish, who have both competed in the endurance classic. On pit road, Brian Till, Chris Neville, Kelly Stavast and Justin Bell will each be gathering information and storylines throughout the broadcast.
Stars from a variety of disciplines will be shining brightly in this year’s edition, as NASCAR’s Juan Pablo Montoya, Casey Mears, A.J. Allmendinger, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Petty will be testing their driving wits against open wheel standouts Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Danica Patrick, Buddy Rice and Max Papis; while Grey’s Anatomy star, Patrick Dempsey, and his race team, will also be competing for class dominance.
The Rolex 24 at Daytona is one of the most prestigious endurance races in the world, starting in 1962 as the three-hour Daytona Continental and increasing to its modern day 24-hour iteration by 1966. Since then, the sport’s greatest legends have flocked to this early season test, including five-time winner Hurley Haywood (all-time overall Rolex 24 victory leader), three-time victor Andy Wallace, and two-time winner and defending race champ Scott Pruett, each of whom are competing again this year. All three are among the handful of competitors with more than two race wins.
Rolex 24 at Daytona Television Coverage
2009 – Daytona International Speedway (All Times Eastern)
Saturday, January 24(FOX) Rolex 24 at Daytona 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.(Live)
Saturday, January 24(SPEED) Rolex 24 at Daytona 4:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.(Live)
Sunday, January 25(SPEED) Rolex 24 at Daytona 7 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.(Live)