Champ Car Announces 2007 Domestic Television Schedule

The busiest racing schedule that the Champ Car World Series has put together in four years will be matched by an impressive television schedule that features six races live on NBC Sports, CBS Sports and ABC, with 10 more to be shown on the ESPN networks.

The season will open with coverage of the Las Vegas and Long Beach events on NBC, will see the Portland, Elkhart Lake and Phoenix events on ABC and includes the always-exciting Grand Prix of Cleveland on CBS. The schedule marks the first time since 1990 that Champ Car races have appeared on all three networks in the same season.

“We made a big push this season to increase our television presence and this package allows us to do that on a number of levels," said Champ Car President Steve Johnson. “This broadcast schedule increases our exposure, which will not only provide more value for our existing commercial partners, but will also attract new sponsors and partners for the series, our teams and our events."

The first year of a multi-year agreement will see thirteen of the 2007 season races will appear on the ABC/ESPN family of networks. Champ Car’s events in Australia, China, Belgium and the Netherlands will be shown on a same-day basis on ESPN2 and ESPN Classic.

“The ability to partner with ESPN – and their vast portfolio of media assets – is the cornerstone of our TV strategy" said Mark S. Reilly, Champ Car Vice President of Broadcasting. “As well, this will allow us to develop a range of non-linear and digital media opportunities to connect with our fan base."

The season kicks off on April 8 with a new street race run in downtown Las Vegas, then moves to Champ Car’s longest-running street race, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 15. ESPN gets its first Champ Car race broadcast since 2001 the very next week with the second running of the Grand Prix of Houston April 22.

Date Venue Network Time
April 8 Las Vegas, Nevada – Street Course NBC 3:30-6:00 p.m.
April 15 Long Beach, California – Street Course NBC 4:00-6:00 p.m.
April 22 Houston, Texas – Reliant Park ESPN 3:00-5:00 p.m.
May 20 Zhuhai, China – Road Course ESPN2 11:00 pm-1 am
June 10 Portland, Oregon – Portland International Raceway ABC 4:00-6:00 p.m.
June 24 Cleveland, Ohio – Burke Lakefront Airport CBS 1:00-3:00 p.m.
July 1 St. Jovite, Canada – Circuit Mont Tremblant ESPN 2:00-4:00 p.m.
July 8 Toronto, Canada – Exhibition Place ESPN 1:00-3:00 p.m.
July 22 Edmonton, Canada – City Centre Airport ESPN 4:00-6:00 p.m.
July 29 San Jose, California – Street Course ESPN2 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Aug. 12 Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin – Road America ABC 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Sept. 2 Assen, Holland – Assen Circuit ESPN Classic 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Sept. 9 Zolder, Belgium – Zolder Circuit ESPN2 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Oct. 21 Surfers Paradise, Australia – Street Course ESPN2 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Nov. 11 Mexico City – Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez ESPN2 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Dec. 2 Phoenix, Arizona – Street Course ABC 4:00-6:00 p.m.