Beginning next year, NBC and Turner Network Television (TNT) will televise their entire portion of the 2005 NASCAR schedule in 1080i HD. Viewers will be able to experience the HD productions as the networks combine to exclusively televise the second half of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series races. TNT and NBC's full-season of HD NASCAR coverage will begin with NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing during the weekend of July 1 and 2, 2005 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL. NASCAR in HD debuted on NBC on February 15th for the network's coverage of the Daytona 500 and on TNT on September 11th for the championship field-setting race at Richmond International Raceway.
"Our debut high definition broadcast of the 2004 Daytona 500 demonstrated the dramatic impact of this spectacular technology," said Ken Schanzer, president, NBC Sports. "The telecast of our entire NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season in HD will bring the unique excitement that is NASCAR to its fans, old and new, with bold and vivid clarity."
"Like our friends at NASCAR, we strive to be on the cutting edge of technology as we continue to advance all of our production elements to showcase the type of detail and sound that only HD can offer to the viewers at home," said David Levy, president of Turner Sports.
"NASCAR and our television partners have always looked to provide our fans with the best programming possible," said Dick Glover, vice president broadcasting and new media, NASCAR. "Taking the telecasts to the next level, we are pleased that NBC and TNT are making the important move to televise the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races in HD."
All of the main cameras used for NBC and TNT's coverage, as well as the production truck, will be native HD. The feed will be transmitted in HD and formatted for 4:3 SD. The NASCAR telecasts on both TNT and NBC will also be broadcast in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.
