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 NBCSN
ADDS RAY EVERNHAM AND RALPH SHEHEEN
Legendary Crew Chief Teams with Veteran Motorsports
Broadcaster for
All 14 NASCAR WMT and NASCAR WSMT Events on NBCSN |
 NBC
Sports today welcomed three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series champion crew chief Ray Evernham and seasoned
broadcaster Ralph Sheheen to its growing lineup of
motorsports experts. Evernham and Sheheen will
handle coverage of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and
NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour Events on
NBCSN. The announcement was made today by Jeff
Behnke, Vice President of NASCAR Production for NBC
Sports and NBCSN.
2015 marks the 30th Anniversary season for the
northeast-based NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, which
traces its roots back to the very first
NASCAR-sanctioned race on the beach and road course
at Daytona Beach, Fla. in 1948. Evernham, who began
his remarkable career in motorsports working on
short track race cars at age 15, will first team
with Sheheen to cover the 41st running of the
Icebreaker from Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
in Conn., airing on Saturday, April 18 at 12:30 a.m.
ET (late Friday night). The complete NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour telecast schedule on NBCSN is listed
below.
“We’re are thrilled to continue our 2015 NASCAR
Touring Series with the knowledge and experience of
Ray Evernham and Ralph Sheheen behind the
microphone,” said Behnke. “This is a win for all
race fans and the enthusiastic followers of the
Whelen Modified Tours.”
NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tours, the association’s
only open-wheeled division, compete at historic
short tracks spanning from New Hampshire to North
Carolina. The southeast-based NASCAR Whelen Southern
Modified Tour was established in 2005 as a sister
tour to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
“I grew up watching and racing modifieds and still
get goose bumps every time I watch them race,” said
Evernham. “I am really looking forward to being part
of NBCSN’s motorsports coverage.”
“Big power, open wheels and passionate fans—the
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tours might be the coolest
series in racing,” said Sheheen. “Ray and I are
going to have a lot of fun calling these races.”
The appointment of Evernham and Sheheen follows
previous NBC Sports NASCAR on-air announcements for
analysts Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Kyle Petty and
Dale Jarrett, race announcer Rick Allen, pre- and
post-race host Krista Voda, and pit road reporters
Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Mike Massaro and Dave
Burns.
In 1983, Evernham teamed with Roger Penske and Jay
Signore to resurrect the International Race of
Champions (IROC) series, giving him an opportunity
to work with and learn from legends such as Mario
Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Dale Earnhardt and Bill
Elliott. Ray later joined Hendrick Motorsports, and
in 1993 teamed with driver Jeff Gordon as crew chief
for the Rainbow Warriors, leading a historic
partnership that included three championships, 47
wins and two Daytona 500 victories. In 2000,
Evernham took on the challenge of team ownership,
teaming with Dodge to spearhead the unproven
manufacturer’s successful re-entry into NASCAR. In
2006, the media voted Ray the greatest crew chief of
all time.
Sheheen has been broadcasting a wide variety of
motorsports, ranging from Swamp Buggies to Formula
One, on national TV for 27 years. NASCAR has always
been a large part of his broadcasting schedule, as
he has covered all of the famed sanctioning bodies
at one point along the way. One of his career
highlights was being a part of the CBS Sports
broadcast team that televised Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s
Daytona 500 victory in 1998. Sheheen also is the
owner of SPEED SPORT, a multi-layered media company
that produces a diversified lineup of motorsports
coverage. A native of Sacramento, Calif., he
currently resides in Moorseville, N.C.
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2015 NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED
TOURS COVERAGE ON NBCSN
Series / Track / Telecast Date / Time
Whelen Modified Tour Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
Sat., April 18 - 12:30 a.m.
Whelen Modified Tour Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
Thu., June 18 - 6 p.m.
Whelen Modified Tour Riverhead Raceway
Thu., July 2 - 7 p.m.
Whelen Modified Tour (All-Star) New Hampshire Motor
Speedway Thu., July 23 - 4 p.m.
Whelen Modified Tour New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Thu., July 23 - 6 p.m.
Whelen Modified Tour Monadnock Speedway
Thu., July 30 - 7 p.m.
Whelen Southern Modified Tour Bowman Gray Stadium
Fri., Aug. 7 - 2:30 p.m.
Whelen Mod-Whelen So. Mod Bristol Motor Speedway
Fri., Aug. 28 - 7 p.m.
Whelen Southern Modified Tour Langley Speedway
Fri., Sept. 11 - 2:30 p.m.
Whelen Southern Modified Tour South Boston Speedway
Thu., Sept. 28 - 7 p.m.
Whelen Modified Tour New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Thu., Oct. 1 - 7 p.m.
Whelen Modified Tour Stafford Motor Speedway
Sat., Oct. 10 - 4 p.m.
Whelen Southern Modified Tour Charlotte Motor Speedway
(.25-mile) Thu., Oct 15 - 7 p.m.
Whelen Modified Tour Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
Thu., Oct. 22 - 8 p.m. |
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On July 23, 2013, NASCAR and NBC Sports Group reached a comprehensive
agreement that grants NBCUniversal exclusive rights to the final 20 NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series races, final 19 NASCAR XFINITY Series events, select
NASCAR Regional & Touring Series events and other live content, beginning in
2015.
With this partnership, NBC’s 20 Sprint Cup race schedule includes a
designation as the exclusive home to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup,
when the elite national series races through its final 10 events of the
season. The Chase culminates with the season-ending championship event,
which returns to network television in 2015 for the first time since 2009.
Of NBC Sports Group’s 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, seven will be
carried on NBC annually, with 13 airing on NBCSN. Four of NBC Sports Group’s
19 NASCAR XFINITY Series races will air on NBC, with 15 airing on NBCSN.
NASCAR AMERICA premiered in February, following Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Daytona
500 victory and NBC Sports Group’s multi-platform coverage of the 2014
Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. The weekday 30-minute news and highlights
program is dedicated to America’s fascination with speed and stock car
racing, and features regular appearances by NBC Sports NASCAR experts, as
well as a rotation of guest analysts.
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Source:
Tim Buckman /
NBC Sports Group
Posted:
April 15, 2015 |
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