Motor Racing Network Offers DAYTONA Rising Special

Motor Racing Network’s 10-day block of pre-Daytona 500 programming will continue Monday, Feb. 16, with a one-hour special titled “DAYTONA Rising: Elevating Legends.”

Hosted by Barney Hall, the program features seven drivers whose success or victory in the Daytona 500 was a launching point for stardom and – in some cases – defined their careers.  It’s written and produced by Darrell Smith.  The show’s title gets its name – in part – from DAYTONA Rising, the $400 million renovation project at Daytona International Speedway that will be completed in January 2016.

Drivers who will be featured in “DAYTONA Rising: Elevating Legends” are Derrike Cope, Pete Hamilton, Ernie Irvan, Dale Jarrett, Sterling Marlin, Michael Waltrip and Leonard Wood.  Highlights include Cope’s dramatic victory in 1990, when race leader Dale Earnhardt cut a tire on the final lap – providing one of the greatest upsets in NASCAR history.  Marlin is the last driver with back-to-back victories in “The Great American Race,” winning in 1994 and 1995.

“DAYTONA Rising: Elevating Legends” is the latest in a series of Speedweeks specials MRN has aired in recent years.  Hall and Smith were recently honored for their work on last year’s show, “1979 Daytona 500: NASCAR Storms America,” which earned one of seven awards the network received from the National Motorsports Press Association for broadcast excellence in 2014.

Motor Racing Network’s exclusive radio coverage of Budweiser Speedweeks from Daytona International Speedway opens today with Sprint Cup Series practice as teams prepare for the season-opening Daytona 500.  It’s the first weekend of an expanded 2015 broadcast lineup that will feature coverage of all Sprint Cup Series practice sessions from the 12 International Speedway Corporation-owned tracks as well as Dover, Pocono and Charlotte Motor Speedway during All-Star Weekend in May.

MRN, launching its 46^th year on the air, will once again have Joe Moore and Jeff Striegle anchoring race-day coverage throughout the season.  Turn Announcers Mike Bagley, Dave Moody and Kyle Rickey are back with pit reports from Alex Hayden, Steve Post and Winston Kelley, who also is the executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Motor Racing Network recently announced the addition of former Miss Sprint Cup Kim Coon and the return of veteran voice Eli Gold to its Sprint Cup Series lineup, which also will feature Hall of Fame driver Rusty Wallace.

In addition to exclusive radio coverage of 25 Sprint Cup Series race weekends this year, MRN will broadcast 21 XFINITY Series events and all 23 races in the Camping World Truck Series.  The network’s 2015 slate will once again conclude in December with live coverage of the Sprint Cup Series Awards in Las Vegas.