Speed coverage of Preseason Thunder

Starting Jan. 7, the Speed channel will be televising NASCAR Preseason Thunder, including the two-day stop at California Speedway in Fontana.
Preseason Thunder starts at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 7 and begins 19 days of testing and 22 days of coverage before the season opening Daytona 500 in February.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will be at Daytona, Lowe's Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and California Speedway during Preseason Thunder. Drivers and teams from the newly named Nationwide Series and the Craftsman Truck Series will also get a chance to test at the tracks. Speed will televise portions of all the test sessions.
Of particular interest will be NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow, which will be used in every Sprint Cup Series race in 2008. The Car of Tomorrow has yet to race at California Speedway.
Speed will televise much of the action. John Roberts will anchor Speed’s NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage on-site, with assistance from Larry McReynolds, Jeff Hammond and Bob Dillner. Roberts also will host NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series session, with analysis from Ray Dunlap and Phil Parsons, and Nationwide Series testing, with Dunlap providing analysis. The full NASCAR on Speed on-air team will participate in the 30-minute shows throughout the month, both on-site and from the Charlotte-based Speed studios.
“This season opens with quite a few questions to be answered,” said Speed President Hunter Nickell. “There will be a lot of interest in seeing NASCAR back on the track for the first time in ’08 … Dale Jr. in a Hendrick car, Kyle Busch in a Gibbs car, the COT (Car of Tomorrow) at every track, new title sponsors … there is no shortage of storylines for 2008 and SPEED will be there from the very beginning … we’ll be there all season … and we’ll be there at the end. NASCAR fans have come to expect that from SPEED and our team will deliver.”

NASCAR Preseason Thunder on Speed schedule (All times PT; subject to change):
NASCAR Sprint Cup Testing from Daytona – Jan. 7-10 (4 p.m.)
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Testing from Daytona – Jan. 11 (4 p.m.)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Testing from Daytona – Jan. 14-17 (3:30 p.m.)
NASCAR Nationwide Series Testing from Daytona – Jan. 21-22 (4 p.m.)
2008 NASCAR Sprint Media Tour – Jan. 23-25 (4 p.m.)
NASCAR Testing from Las Vegas – Jan. 28-30 (4 p.m.)
NASCAR Testing from Fontana – Jan. 31-Feb. 1 (4 p.m.)
NASCAR 2008 Team Previews – Feb. 4-6 (4 p.m.)

Following coverage of NASCAR Preseason Thunder, Speed will make the move to HD for 100 hours of coverage from Daytona Speedweeks beginning Feb. 7. In addition, SPEEDtv.com will re-launch in widescreen format Feb. 6.