---

CART: Record number of broadcast hours highlights 2000 FedEx TV Schedule

21 February 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

DETROIT- Championship Auto Racing Teams today released its 2000 television schedule, which highlights a record 128 total hours of programming dedicated to coverage of the FedEx Championship Series.

Weekend CART race programming on ABC and ESPN - including one-hour qualifying shows, the half-hour 'CART 2Day' pre-race program and the actual race broadcasts - will total a record number of 70 hours of coverage in 2000.

An additional half-hour of programming on four race broadcasts has helped boost the amount of coverage hours on the 20-race television schedule. The record amount of race programming includes the expansion of coverage from two to 2 hours for the season-opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as well as races from Detroit, Portland and Toronto.

"We have more hours that ever before devoted to covering our racing events," said Keith Allo, CART's vice president of broadcasting. "This provides us with an excellent opportunity to reach out to our fans and give them more on-track action, as well as allowing them to get to better know the interesting personalities that make up CART and the FedEx Championship Series.

"This (expanding programs to 2 hours) is a departure from our past philosophy, which was to show only the race and move on. But we believe we must take more time to set the stage for each race, show the spoils of victory and focus on the personalities of our sport. One way to accomplish this is through greater exposure within the context of our race broadcasts."

Coverage of the 20 races is spread among ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. Ten of the races will be on ABC, nine on ESPN and one on ESPN2. Thirteen of the events will be broadcast live, with seven races done on a tape-delayed basis.

"Because we race all over the world, on four continents, and in six time zones, it is sometimes difficult to air all of our races live. So when tape delays are necessary, we factor in immediacy and the best available network broadcast window to determine our best time slot," said Allo. "The bottom line with this season's schedule is that it reflects more coverage of CART, and that translates to more racing for the fans and more opportunity for us to showcase the personalities that make the FedEx Championship Series unique."

In addition to the 70 hours of weekend race coverage, ESPN/ESPN2 will continue to re-air each race during the week following each event. The 30-minute 'Inside CART' magazine-style program will also make its return in 2000, airing on Tuesday evenings at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2 for 25 weeks beginning May 23. All told, approximately 128 hours of CART FedEx Championship Series programming will be broadcast by ESPN/ESPN2 and ABC in 2000.

The ABC/ESPN race broadcast team will remain intact from the 1999 season. Paul Page returns as lead announcer and he'll be rejoined by color analyst Parker Johnstone in the broadcast booth. Gary Gerould and Jon Beekhuis will continue to report from pit lane.

Text provided by CART

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.