Motor Racing Network

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The Motor Racing Network (MRN) is the radio broadcasting operation of NASCAR. It broadcasts coverage of most major NASCAR races at the top three levels of NASCAR: the NEXTEL Cup, the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. The exception to these are races held at tracks controlled by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which operates their own radio network called the Performance Racing Network, and the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, which is broadcast by Indianapolis Motor Speedway's own radio network. Because of NASCAR's policy on radio broadcasts being different as part of NASCAR's agreement in 1995 for it, all Craftsman Truck races are broadcast on MRN regardless of track ownership. (NASCAR unified television and radio contracts under their control, not the tracks, in 1995 for the CTS.) The Nextel Open and Nextel All-Star Challenge are also broadcast on MRN despite being held at Lowe's Motor Speedway, an SMI-owned track. MRN promotes itself as the "voice of NASCAR".

The most prominent broadcaster associated with MRN is probably Eli Gold, who is identified by many racing fans as personally being the "voice of NASCAR"; however, Gold's participation is somewhat limited by his association with all broadcasts of University of Alabama football and men's basketball.

Broadcasts of Nextel Cup races receive MRN's highest ratings and hence the greatest station clearance (number of stations using the broadcasts). Audiences for the Busch and Craftsman Truck series are considerably smaller, and so are the number of affiliated stations. Many MRN stations broadcast all three series, with the lower series being preempted in many instances by other events.

Along with race broadcasts, MRN offers other race related programs. Many different reports, talk shows, and commentary are broadcast over the network.

[edit] Announcers

• Adam Alexander (pit reporter)

• Mike Bagley (turn announcer)

• Paul Bartholomew (turn announcer)

• Kurt Becker

• Danielle Frye (pit reporter)

• Eli Gold (host of NASCAR Live)

• Barney Hall (lead anchor)

• Alex Hayden

• Dan Hubbard (turn announcer, primarily at West Coast races)

• Winston Kelley (pit reporter)

• Buddy Long

• Dave Moody (lead turn announcer, 2001-present)

• Joe Moore (lead anchor, 2001-present)

• Tim Packman

• Jim Phillips (former pit reporter, now host of NASCAR USA)

• Steve Post (pit reporter)

• Kyle Rickey

• Preston Root

• Jeff Striegle (turn announcer)

• Jason Toy

[edit] Other Programming Produced By The Motor Racing Network

• Bud Pole Updates (short reports broadcast during Nextel Cup Qualifying; full event broadcast available on a handful of affiliates and SIRIUS Satellite Radio)

• NASCAR Today (three-minute weekday evening report)

• NASCAR USA (Sunday morning country music program)

• NASCAR Performance Live (call-in talk show featuring pit reporters and crew chiefs)

• NASCAR Live (Tuesday evening call-in talk show)

• Ned Jarrett's "World of Racing" (two-minute weekday morning commentary by two-time NASCAR Champion and former MRN pit reporter Ned Jarrett)

• Monday Morning Race Refresher (two-minute update from the weekend's race aired during the Monday morning drive)