NASCAR Hot Pass

Last updated
logo NASCAR Hot Pass.jpg
logo

NASCAR Hot Pass was a sports television package available exclusively on DirecTV in the United States, in Canada on several providers and in South America and the Caribbean on DirecTV Latin America. It debuted at the 2007 Daytona 500, which aired on February 18 of that year. In 2007 and 2008, it was a pay-per-view subscription package. However, from 2009 to 2012, it was free for all DirecTV subscribers, and the features were noticeably downgraded. As of the 2013 season, DirecTV stopped offering the service when its sponsorship agreement with NASCAR was not renewed.

Contents

History

NASCAR Hot Pass debuted at the 2007 Daytona 500 on February 18. Kevin Harvick, who was seen on channel 796, was the race winner. Five channels, 795 to 799, featured different drivers, while a "mix" channel, 794, was a miniature version of each of the driver channels and links to their full screens. On the day after each race, channel 793 was used for "shortcuts," 30-minute excerpts of the previous day's (or night's) coverage. Both options have since been eliminated.

The in-car audio option was added at the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 on March 11.

2007–2008: pay-per-view version

NASCAR Hot Pass included a view of the race from a driver's in-car camera, unedited communications between the driver, crew chief, and spotter, and telemetry showing the car's speed and horsepower. Part of the screen also included the live nationwide race broadcast, from either Fox, TNT, or ESPN.

The annual price was $99 per year, paid in two monthly installments of $49.50 each. As with all other DirecTV PPV sports packages, there was expected to be an annual renewal discount for subscribers with an account in good standing.

In mid-May 2007, DirecTV began offering a discounted rate of $79 for the remaining races of the season. In July, the price was slashed again, this time to $59. In each case, there were again two installments. From late August through the end of the season, the price was $19.95 for up to the final 11 races, the same price as each individual race up to that time.

In 2008, DirecTV offered a special rate of $40 for the entire season for new subscribers.

In 2007 and 2008, Hot Pass consisted of 10 channels between 790 and 799. The first four channels, 790 through 793, showed drivers selected by the producers and DirecTV. The drivers varied from race to race and will depend on a number of factors, including driver popularity and past performance on a given track. [1] In addition, for some races, one driver was selected based on an online vote. For example, the 2008 Daytona 500 free preview had Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, and Tony Stewart.

During the race, viewers had the option of the live official telecast audio, the separate broadcast dedicated to the driver, and in-car communications between the driver and his team. During commercials, only the broadcast audio and in-car channel are available. Also during the breaks, race action is still available, but on a much smaller screen than at other times.

The fifth channel (794) simulcasted the main broadcast and provided subscribers a choice of 12 other audio channels from the drivers not chosen otherwise. Kurt Busch, Michael Waltrip, and Carl Edwards were among the options at the free preview.

Channels 795 through 799, the original Hot Pass channels, had the same features, only with high-definition video and enhanced-quality audio. HD equipment is required to access these channels.

If a driver already chosen has been eliminated from the race before its conclusion, other drivers were substituted. For example, Jimmie Johnson replaced Gordon at the 2008 Daytona 500, and Denny Hamlin filled in for Stewart at the same race the year before. Also, two substitutions were made on the same channel at the 2007 Pepsi 400, also a free preview, as J. J. Yeley filled in for Harvick, who in turn substituted for Stewart.

2009–2012: free version

On December 10, 2008, NASCAR and DirecTV mutually agreed to end Hot Pass as a pay-per-view package. [2] For the next four seasons, the package was free to all DirecTV subscribers. The 4 driver channels (795-798) were still available and in HD, however all other features were removed. [3]

The free version consisted of a split screen shot of the featured drivers' in-car cameras on one side and a simulcast of the official race coverage on the other. The simulcast included full audio, so sometimes two different audio feeds (the MRN/PRN Radio broadcast and the teams' two-way radio) are heard simultaneously. In some instances, including the red-flag delay and eventual ending to the 2009 Daytona 500, the network telecast was shown alone within a frame. Like the pay-per-view format, the in-car camera shots were commercial-free.

Starting with the 2012 Pennsylvania 400 at the Pocono Raceway, it was made available exclusively to HD customers and features were removed from SD customers. No reason was publicly given, and whether it was a precursor to the eventual decision to drop the service entirely is unknown.

Driver appearances and performances

The following drivers were chosen for the two seasons that it was on pay-per-view: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Juan Pablo Montoya, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, David Stremme, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer, Dale Jarrett, Jamie McMurray, Robby Gordon, Michael Waltrip, Kasey Kahne, Dave Blaney, Reed Sorenson, J. J. Yeley, Boris Said, and Martin Truex Jr.

Earnhardt Jr. appeared most frequently in 2007, being shown on 24 occasions. However, he was pulled from the lineup during the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, for which he failed to qualify, after he had become a regular on almost a weekly basis, as NASCAR and DirecTV agreed to focus on the drivers that made the Chase.

Seven drivers won races on the same week(s) that they were featured in that first season: Kevin Harvick (Daytona 500, NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge), Matt Kenseth (Auto Club 500), Jimmie Johnson (Kobalt Tools 500), Jeff Gordon (Aaron's 499 and UAW-Ford 500), Juan Pablo Montoya (Toyota/Save Mart 350), Tony Stewart (Allstate 400 at the Brickyard and Centurion Boats at the Glen), and Carl Edwards (Sharpie 500 and Dodge Dealers 400).

Announcers in 2007 and 2008

NASCAR Hot Pass used announcers separate from the main national television broadcasts. For example, Rick Allen and Phil Parsons called the races when Dale Earnhardt Jr. appeared on this package. Other commentators frequently heard were Wendy Venturini, Hermie Sadler, Doug Rice, Adam Alexander, and Pat Patterson. (Venturini became the first woman to call a NASCAR race when she did the lap-by-lap of Robby Gordon at the Toyota/Save Mart 350.) Steve Byrnes, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds, Brad Sham and Barry LeBrock made occasional or one-shot appearances.

When Waltrip made his debut at the Pepsi 400, his signature race-beginning call of "boogity boogity boogity" was simulcast on all five channels.

Mike Joy [4] and former WRC (Washington, D.C.) sportscaster George Michael [5] were also linked to reports that they will be on Hot Pass; however, they never appeared as far as is known.

NASCAR iN Car

NASCAR Hot Pass had similar to another service called NASCAR iN Car. NASCAR iN Car was started in 2003 by iN Demand Networks and was exclusive to digital cable subscribers for three years. [6]

NASCAR iN Car was discontinued after the introduction of NASCAR Hot Pass. NASCAR Hot Pass performed better than NASCAR iN Car. NASCAR Hot Pass had 100,000 more subscribers than NASCAR iN Car in 2007. NASCAR iN Car had 30,000 subscribers in 2006. The price for a season of NASCAR iN Car was the same as NASCAR Hot Pass [7]

Availability

NASCAR Hot Pass was available through the following cable and satellite providers:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darrell Waltrip</span> American racing driver and commentator

Darrell Lee Waltrip is an American motorsports analyst, author as well as a former national television broadcaster and stock car driver. He raced from 1972 to 2000 in the NASCAR Cup Series, most notably driving the No. 11 Chevrolet for Junior Johnson. Waltrip is a three-time Cup Series champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series</span> 58th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 58th season of professional Stock car racing in the United States and the 35th modern-era NASCAR Cup series season. It was started at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 12 with the Budweiser Shootout and ended on Monday, November 20, with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Chase for the Nextel Cup began with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 17, at New Hampshire International Speedway. This was the last full-time season with the Gen 4 car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series</span> 56th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 56th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 33rd modern-era Cup series season. The season began on Saturday, February 7, and ended on Sunday, November 21. Kurt Busch, who drove a Ford for Roush Racing, was the Nextel Cup champion. It would be the last time until 2012 that the championship would be won by someone other than Tony Stewart or Jimmie Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 55th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 55th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 32nd modern-era Cup Series season. The season began on February 8 at the Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout and ended on November 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 400. Despite only winning one race throughout the whole season, Matt Kenseth, driving the No.17 Ford for Roush Racing, was strongly consistent following the lone win, and was crowned the Winston Cup champion. His only win came in the third race of the 36 race season. Chevrolet took home the NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship after capturing 19 wins and 264 points over second-place finisher Dodge, who had nine wins and 203 points. Ford finished the year third with seven wins and 200 points, and Pontiac finished fourth with one win and 125 points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 54th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 54th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 31st modern-era Cup Series season. It began on February 10, 2002, at Daytona International Speedway, and ended on November 17, 2002, at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, was declared as the Winston Cup champion. Bill Elliott won the 2002 NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award. He would win it for the 16th and final time in his career. He withdrew from the ballot after receiving the award. The NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship was captured by Ford after winning 14 events and gaining 245 points over second-place finisher Chevrolet, who had 10 wins and 211 points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Joy</span> American sports announcer

Michael Kinsey Joy is an American TV sports announcer, businessman, and former politician who currently serves as the lap-by-lap voice of Fox Sports' coverage of NASCAR. His color analysts are Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick. Counting 2023, Joy has been part of the live broadcast of 44 Daytona 500s. He also serves as expert analyst for A&E Networks History Channel and FYI live TV coverage of collector car auctions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 52nd season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 52nd season of professional stock car racing in the United States, and was the 29th modern-era Cup series. The season began on February 13 and ended on November 20. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte was crowned champion at season's end. The NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship was won by Ford as they captured 14 wins and 234 points to better Pontiac's 11 wins and 213 points. Chevrolet finished third with nine wins and 199 points.

NASCAR on Fox, also known as Fox NASCAR, is the branding used for broadcasts of NASCAR races produced by Fox Sports and have aired on the Fox television network in the United States since 2001. Speed, a motorsports-focused cable channel owned by Fox, began broadcasting NASCAR-related events in February 2002, with its successor Fox Sports 1 taking over Fox Sports' cable event coverage rights when that network replaced Speed in August 2013. Throughout its run, Fox's coverage of NASCAR has won thirteen Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 53rd season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 53rd season of professional stock car racing in the United States, the 30th modern-era Cup series. It began on February 11, 2001, at Daytona International Speedway and ended on November 23, 2001, at New Hampshire International Speedway. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports was declared as the series champion for the fourth time in seven years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series</span> 59th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 59th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 36th modern-era Cup series. Beginning on February 10 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout, the season ended on November 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 400. The Chase for the Nextel Cup started with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway and was contested over the final ten races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death of Dale Earnhardt</span> Fatal auto racing accident

On the afternoon of February 18, 2001, American stock car racing driver and team owner Dale Earnhardt was killed instantly due to a basilar skull fracture in a final-lap collision in the 2001 Daytona 500, in which he crashed into a retaining wall after making contact with Sterling Marlin and Ken Schrader. He was pronounced dead at Halifax Medical Center a short time later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Daytona 500</span> Auto race held at Daytona, United States in 2008

The 2008 Daytona 500, the 50th annual running of the event, was held on February 17, 2008 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The race was the 50th to be run since the first in 1959, won by Lee Petty. To commemorate the event, the Harley J. Earl Trophy, which goes to the winner of the race, was plated in gold instead of silver. In addition, the winning car was placed on display for one year at the Daytona 500 Experience attraction just outside Turn Four. Ryan Newman won the race, his only win in the 2008 season and his final win for team owner Roger Penske.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Daytona 500</span> 46th iteration of the Daytona 500

The 2004 Daytona 500, the 46th running of the event, was the first race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. It was a race held on February 15, 2004, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The race was televised by NBC, with Allen Bestwick, 1975 race winner Benny Parsons, and Wally Dallenbach Jr. calling the action for the second time after the 2002 race. It was the first NASCAR Nextel Cup race to air in high definition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coke Zero Sugar 400</span> Auto race held in Daytona, United States

The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is an annual NASCAR Cup Series stock car race at Daytona International Speedway. First held in 1959, the event consists of 160 laps, 400-mile (640 km), and is the second of two major stock car events held at Daytona on the Cup Series circuit, the other being the Daytona 500. From its inception in 1959 through 2019, it was traditionally held on or around the United States' Independence Day. In 1998, it became the first stock car race at Daytona to be held at night under-the-lights. In 2020, the race was moved to late August and currently serves as the penultimate race of the Cup Series regular season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Brickyard 400</span> 20th race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season

The 2007 Allstate 400 at The Brickyard, the 14th running of the event, was the twentieth race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the first of the season that was televised by NASCAR on ESPN. It was held on July 29, 2007 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.

The 2001 edition of The Winston was held on May 19, 2001, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. This was the 17th running of the event. The race is mostly remembered for the start, when rain progressed onto the track, causing cars to get loose and crash into the wall. One of the first ones to crash was Kevin Harvick, in his first appearance at the speedway. Then Jeff Gordon got sideways and wrecked after tapping Jeff Burton from behind, then Michael Waltrip wrecked Gordon, destroying his car, at which point the race was stopped. All of the drivers returned with back-up cars. At the end, Gordon came across the line and won his third All-Star race, tying Dale Earnhardt. Drivers Johnny Benson and Todd Bodine advanced from The Winston Open, with Benson winning the Open and Bodine winning the No Bull 5 Sprint race. This was the first Winston event without Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt. Waltrip retired at the end of 2000 and called the 2001 race from the booth, and Earnhardt was killed earlier in the season at the Daytona 500. Both drivers competed in the first 16 events.

This article documents historical records, statistics, and race recaps of the Daytona 500, held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The 2012 Budweiser Shootout was the first exhibition stock car race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The 34th annual running of the Budweiser Shootout, it was held on February 18, 2012 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, before a crowd of 82,000 people. Kyle Busch of the Joe Gibbs Racing team won the 82-lap race. It was Busch's first victory in the event; Stewart-Haas Racing driver Tony Stewart finished second with Richard Petty Motorsports racer Marcos Ambrose third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Coke Zero 400</span> Motor car race

The 2013 Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on July 6, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 161 laps, it was the eighteenth race of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won the race, his fourth win of the season and his first Coke Zero 400 win, rendering him the first driver since Bobby Allison in 1982 to sweep the Daytona 500 and Coke Zero 400 in the same year. Tony Stewart finished second while Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, and Michael Waltrip rounded out the top five.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Pepsi 400</span> NASCAR race at Daytona in 2001

This is about the Summer 2001 race at Daytona. For the race at Michigan, see 2001 Pepsi 400 Presented by Meijer.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.