Before the existence of ESPN, live coverage of NASCAR Winston Cup races on television was limited. CBS covered the Daytona 500, the June race at Michigan and the July race at Talladega. ABC usually did the Atlanta race in the spring.
Date | Event | Network | Lap-by-lap | Color commentator(s) | Reporters |
2/10 | Busch Clash [1] (Daytona) | CBS | Ken Squier | David Hobbs | Ned Jarrett Brock Yates |
2/14 | Twin 125's [2] (Daytona) | CBS | Ken Squier | David Hobbs | Ned Jarrett Brock Yates |
2/17 | Daytona 500 [3] | CBS | Ken Squier | David Hobbs | Ned Jarrett Brock Yates |
3/16 | Atlanta 500 [4] | ABC | Al Michaels | Jackie Stewart | Chris Economaki |
5/25 | World 600 [5] (Charlotte) | CBS | Ken Squier | David Hobbs | Ned Jarrett Brock Yates |
7/4 | Firecracker 400 [6] (Daytona) | ABC | Jim McKay | Sam Posey | Chris Economaki |
7/27 | Coca-Cola 500 [7] (Pocono) | ABC | Chris Economaki | Jackie Stewart | |
8/3 | Talladega 500 [8] | CBS | Ken Squier | David Hobbs | Ned Jarrett Brock Yates |
9/1 | Southern 500 [9] (Darlington) | ABC | Jim Lampley | Sam Posey | Chris Economaki |
10/5 | National 500 [10] (Charlotte) | NBC | Paul Page | Johnny Rutherford | Bruce Jenner Gary Gerould |
11/15 | Los Angeles Times 500 [11] (Ontario) | CBS | Ken Squier | David Hobbs | Ned Jarrett Brock Yates |
David Carl Allison was an American NASCAR driver. He was best known for driving the No. 28 Texaco-Havoline Ford for Robert Yates Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. Born in Hollywood, Florida, he was the oldest of four children born to Bobby and Judy Allison. The family moved to Hueytown, Alabama, and along with Bobby Allison's brother, Donnie, Red Farmer and Neil Bonnett, became known as the Alabama Gang.
Lawrence Neil Bonnett was an American NASCAR driver who compiled 18 victories and 20 poles over his 18-year career. Bonnett was a member of the Alabama Gang, and started his career with the help of Bobby and Donnie Allison. He rose to prominence in the late 1970s with his performances in cars owned by Jim Stacy and Wood Brothers Racing, becoming one of the top competitors in the 1980s. The Alabama native currently ranks 47th in all-time NASCAR Cup victories. He appeared in the 1983 film Stroker Ace and the 1990 film Days of Thunder. Bonnett hosted the TV show Winners for TNN from 1991 to 1994. He was a color commentator for CBS, TBS, and TNN in the years until his death. Bonnett's driving career was interrupted by a severe brain injury from a crash in 1990. He was killed while practicing for the 1994 Daytona 500 for a much-anticipated comeback.
Geoffrey Eli Bodine is an American retired motorsport driver and bobsled builder. He is the oldest of the three Bodine brothers, and sister Denise. Bodine lives in West Melbourne, Florida.
Dale Arnold Jarrett is a former American race car driver and current racing commentator for NBC. He is best known for winning the Daytona 500 three times and winning the NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship in 1999. He is the son of 2-time Grand National Champion Ned Jarrett, younger brother of Glenn Jarrett, father of former driver Jason Jarrett, and cousin of Todd Jarrett. In 2007, Jarrett joined the ESPN/ABC broadcasting team as an announcer in select Nationwide Series races. In 2008, after retiring from driving following the 2008 Food City 500, he joined ESPN permanently as the lead racing analyst replacing Rusty Wallace. In 2015, Jarrett became a part of the NBC Sports Broadcasting Crew for NASCAR events. He was inducted in the 2014 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
William Clyde Elliott Sr., also known as "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville", "Million Dollar Bill", or "Wild Bill" is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He competes full time in the Camping World Superstar Racing Experience. His accolades include the 1988 Winston Cup Championship and garnering 44 wins in that series, including two Daytona 500 victories in 1985 and 1987, three Southern 500 victories in 1985, 1988, and 1994, one Winston 500 victory in 1985, one Brickyard 400 victory in 2002, one "The Winston All-Star Race" win in 1986, and a record four consecutive wins at Michigan International Speedway between 1985 and 1986.
Lake Chambers Speed is an American retired stock car racing driver. He formerly competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, scoring one career win in 402 starts.
Harold Phil Gant, known for his many nicknames such as "the Bandit", "High Groove Harry", "Hard Luck Harry", "Mr. September", and perhaps mostly as "Handsome Harry", is a retired American stock car racing driver best known for driving the No. 33 Skoal Bandit car on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series circuit during the 1980s and 1990s and his 4-race win streak in 1991.
Clay Morgan Shepherd is an American retired professional stock car racing driver and current team owner. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 89 Chevrolet Camaro for Shepherd Racing Ventures. He is a born again Christian who serves as a lay minister to the racing community. He competed in NASCAR for over 50 years, having one of the longest careers in the sport. Shepherd became the second-oldest race winner in 1993, when he won the spring race at Atlanta at the age of 51 years, 4 months, and 27 days. He holds the record for oldest driver to start a race in NASCAR's top three series at age 77, as well as oldest starter in the NASCAR Cup Series race at the 2014 Camping World RV Sales 301 at age 72.
Kyle Eugene Petty is an American former stock car racing driver and current racing commentator. He is the son of racer Richard Petty, grandson of racer Lee Petty, and father of racer Adam Petty, who was killed in a crash during practice in May 2000. Petty last drove the No. 45 Dodge Charger for Petty Enterprises, where he formerly served as CEO; his last race was in 2008.
Sterling Burton Marlin is an American retired professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour. He formerly competed in the NASCAR Cup Series, winning the Daytona 500 in 1994 and 1995. He is the son of late NASCAR driver Coo Coo Marlin. He is married to Paula and has a daughter, Sutherlin, a son, Steadman, a former NASCAR Xfinity Series driver, and a grandson Stirlin who races for Sterling in Sterling’s No. 114 Super Late Model. Marlin is a member of the NASCAR 75 Greatest Driver’s List.
Greg Sacks is an American former stock car racing driver. He is married and has three children. He lives in Ormond Beach, Florida. He and his sons are partners in Grand Touring Vodka.
Herbert Grant Adcox was an American stockcar driver who died in a single-car accident in the 1989 Atlanta Journal 500 in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.
Mike Alexander is a retired American racing driver. He won the NASCAR Weekly Series national championship in 1983. He also raced in Winston Cup and in the Busch Series.
The 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 40th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 17th modern-era Cup series. The season began on February 7 at Daytona International Speedway and ended on November 20 at the Atlanta International Speedway. Bill Elliott of Melling Racing won the championship.
The 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 37th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 14th modern-era Cup series season. The season began on Sunday, February 10 and ended on Sunday, November 17. Darrell Waltrip, driving for Junior Johnson, was crowned champion at the end of the season. Bill Elliott, driving for Harry Melling, had won 11 races in 1985, but lost the title by 101 points to three-time race winner Waltrip. This was the first season where all races were televised in some form.
James Horton III is a racecar driver currently racing a dirt modified for the Halmar Racing Team weekly at the Orange County Fair Speedway and other major events across the northeast. He raced in 48 NASCAR Winston Cup races in eight seasons. He was a regular on the ARCA circuit in the 1980s and 1990s. Horton has won many of the most noted races for dirt track modifieds in the Northeastern United States.
NASCAR on TBS is the name of a former television program that broadcast NASCAR races on the TBS cable network. Select NASCAR Winston Cup Series, Busch Series, and Craftsman Truck Series races were aired on TBS from its debut in 1983 up to the 2000 season.
As time passed, more Winston Cup races ended up on TV. ESPN broadcast its first race in 1981, from North Carolina Motor Speedway, and TNN followed in 1991. All Cup races were nationally televised by 1985; networks struck individual deals with track owners, and multiple channels carried racing action. Many races were shown taped and edited on Wide World of Sports and syndication services like Mizlou and SETN, but almost all races were live by 1989. By 2000, the last year of this arrangement, six networks televised at least one Cup series race: CBS, ABC, ESPN, TNN, TBS, and NBC.
Until 2001, race tracks struck individual agreements with networks to broadcast races, but NASCAR wanted to capitalize on the growing popularity of the sport and announced in 1999 that television contracts would now be centralized; that is, instead of making agreements with individual tracks, networks would now negotiate directly with NASCAR for the rights to air a package of races.
Mickey Gibbs is an American professional stock car racing driver from Alabama. Gibbs won races in the ALL PRO Super Series, NASCAR All-American Challenge Series, American Speed Association, and ARCA ranks, along with the 1983 Snowball Derby before reaching the pinnacle of stock car racing, then known as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. He is not related to highly successful NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs.
Bob Fishman plans to give viewers a few laps of pure, roaring speed. "We have some great low-angle shots," Fishman said. "It brings those cars right in your face. You see the cars roaring by. I plan to show some laps with nothing but speed shots."