TSN: NASCAR 2005 broadcasts

TORONTO, ON – TSN burns up the track in 2005 with a comprehensive NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series broadcast schedule featuring 21 races, 17 of which to be televised in High Definition.

TSN's auto racing season begins this Saturday at 8 p.m. ET with the Budweiser Shootout. The race will also be available in High Definition.

The biggest race of the season - the Daytona 500 - airs February 20 at 1 p.m. ET. TSN's Vic Rauter will be trackside at Daytona International Speedway to file daily reports for SportsCentre leading up to and during 'The Great American Race'. The annual event is the biggest, richest and most prestigious competition on the NASCAR circuit.

TSN concludes its 2005 NASCAR broadcast schedule on November 20 with the season-ending Ford 400 from Homestead-Miami Speedway. With a change to NASCAR's points system last season, the race has become a critical element in deciding the winner of the 'Chase for the Championship'. Last year, the final race of the season decided the NASCAR Nextel Cup Champion – Kurt Busch.

To coincide with the kick off of the 2005 NASCAR season, NASCAR Canada will be at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto for The 2005 Canadian International AutoShow from February 18 to 27. NASCAR Canada will host a NASCAR Pavilion, providing an up-close look at stock cars in the Nextel Cup Series. On display is a replica of four-time NASCAR Champion Jeff Gordon's #24 Chevrolet and Jimmie Johnson's #48 Monte Carlo, providing an inside look at how a stock car is built and modeled.

Also on-hand is the NASCAR Nextel Cup Trophy, a NASCAR simulator game, a NASCAR merchandise area and two 42-inch plasma screens providing live coverage of the Daytona 500 on February 20 and Auto Club 500 on February 27. Directly following the Daytona 500, Raceline Radio Network will broadcast its weekly show live from the NASCAR Pavilion.

The following is TSN's 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup broadcast schedule:

NASCAR

*Budweiser Shootout (Daytona International Speedway)* - Saturday, Feb. 12

*Gatorade Duel at Daytona (Daytona International Speedway) - Thursday, Feb. 17

*Daytona 500 (Daytona International Speedway)* - Sunday, Feb. 20

*Auto Club 500 (California Speedway)* - Sunday, Feb. 27

*Chevy American Revolution 400 (Richmond International Speedway) - Saturday, May 14

*NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge (Lowe's Motor Speedway) - Saturday, May 21

*Coca-Cola 600 (Lowe's Motor Speedway)* - Sunday, May 29

*MBNA 400 (Dover International Speedway) - Sunday, June 5

*Pepsi 400 (Daytona International Speedway)* - Saturday, July 2

*Chicagoland 400 (Chicagoland Speedway)* - Sunday, July 10

*New England 300 (New Hampshire International Speedway)* - Sunday, July 17

*Pennsylvania 500 (Pocono Raceway)* - Sunday, July 24

*Brickyard 400 (Indianapolis Motor Speedway)* - Sunday, Aug. 7

*GFS Marketplace 400 (Michigan International Speedway)* - Sunday, Aug. 21

*Sharpie 500 (Bristol Motor Speedway)* - Saturday, Aug. 27

*Chevy Rock & Roll 400 (Richmond International Speedway)* - Saturday, Sept. 10

*Sylvania 300 (New Hampshire International Speedway)* - Sunday, Sept. 18

*MBNA 400 (Dover International Speedway)* - Sunday, Sept. 25

*UAW-GM Quality 500 (Lowe's Motor Speedway)* - Saturday, Oct. 15

*Checker Auto Parts 500 (Phoenix International Raceway)* - Sunday, Nov. 13

*Ford 400 (Homestead-Miami Speedway)* - Sunday, Nov. 20

*available in High Definition