TOLEDO, Ohio (March 29, 2016) – Officials from the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) announced today that they have entered into a multi-year agreement with American Sports Network (ASN) to broadcast the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards events, beginning in 2016. ASN’s coverage of the ARCA Racing Series will kick off with the April 9 race from Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville. In all, ASN will broadcast nine ARCA events in 2016, including five live broadcasts.
ASN is the sports division of Sinclair Networks Group, a subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SBGI). Sinclair is the largest television station operator in the United States, owning or operating a 171 television stations in 81 markets. Through relationships with over the air broadcasters and other regional sports networks, ASN looks to expand the reach and exposure of the ARCA Racing Series.
“We are excited to once again bring racing to our viewers through ASN,” said Doron Gorshein, COO of Sinclair Networks Group. “ASN’s coverage will include some of the series’ best short track races, designed to showcase ARCA Racing Series action from the tour’s “bullrings,” including both one-mile dirt events at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds and Illinois State Fairgrounds.”
ASN is scheduled to air five ARCA Racing Series events live, beginning with the May 22 Menards 200 from Toledo (Ohio) Speedway. ASN will also televise live races from Madison (Wis.) International Speedway on June 19; Winchester (Ind.) Speedway on Sunday June 26; Berlin Raceway (just west of Grand Rapids, Mich.) on August 6; and the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield on August 21.
In addition, the ASN network is in the planning stages to air a series of motorsports events in a consistent mid-week prime-time slot. Plans call for the five live ARCA events to be re-aired during this motorsports block, plus additional delayed coverage of events from Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds, and both Salem (Ind.) Speedway events.
“We are pleased to provide additional exposure of the ARCA Racing Series on American Sports Network,” said Mark Gundrum, ARCA Vice President for Business Development and Corporate Partnerships. “This is a great opportunity for the teams, sponsors and fans of the series.
“The ARCA short track race events are some of the best each year, and we’re excited to bring the side-by-side action to the American Sports Networks viewers,” Gundrum added.
About American Sports Network:
ASN is a division of Sinclair Networks Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country. For more information on ASN, please visitwww.americansportsnet.com.
About Automobile Racing Club of America:
The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards features 20 events at 18 tracks on its 2016 schedule. The series has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 racetracks in 28 states since its inception. The series tests the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, annually visiting tracks ranging from 0.4 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as left- and right-turn road courses.
