NHRA to air on Canadian TV

GLENDORA, Calif. (Feb. 19, 2002) -The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) today announced that NHRA POWERade Drag Racing will air in Canada this season, exclusively on TSN, Canada's Sports Leader.

TSN will dedicate more than 42 hours of programming to the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series in 2002. TSN will air 19 of the 23 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events beginning with the Mac Tools Gatornationals on March 18.

"We are ecstatic to partner with TSN and provide our Canadian fans with an opportunity to see NHRA events on television," said Tom Compton, president, NHRA. "Since the NHRA began its five-year relationship with ESPN and ESPN2, we have been rigorously exploring options to air our national event shows in Canada, where there is such a strong fan base and a great deal of support for NHRA drag racing."

NHRA has a strong following in Canada, including 11 member tracks: Luskville, Que. (Luskville Dragway); Napierville, Que. (Napierville Raceway); St. Pie, Que. (Sanair International Dragway); St. Thomas, Ont. (St. Thomas Dragway); Gimli, Man. (Viking International Raceway); Medicine Hat, Alta. (M.H.D.R.A. Dragstrip); Mission, B.C. (Mission Raceway); Ashcroft, B.C. (Nl'Akapxm Eagle Motorplex); Prince George, B.C. (North Central Motorsports Park); Calgary, Alta. (Race City Motorsports Park); Saskatoon, Sask. (Saskatchewan International Raceway).

"TSN has aired numerous drag racing events throughout the years and has always received an overwhelmingly positive response from viewers," said Keith Pelley, president, TSN. "We're thrilled to be the only Canadian network to televise NHRA races this season and offer our loyal fans an extensive drag racing schedule."

NHRA, the world's largest motorsports sanctioning body, is in the second year of a five-year agreement with ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports.

TSN is Canada's Sports Leader. Setting the Canadian sports broadcasting standard, TSN's comprehensive schedule includes its flagship news program SPORTSCENTRE, as well as NHL, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and international hockey, the Olympic Games, Blue Jays baseball, F-1, NASCAR and CART auto racing, CFL, NFL, NBA, PGA and LPGA Tours, World Cup soccer, Season of Champions curling and amateur sports action. Majority owned by CTV Inc., TSN is available in eight million households. TSN's programming and news content is also available on-line at tsn.ca. CTV Inc. is a division of Bell Globemedia Inc.

Headquartered in Glendora, Calif., the NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. It presents 23 national events through its NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. The NHRA has more than 80,000 members nationwide and more than 130 member tracks. The NHRA-sanctioned sportsman and bracket racing series' provide competition opportunities for drivers of all levels. The NHRA develops the stars of tomorrow by offering the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, NHRA Summit Sport Compact Drag Racing Series, NHRA Summit Racing Series and the NHRA Street Legal Program. The NHRA also offers the NHRA Castrol GTX Jr. Drag Racing League for youths ages 8 to 17.

-nhra