Texas Motor Speedway Speedreads - March 23, 2016

SPEEDREADS

T E X A S M O T O R S P E E D WAY

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SPEEDREADS DFW is a nascar town

Metroplex’s NASCAR TV ratings among best in the nation PAGE 2

rayzor elementary takes turn 3 One hundred percent of Lantana’s Elementary student body reaches reading goals for third consecutive turn of competition PAGE 3

FAMOUS “VOICE”

Jake Worthington of “The Voice” fame to sing National Anthem at O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 PAGE 4

XFINITY UPDATE

Daniel Suarez leads series after five races with next race at Texas Motor Speedway PAGE 4

March 23, 2016 Te x a s M o t o r S p e e d w a y | M a r c h 2 3 , 2 0 1 6

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SPEEDREADS

LEAD LAP

TOP NEWS FROM TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

dallas/fort worth metroplex proves once again it is a nascar town Since the season-opening Daytona 500 in February, Dallas/Fort Worth has proven itself as a prominent NASCAR market when it comes to television viewership of Sprint Cup Series races.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has produced some of its closest finishes in history since the outset of the season and that seems to have resonated with the DFW television audience. Two of the first five races were decided by .010 of a second – the same number the series had witnessed in the entire previous decade prior to 2016 – and all but one had a margin of victory of .772 of a second or closer.

Denny Hamlin edged Martin Truex Jr. by .010 in the Daytona 500 and Kevin Harvick banged past Carl Edwards three races later at Phoenix by the same scant margin.

According to NASCAR and The Nielsen Company, Dallas/Fort Worth ranked among the top-10 markets in the country for household TV viewership for four of the first five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races and broke into the top five on two occasions.

The DFW market ranked fifth-best for the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 21 (average of 165,000 households); fourth for Las Vegas on Sunday, March 6 (99,000 HHs); eighth for Phoenix on Sunday, March 13 (80,000 HHs); and

ninth for Fontana this past Sunday (77,000 HHs). The only race among the five that the market did not crack the top 10 was the Atlanta race on Sunday, Feb. 28, ranking 11th with 80,000 households.

Interestingly, the Atlanta race was the only one to finish under caution in the first five races.

number of people overall that are consuming a NASCAR race through various platforms has been rapidly growing. Through data compiled from the first four races, there have been 30 million unique television viewers, 11 million social media visitors and 10 million unique digital viewers.

Through those first five races that have all been broadcast on FOX, the average household viewership in the DFW market has been 100,200 per race. All but one of these races ranked as the No. 1 sporting event of that respective weekend per Nielsen. The only one that didn’t was Fontana, which ranked No. 2 behind the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series arrives in Dallas/Fort Worth at Texas Motor Speedway on April 9 for the Duck Commander 500, the third-highest paying race in the series. The race is the first Saturday night race of the regular season and will be broadcast live on FOX.

While the television numbers are impressive in the Metroplex, the

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Tickets are available through www. texasmotorspeedway.com or by calling the speedway ticket office at 817.215.8500.

SPEEDREADS

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RAYZOR ELEMENTARY CHARGING TOWARD PERFECT SEASON IN SPEEDING TO READ COMPETITION room with Melanie Peterson’s kindergarten class, the defending K-2 champs, with an average of 884 books per student. Lori Lucas’ third-grade class from Hargrave led the 3-5 division for the third consecutive turn by averaging 139 chapter books per student.

One Hundred Percent Of Lantana Elementary Student Body Reaches Reading Goals For Third Consecutive Turn Of Competition Eleven Competing DFW Schools Combine To Read More Than 326,000 Books During 12-Week Scoring Period Lantana’s E.P. Rayzor Elementary continued its drive for a perfect season and defending its championship in Texas Motor Speedway’s Speeding To Read program as its entire student body met the pre-set reading goals for the third consecutive turn of the competition.

Rayzor, of the Denton ISD, needed its 533 students consisting of kindergartners through fifth graders to be perfect once again to maintain the lead as three of the 11 participating Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex schools were at 96 percent or better in Turn 3. Rayzor, also the leader of the Backstretch Division, was able to narrowly hold off Frontstretch Division leader Samuel

Beck of Northwest ISD (99%), Old Settlers of Lewisville ISD (98%) and Sendera Ranch (96%) of Northwest.

The 6,500 students from the 11 schools, which also includes J.A. Hargrave (Crowley ISD), Nathan Adams (Dallas ISD), Carroll Peak (Fort Worth ISD), Riverside Applied Learning Center (Fort Worth ISD), O.A. Peterson (Northwest ISD), Northbrook (Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD) and Rockbrook (Lewisville ISD), combined to read 326,921 books during the Turn 3 12-week scoring period and a total of 770,359 since the competition began in September.

Rayzor swept the individual Turn 3 honors with the sister-brother combination of Olivia and Noah Temer. Olivia, a first grader, led the K-2 division with 4,623 books read while Noah, a fourth grader and defending 3-5 champion, led that division with 715 chapter books read.

Score-A-Goal in the Classroom, a Speeding To Read partner, is donating 240 new books to the Turn 3 leaders. The school libraries of division school leaders Rayzor and Samuel Beck, individual division leaders and students of the classroom division leaders all will be rewarded in a season-long program that will provide more than 1,100 books to the schools and students involved.

Score-A-Goal in the Classroom is among the 11 Texas Motor Speedway Speeding To Read partners that consists of NASCAR, Verizon IndyCar Series, Lionel Racing, aai Trophies & Awards, Domino’s, Woolley’s Frozen Custard, Kid’s Beach Club, Speedway Children’s Charities - TMS Chapter, The Speedway Club and SMI Properties.

For full results from Turn 3 of Speeding To Read and more information on the program, please visit www.speedingtoread.com.

DID YOU KN O W? The Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway is the third-highest paying race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

Rayzor also had the top K-2 classTe x a s M o t o r S p e e d w a y | M a r c h 2 3 , 2 0 1 6

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SPEEDREADS

FAMOUS “VOICE” Fans of the NBC hit show “The Voice” will have the chance to hear one of the more popular performers in the program’s history sing the National Anthem at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, April 8, prior to the start of the NASCAR XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300.

Jake Worthington, a 19-year-old native of LaPorte, Texas, drew praise and acclaim as he finished runner-up on Season 6 as a member of Blake Shelton’s team. He released two songs while on the show that reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.

His cover of Richard Marx’s “Right Here Waiting” peaked at No. 14 while his remake of Keith Whitley’s “Don’t Close Your Eyes” made it to No. 17. Following those successes, Worthington’s release of Bryan Adams’ hit song “Heaven” reached No. 3 on the Billboard Country Top Digital Songs.

He has played in some of the largest venues in the United States while touring nationwide with other finalists from “The Voice.” He has a worldwide social media presence with more than 250,000 followers (@JDW_Music on Twitter, Jake Worthington on Facebook) and his YouTube videos have received millions of views.

Jake released his debut EP of original songs in October of 2015.

It debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard South Central chart, No. 16 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and No. 44 on Billboard Country Albums chart. For more info, visit TheJakeWorthington.com.

daniel suarez atop xfinity series after first five races “NASCAR Drive for Diversity” graduate Daniel Suarez, a 24-year-old native of Monterrey, Mexico, will arrive at Texas Motor Speedway for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 on Friday, April 8, as the XFINITY Series points leader.

Suarez has parlayed his consistency since the outset of the season with top-10 finishes in all five starts, including three among the top five, to a 10-point lead over second-place Elliott Sadler. He had an opportunity to pad that lead at this past Saturday’s XFINITY Series at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., when he found himself in position for his first series victory less than two miles from the finish. However, it was at the same time he realized his car was running out of fuel.

Joe Gibbs teammate Kyle Busch owned the lead, but a cut tire had him staggering to the finish line and allowed Suarez to overtake him in Turn 2.

He dropped to the inside on the backstretch, trying to urge his car around one final time. He was eventually passed by Busch and eventual race winner Austin Dillon on what proved to be an exciting final lap.

“In the whole run, we were saving fuel,” said Suarez, who was able to hold on for a fourth-place finish. “I knew that we were one to one-and-a-half laps short. I was saving fuel. I wasn’t worrying about the 20 (Erik Jones) or 18 (Busch); I was just trying to finish the race because I knew that we were short.”

Despite the disappointment, Suarez is pleased at where the team is at this stage of the season.

“The team is amazing with the chemistry that we have,” Suarez said. “We win and we lose together and today we were close and that’s pretty much all I can say. I can tell you our first victory is coming, and it’s coming fast.”

Suarez will have to wait at least two more weeks for that next opportunity as the XFINITY Series does not return to action until Friday, April 8, with the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Suarez’s first two XFINITY Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway came last year, with his best finish of sixth coming in November’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge. His biggest challenge to overcome and record that first victory will be his JGR teammate Busch when it comes to Texas. Busch, who has won three of the first five XFINITY Series races this season, is the all-time winningest XFINITY Series driver at TMS with seven wins.

Tickets for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 are available through www.texasmotorspeedway.com or by calling the speedway ticket office at 817.215.8500.

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SPEEDREADS

SPLASH ’N GO

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NOTES FROM TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

FORT WORTH THROWS A PARTY FOR TMS

The Fort Worth Sports Huddle will play host to a business luncheon on Thursday, April 7, at the Top of the Town Room of the Fort Worth Club to honor the 20th anniversary season of Texas Motor Speedway.

The featured guests of the event will be TMS President Eddie Gossage and 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, who will be available for exclusive interviews with local media prior to the start of the event (approx. 11:15-Noon) to discuss TMS’ anniversary as well as that weekend’s Duck Commander 500.

Fort Worth CVB President Bob Jameson will host the event as well as discuss the importance of TMS to their tourism efforts and sports landscape over the last two decades.

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Margin of victory for the closest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finish at Texas Motor Speedway. Elliott Sadler held off Kasey Kahne to win the spring race in 2004 (below).

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Drivers that have won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race from the pole at Texas Motor Speedway. Kasey Kahne was the first in the spring race of 2006, and was followed Jimmie Johnson (fall, 2012) and Kyle Busch (spring, 2013).

DID YOU KNOW?

No driver in Texas Motor Speedway history has won more than two poles in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series?

Six drivers have recorded two while 16 others have done so once.

(When I think of Texas Motor Speedway) I think of finishing second there way too many times. I think that I need a win to get that cowboy hat and shoot off the six shooters in Victory Lane.”

- 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keslowski Te x a s M o t o r S p e e d w a y | M a r c h 2 3 , 2 0 1 6

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SPEEDREADS

texas motor speedway media day Texas Motor Speedway’s Media Day is scheduled for Wednesday, March 30 (RSVP is Wednesday March 23). This year’s event will take place at Gilley’s in Dallas (1135 S Lamar St., Dallas 75215) and will begin at 11:30 a.m.

The day will feature NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and Prosper, Texas native Chris Buescher, NASCAR XFINITY Series driver and two-time winner at Texas Motor Speedway, Erik Jones, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver John Hunter Nemechek and IndyCar’s all-time leader in wins at TMS Helio Castroneves. Other guests include Willie and Korie Robertson of the popular A&E reality television show “Duck Dynasty”; Speedway Motorsports Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Marcus Smith and Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage.

duck commander 500 media credential deadline The credential deadline for the Duck Commander 500 weekend is FRIDAY. Credentials can be requested through www.smicredentials.com. Those not yet registered for the website will first need to apply for access through the site. Once a registration confirmation e-mail is received, the credential request can then be submitted. Requests following the deadline will not be accepted.

TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY APP Texas Motor Speedway’s free mobile app is available for both iPhone and Android users via the iTunes Store and Google Play Store. The app provides exclusive content and promotions, helpful tools to navigate the speedway during race weekends, access to the Texas Motor Speedway fantasy league and more.

ADDY BOY Texas Motor Speedway’s “No Limits” marketing theme earned a pair of golds in local competition of the 2015 American Advertising Awards.

jazz at a tailgate party.”

The Dallas-based agency Slingshot scored the speedway a gold ADDY for a direct mail piece for season ticket holders to renew for the 2016 season. The package included an Officer of Octane badge and a citation book so they could offer some extra guidance to the new citizens of “No Limits, Texas” that they would meet at the track. Citations included from “Not standing on Lap 1” to “Playing smooth

Fort Worth-based agency Pavlov collected the other gold ADDY for the speedway for their play off the children’s Flat Stanley concept.

The creative feature of Flat Stanley was Uncle Si, part of the Robertson family that owns Duck Commander and is the title sponsor of the April NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, with various add-ons such as headsets and other racing-related items.

Fans were asked to take Flat Si to various events or around the globe, take photos of him in those locations and share on social media leading up to the race weekend.

The American Advertising Awards, aka the ADDY’s, is the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition whose mission is to recognize and reward the creative spirit of excellence in the art of advertising.

Gold winners automatically go on to the regional competition and from there the nationals.

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FINAL PIT STOP

SPEEDREADS

VIDEO SOUND BITES, SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT

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LIL’ HOSS TV

Dale Earnhardt Jr. unveils a little-known fact about his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory in 2000 at Texas Motor Speedway. Click video to play.

FROM THE TWITTERVERSE

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SPEEDREADS

PUBLIC SCHEDULE

DUCK COMMANDER 500 WEEKEND EVENTS

SATURDAY, APRIL 2 8a

VIP & Outside Campgrounds open

TUESDAY, APRIL 5 9a-5p

Texas Motor Speedway Credential Office Hours

WednesDAY, APRIL 6 9a-5p 10a

10a

Texas Motor Speedway Credential Office Hours Reserved Infield Camping Opens (South Tunnel) Burnout Alley Load In (closes midnight Friday)

ThursDAY, APRIL 7

9a-6p Texas Motor Speedway Credentials Office Hours 9:30a NXS Haulers Enter 11a NSCS Haulers Enter 11:30a-6p NXS Registration Open 12p-8p NXS Garage Open 2p-6p NSCS Registration Open 2:30p-7p NSCS Garage Open 2:30 pm Gate 4 Open 2:30 pm Gate 2 Open for Victory Lane

Club Access Only 3p-4:25p NXS Practice 4:30p-5:55p NSCS Practice 6p-6:55p NXS Final Practice

FRIDAY, APRIL 8

9a-7:30p Texas Motor Speedway Credentials Office Hours 9a-7p NSCS Registration Open 9a-8:30p NSCS Garage Open 10a-7p NXS Registration Open 10a NXS Garage Open 1p Gates 3, 4 & 5 Open 1p Gates 2 & 6 Open for Luxury Suites and Victory Lane Club Only 1:15p3:30p NSCS “HOT PASS” IN EFFECT 1:45p-2:45p NSCS Qualifying 3:45p-4:45p NXS Qualifying 5p-7:30p NSCS “HOT PASS” IN EFFECT 5:30p-6:50p NSCS Final Practice 7:30p NXS O’Reilly Auto Parts 300

(200 Laps, 300 Miles) 12 am Burnout Alley Closes

SATURDAY, APRIL 9

12p-6:30p Texas Motor Speedway Credential Office Hours 12:30p-7p NSCS Registration Open 12:30p NSCS Garage Open 2 p Gates 2-8 Luxury Suites and Victory Lane Club Open 4:40p Loud & Proud Pre-Race Show powered by the Texas Lottery Concert featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd 5:30p-11p NSCS “HOT PASS” IN EFFECT 6:30p NSCS Duck Commander 500

(334 Laps, 501 Miles) 30 min Portacool Post-Race Show featuring post race Charlie Robison

TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ticket info www.texasmotorspeedway.com 817.215.8500 Facebook: Texas Motor Speedway Twitter: @txmotorspeedway Instagram: txmotorspeedway

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