NASCAR on MGM (Simpsonverse)

NASCAR on MGM is the branding used for broadcasts of NASCAR races that are produced by MGM Sports, and televised on several MGM/UA Communications-owned television networks, including the MGM broadcast network in the United States. The network has aired races, typically during the second half of the season, since 1977. Throughout its run, MGM's coverage of NASCAR has won eleven Emmy Awards.

Background
Just after the formation of the MGM network, its CEO, Trevor J. Simpson, who was a NASCAR fan during his childhood, looked to add NASCAR races to the MGM Sports lineup. He made deals with several tracks in the second half of the season to broadcast races, believing that America would watch an entire stock car race live on television. Prior to 1977, television coverage of races either began when the race was halfway over, or as an edited highlight package that aired a week later on ABC's Wide World of Sports. On September 5, 1977, MGM presented the first flag-to-flag coverage of the Southern 500 (and 500-mile race to be broadcast live on national television in general). The Indianapolis 500 was only broadcast on tape delay that evening in this era; most races were broadcast only through the final quarter to half of the race, as was the procedure for ABC's Championship Car racing broadcasts; with the new MGM contract, the network and NASCAR agreed to a full live broadcast. That telecast introduced in-car and low-level track-side cameras, which has now become standard in all forms of automotive racing broadcasts. The race drew incredible ratings.

Affiliation with Turner Sports and The Nashville Network (TNN)
When Orange Roof Corporation bought Turner Entertainment Co.,

New television contract
On November 11, 1999, NASCAR signed a five-year, US$2.48 billion contract which split the American television rights for NASCAR races between CBS, Fox, its cable partner FX, NBC, MGM, and Turner Sports. The contract began in 2001 and went as follows.


 * Fox and FX would air races in the first half of the season, with their slate of events coming to an end with the Sonoma event most years.
 * NBC would partner with MGM, TBS, Turner's long time home for NASCAR, and cover the remainder of the season beginning with the July races.
 * As part of the contract, the Daytona 500 would be shared between Fox and NBC. Fox had the rights to the race, as well as the Budweiser Shootout, the Busch Series event, and all qualifying events including the qualifying races, in odd numbered years while NBC would air those events in even numbered years. The network that did not air the Daytona 500 would instead air the Pepsi 400.

Studio

 * Eli Gold - host; 2001-present
 * Allen Bestwick - host; 2001-present
 * Dave Despain - host; 2001-present
 * Dave Marcis - analyst; 2003-present
 * Kyle Petty - analyst; 2015-present
 * Terry Labonte - analyst; 2015-present
 * Jeremy Mayfield - analyst; 2016-present

For all of its broadcasts, MGM uses a portable studio called MGM Race Control for pre-race coverage. If the race is delayed to a Monday, the Race Control studio is usually not used. However, if a Saturday night race is rained out to Sunday then the studio will be in use for the delayed coverage.

Broadcast booth

 * Ken Squier - lap-by-lap announcer; 2001-present
 * Ned Jarrett - color analyst; 1977-present
 * Dale Earnhardt - color analyst; 2003-present
 * Wally Dallenbach, Jr. - color analyst; 2015-present

Pit reporters

 * Dick Berggren (1977-present)
 * David Hobbs (1997-present)
 * Dorsey Schroeder (2000-present)
 * Bill Stephens (2001-present)
 * Rick Mast (2003-present)
 * Ralph Sheheen (2008-present)
 * Dr. Jerry Punch (2017-present)
 * Danica Patrick (2018-present)

Pre-race/post-race show

 * Bill Weber - host; 2007-present
 * Randy LaJoie - analyst; 2007-present
 * Andy Petree - analyst; 2016-present

Former

 * Chris Economaki - host (1977-2012)
 * Stirling Moss - lap-by-lap announcer (1977-2000)
 * Brock Yates - color analyst (1977-1995)
 * Buddy Baker - color analyst (1996-2015). Died August 10, 2015 from lung cancer.

Theme music
The theme song, "Eight Bells", was composed by Edd Kalehoff. It was first used in the 1996 season; prior to this, there was no permanent theme song. Instead, songs from MGM Sports' music library were used instead. Starting in 2013, a new CGI introduction sequence, produced by MGM Optical Effects, made its debut.