by NASCAR on FOX, FOX Sports

Updated: December 13, 2005, 12:27 PM EST

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Schedule Includes Busch Series Race From Mexico City on March 6

Ordinal out of range NASCAR on FOX hits the gas on its fifth season in grand style with razor sharp 720p high-definition pictures accompanied by crystal clear Dolby 5.1 audio. FOX's Emmy Award-winning coverage begins during SpeedWeeks at Daytona, returning to the airwaves on Saturday, Feb. 12, with a prime time presentation of the Bud Shootout, live from Daytona International Speedway. Coverage continues from Daytona with the 2005 season's inaugural NASCAR Busch Series event on Saturday, Feb. 19, and culminates with live, flag-to-flag coverage of the 47th running of "The Great American Race" — the Daytona 500 — on Sunday, February 20.

"We're thrilled to present the entire NASCAR on FOX 2005 season in 720p High Definition clarity and Dolby 5.1 audio," said FOX Sports Chairman David Hill. "Our HD broadcasts will ensure that fans at home are treated to the visceral experience that NASCAR action provides to those present at the speedway, which is precisely what we at FOX Sports aim to deliver as broadcasters."

Ordinal out of range NASCAR racing legend Darrell Waltrip and former champion crew chief Larry McReynolds return to provide race analysis for all NASCAR on FOX Nextel Cup and Busch Series events, and Mike Joy returns as race announcer. Prerace coverage is again hosted by Chris Myers with analyst Jeff Hammond, and returning to cover pit road for FOX are reporters Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum and Jeanne Zelasko.

In its fifth season as the home of NASCAR, FOX Sports airs 15 NASCAR Nextel Cup races. The NASCAR on FOX schedule is highlighted by NASCAR Nextel Cup races on Sunday, Feb. 27 from California Speedway; prime time races on Sunday, April 23 from Phoenix International Speedway and Saturday, May 7 from Darlington Raceway; and the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 29 from Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte.

NASCAR Busch Series racing on FOX — second only to NASCAR Nextel Cup racing as the most watched motor sport in the country — is featured five times on the network, including NASCAR's first-ever visit south of the border on Sunday, March 6 when the Busch Series visits Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. Other highlights include Saturday, April 16 from Texas Motor Speedway, and Saturday, April 30 from Talladega Superspeedway.

Last season, the average per-race audience for FOX's "regular season" NASCAR Nextel Cup schedule (Rockingham through Sears Point) was 9.03 million viewers, identical to the figures posted in 2003. NASCAR Nextel Cup racing has retained its status as the second highest-rated sport televised nationally, trailing only the National Football League. NASCAR on FOX' 2004 regular-season average rating of 5.6/14, topped the regular season average of the NBA on ABC by 133% (vs. 2./4/16), the biggest margin ever between those two sports. FOX's 5.6/14 for regular season Nextel Cup racing was also +22% better than ABC's 4.6/10 for the NBA playoffs. NASCAR on FOX is clearly the dominant player in the portion of the year formerly controlled by the NBA.

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Boasting an unparalleled schedule of events that features Major League Baseball's All-Star Game, League Championship Series and World Series, The National Football League's annual NFC Championship Game and Super Bowls in 2005, 2008 and 2011, NASCAR's Daytona 500 in 2005 and 2007, and college football's NCAA Bowl Championship Series from 2007-2010, FOX Sports stands as America's undisputed king of championship sports television. In just ten years of existence, FOX Sports has earned 60 Emmy Awards, including five for its NASCAR coverage.

David Hill and Ed Goren are the Executive Producers of FOX Sports. Bill Brown is Senior Producer. Scott Ackerson is the Coordinating Producer of the NASCAR on FOX Prerace show; Richie Zyontz serves as Coordinating Producer of race coverage. Artie Kempner directs and Neil Goldberg produces race coverage, with Pam Miller serving as pit producer.