A big part of American Flat Track's repackaging of the Grand National Championship is their commitment to get the sport back on national TV. Speaking to racers over the years, it was something they all wanted to happen and most thought it was crucial to the health of the sport. Well, tonight it happens. NBC Sports Network is going to have weekly highlight shows on every race. The first is Daytona, from back in March, then they'll show each race until they catch up with the current schedule, and then the highlight shows will follow the races much more closely. See the schedule at the bottom of this post.
This is what AFT say about the show, 'An all-star broadcast team will call the races for the series in 2017. Play-by-play announcer Jason Weigandt is the resident expert for motorcycle racing at NBC Sports and brings a depth of knowledge and personality to the shows. Joining Weigandt in the booth is veteran Superbike racer and multi-time American Flat Track race winner Larry Pegram. Rounding out the team is Heather DeBeaux, who enters her second season as pit reporter for American Flat Track. No stranger to dirt track racing, DeBeaux has also covered the NASCAR K&N Pro Series for NBC Sports. In addition to the 18 primetime premieres, NBCSN will present weekday encore telecasts of each one-hour show. FansChoice.tv, a cornerstone of American Flat Track’s digital strategy, will continue provide live streaming coverage for every round of the 2017 season, and NBC Sports.com and the NBC Sports app will provide streaming coverage alongside NBCSN’s premiere telecasts.'
Read our in-depth interview with Michael Lock, the CEO of American Flat Track, that was conducted before the season started, to see if the AFT are on target with their promises.
