Speed Center
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| Speed Center | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Starring | Bob Varsha, Krista Voda, Leigh Diffey, Adam Alexander |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Speed Channel |
| Release | February 13, 2011 – August 11, 2013 |
Speed Center was a motor sports news program on Speed Channel. Debuting on February 13, 2011, it was anchored by Adam Alexander with Jeff Hammond and Sam Hornish Jr. as analysts on Sunday episodes. Ricky Rudd was the analyst for the first two races at Daytona and Phoenix.
History
[edit]Speed Center and its predecessors were a staple of Speed Channel since the network opened as SpeedVision in 1996. Among the names were Speedvision News RaceWeek (1996 – February 2002), Speed News (February 2002 – July 30, 2006), and The Speed Report (August 6, 2006 – January 30, 2011). The show was first known as SpeedVision News Race Week featuring anchors such as Dave Despain and Bob Varsha. Prior to The Speed Report arriving in August 2006, the show was called Speed News, with anchors including Bob Varsha, Ralph Sheheen, Bob Jenkins, Connie LeGrand, and Krista Voda. On January 23, 2008, it was announced that Manske was leaving Speed Channel to become the new host of NASCAR Now on ESPN. Drew Johnson also had his last day with Manske on January 27, 2008. For the 2008 season, the new hosts were Bob Varsha and on a part-time basis, Leigh Diffey and Krista Voda. In 2011, the program's name was changed to Speed Center. The first episode took place on February 13, 2011, with Adam Alexander hosting. The final episode of Speed Center aired on August 11, 2013, as the show was canceled on June 25, 2013, due to the transition of Speed into Fox Sports 1 on August 17, 2013.
Former hosts
[edit] |
- Adam Alexander – Host (2011–2013)
- Sam Hornish Jr. – Color Co-Host (2012–2013)
- Ray Evernham – Color Co-Host (2011 only)
- Dave Despain
- Drew Johnson
- Connie LeGrand – 2002 to June 25, 2006
- Bob Jenkins – March 2005 to May 2006 [1] Archived July 1, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- Nicole Manske – July 2, 2006 to January 27, 2008
- Ralph Sheheen – c. 2004
- Bob Varsha – Part-time when Alexander was hosting NASCAR on TNT
- Krista Voda