The Motor Racing Network has been honored by the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) with 10 awards for broadcast excellence during the 2009 NASCAR season, including First Place in the Live Event Broadcast category.
MRN Radio was recognized Sunday during the final day of the NMPA’s annual convention in Concord, NC. The network won top honors for its coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock 400 on June 14 at Michigan International Speedway, where Mark Martin managed his fuel mileage better than anyone else in claiming his third victory of the season.
MRN Radio also won Third Place in the same category for coverage of Tony Stewart’s first points-paying win as a Cup Series owner-driver – the June 7 Pocono 500 in Pennsylvania. MRN President and Executive Producer David Hyatt accepted both awards.
“Motor Racing Network celebrated its fortieth year as ‘The Voice of NASCAR’ in 2009 and our team did a fantastic job providing the fans with the best radio coverage in the business,” Hyatt said. “We have a dedicated staff of talented broadcast professionals; and the recognition they received with these awards speaks to the hard work, time and energy they all put in to make the broadcasts as entertaining and informative as they can be.”
MRN producer Craig Moore was named NMPA Broadcaster of the Year and also won First Place in the Long-Form Feature category for a lighthearted story on Sprint Cup Series driver David Reutimann, who built a winning racecar for his father “Buzzie” that was later found to be illegal during inspection. The story aired on Sirius Speedway, which is produced by Moore out of MRN’s studios in Concord.
Moore also won third place in the same category for a story detailing suspended driver Jeremy Mayfield’s success in winning a court injunction against NASCAR.
Producer Brian Nelson won First Place in the Spot News category for live coverage of the press conference summarizing events that led to Mayfield’s suspension in May at Darlington Raceway. The briefing aired during MRN Radio’s “Inside Track” pre-race program May 9 prior to the Southern 500.
Kyle Rickey, host of “NASCAR Today/Mid-day,” won Third Place in the Spot News category for post-race coverage of Kurt Busch’s Nov. 8 victory in the eighth race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup at Texas Motor Speedway.
In the Short-Form Feature category, Ned Jarrett and Steve Blevins placed second and third, respectively. Jarrett’s syndicated “World of Racing” was cited for a story on how tracks were providing incentives for fans to attend races despite economic difficulties. Blevins’ feature story on crew chief Chad Knaus guiding Jimmie Johnson to a fourth straight Sprint Cup Series championship aired on “Sirius Speedway.”
Jarrett also was named this year’s recipient of the NMPA’s Barney Hall Award – named after MRN Radio’s Hall of Fame broadcaster Barney Hall, and presented to an individual for outstanding service and exceptional achievement in the field of motor sports broadcasting. The retired two-time Cup Series champion has covered the sport of stock car racing both as a radio and television commentator, and remains a contributor to “Ned Jarrett’s World of Racing” which is now being hosted by MRN Radio race-day anchor Joe Moore.
