Top Gear Goes Behind The Scenes Of NASCAR April 30 On BBC America

Top Gear Goes Behind The Scenes Of NASCAR April 30 On BBC America

The World’s Biggest Car Show Brings Host Richard Hammond To Texas For The Ultimate NASCAR Experience With Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon And Juan Pablo Montoya

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 17, 2012) – Top Gear, the world’s biggest car show, sends host Richard Hammond to Texas, fully immersing the native-Brit in the world of NASCAR.

During his visit to Texas Motor Speedway, Hammond explores the history of NASCAR and discovers how the sport evolved into the spectacle that it is today. He also discusses American motorsport culture and learns what it’s like to be behind the wheel of a machine running 800-850 horsepower from those who know best, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya. Hammond even gets a driving lesson from Kyle Petty, former NASCAR driver and son of NASCAR legend Richard Petty.

NASCAR fans and petrol-heads alike can catch all the action from race weekend when this episode of Top Gear premieres on BBC AMERICA Monday, April 30 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT.

“I’m not alone in believing in the supremacy of NASCAR,” said Richard Hammond. “It’s currently the most popular spectator sport in America and there are many reasons why it hits the spot with the fans.”

Prior to the Top Gear episode’s premiere, in an exciting event for both NASCAR and BBC AMERICA, five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Jimmie Johnson, will join Top Gear host, Richard  Hammond, for a teleconference on Tuesday, April 24 at 2:30 p.m. ET to discuss their shared experiences at Texas Motor Speedway and the upcoming episode of Top Gear. Further teleconference information will be distributed for media participation on Monday, April 23.

To view photos from BBC AMERICA’s upcoming Top Gear episode featuring NASCAR, please click here. To view a video clip from the upcoming episode, please click here.

Be sure to tune in this Sunday, April 22 to catch Johnson, Gordon, Montoya and the rest of NASCAR’s stars in the STP 400 live from Kansas Speedway at 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for one of North America's premier sports. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and in 20 languages. In the U.S., races are broadcast on FOX, TNT, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2, SPEED and SiriusXM Satellite Radio. NASCAR fans are among the most brand loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as two international series. Also part of NASCAR is GRAND-AM Road Racing, known for its competition on road courses with multiple classes of cars. NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races at 100 tracks in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., NASCAR has offices in eight cities across North America. For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.nascar.com. Follow NASCAR on www.facebook.com/NASCAR or on Twitter: @NASCAR.

About BBC America

BBC AMERICA delivers US audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including an Emmy®, five Golden Globes® and ten Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable’s most affluent and educated audiences and is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 77 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist. Find out more by visiting www.press.bbcamerica.com or follow us on www.twitter.com/bbcamerica.