Finalists Announced for Announcer Search
Fans to Vote for their Favorite for UNOH Battle At The Beach
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Daytona International Speedway’s UNOH Battle At The Beach announcer search has been narrowed to five finalists. Now race fans have the chance to select their favorite local NASCAR Home Track public address announcer to join the announcing team for the inaugural event on Feb. 18-19.
The five finalists are:
• Jim Burns – The booming voice of Elko Speedway in Minnesota, Burns’ enthusiasm, passion and “wild sense of humor” have been welcoming race fans for 27 seasons.
• Joe Coss – From the booth to the pits and in Victory Lane, Coss entertains race fans at Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut with his technical knowledge and insight.
• Eric Huenefeld – From his home track of Rockford Speedway in Illinois, Huenefeld is known for the passion, knowledge and excitement he brings to his race commentary.
• Adam Mackey – A seasoned veteran from Barberton Raceway Park in Ohio, Mackey has called races across the country throughout his career.
• JW Martin – Martin’s career began at the early age of four calling races on his living room floor. Now he is the voice of Motor Mile Speedway in Virginia.
Between Aug. 10 and Sept. 30, fans can view each finalist’s video auditions at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/announcer and vote for their favorite announcer. The winner, who will be announced at the postseason championship celebrations for the NASCAR regional and touring series in Charlotte in December, will join the UNOH Battle At The Beach announcing team at Daytona International Speedway in February 2013.
In June, Daytona International Speedway invited short track fans around the country to nominate their local short track talent to be one of the announcers for the inaugural UNOH Battle At The Beach, which will feature two days of racing headlined by three non-points special events in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, NASCAR Whelen Modified tours and the Late Model division of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
For an announcer to qualify for the contest, they must have announced for at least one race in 2012 in the following series: NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Division 1, NASCAR Toyota Series, Euro Racecar NASCAR Touring Series, NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour or NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
Nominations were narrowed down to 10 semifinalists who were then asked to submit an audition video and a pitch video. A committee of judges selected the five finalists based on the video submissions and nominations.
Ticket information for the 2013 UNOH Battle At The Beach will be available in the coming weeks.
Tickets for NASCAR’s biggest, richest and most prestigious race – the 55th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 24 – start at $65 and are available at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.
For the second straight year, the Speedway is offering special youth pricing for the Daytona 500. Children 12 and under will receive 50 percent off all Backstretch grandstand seats for the Daytona 500 while supplies last. In addition, children 12 and under are free in the Sprint FANZONE throughout Budweiser Speedweeks.
Fans can follow NASCAR on Twitter (@NASCAR) and stay up to speed on the latest news by using hashtags #NASCAR and #DAYTONA500 and #NASCARBattle. In addition, fans can also stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ for all the latest news all season long.
Sources: Daytona International Speedway PR