NBC Looks to NASCAR to Fill Its NFL Void

In a move to replace NFL programming, NBC on Tuesday signed a contract with Homestead Motor Speedway in Homestead, Fla., to show its first-ever NASCAR race.

The three-year deal begins in 1999, with live coverage of the Jiffy Lube Miami 400 weekend on Nov. 13-14. The Miami 400 will be the second-to-last event on next year’s 34-race Winston Cup schedule.

Homestead is 45% owned by Penske Motorsports, which also owns California Speedway in Fontana, and 55% by the Bill France family’s ISC (International Speedway Corp.)

Neither NBC nor NASCAR officials would say how much the deal was worth, only that it was a “multimillion” contract. ABC paid $5.5 million a year for the rights to the Las Vegas 400, the last event to be added to the Winston Cup schedule.

The Jiffy Lube Miami 400 will be going up against the NFL, but last year’s Winston Cup 500 also went up against the NFL and got a 4.5 rating--about what NBC gets for regular season NBA games.