From a press release issued by SPEED: SECOND ANNUAL SPEED PERFORMANCE AWARDS TO AIR IN HIGH-DEF AS PART OF ‘100 HOURS OF DAYTONA IN HD’ SCHEDULE 100,000 FAN VOTES CAST FOR NINE AWARDS MARIO ANDRETTI TO PRESENT SPEED PERFORMER OF THE YEAR The second annual SPEED Performance Awards presented by BF Goodrich and hosted by racers Danica Patrick and Tommy Kendall, will air Feb. 7 at 10 p.m. ET as part of SPEED’s network debut in High Definition. The one-hour special will highlight nine special fan-voted SPEED Performance Awards, including the RACER Magazine Rookie of the Year. An impressive 100,000 fan votes were placed over a four-week period on SPEEDtv.com. Appearances by actor/racer Patrick Dempsey, star of the hit series Grey’s Anatomy and this year’s box-office hit movie, Enchanted, will appear, as will IndyCar Serie driver and Dancing with the Stars champion Helio Castroneves. In addition, SPEED has named 12 finalists for the inaugural SPEED Performer of the Year, including two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, back-to-back World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz, AMA Supercross champ James Stewart, IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti, four-time Champ Car World Series titlist Sebastien Bourdais, MotoGP champ Casey Stoner, Formula One rookie sensation Lewis Hamilton, Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series champions Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty, USAC National Midget Series champion Jerry Coons Jr., USAC sprint car driver Jon Stanbrough, F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series runner-up Jeff Gordon. SPEED on-air personalities Bob Varsha, Dave Despain, Tommy Kendall, Ralph Sheheen and Dorsey Schroeder, along with SPEEDtv.com columnists Robin Miller and Tom Jensen led a panel of voters who submitted nominations, with the top six voter-getters featured in the television special. Racing icon Mario Andretti will present the winner with the Mario Andretti Trophy, created by bronze artist Elie Hazak. For more information on the SPEED Performance Awards and to see video nominees, please visit www.SPEEDtv.com (keyword: Performance). Also scheduled to appear in the show: Jimmy Vasser, Dan Wheldon Scott Dixon, Scott Pruett, Juan Pablo Montoya, Max Papis, Max Angelleli, Jorge Bergmeister and others. SPEED is the nation’s first and foremost cable television network dedicated to motor sports and the passion for everything automotive. From racing to restoration, motorcycles to movies, SPEED delivers quality programming from the track to the garage. Now available in more than 78 million homes in North America, SPEED is among the fastest-growing sports cable networks in the country and, the home to NASCAR on SPEED and an industry leader in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services. For more information, please visit SPEEDtv.com, the online motor sports authority.