Petty to call Sonoma race for TNT from inside his car

TNT will enhance its broadcast at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 in Sonoma, Calif. on June 24 with TNT analyst Kyle Petty climbing back in his No. 45 Dodge to compete in the Cup Series race and provide first-hand race commentary from behind the wheel. Petty will contribute to TNT's coverage with Bill Weber and Wally Dallenbach in the announcers booth during the pre and post race shows as well as throughout the race, giving viewers insight directly from the racetrack.

"I think we can take the viewer to the next level," Petty said. "We have all the technology to do it from a broadcast perspective, and we can do it from the team perspective. I think it's going to be pretty cool for TNT and all the fans. I don't think we are out there reinventing the wheel, but hopefully we can break some new ground with what we are going to do."

Also on Sunday, the network's popular Pride of NASCAR series, which has featured veteran drivers David Pearson and Benny Parsons, will continue with a profile of one of the early superstars of NASCAR, Junior Johnson. TNT's Marty Snider visited Johnson on his ranch in North Carolina where he discussed the origins of his career which were embedded in running moonshine across the South. Johnson tells Snider how he parlayed his success in outrunning the law into a 50-win NASCAR career and earning a place as one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers.

As TNT revs up for coverage of the second road course this season, TNT pit reporters will talk to Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, who between them have won 14 of the last 20 road course races. Also, Juan Montoya will be profiled as he won the only road race in NASCAR so far in 2007 when he took the checkered flag in the Mexico City Busch Series race. Finally, viewers will meet special drivers in Sunday's race called "Road Warriors," specialists who are brought in to try and take a victory away from the Cup Series regulars.

TNT's Wally's World segment continues at Infineon Raceway as Dallenbach hosts actor Bailey Chase for a wild ride-along. Chase stars in the new TNT drama Saving Grace, in which he plays Detective Butch Ada alongside Academy Award winner Holly Hunter.

NASCAR on TNT's Toyota/Save Mart 350 coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR on TNT Live! and Allstate Countdown to Green featuring TNT announcers Marc Fein, Weber, Petty, Dallenbach and Larry McReynolds. The pit reporting crew of Snider, Matt Yocum, Ralph Sheheen and Lindsay Czarniak will check in throughout pre-race coverage and during the race which revs up at 5 p.m. ET.

As TNT offers exclusive coverage of NASCAR, NASCAR.COM will also continue to provide content and merchandise not available anywhere else, such as one-of-a-kind NASCAR-themed Gibson guitars, designed by renowned NASCAR artist Sam Bass, which are being auctioned off to benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp. This week's guitar features exclusive artwork of Stewart, along with Stewart's autograph and autographs from the rock band Hinder. The auction of Stewart's guitar will close on Mon., June 25 and will continue with Kasey Kahne, Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in subsequent weeks. Hinder remade the classic hit Born to Be Wild, which serves as TNT's anthem to promote the 2007 NASCAR on TNT Summer Series.

NASCAR.COM will continue to provide exclusive coverage of the network's telecasts on TNT Inside Angle, a new section on the award-winning Web site that gives fans an exciting glimpse of all the behind-the-scenes action of the NASCAR on TNT Summer Series. Featured on the site are exclusive broadband content from the TNT announcers and telecasts, including live video streaming from cameras on pit road, race previews from TNT announcers and behind-the-scenes footage of the TNT production crew in action. NASCAR.COM is the only place to find the Pit Box Breakdown, a graphic indicating the pit road position of every driver prior to the race. A full TNT schedule, announcer bios and exclusive editorial pieces from the broadcast team are also available.