RaceBuddy hits the track for Gatorade Duel event

For the first time NASCAR.COM, the official online destination of NASCAR, will start the season with its popular RaceBuddy product being available as a complement to SPEED coverage of the Gatorade Duel at 2 p.m. ET Thursday.

With multiple live video and audio feeds, real-time leaderboard and integrated social media capabilities serving as a companion to the TV viewing experience, RaceBuddy will provide fans with an interactive lead-in to the official start of the 2010 season, the Daytona 500 at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Watch the Duel

The two 150-mile qualifying races will determine the starting lineup for the Daytona 500.

• 2 p.m. ET Thursday on SPEED

NASCAR.COM also will debut enhanced content, new interactive Fantasy games including the Fantasy Face-off, Nationwide Series Eliminator Challenge and NASCAR.COM Stock Exchange, and a redesigned version of the award-winning TrackPass RaceView.

"With an early season appearance for RaceBuddy and a bold new look for TrackPass RaceView, NASCAR.COM continues to offer fans the most interactive race day experience available," said Matthew Hong, senior vice president and general manager of sports operations for Turner Sports. "And with the new section of the site dedicated to comprehensive coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, robust new fantasy offerings, and recently re-launched video and community sections, NASCAR.COM is still the definitive place for racing fans to gather seven days a week."

This season, NASCAR.COM has added three brand-new fantasy games to play: Fantasy Face-Off, Nationwide Eliminator Challenge and NASCAR.COM Stock Exchange. For a site long-recognized for its top-notch editorial content, the marquee Fantasy game -- Fantasy Face-off -- will feature increased involvement from NASCAR.COM's editorial staff. The games will also offer enhanced leaderboards and easier functionality, providing fans with a quick pit stop to research drivers, make their picks, talk trash and check results. Game Highlights include:

• Fantasy Face-off -- Each week, fans can pick their favorite from 10 driver matchups - determined by the NASCAR.COM editorial staff -- and battle it out with NASCAR.COM writers and their picks.

• Fantasy Cap Challenge -- Fans can create and manage a team of six NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers, play in a public or buddy league, get live race stats and win cash prizes.

• NASCAR.COM Stock Exchange -- In this fan favorite, players can buy, sell and trade to make the best fantasy racing team.

• Streak to the Finish - Refreshed for the 2010 season, fans will pick a driver they believe will finish in the top 10 for the current week's race.

• Nationwide Eliminator Challenge -- Exclusive to the Nationwide Series, fans have the option to pick the driver that they think will do best in each NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

TrackPass RaceView also is unveiling a new bold look in 2010 providing fans with a cleaner interface and easier-to-use functionality. Improvements to the usability of the product were made following fan feedback collected in 2009. Additional premium TrackPass products Scanner and PitCommand will continue to provide fans an unparalleled interactive racing experience with live coverage of all Sprint Cup Series races. Subscribers can still listen to their favorite driver with Scanner and get real-time and in-depth race statistics with PitCommand.

Follow the link to see the new RaceView: http://www.nascar.com/raceview

A first-of-its-kind special section of NASCAR.COM will delve into the Nationwide Series with an exclusive level of access previously unavailable to fans. In addition to the fantasy game, custom features of the site will include: in-depth driver profiles; news coverage, free in-car audio "scanner" allowing fans to listen-in on drivers communicating with pit crews during select races and lap-by-lap real-time editorial updates; virtual lap track simulation video and more. The site also will host an enhanced version of the Nationwide Series Preview Show and On Your Side Race Review, through production capabilities made available by NASCAR Media Group.

New editorial and video content for 2010 on NASCAR.COM will include the following exciting franchises:

• Garage Sweep -- new franchise featuring all the latest news from every NASCAR team

• Exclusive weekly blogs with Michael Waltrip Racing GM Ty Norris (Tyme Out) and Camping World Truck Series driver Ricky Carmichael (Racing with Ricky)

• Re-vamped Fantasy Show -- weekly show featuring Marty Snider, Marc Fein and NASCAR.COM Expert Editorial Staff

• Weekend Top 5 -- Top 5 moments from the weekend - across all series

• Green, White, Checkered Finish -- Mike Bell, Beau Estes debate 3 hot topics from the weekend

• Friday Flashback -- Driver narration of a past race from that upcoming track

• All Access -- a raw look into the behind-the-scenes world of NASCAR

• Miss Sprint Cup -- 18 episodes from Miss Sprint Cup, featuring behind-the-scenes access from the track

And as social media continues to expand, fans can continue to follow NASCAR.COM on Twitter http://twitter.com/NASCAR and on the league official pages on MySpace www.myspace.com/NASCAR and Facebook www.facebook.com/NASCAR. With just under 400,000 fans, NASCAR's Facebook fan page ranks as the second most-popular league fan page on Facebook.