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102-471: The track held 28 races on the NASCAR Grand National tour between 1955 until 1971. It also hosted two NASCAR Busch Grand National (now Xfinity Series ) tour races in 1983. The April 10, 1971, race at Greenville-Pickens Speedway was the first NASCAR race nationally televised from start to finish, on ABC Wide World of Sports . The track opened in 1940 as a half-mile dirt track . It was closed

204-439: A South Central Pennsylvania -based cable television and broadband services provider and unit of the former Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff company, for $ 775 million cash. Comcast previously owned approximately 30% of Susquehanna Communications through its affiliate company, Lenfest . In December 2005, Comcast announced the creation of Comcast Interactive Media , a new division focused on online media. In July 2006, Comcast purchased

306-831: A YouTube competitor. The move was seen by Variety as an attempt to appeal to the cord-cutting market. On April 28, 2016, Comcast officially announced its NBCUniversal division will acquire DreamWorks Animation for $ 3.8 billion. The acquisition completed on August 22, 2016; DreamWorks Animation was integrated into NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment as part of Universal Pictures . Universal took over distribution of DreamWorks Animation films beginning in 2019 with How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World after DreamWorks Animation's deal with 20th Century Fox ended. In September 2016, Comcast confirmed that it would launch an MVNO cellular network with Verizon Wireless . The service, described as being

408-466: A corporate spin-off from its parent, Jerrold Electronics , for U.S. $ 500,000. At the time, American Cable was a small cable operator in Tupelo, Mississippi , with five channels and 12,000 customers. In 1965, American Cable Systems purchased Storecast Corporation of America, a product placement supermarket specialist marketing firm. In 1968, American Cable Systems purchased its first franchise of Muzak ,

510-631: A theme parks operator. It is the fourth-largest telecommunications company by worldwide revenue. Comcast owns and operates the Xfinity residential cable communications business segment and division; Comcast Business, a commercial services provider; and Xfinity Mobile, an MVNO of Verizon. Through NBCUniversal , Comcast is also the owner and operator of over-the-air national broadcast network channels such as NBC , Telemundo , TeleXitos , and Cozi TV ; multiple cable-only channels such as MSNBC , CNBC , USA Network , Syfy , Oxygen , Bravo , and E! ;

612-458: A "Wi-Fi and MVNO-integrated product" was expected to launch in mid-2017. The partnership and the addition of wireless would allow Comcast to offer a quadruple play of services. Including Comcast's Home Security offering, customers now have the option of a Quintuple Play. The service was officially announced on April 6, 2017, as Xfinity Mobile. On November 16, 2017, it was reported that Comcast attempted to purchase 21st Century Fox , following

714-479: A "firm offer". On April 12, the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers ruled that Disney had to acquire all of Sky within 28 days of fully acquiring Fox if the latter's acquisition of Sky was not completed by the time the merger was done, or if Comcast's counter-offer was not accepted. On April 25, 2018, Comcast made its formal counter-bid for Sky plc, offering £12.50 per-share; Sky subsequently withdrew its recommendation of

816-651: A 50/50 partnership that controlled the systems in the Houston , Southwest Texas, San Antonio , and Kansas City markets under the Time Warner Cable brand. After the dissolution, Comcast obtained the Houston system, and Time Warner retained the others. On January 1, 2007, Comcast officially took control of the Houston system but continued to operate under the Time Warner Cable brand until June 19, 2007. Media outlets began reporting on October 1, 2009 that Comcast

918-508: A US$ 60 billion acquisition offer by Comcast in favor of its deal with Disney, due to anti-competition concerns. NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke stated that purchasing Sky would roughly double its presence in English-speaking markets, and allow for synergies between the respective networks and studios of NBCUniversal and Sky. Fox stated that it "remains committed to its recommended cash offer for Sky", and that Comcast had not yet made

1020-479: A brand of background music played in retail stores. Storecast was a client of Muzak. The company was re-incorporated in Pennsylvania on March 5, 1969, under the new name Comcast Corporation . Comcast's initial public offering occurred on June 29, 1972, with a market capitalization of U.S. $ 3,010,000. In 1977, HBO was first launched on a Comcast system with 20,000 customers in western Pennsylvania with

1122-503: A dashboard called SmartZone that allowed users to perform mobile functions online. There was also Cloudmark spam and phishing protection and Trend Micro antivirus . The address book is Comcast Plaxo software. In May 2008, Comcast purchased Plaxo for a reported $ 150 million to $ 170 million. Comcast won the Consumerist Worst Company In America ("Golden Poo") award in 2010. A gold trophy in

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1224-589: A deal to purchase NBC Universal and that a formal announcement could be made sometime the following week. Following a tentative agreement on December 1, the parties announced that Comcast would buy a controlling 51% stake in NBC Universal, including Universal Pictures , for $ 6.5 billion in cash and $ 7.3 billion in programming on December 3. GE would take over the remaining 49% stake in NBC Universal, using $ 5.8 billion to buy out Vivendi's 20% minority stake in NBC Universal. On January 18, 2011,

1326-484: A deal valued at $ 45.2 billion. On February 13, it was reported that Time Warner Cable agreed to the acquisition. This was to add several metropolitan areas to the Comcast portfolio, such as New York City, Los Angeles , Dallas–Fort Worth , Cleveland , Columbus , Cincinnati , Charlotte , San Diego , and San Antonio. Time Warner Cable and Comcast aimed to merge into one company by the end of 2014 and both have praised

1428-660: A decrease of 6.2% compared to the prior year. Annual revenue increased by 4.3% over the same period. Their net debt was $ 91.2 billion, exceeding total shareholders equity of $ 80.9 billion as of December 31, 2022. With $ 18.8 million spent in 2013, Comcast has the seventh largest lobbying budget of any individual company or organization in the United States. Comcast employs multiple former U.S. Congressmen as lobbyists. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association , which has multiple Comcast executives on its board, also represents Comcast and other cable companies as

1530-505: A five-night free preview getting a 15% sign up rate. In 1986, Comcast bought 26% of Group W Cable , a broadcast company, doubling its number of subscribers to 1 million. Also that year, Comcast made a founding investment of $ 380 million in QVC . In 1988, Comcast was able to buy a 50% share of SCI Holdings in a joint deal with Tele-Communications Inc. Comcast also acquired American Cellular Network Corporation in 1988 for $ 230 million, marking

1632-498: A hearing on the deal on April 9, 2014. The House Judiciary Committee planned its own hearing. On March 6, 2014, the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division confirmed it was investigating the deal. In March 2014, the division's chairman, William Baer, recused himself because he was involved in the prior Comcast NBCUniversal acquisition. Several states' attorneys general have announced support for

1734-443: A historic NASCAR track fade away. This media frenzy prompted many upset fans to point out that nearby Anderson Motor Speedway is still open, but could face a similar fate if attendance there drops. Some passionate fans took it upon themselves to reach out via social media to tag famous names in racing, hoping they would be able to save the track from an uncertain fate. The speedway was a popular practice spot for many big names in

1836-605: A new independent company, which is later known as the Fox Corporation since the 2019 launch. However, on December 11, 2017, Comcast officially dropped the bid, saying that "We never got the level of engagement needed to make a definitive offer." On December 14, Disney officially confirmed its acquisition of 21st Century Fox for $ 52.4 billion in stock, pending review from the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division. On February 5, 2018,

1938-699: A new report by CNBC claims that despite the Disney/Fox deal, Comcast was considering topping Disney's $ 52.4 billion offer once the AT&;T – Time Warner merger goes through, after the Department of Justice Antitrust Division sued to block the merger on November 20, 2017. On February 27, 2018, Comcast offered to purchase 61% stake in Sky plc at a value of £12.50 per-share, approximately £22.1 billion. 21st Century Fox, which owns 39% stake in Sky, had previously declined

2040-646: A restoration of North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina, and McFarland converting the defunct DeSoto Speedway in Bradenton, Florida , into the Freedom Factory , where he hosts car shows, exhibition races, and other events. As of March 2023, no official response has been posted by either Earnhardt Jr. or McFarland. Another rumor circulating in early 2023 was that the track had been sold to former driver Benny Brezeale. Allegedly, Brezeale purchased

2142-455: A set-up closer to the current Cup car and some Cup drivers who have tested the car say it has similar handling characteristics. The new car has gone full-time since the 2011 season. In 2007, six out of the top ten drivers in the final point standings were Cup regulars, with Jason Leffler being the only non-Cup driver in that group to win a race in 2007. This number decreased from 2006 when 8 out of 10 drivers were Cup regulars. The decreased number

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2244-596: A seven-race Chase system similar to the one used in the NASCAR Cup Series. Xfinity race fields have varied in the number of drivers. Prior to 2013 , the grid size resembled its Cup counterpart with 43 cars per race; that year, it shrank to 40 maximum cars. The field was further reduced in 2019 and 2020 to 38 and 36, respectively. During the 2020 season, fields were temporarily increased to 40 cars again to accommodate part-time teams that were otherwise unable to qualify due to such sessions being canceled in

2346-401: A technician is coming. On 21 May 2024, Comcast announced Xfinity StreamSaver™, a streaming bundle combining Peacock, Netflix, and Apple TV+ for Xfinity Internet and TV customers. This bundle offered a subscription to Netflix Standard with ads, Peacock Premium, and Apple TV+, promised over 30% savings or nearly $ 100 annually. In April 2005, Comcast and Time Warner Cable announced plans to buy

2448-512: A three-race test of unleaded gasoline in this series that began on July 29, 2006, with a race at Gateway International Raceway . The fuel, Sunoco GT 260 Unleaded, became mandatory in all series starting with the second weekend of the 2007 series, with Daytona being the last race weekend using leaded gasoline. Another distinction between the cars started in 2008: Goodyear had developed a rain tire for NASCAR road course racing in both series but NASCAR had yet to use them under race conditions by

2550-682: A total of 20 U.S. States. According to watchdog group Documented, in 2020 Comcast contributed $ 200,000 to the Rule of Law Defense Fund, a fund-raising arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association that was shown to have provided funding to the Save America March that devolved into an attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 . Comcast offers low cost internet and cable service to schools, subsidized by general broadband consumers through

2652-507: Is also an attribute upon which Comcast receives strong marks. In 2008, Black Enterprise magazine rated Comcast among the top 15 companies for workforce diversity. Comcast reported a net profit in each year during the period 2006 to 2022. As of 2020, the company was ranked 28th on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue. For the fiscal year 2022, Comcast reported earnings of US$ 15.4 billion,

2754-476: Is also the parent company of Sky Group . Comcast is criticized and put under intense public scrutiny for a variety of reasons. Its customer satisfaction ratings were among the lowest in the cable industry during the years 2008–2010. It has violated net neutrality practices in the past and despite its commitment to a narrow definition of net neutrality, critics advocate a definition that precludes any distinction between Comcast's private network services and

2856-485: Is an American multinational telecommunications and media conglomerate incorporated and headquartered in Philadelphia . It is the fourth-largest broadcasting and cable television company worldwide by revenue (behind China Mobile , Verizon , and AT&T ). It is the third-largest pay-TV company, the second-largest cable TV company by subscribers, and the largest home Internet service provider in

2958-478: Is attributed to Cup regulars running only partial schedules, allowing for more NXS regulars to reach the top ten in points. However, the champions from 2006 to 2010 were all Cup regulars driving the full series schedule ( Kevin Harvick , Carl Edwards , Clint Bowyer , Kyle Busch , and Brad Keselowski ). As a result, beginning with the 2011 season, NASCAR implemented a rule stating that drivers could only compete for

3060-467: Is described as a family business . Brian L. Roberts , its chairman and CEO, is the son of founder Ralph J. Roberts (1920–2015). Roberts owns or controls about 1% of all Comcast shares but all of the Class B supervoting shares, giving him an "undilutable 33% voting power over the company". Legal expert Susan P. Crawford has said this gives him "effective control over [Comcast's] every step". In 2010, he

3162-677: Is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series . NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a Cup Series event scheduled for that weekend. The series was previously called the Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series in 1982 and 1983, the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series from 1984 through 2002, the NASCAR Busch Series from 2003 through 2007, and

Greenville-Pickens Speedway - Misplaced Pages Continue

3264-463: Is to gain more "seat time", or to familiarize themselves with the track. Examples of this would be Dale Earnhardt , who won the very first NXS race, and Kyle Busch , who has won the most races in NXS history. In recent years, this practice had been dubbed "Buschwhacking" by its detractors. The colloquialism originated when Anheuser-Busch was the main sponsor of the series by combining the name "Busch" with

3366-556: The Busch East and Winston West series as part of a nationwide standardization of rules for NASCAR's regional racing; both series are now run under ARCA Menards Series banner after NASCAR purchased the organization in 2018). Anheuser-Busch dropped the sponsorship after the 2007 season ; Nationwide Insurance took over the sponsorship for the 2008 season, renaming it the Nationwide Series . The Nationwide sponsorship

3468-890: The Camaro SS , after initially running the Impala and then the Zeta-based Camaro (which coincided with GM's Cup car being its four-door Zeta counterpart, the Holden VF Commodore based Chevrolet SS , being used in Cup at the time). Ford uses the Mustang GT . Toyota runs the Camry , reconfigured in 2015 to resemble the current production model. Toyota announced they would be running the Supra starting in 2019, replacing

3570-682: The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec , another road course. It was won by Kevin Harvick , while Quebec native Patrick Carpentier finished second. In July 2008 , NASCAR announced that the Nationwide Series would not return to Mexico City in 2009 , and in 2012 they announced that it would not be returning to Montreal in 2013 . While the Xfinity Series races at nearly all the same tracks as

3672-528: The Late Model Sportsman Series in 1968, and soon featured races on larger tracks such as Daytona International Speedway . Drivers used obsolete Grand National cars on larger tracks but by the inception of the touring format in 1982 , the series used older compact cars. Short track cars with relatively small 300 cubic inch V-8 motors were used. Drivers used smaller current year models featuring V6 motors. The modern-day Xfinity Series

3774-656: The NASCAR Nationwide Series from 2008 through 2014. Since 2015, it is sponsored by Comcast via its consumer cable and wireless brand Xfinity . The series emerged from NASCAR's Sportsman division, which had been formed in 1950 as NASCAR's short track race division. It was NASCAR's fourth series (after the Modified and Roadster series in 1948 and Strictly Stock Series in 1949). The sportsman cars were not current model cars and could be modified more, but not as much as Modified series cars . It became

3876-1351: The National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville (November 2, 2024). 1982  J. Ingram 1983  S. Ard 1984  S. Ard 1985  J. Ingram 1986  L. Pearson 1987  L. Pearson 1988  T. Ellis 1989  R. Moroso 1990  C. Bown 1991  B. Labonte 1992  J. Nemechek 1993  S. Grissom 1994  D. Green 1995  J. Benson Jr. 1996  R. LaJoie 1997  R. LaJoie 1998  D. Earnhardt Jr. 1999  D. Earnhardt Jr. 2000  J. Green 2001  K. Harvick 2002  G. Biffle 2003  B. Vickers 2004  M. Truex Jr. 2005  M. Truex Jr. 2006  K. Harvick 2007  C. Edwards 2008  C. Bowyer 2009  Ky. Busch 2010  B. Keselowski 2011  R. Stenhouse Jr. 2012  R. Stenhouse Jr. 2013  A. Dillon 2014  C. Elliott 2015  C. Buescher 2016  D. Suárez 2017  W. Byron 2018  T. Reddick 2019  T. Reddick 2020  A. Cindric 2021  D. Hemric 2022  T. Gibbs 2023  C. Custer 2024  J. Allgaier Comcast Comcast Corporation , formerly known as Comcast Holdings ,

3978-545: The United Kingdom , the Xfinity races—in full and highlights—are available on Premier Sports 2 . All races are live on Sports Illustrated Television channels using FOX's or NBC's coverage with highlights on Fox Sports Asia . Since the early days of the Xfinity Series, many NASCAR Cup Series drivers have used their days off to drive in the NXS. This can be for any number of reasons, most prominent or often claimed

4080-712: The 20% which requires official registration . Comcast's PAC , the Comcast Corporation and NBCUniversal Political Action Committee, is among the largest PACs in the U.S., raising about $ 3.7 million from 2011 to 2012 for the campaigns of various candidates for office in the United States Federal Government . Comcast is also a major backer of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association Political Action Committee, which raised $ 2.6 million from 2011 to 2012. Comcast spent

4182-640: The Camry, which had been run in the series since Toyota joined the Xfinity Series in 2007. Dodge teams used the Challenger R/T model, despite the manufacturer pulling all factory support after 2012 (though it continued in Canada as FCA Canada still supports the Pinty's Series). Following Dodge's exit, smaller underfunded teams continued to run second-hand Challenger chassis without factory support (thus earning

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4284-604: The Cup Series, there are some stand-alone weekends in the Xfinity Series, with the only one being Portland in 2024 . In 2016, the NXS and Truck Series adopted a playoff format similar to the NASCAR Cup Series Chase for the Championship. Unlike the Cup Series, whose Chase consists of four rounds, the Xfinity Series and Truck Series both use a three-round format. After each of the first two rounds,

4386-549: The FCC approved the deal by a vote of 4 to 1. The transaction was completed on January 28, 2011. In December 2012, Comcast adopted a new corporate logo, which incorporates NBC's peacock logo to signify its ownership of the broadcaster. On February 12, 2013, Comcast announced that it would acquire the remaining 49% of General Electric's interest in NBCUniversal, in a deal valued at approximately $ 16.7 billion. The acquisition

4488-490: The NASCAR Cup Series began racing with the Car of Tomorrow , a radically new specification different from the NXS. NASCAR Cup Series drivers have admitted that driving the Xfinity car the day before the race does little to help with the NASCAR Cup Series race, as the cars differ greatly. This loosely resulted in the new Nationwide Series car making its debut in the 2010 Subway Jalapeño 250 at Daytona International Speedway. This car has

4590-447: The NXS take away opportunities from the NXS regulars, usually younger and less experienced drivers. On the other hand, many fans claim that without the NASCAR Cup Series stars and the large amount of fan interest they attract on their own races, the NXS would be inadequate as a high-tier division. In addition, many NXS drivers have welcomed the Cup drivers because it gives them the opportunity to drive with more seasoned veterans. In 2007,

4692-902: The National Digital Television Center in Centennial, Colorado as a wholly owned subsidiary, now known as the Comcast Media Center . In 2003, Comcast became one of the original investors in The Golf Channel . After Excite@Home went bankrupt in October 2001, Comcast took over providing internet directly to consumers in January 2002. On February 11, 2004, Comcast announced a $ 54 billion bid for Disney, including taking on $ 12 billion of Disney's debt. The deal would have made Comcast

4794-871: The Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore , Orange County, California , Sarasota and Union, New Jersey areas. Comcast's cable acquisitions in 1997 were Jones Intercable, Inc. with 1 million customers, and a stake in Prime Communications with 430,000 subscribers. In February 1998, Comcast sold its U.K. division to NTL for US$ 600 million, along with the division's $ 397 million in debt. In 1999, Comcast sold Comcast Cellular to SBC Communications for $ 400 million, releasing them from $ 1.27 billion in debt. Also in 1999, Comcast acquired Greater Philadelphia Cablevision, and launched Comcast University as well as Comcast Interactive Capital Group. In November 1999, Comcast purchased Lenfest Communications, who were

4896-734: The Seattle-based software company thePlatform. This represented an entry into a new line of business—selling software to allow companies to manage their Internet (and IP-based) media publishing efforts. On April 3, 2007, Comcast announced it would acquire the cable systems owned and operated by Patriot Media, a privately held company owned by cable veteran Steven J. Simmons, Spectrum Equity Investors and Spire Capital, that served approximately 81,000 video subscribers for $ 483 million. Comcast announced in May 2007 and launched in September 2008

4998-539: The U.S. government's E-Rate program. Critics have noted that many of the strongest supporters of Comcast's business deals have received substantial funding from the Comcast Foundation. However, it is important to note that for years, Comcast has been relying on subsidiaries to finance philanthropic pursuits. In 1963, Ralph J. Roberts in conjunction with his two business partners, Daniel Aaron and Julian A. Brodsky , purchased American Cable Systems as

5100-551: The United States. In 2023, the company was ranked 51st in the Forbes Global 2000 . Comcast is additionally the nation's third-largest home telephone service provider . It provides services to U.S. residential and commercial customers in 40 states and the District of Columbia . As the owner of NBCUniversal since 2011, Comcast is also a high-volume producer of films for theatrical exhibition and television programming, and

5202-582: The assets of bankrupted Adelphia Cable . The two companies paid a total of $ 17.6 billion in the deal that was finalized in the second quarter of 2006—after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) completed a seven-month investigation without raising an objection. Time Warner Cable became the second-largest cable provider in the U.S., ranking behind Comcast. As part of the deal, Time Warner Cable and Comcast traded existing subscribers in order to consolidate them into larger geographic clusters. In August 2006, Comcast and Time Warner Cable dissolved

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5304-481: The cars still used V6 engines. The cars gradually became similar to Cup cars. In 1995, changes were made. The series switched to V-8s with a compression ratio of 9:1 (as opposed to 14:1 for Cup at the time). The vehicle weight with driver was set at 3,300 pounds (as opposed to 3,400 for Cup). The body style changes, as well as the introduction of V-8s, made the two series' cars increasingly similar. The suspensions , brake systems, transmissions, were identical between

5406-563: The companies ultimately decided to keep only the Comcast name, with the company and new assets reincorporated in Pennsylvania on December 7, 2001. On November 18, 2002, Comcast officially acquired all assets of AT&T Broadband, thus making Comcast the largest cable television company in the United States with over 22 million subscribers. This spurred the start of Comcast Advertising Sales (using AT&T's groundwork) which would later be renamed Comcast Spotlight and now effectv, A Comcast Company. As part of this acquisition, Comcast also acquired

5508-493: The company was prompted to lay off a number of their employees; revenue for their theme park locations fell 81 percent to $ 311 million from $ 1.63 billion in 2019. In 2024, Comcast signed a deal with Starlink to provide satellite-based connectivity to business customers in regions with limited network access. On February 12, 2014, the Los Angeles Times reported that Comcast sought to acquire Time Warner Cable in

5610-608: The company was so widely criticized by its customers, the media, and its own workers. It concluded that Comcast's staff endured unreasonable corporate policies: "Customer service has been replaced by an obsession with sales; technicians are understaffed … tech support is poorly trained, and the company is hobbled by internal fragmentation." A widely read article by an anonymous Comcast call center employee appeared in November 2014 on Cracked . Titled "Five Nightmares You Live While Working For America's Worst Company", it claimed that Comcast

5712-409: The deal, emphasizing the increased capabilities of a combined telecommunications network, and to "create operating efficiencies and economies of scale". In 2014, critics expressed concern that the deal would give Comcast greater negotiating power in a number of areas, including rebroadcast fees with television channels, and peering agreements with ISPs. Critics noted in 2013 that Tom Wheeler ,

5814-414: The drivers' championship in one of three national series (Cup, Xfinity, and Truck) of the drivers' choosing. On October 26, 2016, NASCAR announced plans to limit Cup participation in the lower series starting in 2017. Cup drivers who were competing for points in the Cup Series with at least five years of experience in the series would be allowed to compete in up to 10 NXS races, but are banned from racing in

5916-525: The federal investigation. On April 24, 2015, Jonathan Sallet, general counsel of the F.C.C., explained that he was going to recommend a hearing before an administrative law judge, equivalent to a collapse of the deal. In August 2015, Comcast announced that it would increase Internet speeds for low-income customers from 5 Mbit/s to 10 Mbit/s, provide free wireless routers, and pilot an initiative to increase Internet access for low-income senior citizens. In September of that year Comcast also launched Watchable,

6018-429: The fifth largest lobbying organization in the United States, spending $ 19.8 million in 2013. Comcast was among the top backers of Barack Obama 's presidential runs, with Comcast vice president David Cohen raising over $ 2.2 million from 2007 to 2012. Cohen has been described by many sources as influential in the U.S. government, though he is no longer a registered lobbyist, as the time he spends lobbying falls short of

6120-458: The film studio Universal Pictures ; the VOD streaming service Peacock ; animation studios DreamWorks Animation , Illumination , and Universal Animation Studios ; and Universal Destinations & Experiences . It also has significant holdings in digital distribution, such as thePlatform , which it acquired in 2006; and ad-tech company FreeWheel, which it acquired in 2014. Since October 2018, Comcast

6222-591: The first half of the season. Like the previous time Fox held rights to the series, most of the coverage aired on cable, though this time on FS1 . Four races aired on Fox itself until 2019, when all races moved to FS1. The second half of the NXS season is televised by NBC Sports . Four to five races air on NBC itself, while the others air on NBCSN (until 2020) or, during the Olympics, CNBC or USA Network (prior to 2020). Since 2021, USA Network had carried all races not aired on NBC or Fox Sports. On July 28, 2023, it

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6324-582: The first time it became a mobile phone operator . In February 1990, Ralph Roberts' son, Brian L. Roberts, succeeded his father as president of Comcast. Two years later, the company's mobile division, Comcast Cellular, purchased a controlling interest in Metromedia 's Philadelphia-area cellular telephone interests, Metrophone. By 1994, Comcast owned 50% stock in the cable communications company Garden State Cable , who by that year were serving approximately 195,000 subscribers. That same year, Comcast became

6426-541: The following year for World War II like all race tracks in the United States. It reopened on July 4, 1946, in a race promoted by Bill France Sr. The race was the third of the day after 2 horse races. NASCAR began racing at the track in 1955. The track was paved as an asphalt track in April 1970. The last NASCAR Grand National race was held at the track in 1971, when NASCAR began cutting small tracks from its schedule. The NASCAR Grand National Division's Busch North Series name

6528-472: The four Chase grid drivers with the fewest season points are eliminated from the grid and Chase contention. In the 1980s, races were sparsely shown, mainly by ESPN if they were covering the cup race at the same track. Starting in 1990, more races began to be shown. By the mid-1990s, all races were shown. Most standalone races were aired on TNN , which helped grow coverage of the series, while races that were companion races with Winston Cup dates mostly aired on

6630-602: The front wheel on the Next Gen. The then Nationwide Series unveiled its "Car of Tomorrow" (CoT) at the July 2010 race at Daytona International Speedway . Before being fully integrated in the 2011 season, it was also used in 2010 races at Michigan International Speedway , Richmond International Raceway and Charlotte Motor Speedway . The Xfinity CoT has important differences from the NASCAR Cup Series CoT , and

6732-401: The head of the FCC, which has to approve the deal, is the former head of both the largest cable lobbying organization, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, and as largest wireless lobby, CTIA – The Wireless Association . According to Politico , Comcast "donated to almost every member of Congress who has a hand in regulating it". The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held

6834-413: The historic restrictor plate racing era such as Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart among many other fan favorites over the years. With this small track having this level of notoriety, fans hoped big names in the racing community like Dale Earnhardt Jr. , and Cleetus McFarland would come to the rescue. In recent years, both men have worked hard to resurrect dead or dying tracks, with Earnhardt Jr. financing

6936-591: The largest media conglomerate in the world. However, after rejection by Disney and uncertain response from investors, the bid was abandoned in April. In 2004, Comcast sold its QVC shares to Liberty Media for $ 7.9 billion. On April 8, 2005, a partnership led by Comcast and Sony Pictures Entertainment finalized a deal to acquire MGM and its affiliate studio, United Artists , and created an additional outlet to carry MGM/UA's material for cable and Internet distribution. On October 31, 2005, Comcast officially announced that it had acquired Susquehanna Communications ,

7038-475: The launch of the @Home Network . Also in 1996, Comcast formed Comcast Spectacor , which became owner of the Philadelphia Flyers. In 1997, Microsoft invested $ 1 billion in Comcast, and the company launched its digital TV service. That same year, in partnership with The Walt Disney Company , Comcast got a 50.1% controlling interest in E! Entertainment. By December 31, 1997, it was available in

7140-868: The most money of any organization in support of the Stop Online Piracy and PROTECT IP bills, spending roughly $ 5 million to lobby for their passage. Comcast also backs lobbying and PACs on a regional level, backing organizations such as the Tennessee Cable Telecommunications Association and the Broadband Communications Association of Washington PAC. Comcast and other cable companies have lobbied state governments to pass legislation restricting or banning individual cities from offering public broadband service. Municipal broadband restrictions of varying scope have been passed in

7242-485: The network airing the Cup race. TNN aired some of these races, which also aired on CBS , NBC , ESPN , ABC and TBS . From 2001 until 2006, Fox Sports covered the entire first half of the Busch Grand National season, while NBC and TNT both aired races during the second half, with Turner Sports producing all the coverage for both networks. However, in even numbered years, coverage was changed, with

7344-469: The network's schedule. Televisa Deportes also broadcast a 30-minute recap every Sunday morning on national television in Mexico . In Brazil , BandSports carries all three series. Network Ten 's additional high-definition service, ONE , began broadcasting races from the NXS live or near live during the 2008 season. ONE continued to air highlights packages of each race until the end of 2014. Broadcasts of

7446-455: The new company, while Comcast owned 51%. Vivendi , which owns 20%, would have to sell its stake to GE. It was reported that under the current deal with GE that it would happen in November or December. It was also reported that Time Warner would be interested in placing a bid, until CEO Jeffrey L. Bewkes directly denied interest, leaving Comcast the sole bidder. On November 1, 2009, The New York Times reported Comcast had moved closer to

7548-571: The news 10 days earlier that Disney negotiated with Fox to acquire the same assets. Like Disney, the deal included the 20th Century Fox film and television studios, cable entertainment and broadcast satellite networks including FX Networks , National Geographic Partners , Fox Sports Networks , and international channels such as Star India . It would not include the Fox Broadcasting Company , Fox Television Stations , Fox Sports , and Fox News units, all which will be spun-off into

7650-401: The nickname "Zombie Dodges"). As a result of a rules change after the 2018 season, all Challenger chassis were rendered ineligible for competition, as the series made the switch to composite body panels. Since FCA had pulled factory support years earlier, no new body was submitted for competition, ending the possibility of running a Challenger chassis in the series. All figures correct as of

7752-493: The ninth largest cable television operator at the time and were the largest operator in the Philadelphia area. This consolidated Comcast's control over all of the Philadelphia region, and earned them approximately 1.3 million additional cable subscribers. The purchase of Lenfest also bought Comcast the remaining 50% stock of the cable operator Garden State Communications — a company whom Comcast had already owned half of in partnership with Lenfest for years. Comcast quickly replaced

7854-607: The now-retired Generation 4 style car. The body and aerodynamic package differs from the NASCAR Cup Series cars, marketing American pony cars from the 1960s such as the Ford Mustang , Dodge Challenger , and Chevrolet Camaro . The change to share the same CoT chassis as the Cup series resulted in the wheelbase being lengthened from 105 to 110 inches Each manufacturer uses a distinct body design (similar to 1960s muscle cars), built within strict aerodynamic guidelines provided by NASCAR. The Chevrolet car body currently resembles

7956-471: The opening race at Daytona airing on NBC in 2004, on TNT in 2002 and 2006 (due to NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics ) and the track's July race airing on FX. Large portions of Fox's coverage aired on sister network FX , with a few marquee events on the network itself. From 2007 until 2014, ESPN was the home of the renamed Nationwide Series. Generally four races per season aired on ABC, with

8058-468: The raceway, an included 100,000-square-foot building on the property and 305 acres of land surrounding the track for an unknown amount of money, but this has not been confirmed, and recent developments have contradicted this. Reported on March 9, 2023, local news outlet WYFF4 shared that the track was under contract. The broker heralding the deal has stated that while offers have been made, including aggressive acquisition attempts from Realtylink ,any deal

8160-468: The remainder on ESPN, ESPN2 , and ESPNews . Early in ESPN's run, ESPN Classic was used for NNS overflow, however with less carriage of that network, this practice ended. Fox Sports made a return to the series, airing the 2011 Bubba Burger 250 at Richmond on Speed Channel , as ESPN gave up its exclusive rights to the race because of programming conflicts. In 2015, the NXS returned to Fox Sports during

8262-766: The rest of the Internet. Critics also point out a lack of competition in the vast majority of Comcast's service areas; in particular, the limited competition among cable providers. Given its negotiating power as a large ISP, some suspect that it could leverage paid peering agreements to unfairly influence end-user connection speeds. Its ownership of both content production (in NBCUniversal) and distribution (as an ISP) has raised antitrust concerns. These issues and others led to Comcast being dubbed "The Worst Company in America" by The Consumerist in 2010 and 2014. Comcast

8364-523: The second-tallest skyscraper in Pennsylvania. In the fall of 2018, it finished construction of the 1,121 ft (342 m) Comcast Technology Center , Pennsylvania's tallest skyscraper, adjacent to its original headquarters. As of 2019, the company had 184,000 employees. Comcast is often criticized by the media and its own staff for its less-than-upstanding policies of employee relations. A 2014 investigative series published by The Verge involved interviews with 150 Comcast employees, and examined why

8466-549: The series are now exclusively shown on the Fox Sports pay TV channels. All races are live on TSN channels using FOX's or NBC's coverage. Also, races are broadcast on RDS or RDS2 in French using the world feed produced by NASCAR. In 2012, Motors TV broadcasts all Xfinity races live, delayed and highlights, until 2018 when the channel ceased operations. In Portugal , SPORT TV broadcasts every Xfinity races live. In

8568-540: The series' regular season finale, Chase, and Dash 4 Cash races. In the early 1980s, teams were switching from the General Motors 1971–77 X-Body compact cars with 311-cubic inch engines. Later, teams were using General Motors 1982–87 G-body cars. Ford teams have used the Thunderbird cars consistently. In 1989, NASCAR changed rules requiring cars to use current body styles, similar to the Cup cars. However,

8670-413: The shape of a pile of human feces was delivered to Comcast Corporate Headquarters to commemorate the unmatched level of enmity flowing from their customer base to their business. Comcast responded immediately by publicly acknowledging the dubious award and citing ongoing efforts to improve its customer service. One effort to change this is a new app called Tech ETA that allows customers to see exactly when

8772-423: The ten-year general manager at Garden State with their own executive, and eventually Garden State ceased operating under its own name and was fully merged to become a part of the Comcast Corporation. In 2001, Comcast announced it would acquire the assets of the largest cable television operator at the time, AT&T Broadband , for $ 44.5 billion. The proposed name for the merged company was "AT&T Comcast", but

8874-416: The term " bushwhacker ," but it has gradually fallen out of use since Anheuser-Busch's sponsorship ended. Other nicknames, such as Claim Jumper (for when Nationwide was the series sponsor), and Signal Pirate (for the current sponsor Xfinity) have never really caught on, although the generic term "Cup leech" is often used after the end of Busch sponsorship. Critics claim that NASCAR Cup Series drivers racing in

8976-414: The third-largest cable operator in the United States, with around 3.5 million subscribers following its purchase of Maclean-Hunter 's American division for $ 1.27 billion. Comcast grew to 4.3 million subscribers the following year with the purchase of the cable operation of E. W. Scripps Company for $ 1.575 billion in stock. Comcast offered internet connection for the first time in 1996, with its part in

9078-478: The time NASCAR abandoned the program for the Cup Series in 2005 (the Cup Series eventually used rain tires at the 2020 Bank of America Roval 400 and 2021 Texas Grand Prix ), but the Busch Series continued to use rain tires in races at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve , since the races could not be planned with rain dates. When rain started to fall at the 2008 NAPA Auto Parts 200 ,

9180-499: The tires were used in the rain for the first time. Another distinction was added in 2012, when NASCAR changed the fuel delivery system in the Cup cars from carburetion to fuel injection . NXS cars continue to use carburetors. Furthermore, with the Cup Series' switch to Next Gen car in 2022, Xfinity cars (as well as Truck Series vehicles) continue to use traditional five-lug steel wheels and centered door numbers, as opposed to an aluminum center lock wheel and numbers being placed behind

9282-496: The two series, but The Car of Tomorrow eliminates some of these commonalities. The Car of Tomorrow is taller and wider than the Generation 4 -based vehicles in the then-Nationwide Series, and until 2010, it utilizes a front "splitter", opposed to a front valance. The Car of Tomorrow also set pole speeds slower than the NXS cars at companion races. Previously, Busch Series cars used fuel that contained lead . NASCAR conducted

9384-731: The wake of the COVID-19 pandemic . On March 6, 2005 , the series held its first race outside the United States, the Telcel-Motorola 200 . The race was held in Mexico City , Mexico at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez , a track that has held Formula One and Champ Car races in the past. It was won by Martin Truex Jr. On August 4, 2007 , the series held its second race outside the United States, at

9486-503: Was a seven-year contract, and did not include the banking and mortgage departments of Nationwide. The sponsorship reportedly carried a $ 10 million commitment for 2008, with 6% annual escalations thereafter. On September 3, 2014, it was announced that Comcast would become the new title sponsor of the series via its cable television and internet brand Xfinity , renaming it the Xfinity Series . In 2016 , NASCAR implemented

9588-590: Was announced the Xfinity Series will move exclusively to The CW in 2025 as part of a seven-year deal. It was then announced on April 11, 2024, that the move would begin a year early to broadcast the final eight races of the 2024 season. The NXS is available in most Latin American countries on cable and satellite TV. Since 2006, Fox Sports 3 (formerly called SPEED until 2013) carries live coverage of all events. The races are also shown on Fox Sports Latin America , some of them live and some tape-delayed depending on

9690-536: Was changed to Busch East Series in 2006 after the series' first Southern race, held at this track. Beginning in February 2023, after months of speculation and a lack of a race schedule posted, many unconfirmed and unsubstantiated rumors began to rapidly circulate about the track on social media. Most of these rumors began in the "Greenville-Pickens Speedway Fans" group on Facebook. Race fans flocked to social media to share their thoughts and opinions, with many sad to see

9792-571: Was completed on March 19, 2013. Comcast reported that third-quarter net profits in 2020 fell 37 percent to $ 2.02 billion from $ 3.22 billion the previous year, in part due to the limited capacity measures for the COVID-19 pandemic at theme parks like Universal Studios and movie theaters, with revenues falling 4.8 percent. With their theme park in California being closed since March 2020 and limited capacity at locations in Florida and Japan ,

9894-410: Was far from closing. Its current fate remains unknown. ^ = Flag to flag Track officials began writing its track champions on the wall in 1971, and they went back to 1957. 34°50′0″N 82°30′1″W  /  34.83333°N 82.50028°W  / 34.83333; -82.50028 Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series ( NXS ) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR . It

9996-480: Was formed in 1982, when Anheuser-Busch sponsored a newly reformed late-model sportsman series with its Budweiser brand. In 1984, the series switched sponsorship to Anheuser-Busch's Busch Beer brand and was renamed the Busch Grand National Series . "Grand National" was dropped from the series' title in 2003 as part of NASCAR's brand identity (the "Grand National" name was later used for

10098-496: Was in talks to buy NBC Universal . Comcast denied the rumors at first, while NBC would not comment on them. However, CNBC itself reported on October 1 that General Electric was considering spinning NBC Universal off into a separate company that would merge the NBC television network and its cable properties such as USA Network, Syfy and MSNBC, as well as Universal Pictures , with Comcast's content assets. GE would maintain 49% control of

10200-548: Was included on CableFAX magazine's "Top 10 Places to Work in Cable", which cited its "scale, savvy and vision". Similarly, the Philadelphia Business Journal awarded Comcast the silver medal among extra-large companies in Philadelphia, with the gold medal going to partner organization, Comcast-Spectacor. The Boston Globe found Comcast to be that city's top place to work in 2009. Employee diversity

10302-810: Was obsessed with sales, did not train its employees properly, and concluded that "the system makes good customer service impossible." Comcast has also earned a reputation as anti-union. A company training manual says, "Comcast does not feel union representation is in the best interest of its employees, customers, or shareholders". A dispute in 2004 with CWA , a labor union representing many employees at Comcast's Beaverton, Oregon offices, led to allegations of management intimidating workers, requiring them to attend anti-union meetings and unwarranted disciplinary action for union members. In 2011, Comcast received criticism from Writers Guild of America for its policies regarding unions. Despite these criticisms, Comcast has appeared on multiple "top places to work" lists. In 2009, it

10404-507: Was one of the highest paid executives in the United States, with total compensation of about $ 31 million. As of February 18, 2024: Comcast is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and has offices in Atlanta , Detroit , Denver , Manchester, New Hampshire and New York City . On January 3, 2005, it announced it would become the anchor tenant in the new Comcast Center in downtown Philadelphia—at 975 ft (297 m),

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