Greatest Drivers In Stock Car History Ride On SPIKE TV

Spike TV will rank the 52 greatest stock-car drivers of all-time over five one-hour episodes premiering Sunday, May 2 (9:00-10:00pm ET/PT). This original series, Spike 52: Greatest Drivers, will profile the legends of stock-car racing - from the sports' earliest pioneers to today's mega-superstars. The series includes new and archived interviews with stock car's biggest names including Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Matt Kenseth.

"This five-part series is not just a list of the best drivers ever -- but a memorable trip down victory lane profiling the true giants of the sport," said Kevin Kay, Executive Vice President, Programming & Production, Spike TV. "Our audience is passionate about stock-car racing, so we know that this ranking of the top 52 drivers will cause fun debates amongst fans."

The five installments of Spike 52: Greatest Drivers will air each Sunday in May at 9:00pm as part of Spike TV's "Motor-Mayhem"-themed month. The following are descriptions of each episode:

Drivers #52- #41 -- Sunday, May 2 (9:00-10:00pm ET/PT) The countdown kicks off with a combination of what makes racing great. This episode includes legends like Indy & Daytona 500 champ A.J. Foyt and dirt track superstar Ralph Earnhardt; current stars like Jeff Burton and Sterling Marlin; the pioneering African American driver Wendell Scott and the almost too good to believe story of Tiny Lund, who saved a fellow driver from a burning car and turned it into a visit to victory lane at the Daytona 500.

Drivers #40-#31 -- Sunday, May 9 (9:00-10:00pm ET/PT) Superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr. and current Cup champion Matt Kenseth highlight this episode which also features the flamboyant superstar Tim Richmond who won races while he was secretly battling AIDS. This episodes also profiles Alan Kulwicki, who shocked the racing world by winning the 1992 championship in a car he owned and built with virtually no support, but was unable to defend his championship when he died in a plane crash on his way to a race the following season.

Drivers #30-#21 Sunday, May 16 (9:00-10:00pm ET/PT) Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin are among the superstars featured in this episode. Also included are than larger than life characters as Big Buddy Baker - the first man to break NASCAR's 200mph barrier, and the hard charging Curtis Turner, who'd arrive at races in a chauffer driver Rolls Royce impeccably dressed in a three-piece suit.

Drivers #20-#11 Sunday, May 23 (9:00-10:00pm ET/PT) We crack the top twenty with some of the most amazing and inspiring moments in NASCAR history. There's the emotion of a young Dale Jarrett battling Dale Earnhardt for the checkered flag at the Daytona 500, while his father Ned announces the race for a national television audience; and the tragic losses of Fireball Roberts and Davey Allison.

Drivers #10-#1 Sunday, May 30 (9:00-10:00pm ET/PT) These are the legends the crème de la crème of racing. Together these ten have won more than 930 races and 30 championships. But only one will take home the crown as the greatest driver of all time - will it be Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, David Pearson or Richard Petty?

NASCAR's first major television home was TNN (currently Spike TV) from 1990-2000. The sport has since evolved into one the country's premiere sports.

Scott Fishman and Kevin Kay serve as executive producers for Spike 52: Greatest Drivers. Chris Silveira and James Ponti serve as producers, and Jim Burns serves as Spike TV's executive in charge of production. Jerry O'Neill is the series' narrator.

Legendary artist, Sam Bass, who was NASCAR's first officially licensed artist and who creates the car paint schemes for many of the sport's top drivers, will have his original art displayed on the series.