SPEED Adds Ricky Rudd to Speed Center, Monica Palumbo as Social Media Reporter

Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ricky Rudd signed with SPEED this week to be an analyst on the popular weekend motor sports news program, SPEED Center. Rudd, a winner of 23 Cup Series races, including the 1997 Brickyard 400, was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.

“Anytime you add someone with Ricky’s credentials, you give the viewers a voice and a perspective that has real impact,” said SPEED President Scott Ackerson.

Scheduled to begin Feb. 12, Rudd could be in for a long run on the network. After all, his 788 consecutive starts are the most in Cup history, earning the Chesapeake, Va., native the honorary title of NASCAR’s “Ironman.”

“I’m really looking forward to the next chapter,” said Rudd, the 1977 Rookie of the Year. “It’s going to be a lot of fun working with the gang at SPEED.”

Also added to the SPEED team this week, former Miss Sprint Cup Monica Palumbo joins the network as a Social Media Reporter. Palumbo, the longest-serving Miss Sprint Cup, held the position from 2008 through last season and appeared on NASCAR Race Hub and other SPEED programs in that role.

As a Social Media Reporter, Palumbo works with producers, creating original SPEED content for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media outlets. In addition, she provides reports from various tracks and locations and serves as a broadcast contributor with social media updates from second-screen touch points.

SPEED PR