NBC will air inaugural supercross event

The invitational, slated for October at the Home Depot Center, is named after supercross champion Jeremy McGrath (above).

NBC Sports and Wasserman Media Group completed a deal to televise the inaugural Jeremy McGrath Invitational, a supercross-style event that will feature 20 invited riders racing around a dirt track in pursuit of a $500,000 purse.

The event is scheduled for Oct. 6-7 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. It will air on NBC on Oct. 22.

McGrath, a seven-time AMA Supercross champion, has participated in made-for-TV events, but this marks his first as the namesake. Wasserman Media Group, the event’s owner, is employing the help of track designer Randy Mennenga, and plans are in the works to create a unique course that features bigger jumps than the supercross tour.

WMG considers the event another step in its effort to get involved in motorsports events. The company has worked with Rally America Inc., which has a nine-stop race series in the U.S. and joins the X Games this summer. WMG will use its marketing and event division to produce and promote the McGrath Invitational.

“New motorsports is one of the largest sections we’re going to grow in,” said Stephen Astephen of WMG, who helped create the event. “We believe motorsports is not only consumer friendly but also spectator friendly, and it can be grown much larger than the stick-and-ball sports.”