With a terrific schedule of action this weekend, you’ll have plenty of choices to entertain your guests. As we always encourage, use the programming you purchase to both entertain your guests and gain their trust. Even one TV showing something obscure can create a loyal guest.

And remember, you can find the listings for every sporting event airing on TV in our SportsTV Guide.

AHHH, NASCAR, FINALLY

This weekend kicks off with the beginning of the NASCAR season and it’s all about the newly renovated facilities at the Daytona International Speedway. With the live practice runs on Friday night, your guests will get their first view of the incredible $400 million worth of upgrades. And that’s not the only thing in NASCAR that got upgrades this year. Check out this year’s preview of the new team paint schemes.

Practice continues during Saturday afternoon, however, the big event is the Sprint Unlimited. It’s the first real racing of the NASCAR season. The Daytona 500 pole qualifier airs on Sunday.

THE NBA ALL-STAR BREAK

With the NFL season officially over, the NBA can now take center stage for sports fans. I always started my efforts to consciously push the basketball season directly after the Super Bowl ended, so we typically used the All-Star Weekend to kick things off.

The game itself should be fairly entertaining. Anytime you get Stephen Curry and LeBron James on the same court it’s worth watching. The weekend kicks off with the Celebrity Game followed by the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night.

The Skills Challenge and Slam Dunk contest are on Saturday night. It’s not what it used to be, but you can still build events around it to make it extra exciting. Ask your guests to rank the dunks or guess the number of three-pointers made by each all star. It can be just for fun. It’s a primetime program and you should be busy anyway.

Do something when guests don’t expect it and they will remember how much they enjoyed the party.

Bunches of OTHER STUFF

It’s a great week for alternate content that will catch your guests’ attention.

PGA Pro-Am. Starting with one of my favorites: the PGA visits Pebble Beach on Saturday and Sunday. It’s a Pro-Am at the most beautiful golf facility on the planet. Seeing the amateurs play alongside the top PGA players always makes for great afternoon content.

World Baseball Classic. Baseball returns with the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers in Sidney, Australia. These games start a bit late for venues on the east but make for amazing late night content for west coast sports bars and restaurants.

Six Nations Rugby. The second round of the annual 6 Nations rugby competition airs this weekend. All of the games are on Premium Sports (as PPV), but a few games and replays will be on regular TV with replays on beIN. If you’re a Sports TVGuide subscriber, you’ll find the times and stations in your guides.

Westminster Kennel Club sjekk. Who doesn’t love dogs? The Westminster Kennel Club invades Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. I know it sounds a bit ridiculous, but your guests love it. Trust me.

US Women’s Soccer. The US Women’s National Soccer Team takes on Mexico in an Olympic qualifier. On the heels of their World Cup victory, there is plenty of interest in the USWNT. Plus, airing the game will show that you are a real Title IX believer.

Big Air: Fenway. You may not know this, but I’m from Boston and I love to ski. So check out the best combination of those things — Big Air at Fenway. Skiing at Fenway Park? The Green Monster looming in the background as competitors jump and flip in the air? Awesome!

There you have it. Remember, it only takes a few extra visits from fans of any specific sport to grow your business. Since you are already paying for the programming, it’s madness not to use as much of it as you can to build your business.

Have a great weekend of live sports.

—AIJ