All times Eastern

SUNDAY, FEB. 18

The Daytona 500

Fox, 1 p.m.

NASCAR kicks off the 53rd Winston Cup stock car racing season with this 500-mile classic. Always a thrill ride, the venerable Daytona 500 is one of some two dozen races that new NASCAR venues Fox and NBC will broadcast this year.

SUNDAY, FEB. 18

Frederick Douglass

Biography; check local listings for time

“I will not equivocate — I will not retreat a single inch — and I will be heard.” That was the credo of Douglass (1817-95), who escaped from slavery as a youth and became a leading abolitionist, a prolific writer and one of America's greatest orators ever.

MONDAY, FEB. 19

The Black Cowboys

History, 6 a.m.

This Emmy-winning show tells the little-known story of the black cowboys of the Old West. Actor Danny Glover hosts.

MONDAY, FEB. 19

The Unfinished Civil War

History, 6 p.m.

The spirit of Billy Yank and Johnny Reb lives on today in the Civil War re-enactor movement. This documentary captures the motivations of the re-enactors including those who portray black soldiers. Alert: Some graphic photos of actual Civil War casualties.

MON.-WED., FEB. 19-21

Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided

PBS; check local listings for time In this three-night, six-hour documentary, writer-director David Grubin creates a thorough and compelling portrayal of the Lincolns and their sometimes loving, sometimes heroic and often tragic married life. David McCullough narrates.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 21

The Consistory of Cardinals

EWTN, Time TBA

EWTN viewers in the eastern half of the country will be able to see the consistory for the new cardinals live, thanks to Vatican TV's new availability via digital satellite hookup.

THURSDAY, FEB. 22

Life on the Rock

EWTN, 8 p.m.

Join genial host Jeff Cavins and his guest Tony Melendez, the Catholic singer-composer who plays the guitar with his toes because he was born without arms. Pope John Paul II told him in 1987, “Tony … continue giving hope to all the people.”

THURSDAY, FEB. 22

The Danger on Our Plates

A&E, 10 p.m.

This A&E/New York Times report focuses on the danger posed by food poisoning, which puts some 350,000 Americans in the hospital each year. Experts discuss the E.coli bacterium and what public and private health measures can do.

SATURDAY, FEB. 24

Edith Stein

EWTN, 8 p.m.

A 90-minute portrayal of a modern saint — a philosopher who converted from Judaism, became a Carmelite sister and gave her life in a Nazi death camp.