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Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC

Monday May 5, 2008

 

NASCAR Nationwide Series Live in Prime Time from Darlington

Long one of NASCAR�s most treacherous tracks because of its unique, egg-shaped layout, Darlington (S.C.) Raceway will be even more daunting for NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers this weekend as they race under the lights on a new coating of pavement that has turned the track into an ultra-fast circuit. ESPN2 will have live, prime-time coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Darlington presented by The Coleman Company Friday night, May 9, beginning at 7 p.m. with NASCAR Countdown. The telecast also airs in high definition on ESPN2 HD and will be simulcast on ESPN360.com.

Dr. Jerry Punch will be the lead announcer for ESPN2�s coverage, joined in the booth for analysis by 1989 NASCAR Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace and two-time Cup Series champion crew chief Andy Petree. Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will report from the pits, while two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer will be in the ESPN DISH Tech Center.

Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown with analysis by Wallace and Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, in the ESPN pit studio.

Matt Kenseth will join the ESPN coverage team as In-Race Reporter, talking to Wallace on the race�s pace laps and during caution periods.

Indianapolis 500 Time Trials Live Saturday, Sunday on ABC, ESPN2

With the recent unification of American open wheel racing, as well as the historic victory by Danica Patrick, interest in the May 25 running of the 92nd Indianapolis 500 is on the rise. One of the most coveted prizes in racing will be on the line Saturday as pole position qualifying for the race is held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Pole Day presented by GoDaddy.com airs from noon until 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Coverage shifts to ABC from 3-6 p.m., with the final hour of coverage on ESPN2 from 6-7 p.m.

The second day of time trials airs Sunday from noon until 2 p.m. on ESPN2, and from 5-7 p.m. ESPN2�s coverage both days will be simulcast on ESPN360.com.

Marty Reid anchors coverage, joined for analysis by former IndyCar Series star Scott Goodyear and 1998 Indy 500 winner Eddie Cheever. Jack Arute, Brienne Pedigo and Vince Welch will report from the pits.

NASCAR Now Expands Monday for Roundtable Discussion of Darlington Weekend

The Monday, May 12, edition of NASCAR Now also will expand to an hour and will include host Allen Bestwick leading a roundtable discussion with ESPN analysts and reporters of the weekend�s NASCAR action at Darlington Raceway and other NASCAR news. The program airs at 5:30 p.m.

Half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now air Tuesday through Thursday of this week at 6 p.m., while the one-hour weekend edition airs Saturday at 10 a.m. with a preview of that night�s NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Darlington.

NASCAR Now is hosted by Ryan Burr, Nicole Manske and Bestwick and originates from ESPN�s high definition studios in Bristol, Conn. Contributors include NASCAR Insiders Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis, analysts Ray Evernham, Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Boris Said and Tim Cowlishaw, ESPN.com reporters Terry Blount and David Newton and D.J. Copp, a member of Bobby Labonte�s NASCAR team.

NASCAR Now viewers also benefit from frequent contributions by the NASCAR on ESPN team including Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake.

NASCAR Prodigy on E:60 Tuesday Night

The next edition of ESPN�s prime-time newsmagazine E:60 on Tuesday, May 6, at 7 p.m. ET, will feature a profile of a NASCAR prodigy.

At age 14, Christian Pahud is too young to carry a learner�s permit, let alone a driver�s license.� But Pahud wants to become a NASCAR driver, and he and his family are intent on making that dream come true. Last year the Pahuds moved from Dayton, Ohio, to Harrisburg, N.C., hoping to live closer to their son�s goal of becoming a NASCAR driver.�

Along with other children, some as young as 12, Christian Pahud is attending a driver development school in Concord, N.C. The kids are taught not only driving skills but social skills – how to handle both the media and the pressure that comes with being in the spotlight. E:60 correspondent Michael Smith, follows Pahud and his family as they pursue his ambition.�

�I�ve never really had dreams to be a football player or a firefighter or a policeman.� I�ve always just wanted to be a racer.� – Christian Pahud.

ESPN Classic Featuring Two Classic NASCAR Races

Race fans will have the opportunity to watch two classic NASCAR Sprint Cup races this week on ESPN Classic.

The 1989 Southern 500 from Darlington (S.C.) Raceway airs Thursday, May 8, at 2 p.m. ET, while the 1991 Hanes 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway airs Friday, May 9, at 3 a.m. Both races originally aired live on ESPN.

NHRA Fans Can Relive Events on ESPN Classic

Fans of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series will have opportunities all week to relive some of the great events of the 2003 season as ESPN Classic opens the archives and brings the events back to life on TV. The programs air at 11 a.m. ET Tuesday through Friday.

On Tuesday, May 6, fans can watch the action of the 2003 Lucas Oil NHRA Route 66 Nationals, while Wednesday�s program features the Pontiac Excitement NHRA Nationals. The Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals air Thursday with the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals airing Friday. On Monday, May 12, fans can watch the 2003 NHRA Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals.

ESPN2 is the home for the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series and the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.

Classic Car Auction Programs Airing on ESPN2 and ESPN Classic

ESPN2 and ESPN Classic are the homes for lovers of classic car auction programs, and viewers will have the opportunity this week to see multiple hours of programming.

An episode of RM Classic Car Auctions airs Tuesday, May 6, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN Classic.

On Saturday, May 10, ESPN2 airs back-to-back episodes of Autotrader.com DRIVE in HD starting at 4 p.m. The first hour-long episode features highlights from the New York Auto Show, with the second show centered on the Chicago Auto Show.

Programming on Sunday includes two episodes of The Bidding Wars starting at 10 a.m., followed by two episodes of Russo and Steele Classic Car Auction starting at 11 a.m. An episode of RM Classic Car Auctions starts at 4 p.m. with an episode of Drive! airing at 6:30 p.m.
�

Two Episodes of Car Wars with Funkmaster Flex Airing This Week

A new season of the ESPN2 reality show Car Wars with Funkmaster Flex continues with two episodes this week.�

The show features popular New York TV and radio personality Funkmaster Flex, who opens each episode with �music is my life but cars are my passion.� Flex oversees a competition involving amateur car customizers and the real-life drama associated with the contest. The contestants put everything on the line to win.

Back-to-back episodes air Saturday, May 10, beginning at 11 a.m.

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This report was provided by an outside PR source and posted by Kim DeHaven.

 

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