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Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC

Monday February 18, 2008

 

NASCAR Nationwide Series Action Live from California Saturday Night

ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series with live, flag-to-flag coverage of the 300-mile race from California Speedway in Fontana, Calif., Saturday, Feb. 16, beginning at 7 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. ESPN2 will be the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series (formerly NASCAR Busch Series) all season, with selected races on ESPN and ABC.

Dr. Jerry Punch will be the lead announcer for ESPN2’s coverage, joined in the booth for analysis by 1999 NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Jarrett, one of the founding drivers of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, 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 1989 NASCAR Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, in the ESPN pit studio.

Daytona 500 Winner Ryan Newman on NASCAR Now Set Tuesday

Fresh from his victory in the 50th Daytona 500, Ryan Newman will be on the set of NASCAR Now, ESPN’s daily NASCAR news and information program, when it airs Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m. ET. Newman will discuss his victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup season opener with host Ryan Burr.

NASCAR Now features news, highlights, opinion, debate and analysis from drivers, crew chiefs and insiders both on and off the track. On Monday, Feb. 25, host Allen Bestwick will lead a panel discussion of the California Speedway weekend and other NASCAR news in a one-hour episode airing at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Half-hour episodes air Tuesday through Friday of this week at 6 p.m., while a one-hour edition airs Sunday, Feb. 24, at 10 a.m. with the latest news from California Speedway.

NASCAR Now is hosted by Nicole Manske, Burr and Bestwick and originates from ESPN’s high definition studios in Bristol, Conn. Contributors include NASCAR Insiders Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis, analysts 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.

ESPN Classic Featuring California, Bristol NASCAR Cup Series Races

NASCAR fans will have the opportunity to watch two NASCAR Cup Series events from the past this week on ESPN Classic.

The 1999 California 500 at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif., airs Thursday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m. ET. The two-mile track hosts NASCAR races this weekend.

Also featured will be the 1994 Food City 500 from Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Action from the half-mile track airs Friday, Feb. 22, at 3 a.m.

NHRA Action from Phoenix on ESPN2 Sunday

The second event of the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series takes place this weekend at Firebird International Raceway, and ESPN2 will have coverage of qualifying and final eliminations from the Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals. Qualifying coverage airs Sunday, Feb. 24, at 2 a.m., with a replay at 11 a.m. Finals coverage airs 7 p.m. A replay of finals airs Monday at 10 a.m. on ESPN Classic.

NHRA’s annual duel in the desert has been a Southwest fixture since 1985, when it joined the tour in a late fall slot. Since 1990, it’s been the second stop on the tour’s westward march and a place for teams to redeem mistakes made at the opener. Charlie Allen, a former Funny Car racer, constructed a track that makes people forget it sits at 1,100 feet above sea level. The facility is also known for its annual preseason tests and Tony Schumacher’s historic 330-mph blast in 1999.

Paul Page anchors ESPN2’s coverage from Phoenix, joined in the booth by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn for expert analysis. Gary Gerould, John Kernan and Dave Rieff report from the pits. Rieff and Dunn also host NHRA RaceDay at 12:30 p.m. Sunday to set the stage for that day’s eliminations.

NHRA Fans Can Relive Events from 2003, 2004 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 and 2004 seasons 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, Feb. 19, fans can watch the action of the 2003 ACDelco NHRA Nationals from Las Vegas, while Wednesday’s program features the 2003 Auto Club NHRA Finals from Pomona, Calif. The 2004 Checker Schucks Kragen NHRA Nationals from Phoenix air Thursday with the 2004 Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals from Gainesville, Fla., on the air Friday.

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

Formula D Drifting on ESPN2 This Week

Fans of the unique motorsport of drifting will have an opportunity to watch an hour of competition from the Formula D series this week on ESPN2.

Drifting action from Wall Stadium in Belmar, N.J., airs Thursday, Feb. 21, at 12:30 a.m.

ESPN2, ESPN Classic Airing Classic Car Auction Programs

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

Two episodes of Russo and Steel Car Auction air this week beginning at 2 p.m. ET Thursday, Feb. 21, on ESPN2. Another hour-long episode airs Saturday, Feb. 23, at 10 a.m.

An episode of RM Classic Car Auctions airs Tuesday, Feb. 19, beginning at 9 p.m. on ESPN Classic.

FRONTSTRETCH LIVE AT THE TRACK THIS WEEKEND AT LOUDON!
Popular writer Amy Henderson will be tracking all the action at New Hampshire from inside the garage, giving you the stories you’re looking for with a special edition of our Newsletter planned over the weekend. It all culminates on Sunday with her special participation in our LIVE blog during the Lenox Industrial Tools 301, paired with our usual panel of expert analysts! It’s three days of going the extra mile for you … so we hope you enjoy it!

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

 

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