ESPN is busy with its motorsports schedule this week which includes the season premiere of NASCAR on ESPN from Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As you’re away, ESPN networks will carry 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races with 14 on the Mothership and 3 on ABC. This is what ESPN is saying about this week’s motorsports schedule with the main gist being NASCAR.
Motorsports This Week on ESPN
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Returns to ESPN from Indianapolis
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to ESPN with a live, flag-to-flag telecast of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 31. The NASCAR Countdown pre-race show kicks off the day at noon ET with the race telecast starting at 1 p.m. and the race’s green flag at 1:19 p.m.The Indianapolis race is the first of 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup events to be produced by ESPN to close out the 2011 NASCAR season, including all 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Of the 17 races, 14 will air on ESPN and three on ABC.
ESPN’s coverage from Indianapolis Motor Speedway includes telecasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying on Saturday, July 30, at 2 p.m. on ESPN2 and practice earlier that day at 10 a.m.
Four former NASCAR Sprint Cup champions will be an integral part of ESPN’s coverage team at the Brickyard, including analyst Dale Jarrett, the 1999 driving champion, who will work with two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree and lap-by-lap announcer Allen Bestwick in the booth. Two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch.
NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio will feature analysis by 1989 champion driver Rusty Wallace with host Nicole Briscoe and analyst Brad Daugherty. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race.
NASCAR Now Originates from Indianapolis for Brickyard 400
ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will originate from Indianapolis Motor Speedway for four programs this week leading to Sunday’s Brickyard 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.NASCAR Now will air at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 28, from the ESPN Pit Studio at the speedway. Host Allen Bestwick will be joined by analysts Dale Jarrett, Rusty Wallace and Ricky Craven and reporters Mike Massaro and Marty Smith.
Massaro hosts two shows on Saturday, July 30, airing at 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., surrounding ESPN2’s telecasts of practice from IMS. Massaro also hosts a one-hour edition airing Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Prior to the programs airing from Indianapolis, Nicole Briscoe will host half-hour editions of NASCAR Now at 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 26-27.
Jarrett, Wallace and the Brickyard 400 winner will be at ESPN’s studios with Bestwick for NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program airing Monday, Aug. 1, at 5 p.m.
NASCAR Nationwide Series Live in Prime Time from Indianapolis on ESPN
ESPN continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series with a live, prime time telecast of the event on the short track at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis on Saturday night, July 30. NASCAR Countdown airs at 7 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag flies at 7:45 p.m. Also from the 0.686-mile track, ESPN2 will air NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying on Saturday at 4:30 p.m., with practice airing earlier in the day at 11:30 a.m.The race will mark the NASCAR Nationwide Series debut of Travis Pastrana, the action sports star who also will be competing in the Summer X Games in Los Angeles and will be commuting between the two events. ESPN’s coverage of both events will document Pastrana’s adventure, including not only what he does in competition in both locations but also his commute and what it took for him to do both events. Fans also will be able to get more insider information in the “Pastranathon” blog on EXPN.com.
Marty Reid will call the action for the race with analysis by Rusty Wallace, the 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, and former NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner Ricky Craven. Pit reporters will be Rick DeBruhl, Jim Noble and Shannon Spake.
NHRA Continues Western Swing with Sonoma Event
The NHRA Drag Racing Series continues its annual three-event Western Swing this weekend with the NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. ESPN2 will air action from qualifying on Saturday, July 30, at 5:30 p.m. ET and coverage of eliminations airs Sunday, July 31, at 11 p.m. NHRA fans also can watch the full day of eliminations live on ESPN3.com starting Sunday at 2 p.m.In the heart of Northern California’s high-tech region, the facility annually plays host to some of the tour’s most dramatic moments. A $70 million modernization project was completed in 2002 that included a new 660-foot concrete launchpad and led to scores of new track records. The event is usually blessed with pleasant weather that, combined with a quality racetrack, has yielded impressive performances, such as the sport’s second six-second Pro Stock Motorcycle pass in 2005.
Paul Page anchors for ESPN with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Former NHRA driver Whit Bazemore will be a guest reporter for the three-race Western Swing. Gary Gerould and Dave Rieff will report from the pits.
ESPN.com Offers RacingLive! During NASCAR Brickyard 400
NASCAR fans looking for an online gathering during ESPN’s telecasts of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series now have a place to go on ESPN.com.RacingLive! on ESPN.com is a live blog where fans can engage in debate and discussion with ESPN.com writers and editors during the NASCAR Sprint Cup races. On Sunday, July 31, RacingLive! Indianapolis will kick off to coincide with ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Fans can join ESPN.com’s NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/.
ESPN Radio Raceday Airs Saturday, Sunday
Each weekend morning, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. ET with host Pat Patterson anchored from Daytona Beach, Fla. Patterson also originates the broadcast from several racetracks with key races during the season. On both Saturday and Sunday mornings, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay listeners get an hour of news, previews and analysis, as well as profiles and interviews with NASCAR’s biggest names and newsmakers and the involvement of listeners via calls and e-mails.Additionally, many of ESPN’s NASCAR reporters and analysts contribute each week as ESPN networks televise the entire NASCAR Nationwide Series and the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 10-race “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup” championship. A list of ESPN Radio affiliates can be found at www.espnradio.com.
And that will do it for this post.
