April 11, 2011
NASCAR Nationwide Series Takes on Talladega
ESPN2 continues its coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series with a live telecast of the Aarons 312 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, NASCAR’s largest track, on Saturday, April 16. NASCAR Countdown airs at 2 p.m. ET with the race’s green flag at 3:19 p.m.
Marty Reid will call the action with analysis by Dale Jarrett, the 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree. 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 be hosted by Allen Bestwick with analysis by Rusty Wallace, the 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, and Brad Daugherty, a team owner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race.
Schrader Joins Craven, Jarrett on NASCAR Now Roundtable
NASCAR driver Ken Schrader joins ESPN analysts Ricky Craven and Dale Jarrett as panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program airing Monday, April 18, at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Allen Bestwick will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.
Nicole Briscoe hosts half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now airing at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday of this week. Briscoe also hosts NASCAR Now’s weekend edition airing Sunday, April 17, at 9 a.m. with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway. Marty Smith and Shannon Spake will report from Talladega with analysis from Jarrett.
NHRA Goes Four-Wide in Carolina
As the National Hot Rod Association celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2011, the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season races this weekend in the VisitMyrtleBeach.com NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway at Concord near Charlotte, N.C. The unique event features four lanes of drag racing instead of the usual two, the only time all season. ESPN2 will air action from qualifying on Saturday, April 16, at 6 p.m. ET and coverage of eliminations airs Sunday, April 17, at 7 p.m. NHRA fans also can watch the full day of eliminations live on ESPN3.com starting Sunday at noon.
The once-a-year spectacle of four-wide drag racing, introduced for competition last year, returns to zMAX Dragway as the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series makes its first of two stops at the self-proclaimed “Bellagio of dragstrips.” The track, which has hosted an NHRA national event in mid-September since 2008, is famous for its fan amenities. The tour returns to the venue later in the year for traditional two-wide racing as part of the Countdown playoffs.
Paul Page anchors for ESPN with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould, and Dave Rieff report from the pits.
American Le Mans Series Races on Streets of Long Beach
The scenic street racing circuit in Long Beach, Calif., will be the setting for the second round of the American Le Mans Series season and sports car racing fans can watch the race live on ESPN3.com on Saturday, April 16, at 7:15 p.m. ET. Also from Long Beach, ESPN3.com airs coverage of qualifying on Friday, April 15, at 8 p.m. John Hindhaugh and Jeremy Shaw will call the action on the ESPN3.com telecasts.
Highlights from Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach will air on ESPN2 in a two-hour format on Sunday, April 17, at 10 p.m. Brian Till, Bill Adam and Johnny O’Connell will be in the TV booth with pit reporters Jamie Howe and Kelli Stavast.
Global RallyCross Championship heats up at Twin Peaks
The second stop of the 2011 Global RallyCross Championship – Twin Peaks – takes place April 15-16 at the Old Mill Adventure Park in Snoqualmie, Wash. Round 2 of the inaugural Global RallyCross Championship season is in a rural-industrial location near Seattle that mixes industrial elements with short-course racing. Cars will run a mixed gravel and tarmac course featuring the signature 70-foot gap jump in hopes of earning an invite to X Games 17.
Friday, April 15 will feature head-to-head SuperRally action while Saturday’s main event will see six cars battle for RallyCross supremacy. ESPN3.com will carry three hours of action both days live at 6:30 p.m. ET with ESPN airing a highlight show May 14 at 4:30 p.m.
Highlights from the first event of the Championship at Irwindale, Calif., air Sunday, April 17, at 10 p.m. on ESPN2.
ESPN.com Offers RacingLive! During Talladega Race
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, April 17, RacingLive! Talladega will kick off to coincide with the race at Talladega Superspeedway. Fans can join ESPN.com’s NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live at https://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/.
ESPN.com motorsports writers Ed Hinton and David Newton will be on-site at Talladega to report on the weekend’s action and news.
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.
Visit www.espnmediazone.com for ESPN’s latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video and audio clips and more.
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Media Contact: Andy Hall, 386-492-2246 or [email protected]
