August 8, 2011
NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series Go Road Racing Live on ESPN
The NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series race this weekend on the road course at Watkins Glen, N.Y., and ESPN will have live telecasts of both events on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 13-14.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race will be run on Sunday, Aug. 14, with the telecast presented by GoDaddy.com. The NASCAR Countdown pre-race show kicks off the day at noon ET with the race’s green flag at 1:18 p.m.
The NASCAR Nationwide Series race telecast on Saturday, Aug. 13, begins at 1 p.m. with NASCAR Countdown presented by OneMain Financial with the race’s green flag at 2:18 p.m.
Analysts Dale Jarrett, the 1999 driving champion, and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree will join lap-by-lap announcer Allen Bestwick in the booth to call the action. Two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Dr. Jerry Punch, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch.
NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio will be hosted by Nicole Briscoe with analysis by 1989 champion driver Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race.
IZOD IndyCar Series Returns to New Hampshire Live on ABC
After an absence of more than a decade, the IZOD IndyCar Series returns to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., on Sunday, Aug. 14, for its first race at the “Magic Mile” since 1998. ABC will have a live telecast of the event starting at 3:30 p.m. ET. The telecast will include 30 minutes of pre-race with the green flag at 4 p.m.
Marty Reid will anchor with former IndyCar winner Scott Goodyear providing analysis. Reporting from the pits will be Rick DeBruhl, Gary Gerould and Jamie Little.
Boris Said Joins Craven, Wallace on NASCAR Now Roundtable
Road course specialist Boris Said joins ESPN NASCAR analysts Ricky Craven and Rusty Wallace as panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program airing Monday, Aug. 15, at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Allen Bestwick will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.
Half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now air late night this week due to ESPN’s coverage of the Little League World Series. Michelle Bonner hosts programs airing at 2 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 10 (late Tuesday night); midnight on Thursday, Aug. 11 (late Wednesday night); midnight on Friday, Aug. 12 (late Thursday night); and 3 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13 (late Friday night). Bonner also hosts NASCAR Now’s weekend edition on Sunday, Aug. 14, at 9 a.m. with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen. Mike Massaro and Ryan McGee will report from the track.
NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Action Airs Sunday
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series has the weekend off, but drag racing fans can watch action from the recent Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event in Seattle on Sunday, Aug. 14, at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will return to competition the weekend of Aug. 20-21 at Brainerd, Minn.
ESPN.com Offers RacingLive! During Watkins Glen 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, Aug. 14, RacingLive! Watkins Glen will kick off to coincide with ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International. Fans can join ESPN.com’s NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live at https://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.
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]
