August 15, 2011
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Live from Michigan on ESPN
ESPN continues its coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with a live, flag-to-flag telecast of the Pure Michigan 400 race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., on Sunday, Aug. 21. The NASCAR Countdown pre-race show kicks off the day at noon ET with the race’s green flag at 1:16 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, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch 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.
NASCAR Nationwide Series Goes North of the Border to Montreal
The NASCAR Nationwide Series races on the famed Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on Saturday, Aug. 20, and ESPN will have live coverage. NASCAR Countdown presented by OneMain Financial airs at 2 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag flies at 2:48 p.m.
Marty Reid will anchor with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and former NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner Ricky Craven. Pit reporters will be Rick DeBruhl, Jim Noble and Shannon Spake.
Schrader, Craven, Smith on NASCAR Now Roundtable
NASCAR driver Ken Schrader joins ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven and NASCAR Now lead reporter Marty Smith as panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program airing Tuesday, Aug. 23, at midnight ET (late Monday night) on ESPN2. Nicole Briscoe will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.
Half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now air Tuesday and Wednesday at 5 p.m., with Michelle Bonner hosting Tuesday and Mike Massaro hosting Wednesday. Due to ESPN’s coverage of the Little League World Series, other episodes this week air Friday at 12:30 a.m. (late Thursday night) and Saturday at 12:30 a.m. (late Friday night) with Massaro hosting. NASCAR Now’s weekend edition hosted by Massaro airs Sunday, Aug. 21, at 9 a.m. with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway. Smith and Terry Blount will report from the track.
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series from Minnesota on ESPN2
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series races this weekend in the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., and ESPN2 will air action from qualifying and eliminations. Qualifying airs on Saturday, Aug. 20, at 11 p.m. ET and coverage of eliminations airs Sunday, Aug. 21, at 10 p.m. NHRA fans also can watch the full day of eliminations live on ESPN3.com starting Sunday at noon.
NHRA’s version of a weeklong campout, this event is a popular stop due to the area’s recreational opportunities. Avid fishers often spend the days before the event trolling the area’s many lakes for walleye, bass, and northern pike, and a huge on-site campground provides nightly camaraderie for racegoers, who sit around fires discussing the day’s action. A 700-foot concrete launchpad, one of the longest on the tour, helps boost performances at the second-to-last event at which teams in all four Full throttle classes can secure positions for the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Paul Page anchors for ESPN with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould and Dave Rieff will report from the pits.
American Le Mans Series Races at Road America
Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., will be the setting for the sixth round of the American Le Mans Series season and sports car racing fans can watch the four-hour race live on ESPN3.com on Saturday, Aug. 20, at 3:15 p.m. ET. Also from Road America, ESPN3.com airs coverage of qualifying on Friday, Aug. 19, at 2:20 p.m. John Hindhaugh and Jeremy Shaw will call the action on the ESPN3.com telecasts.
Highlights from the Road America race will air on ABC on Sunday, Aug. 21, at 4:30 p.m. Brian Till, Bill Adam and Johnny O’Connell will be in the TV booth with pit reporters Jamie Howe and Kelli Stavast.
ESPN.com Offers RacingLive! During Michigan 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. 21, RacingLive! Michigan will kick off to coincide with ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway. 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 writer Terry Blount will be on hand at MIS to report.
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]
