The 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series season kicks off with a 300-mile race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 22, and ESPN will have a live telecast. NASCAR Countdown airs at noon ET while the green flag will fly at 1:34 p.m. Also from the 2.5-mile Daytona track, ESPN2 will televise NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying on Friday, Feb. 21, at 1 p.m. The race telecast will air on ESPN Deportes at 4 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23.
All NASCAR programming on ESPN and ESPN2 is available on computers, smartphones, tablets, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Apple TV and Roku via WatchESPN, accessible to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliate provider.
Announcers:
Booth: Lap-by-Lap announcer Allen Bestwick; analysts Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree.
Pit reporters: Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, Vince Welch.
NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe (host); Rusty Wallace; Brad Daugherty (analysts).
SportsCenter Special Previews NASCAR’s Daytona 500
A special edition of ESPN’s flagship news and information program SportsCenter will preview the Daytona 500, the opening race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN2. SportsCenter at Daytona presented by Goodyear will originate from Daytona International Speedway with host Allen Bestwick. NASCAR Hall of Fame drivers Dale Jarrett and Rusty Wallace will provide analysis, while reporters will be Marty Smith and Dr. Jerry Punch. The one-hour program will include driver interviews, features and updates.
NHRA in Phoenix on ESPN2, ESPN3
The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season is will be in Phoenix this weekend at Wild Horse Motorsports Park for the CarQuest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals and ESPN2 and ESPN3 will air qualifying and eliminations action. All NHRA programming on ESPN networks is available on computers, smartphones, tablets, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Apple TV and Roku via WatchESPN, accessible to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliate provider. The schedule:
| Date | Time | Event | Network |
| Friday, Feb. 21 | 6 p.m. | Qualifying (live) | ESPN3, WatchESPN |
| Sunday, Feb. 23 | 2 a.m. | Qualifying | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| 8 a.m. | Qualifying (re-air) | ESPN2, WatchESPN | |
| 1 p.m. | Eliminations (live) | ESPN3, WatchESPN | |
| 8 p.m. | Eliminations | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
Announcers:
Booth: Dave Rieff (anchor); Mike Dunn (analyst)
Pit reporters: Gary Gerould, Jamie Howe.
NASCAR Now schedule
This week’s schedule for ESPN2’s NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now:
| Date | Time | Show | Host | Network |
| Tue., Feb. 18 | 2:30 a.m. | NASCAR Now | Chris Cotter | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Wed., Feb. 19 | 3 a.m. | NASCAR Now | Todd Grisham | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Fri., Feb. 21 | 1:30 a.m. | NASCAR Now | Mike Massaro | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Sat., Feb. 22 | 2:30 a.m. | NASCAR Now | Mike Massaro | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
ESPN Classic Leads to Daytona 500 with Past Races
In advance of the Daytona 500 and the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, ESPN Classic will air highlights from numerous past editions of the Great American Race starting on Wednesday, Feb. 19. In addition, ESPN Classic will have two airings of the 2011 documentary Wendell Scott: A Race Story. The schedule:
Date Time Program
| Wed., Feb. 19 | 2 a.m. | 1998 Daytona 500 |
| 9 a.m. | 1993 Daytona 500 | |
| 11 a.m. | 2007 Daytona 500 | |
| 1 p.m. | 1997 Daytona 500 | |
| 3 p.m. | 1999 Daytona 500 | |
| Thurs., Feb. 20 | 1 p.m. | 1981 Daytona 500 |
| 3 p.m. | 1983 Daytona 500 | |
| Sat., Feb. 22 | 1 a.m. | Wendell Scott: A Race Story |
| Sun., Feb. 23 | 6 p.m. | Wendell Scott: A Race Story |
Motorsports on Other ESPN Platforms
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, Feb. 23, RacingLive! Daytona will coincide with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. RacingLive! also will be open during the Gatorade Dual at Daytona on Thursday night, Feb. 20. Fans can join ESPN.com’s NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live at https://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/.
Click HERE for the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series schedules on ESPN.
Click HERE for the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule on ESPN.
Click HERE for the 2014 IndyCar Series schedule on ABC.
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Media Contact: Andy Hall, 386-492-2246 or [email protected]
