ESPN’S NASCAR Coverage Set to Take Green Flag at Daytona
Thirty-three of the 34 races on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule this season will appear on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. ESPN also will televise the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races of the season, including all 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Fourteen of the 17 races will air on ESPN, with three Saturday night races appearing on ABC. ESPN’s NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage begins July 31 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway while the Chase begins Sept. 18 at Chicagoland Speedway.
In addition to race coverage for both series, the networks also will televise practice and qualifying from select races, season preview and review programs and a special Chase preview. Each race includes a dedicated pre-race program and comprehensive coverage of NASCAR appears on ESPN2’s NASCAR news and information program, NASCAR Now.
ESPN’s team of announcers has four former NASCAR Sprint Cup champions returning to their analyst roles in 2011, including 1999 champion driver Dale Jarrett and 1989 champion Rusty Wallace. Two-time champion crew chiefs Tim Brewer and Andy Petree also will offer expert analysis during the season.
Lap-by-lap announcer Marty Reid will join Jarrett and Petree in the booth for race telecasts, with pit reporters Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch. From the newly-designed ESPN Pit Studio, Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown with analysts Wallace and Brad Daugherty. Brewer will report from the Emmy-winning ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage during race telecasts to help viewers better understand the technical and mechanical aspects of NASCAR racing.
Bestwick and Burns will each step into the lap-by-lap announcer position as fill-ins for Reid for some NASCAR Nationwide Series telecasts while NASCAR Now co-host Nicole Briscoe will host NASCAR Countdown for several races. Wallace, Daugherty and NASCAR Now analyst Ricky Craven also will help call some races from the booth as fill-ins for Jarrett and Petree. NASCAR Now co-hosts Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will work as pit reporters for selected races as will Rick DeBruhl, a pit reporter on ESPN’s coverage of the IZOD IndyCar Series, and Jim Noble.
ESPN’s NASCAR race telecasts will be produced under the oversight of ESPN vice president, motorsports, Rich Feinberg and senior coordinating producer Jill Frederickson. NASCAR Sprint Cup races and selected Nationwide Series races will be produced by Jamie Shiftan while Jim Gaiero will produce other Nationwide Series races. Richie Basile will be director.
ESPN’s multimedia approach to coverage of NASCAR touches multiple ESPN platforms, including ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN2, ESPN2 HD, ABC, ABC HD, ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Classic, ESPN Deportes, ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio, ESPN International, ESPN Mobile and Jayski.com.
NASCAR race schedules for the ESPN Networks in 2011 are as follows:
2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Schedule on ESPN Networks
(All Times Eastern)
| DATE (Day) | LOCATION | NETWORK | RACE TIME |
| July 31 (Sun.) | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | ESPN | 1 p.m. |
| Aug. 7 (Sun.) | Pocono Raceway | ESPN | 1 p.m. |
| Aug. 14 (Sun.) | Watkins Glen International | ESPN | 1 p.m. |
| Aug. 21 (Sun.) | Michigan International Speedway | ESPN | 1 p.m. |
| Aug. 27 (Sat.) | Bristol Motor Speedway | ABC | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sep. 4 (Sun.) | Atlanta Motor Speedway | ESPN | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sep. 10 (Sat.) | Richmond International Raceway | ABC | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sep. 18 (Sun.) | Chicagoland Speedway | ESPN | 2 p.m. |
| Sep. 25 (Sun.) | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | ESPN | 2 p.m. |
| Oct. 2 (Sun.) | Dover International Speedway | ESPN | 2 p.m. |
| Oct. 9 (Sun.) | Kansas Speedway | ESPN | 2 p.m. |
| Oct. 16 (Sat.) | Charlotte Motor Speedway | ABC | 7:30 p.m. |
| Oct. 23 (Sun.) | Talladega Superspeedway | ESPN | 2 p.m. |
| Oct. 30 (Sun.) | Martinsville Speedway | ESPN | 2 p.m. |
| Nov. 6 (Sun.) | Texas Motor Speedway | ESPN | 3 p.m. |
| Nov. 13 (Sun.) | Phoenix International Raceway | ESPN | 3 p.m. |
| Nov. 20 (Sun.) | Homestead-Miami Speedway | ESPN | 3 p.m. |
2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series Schedule on ESPN Networks
|
DATE (Day) |
LOCATION | NETWORK | RACE TIME |
| Feb. 19 (Sat.) | Daytona International Speedway | ESPN2 | 1:15 p.m. |
| Feb. 26 (Sat.) | Phoenix International Raceway | ESPN2 | 5:30 p.m. |
| March 5 (Sat.) | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | ABC | 3 p.m. |
| March 19 (Sat.) | Bristol Motor Speedway | ESPN | 2 p.m. |
| March 26 (Sat.) | Auto Club Speedway | ESPN | 5:30 p.m. |
| Apr. 8 (Fri.) | Texas Motor Speedway | ESPN2 | 8:30 p.m. |
| Apr. 16 (Sat.) | Talladega Superspeedway | ESPN2 | 3 p.m. |
| Apr. 23 (Sat.) | Nashville Superspeedway | ESPN | 2 p.m. |
| May 6 (Fri.) | Darlington Raceway | ESPN2 | 7:30 p.m. |
| May 14 (Sat.) | Dover International Speedway | ESPN | 2 p.m. |
| May 22 (Sun.) | Iowa Speedway | ABC | 2 p.m. |
| May 28 (Sat.) | Charlotte Motor Speedway | ABC | 2:30 p.m. |
| June 4 (Sat.) | Chicagoland Superspeedway | ESPN | 8 p.m. |
| June 18 (Sat.) | Michigan International Speedway | ABC | 3:30 p.m. |
| June 25 (Sat.) | Road America | ESPN | 5:30 p.m. |
| July 1 (Fri.) | Daytona International Speedway | ESPN | 7:30 p.m. |
| July 8 (Fri.) | Kentucky Speedway | ESPN | 7:30 p.m. |
| July 16 (Sat.) | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | ESPN | 3:30 p.m. |
| July 23 (Sat.) | Nashville Superspeedway | ESPN | 7:30 p.m. |
| July 30 (Sat.) | Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis | ESPN2 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 6 (Sat.) | Iowa Speedway | ESPN2 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 13 (Sat.) | Watkins Glen International | ESPN | 2 p.m. |
| Aug. 20 (Sat.) | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve | ESPN | 2:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 26 (Fri.) | Bristol Motor Speedway | ESPN | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 3 (Sat.) | Atlanta Motor Speedway | ESPN2 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 9 (Fri.) | Richmond International Raceway | ESPN2 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 17 (Sat.) | Chicagoland Speedway | ESPN2 | 3:30 p.m. |
| Oct. 1 (Sat.) | Dover International Speedway | ESPN2 | 3:30 p.m. |
| Oct. 8 (Sat.) | Kansas Speedway | ESPN2 | 3:30 p.m. |
| Oct. 14 (Fri.) | Charlotte Motor Speedway | ESPN2 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Nov. 5 (Sat.) | Texas Motor Speedway | ESPN2 | 12:55 p.m. |
| Nov. 12 (Sat.) | Phoenix International Raceway | ESPN2 | 3:30 p.m. |
| Nov. 19 (Sat.) | Homestead-Miami Speedway | ESPN2 | 4:30 p.m. |