Motorsports This Week on ESPN

NASCAR Nationwide Series from Las Vegas on ESPN2

The NASCAR Nationwide Series, the highest-rated TV series on ESPN2, makes its only appearance of the 2009 season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend, and ESPN2 will have live, high definition coverage of the 300-mile race on Saturday, Feb. 28, beginning at 4 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. ESPN2 will be the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season, with selected races on ESPN and ABC. The race re-airs Monday, March 2, at 9 a.m. on ESPN Classic.

Dr. Jerry Punch will be the lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN2’s coverage, joined in the booth for analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett, one of the founding drivers of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and two-time Cup Series champion crew chief Andy Petree. Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will report from the pits, while two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer will be in the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.

Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown with analysis by Brad Daugherty, a winning team owner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and Jarrett in the ESPN pit studio.

Evernham, Craven, LaJoie on NASCAR Now Monday Roundtable Discussion

The Monday, March 2, edition of NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information show, at 5 p.m. ET will feature host Nicole Manske leading a roundtable discussion of the latest NASCAR news and races. Panel members will include ESPN NASCAR analysts Ray Evernham, Ricky Craven and Randy LaJoie.

Episodes of NASCAR Now air Tuesday through Thursday of this week at 5 p.m. and at 6 p.m. Friday. The one-hour weekend edition of NASCAR Now airs Sunday, March 1, at 10 a.m. with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

NASCAR Now is hosted by Manske, Mike Massaro and Allen Bestwick and originates from ESPN’s high definition studios in Bristol, Conn. Contributors include NASCAR Insiders Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis, analysts Ray Evernham, Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Boris Said, Ricky Craven and Randy LaJoie, ESPN.com reporters Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton.

NASCAR Now viewers also benefit from frequent contributions by the NASCAR on ESPN team including Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch.

ESPN Classic Serves NASCAR, NHRA and IndyCar Fans This Week

ESPN Classic’s motorsports lineup this week features a classic NASCAR race, classic NHRA drag racing and an in-depth look at one of the best IndyCar drivers of all time.

The late Dale Earnhardt is showcased as he drives the famed No. 3 to victory in the 1986 Atlanta Journal 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, bringing down the curtain on that year’s NASCAR Winston Cup season. For newer fans of the sport, the two-hour highlights telecast not only provides an opportunity to see the seven-time NASCAR champion in action, but also takes fans back to another era as the race is run on the former 1.522-mile oval configuration of the track located south of Atlanta. The program airs Monday, March 2, at 5 p.m. ET.

Fans of NHRA Full Throttle drag racing can take a step back in time earlier that day when ESPN Classic airs the 2003 NHRA O’Reilly Sprint Nationals from Houston at 3 p.m. Following the Houston action, fans can watch two programs featuring the NHRA Pro Modified Series airing at 4 p.m.

Al Unser, a four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, is profiled in the award-winning program SportsCentury airing Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 9 a.m.