Motorsports This Week on ESPN

NASCAR Nationwide Series Live in Prime Time from Phoenix on ESPN2

ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series with a live, flag-to-flag primetime telecast of the 200-mile race from Phoenix International Raceway Friday, April 5, beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. The telecast is presented by Cici's Pizza. ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season, with selected races on ESPN and ABC.

Marty Reid will be the lead announcer for ESPN2ï¿½s coverage, joined in the booth for analysis by 1999 NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Jarrett, one of the founding drivers of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and two-time Cup Series champion crew chief Andy Petree. Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Vince Welch will report from the pits, while two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer will be in the ESPN DISH Tech Center.

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

The race will be simulcast on ESPN360.com, ESPN's signature broadband sports network, and on ESPN Deportes, the domestic Spanish-language network. The event also will be simulcast on ESPN Mobile TV.

Terry Labonte Joins NASCAR Now Monday Roundtable Discussion

Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Terry Labonte will join ESPN analyst Brad Daugherty and reporter Mike Massaro with host Allen Bestwick leading them in a one-hour roundtable discussion on NASCAR Now, ESPN2ï¿½s daily NASCAR news and information show, on Monday, April 14, at 5:30 p.m. ET.

NASCAR Now features news, highlights, opinion, debate and analysis from drivers, crew chiefs and insiders both on and off the track.

Half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now air Tuesday and Wednesday of this week at 6 p.m., Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and Friday at 4 p.m. The one-hour weekend edition airs Saturday at 10 a.m. with a preview of the NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Phoenix International Raceway.

NASCAR Now is hosted by Ryan Burr, Nicole Manske and Bestwick and originates from ESPN’s high definition studios in Bristol, Conn. Contributors include NASCAR Insiders Marty Smith and Angelique Changeless, analysts Ray Evernham, Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Boris Said and Tim Cowlishaw, ESPN.com reporters Terry Blount and David Newton and D.J. Copp, a member of Bobby Labonte's NASCAR team.

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, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake.

Dale Jr. ï¿½ Shifting Gears Airs Saturday on ESPN2

Race fans who missed original airings of the television series Dale Jr. ï¿½ Shifting Gears, chronicling the move of Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, will have a chance to watch again. ESPN2 airs a one-hour episode Saturday, April 12, at 1 a.m. ET, following live coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Phoenix International Raceway.

The series provides viewers with a behind-the-scenes look at the personal, corporate and competitive ramifications involved with the five-time NASCAR Most Popular Driver award recipient leaving Dale Earnhardt, Inc., the team founded by his late father. Dale Jr. – Shifting Gears is produced by Earnhardt Jr.'s Hammerhead Entertainment, a division of JR Motorsports, in cooperation with Hendrick Motorsports and is presented by the National Guard.

The final two episodes air on ESPN in prime time the week of the July 27 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, ESPN’s first live NASCAR Sprint Cup event of the season.

NHRA Las Vegas Event on ESPN2 Saturday, Sunday

ESPN2 airs coverage of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series stop in Las Vegas this weekend with action from the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals. Qualifying coverage airs Saturday, April 12, at 8 p.m. ET. Eliminations and finals coverage airs Sunday 8 p.m., with a replay airing Monday, April 14, at 10 a.m. on ESPN Classic.

Las Vegas hosts the fire and fury of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series twice each year, this event in the spring and the crucial penultimate stop on the schedule in the fall. Contested at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a crown jewel befitting this glitzy city, the event has become a pivotal stop on the tour. Race teams often light up the scoreboard with performances one wouldn't normally see at 2,100 feet.

Paul Page anchors ESPN2ï¿½s coverage, with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould and Dave Rieff report from the pits. Rieff and Dunn also co-host NHRA RaceDay to set the stage for Sunday's finals action. The 30-minute program airs Sunday at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.

ESPN's Moto X World Championships Schedule

ESPN will kick off its inaugural Moto X World Championships Saturday, April 12 at 3 p.m. ET where X Games host Sal Masekela will lead an unprecedented line up of athlete analysts Travis Pastrana, Jeremy McGrath, Ricky Carmichael, Doug Henry and Brian Deegan.

Eight hours of live coverage of the Moto X World Championships will be featured on ESPN and ESPN2 ï¿½ all available in high definition. Extensive additional coverage will be provided via ESPN360.com and EXPN.com. The line up of Pastrana, McGrath, Carmichael, Henry and Deegan brings together legends in the sport of motocross as well as a combined X Games medal count of 29 ï¿½ fourteen of which are gold. In addition to announcing, Ricky Carmichael and Brian Deegan will be competing in Step Up and Travis Pastrana will race in both the Speed & Style and Racing competitions. Other commentators and reporters will include ESPN’s Todd Harris, Cameron Steele, Tes Sewell and Kimberly Pressler.

Firestone Indy Lights Series on ESPN2 Thursday

The Firestone Indy Lights Series will be featured in action from the St. Petersburg, Fla., street circuit Thursday, April 10, at 1 p.m. on ESPN2. The series, formerly known as the Indy Pro Series, is the developmental series for the IndyCar Series.

Bob Jenkins, Robbie Buhl and Mike King call the action.

ESPN Classic Featuring NASCAR Race, Al Unser SportsCentury

Race fans will have the opportunity to watch two racing-related programs this week on ESPN Classic, including a classic NASCAR race and a profile of a legendary driver.

The 1983 Carolina 500, a NASCAR Cup Series race, will be featured Friday, April 11, at 3 a.m. The race took place at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, N.C.

Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser will be profiled in an episode of the award-winning series SportsCentury airing Friday at 9 a.m.

NHRA Fans Can Relive Events from 2005 on ESPN Classic

Fans of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series will have opportunities all week to relive some of the great events of the 2005 season as ESPN Classic opens the archives and brings the events back to life on TV. The programs air at 11 a.m. ET Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.

On Tuesday, April 8, fans can watch the action of the 2005 Mopar Mile-High Nationals, while Wednesday's program features the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals. The Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals air Friday.

ESPN2 is the home for the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series and the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.

ESPN2, ESPN Classic Airing Classic Car Auction Programs

ESPN2 and ESPN Classic are the homes for lovers of classic car auction programs, and viewers will have the opportunity this week to see multiple hours of programming.

ESPN Classic will air an episode of On the Block Tuesday, April 8, at 9 p.m. ET.

Back-to-back episodes of The Bidding Wars air Sunday, April 13, beginning at 10 a.m. on ESPN2, followed at 11:30 a.m. by Russo and Steele Classic Car Auction. An episode of Mothers Car Show airs at noon.

Also airing this week are two episodes of Autotrader.com DRIVE in HD. The first episode, featuring the Los Angeles Auto Show, airs Saturday, April 12, at 11 p.m. A second episode, featuring the Detroit Auto Show, airs one hour later.