Racing this week on ESPN

The NASCAR Nationwide Series races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., this weekend and ESPN will have live a live telecast of the 200-mile event on Saturday, June 26. NASCAR Countdown airs at 2:30 p.m. ET, while the race telecast starts at 3:30 p.m. with the green flag at 3:51 p.m. ESPN2 is the home of the series all season, with selected races airing on ESPN and ABC. The race will mark the return of IZOD IndyCar Series star Danica Patrick to NASCAR as she runs a limited schedule in stock cars this season.

Marty Reid will be the lap-by-lap announcer, joined in the booth for analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch while two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.

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

Evernham, Craven, Smith on NASCAR Now Roundtable
NASCAR on ESPN analysts Ray Evernham and Ricky Craven and NASCAR Now lead reporter Marty Smith will be panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program airing Monday, June 28, at 6 p.m. ET. Allen Bestwick will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.

Mike Massaro hosts half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now airing late-night this week due to ESPN’s coverage of FIFA World Cup soccer, Wimbledon tennis and the College World Series. Programs air Wednesday, June 23, at midnight (late Tuesday night), Thursday, June 24, at midnight (late Wednesday night) and Saturday, June 26, at midnight (late Friday night). There will be no show on Thursday.

Massaro also hosts the weekend edition of NASCAR Now airing Sunday, June 27, at 8:30 a.m. with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Smith and Angelique Chengelis will report from the speedway, joined by analyst Dale Jarrett.

NASCAR Now is hosted by Massaro, Nicole Briscoe, Bestwick and Shannon Spake and originates from ESPN’s high definition studios in Bristol, Conn. Contributors include reporters Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis, analysts Ray Evernham, Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Ricky Craven and Randy LaJoie, and ESPN.com reporters Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton. The NASCAR on ESPN team event coverage team of Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Marty Reid, Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, and Vince Welch also make frequent contributions to NASCAR Now.

NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series in Ohio
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series races this weekend in the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, and ESPN2 will air highlights of qualifying and eliminations. Qualifying action airs Saturday, June 26, at 7 p.m. ET, and coverage of eliminations airs Sunday at 7 p.m.

The series will make its fourth appearance at Summit Motorsports Park, which four years ago underwent a $4 million improvement project. The event begins the second half of the season and is the final one on the tour before teams head west for the grueling Western Swing. The event also is the site of the eight-car Pro Stock bonus event, the K&N Horsepower Challenge, the winner of which receives $50,000.

Paul Page anchors ESPN2’s coverage with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould and Dave Rieff report from the pits. Rieff and Dunn host NHRA RaceDay presented by Lucas Oil on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. to set the stage for that day’s eliminations action.

Also this weekend, ESPN2 airs highlights of the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Modified Series event held recently at Bristol Dragway in Tennessee. The 30-minute program airs Sunday, June 27, at 4 p.m. on ESPN2.

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