Motorsports This Week on ESPN
Chicago Kicks Off Chase for NASCAR Sprint Cup
The 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 16, and ESPN will have a live telecast of the 400-mile race on the 1.5-mile track. NASCAR Countdown airs at 1 p.m. ET with the race’s green flag at 2:16 p.m. Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland also airs on ESPN, with NASCAR Countdown at 3 p.m. and the green flag at 3:46 p.m. Also from Chicagoland, ESPN2 airs NASCAR Sprint Cup practice sessions on Friday at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., and NASCAR Nationwide Series practice at 2:30 p.m. All NASCAR programming on ESPN and ESPN2 is also available on computers, smartphones and tablets with the WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.com.
Announcers:
Booth: Lap-by-Lap announcer Allen Bestwick (Sprint Cup); Marty Reid (Nationwide Series); analysts Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree.
Pit reporters: Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, Vince Welch.
NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe (host); Rusty Wallace, Ray Evernham, Brad Daugherty (analysts).
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Visits ESPN for Pre-Chase Carwash
NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., will be at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Ct., on Tuesday, Sept. 11, and will appear on a variety of ESPN programs and platforms to discuss the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Earnhardt, who is seeking his first NASCAR Sprint Cup title, will start his day on Mike and Mike In the Morning on ESPN Radio and ESPN2 at 9:45 a.m. ET. He also is scheduled to appear on SportsCenter, First Take, NASCAR Now, SportsNation, NFL Live, PTI and ESPN Radio’s Scott Van Pelt Show.
NHRA Charlotte Action on ESPN2, ESPN3
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series races this weekend in the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at zMax Dragway near Charlotte, N.C., and drag racing fans can watch action on ESPN2 and ESPN3. All NHRA programming on is also available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app. The schedule:
|
Date |
Time | Event | Network |
| Friday, Sept. 14 | 5 p.m. | Qualifying (live) | ESPN3, WatchESPN |
| Sat., Sept. 15 | 10:30 p.m. | Qualifying | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Sunday, Sept. 16 | Noon | Eliminations (live) | ESPN3, WatchESPN |
| Sunday, Sept. 16 | 1 p.m. | Qualifying (re-air) | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Sunday, Sept. 16 | 8:30 p.m. | Eliminations | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
Announcers:
Booth: Paul Page (anchor); Mike Dunn (analyst)
Pit reporters: Gary Gerould, Dave Rieff, John Kernan.
American Le Mans Series on ESPN2, ESPN3 from Virginia
The American Le Mans Series makes its inaugural appearance at Virginia International Raceway near Danville, Va., this weekend and racing fans can watch the Saturday, Sept. 15, four-hour sports car endurance race on both ESPN2 and ESPN3. The live ESPN3 coverage begins Saturday at 2:15 p.m. ET, while ESPN2 will air highlights on Sunday, Sept. 16, at 5 p.m.
ESPN3, ESPN’s multi-screen live sports network, also will air qualifying for the event on Friday, Sept. 14, at 3:25 p.m. All ALMS programming on ESPN2 and ESPN3 is also available on computers, smartphones and tablets with the WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.com.
NASCAR Now Weekend Wrap-up Program Begins Sunday
ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will expand its schedule with a weekly one-hour weekend wrap-up program coinciding with the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The first edition airs Sunday night, Sept. 16, at 11:30 p.m. ET. NASCAR Now will preview that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway in the one-hour edition that airs earlier that day at 8 a.m. Host Mike Massaro will be joined in the studio by ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven and reporters Marty Smith and Shannon Spake will check in from the track. The schedule:
|
Date |
Time | Show | Host | Network |
| Tue., Sept. 11 | 3:30 p.m. | NASCAR Now | Nicole Briscoe | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Wed., Sept. 12 | 3 p.m. | NASCAR Now | Nicole Briscoe | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Thu., Sept. 13 | 3 p.m. | NASCAR Now | Nicole Briscoe | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Sun., Sept. 16 | 8 a.m. | NASCAR Now | Mike Massaro | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Sun., Sept. 16 | 11:30 p.m. | NASCAR Now | Mike Massaro | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Mon., Sept. 17 | 2 p.m. | NASCAR Now | Mike Massaro | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
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, Sept. 16, RacingLive! Chicago will coincide with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. Fans can join ESPN.com’s NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/. ESPN.com motorsports writer David Newton will report from Chicagoland.
ESPN Radio — Each weekend morning, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. ET with host Pat Patterson anchored from the site of that weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race. On both Saturday and Sunday mornings, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay listeners get an hour of news, previews and analysis, as well as profiles and interviews with NASCAR’s biggest names and newsmakers and the involvement of listeners via calls and e-mails.