Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC
Chase Spots on Line as NASCAR Sprint Cup at Richmond in Prime Time
Spots in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup will be on the line as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races under the lights at the 3/4-mile Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night, Sept. 8. The 400-lap race is the final event before the beginning of the 10-race Chase that will determine the series champion. ABC will have a live telecast with NASCAR Countdown at 7 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag at 7:43 p.m. Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Richmond airs on ESPN, with NASCAR Countdown at 7 p.m. and the green flag at 7:43 p.m. Also from Richmond, ESPN2 airs NASCAR Sprint Cup practice sessions on Friday at noon and 2:30 p.m., and qualifying at 5:30 p.m. NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying airs on ESPN2 at 4 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, Dr. Jerry Punch, Shannon Spake, Vince Welch.
NASCAR Countdown (Sunday): Nicole Briscoe (host); Rusty Wallace, Ray Evernham, Brad Daugherty (analysts).
Chase for NASCAR Sprint Cup Preview Airs Friday
ESPN2 will preview the 2012 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in a 30-minute special program airing Friday, Sept. 7, at 2 p.m. ET. The program will air following ESPN2’s telecast of NASCAR Sprint Cup practice at Richmond International Raceway.
With one race remaining before the beginning of the Chase, NASCAR’s version of the playoffs, the program will examine the battle for the two wildcard spots in the Chase as well as the drivers who have already clinched spots in the 12-driver Chase.
NASCAR Now Schedule
ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will preview the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway in the one-hour weekend edition that airs Saturday, Sept. 8, at 9 a.m. ET. Host Mike Massaro will be joined in the studio by ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven and reporters Marty Smith and Ryan McGee will check in from the track. Two half-hour programs will air Friday, Sept. 7, at 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. between practice and qualifying sessions that afternoon at Richmond. The schedule:
|
Date |
Time | Show | Host | Network |
| Thu., Sept. 6 | 2 a.m. | NASCAR Now | Mike Massaro | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Fri., Sept. 7 | 1 a.m. | NASCAR Now | Mike Massaro | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Fri., Sept. 7 | 3:30 p.m. | NASCAR Now | Mike Massaro | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Fri., Sept. 7 | 5 p.m. | NASCAR Now | Mike Massaro | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Sat., Sept. 8 | 9 a.m. | NASCAR Now | Mike Massaro | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Mon., Sept. 10 | 3 p.m. | NASCAR Now | Allen Bestwick | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
NHRA Lucas Oil Series on ESPN2 Sunday
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series has the weekend off, but race fans can watch highlights of the recent event for the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series in Seattle in an hour-long program on Sunday, Sept. 9, at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
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 Saturday, Sept. 8, RacingLive! Richmond will coincide with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway. 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 RIR.
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.