Motorsports This Week on ESPN
NASCAR Nationwide Series Live in Prime Time from Chicago on ESPN
ESPN continues its coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series this weekend with a live telecast of the event at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., on Saturday night, June 4. NASCAR Countdown airs at 7:30 p.m. ET with the race’s green flag at 8:16 p.m. Also from Joliet, ESPN2 airs coverage of NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Marty Reid will call the action with analysis by Dale Jarrett, the 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree. Reports from two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will air from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Dr. Jerry Punch.
NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio will be hosted by Allen Bestwick with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty, a team owner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race.
Benson, Brewer, Craven on NASCAR Now Roundtable
NASCAR driver Johnny Benson Jr. joins ESPN NASCAR analysts Ricky Craven and Tim Brewer as panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program airing Monday, June 6, at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Allen Bestwick will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.
Shannon Spake hosts half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now airing late night this week due to ESPN2’s coverage of French Open tennis. The program airs at 1 a.m. on Wednesday, June 1 (late Tuesday night), 12:30 a.m. Thursday (late Wednesday night) and 2 a.m. Friday (late Thursday night), then at 6 p.m. Friday. Spake also hosts NASCAR Now’s weekend edition airing Sunday, June 5, at 9 a.m. with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway. Marty Smith and Nicole Briscoe will report from the track.
NHRA Action from Atlanta on ESPN2, ESPN3.com
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series races this weekend in the NHRA Supernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J. ESPN2 will air action from qualifying on Saturday, June 4, at 5:30 p.m. ET and coverage of eliminations airs Sunday, June 5, at 4:30 p.m. NHRA fans also can watch the full day of eliminations live on ESPN3.com starting Sunday at noon.
One of NHRA’s original seven national events, this race is steeped in legend: a historic facility, some of the sport’s more knowledgeable fans, and a score of dramatic moments. The event, once known as the Summernationals, has shifted on the schedule from its original scorching hot and humid July slot to May and June, and upsets have become the norm. The event, which marks the midpoint of the Full Throttle regular season, also includes Pro Stock Motorcycles and Pro Mods.
Paul Page anchors for ESPN with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould, and Dave Rieff report from the pits.
ESPN.com Offers RacingLive! During NASCAR Kansas Event
NASCAR fans looking for an online gathering during ESPN’s telecasts of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series now have a place to go on 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, June 5, RacingLive! Kansas will kick off to coincide with the NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star race at Kansas 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 Radio Raceday Airs Saturday, Sunday
Each weekend morning, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. ET with host Pat Patterson anchored from Daytona Beach, Fla. Patterson also originates the broadcast from several racetracks with key races during the season. 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.
Additionally, many of ESPN’s NASCAR reporters and analysts contribute each week as ESPN networks televise the entire NASCAR Nationwide Series and the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 10-race “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup" championship. A list of ESPN Radio affiliates can be found at www.espnradio.com.