Motorsports This Week on ESPN
NASCAR Nationwide Series Live in Prime Time from Darlington
ESPN2 continues its coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series with a live, prime time telecast of the 200-mile race at historic Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Friday, May 6. NASCAR Countdown airs at 7 p.m. ET with the race’s green flag at 7:45 p.m. Also from Darlington on Friday, ESPN2 will air NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying at 3:30 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. Two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Mike Massaro and Vince Welch.
NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio will be hosted by Allen Bestwick with analysis by 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.
Jarrett, Petree, Schrader on NASCAR Now Roundtable
NASCAR driver Ken Schrader joins ESPN NASCAR analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree as panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program airing Monday, May 9, at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Allen Bestwick will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.
Nicole Briscoe hosts half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now airing at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday of this week and Friday at 4:30 p.m. following ESPN2’s coverage of NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying at Darlington Raceway. Briscoe also hosts NASCAR Now’s weekend edition airing Saturday, May 7, at noon with a preview of that night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Darlington. Shannon Spake and Ryan McGee will report from Darlington.
NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Action Sunday
Highlights from the recent event for the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Royal Purple Raceway in Houston will air in a one-hour format on Sunday, May 8, at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Following the Lucas Oil Series action, ESPN2 will air 30 minutes of racing from the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Modified Series event at Houston. The program begins at 2 p.m.
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will return to action over the weekend of May 14-15 in Atlanta with coverage on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com.
ESPN.com Offers RacingLive! During Darlington Race
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 Saturday, May 7, RacingLive! Darlington will kick off to coincide with the race at Darlington 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 be onsite at Darlington to report on the weekend’s action and news.
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.