Motorsports This Week on ESPN

NHRA Racing in Las Vegas

As the National Hot Rod Association celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2011, the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season races this weekend in the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. ESPN2 will air action from qualifying on Saturday, April 2, at 7 p.m. ET and coverage of eliminations airs Sunday, April 3, at 4:30 p.m. NHRA fans also can watch the full day of eliminations live on ESPN3.com starting Sunday at 2 p.m.

As if Las Vegas weren’t loud and ostentatious enough in its own right, the city hosts the fire and fury of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series twice each year, the spring event and the crucial penultimate stop on the schedule in the fall. Contested at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a crown jewel befitting this glitzy city, the event has become a pivotal stop on the tour. Race teams often light up the scoreboard with performances one wouldn’t normally see at 2,100 feet of altitude. The event will also include the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.

Paul Page anchors for ESPN with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould, and Dave Rieff report from the pits.

Schrader, Benson Join Craven on NASCAR Now Roundtable

Veteran NASCAR drivers Ken Schrader and Johnny Benson join ESPN analyst Ricky Craven as panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program airing Monday, April 4, at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Mike Massaro will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.

Nicole Briscoe hosts half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now airing at 6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, Friday at 1 a.m. (late Thursday night), and Saturday at 2 a.m. (late Friday night). Briscoe also hosts NASCAR Now’s weekend edition Sunday at 9 a.m. with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville (VA) Speedway. Marty Smith and Shannon Spake will report from Martinsville.

ESPN.com Offers RacingLive! During Martinsville 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 Sunday, April 3, RacingLive! California will kick off to coincide with the race at Martinsville (VA) 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 be on-site at Martinsville 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.