Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC

NASCAR Nationwide Series Live in Prime Time from Richmond

NASCAR drivers and fans consider Richmond International Raceway one of the most competitive tracks in the sport, and racing on the .750-mile track takes on even more excitement at night under the lights. ESPN2 will have a live, prime-time telecast as the NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Richmond Friday night, May 2, beginning at 7 p.m. with NASCAR Countdown. The telecast also will air in high definition on ESPN2 HD.

Marty Reid will be the lead announcer for ESPN2's coverage, joined in the booth for analysis by 1989 NASCAR Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace and two-time Cup Series champion crew chief Andy Petree. Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will report from the pits, while two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer will be in the ESPN DISH Tech Center.

Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown with analysis by Wallace and Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, in the ESPN pit studio.

NASCAR Now Expands Tuesday for Dale Earnhardt Day

Dale Earnhardt Inc. will host the seventh annual Dale Earnhardt Day at its corporate headquarters in Mooresville, N.C., on Tuesday, April 29, and ESPN2's NASCAR Now will expand to one hour that day for special coverage of the event. The program airs at 6 p.m. ET.

The event, which celebrates the birthday of the seven-time NASCAR champion, also serves as a major benefit for the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, with a percentage of the event's merchandise sales being donated to the Foundation. ESPN's Dr. Jerry Punch will be master of ceremonies for the event.

The Monday, May 5, edition of NASCAR Now also will expand to an hour and will include host Allen Bestwick leading a roundtable discussion with ESPN analysts and reporters of the weekend's NASCAR action at Richmond International Raceway and other NASCAR news. The program airs at 5:30 p.m.

Half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now air Wednesday and Thursday of this week at 6 p.m., while the one-hour weekend edition airs Saturday at 10 a.m. with a preview of that night's NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Richmond.

NASCAR Now is hosted by Ryan Burr, Nicole Manske and Bestwick and originates from ESPN's high definition studios in Bristol, Conn. Contributors include NASCAR Insiders Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis, analysts Ray Evernham, Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Boris Said and Tim Cowlishaw, ESPN.com reporters Terry Blount and David Newton and D.J. Copp, a member of Bobby Labonte's NASCAR team.

NASCAR Now viewers also benefit from frequent contributions by the NASCAR on ESPN team including Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake.

ESPN Classic Featuring Two Classic NASCAR Races

Race fans will have the opportunity to watch two classic NASCAR Sprint Cup races this week on ESPN Classic.

The 1999 Pontiac Excitement 400 from Richmond International Raceway airs Thursday, May 1, at 2 p.m. ET, while the 1991 Champion Spark Plug 500 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway airs Friday, May 2, at 3 a.m. Both races originally aired live on ESPN.

NHRA St. Louis Event on ESPN2 Saturday, Sunday

ESPN2 airs coverage of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series stop at Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis this weekend with action from the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals. Qualifying coverage airs Saturday, May 3, at 9 p.m. ET, with eliminations and finals coverage airing Sunday at 7 p.m. A replay of finals airs Monday at 11 a.m. on ESPN Classic.

Contested in the shadow of the famed St. Louis arch, last season's event was the first to be held in cooler May climes after a change in the schedule from its traditional summer date. Since its inception, the event has become known for surprise winners. The quarter-mile hosts the fourth event of the season for riders in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class..

Paul Page anchors ESPN2's coverage, with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould and Dave Rieff report from the pits. Rieff and Dunn also co-host NHRA RaceDay to set the stage for Sunday's finals action. The 30-minute program airs Sunday at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.

NHRA Fans Can Relive Events on ESPN Classic

Fans of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series will have opportunities all week to relive some of the great events of the 2003 season as ESPN Classic opens the archives and brings the events back to life on TV. The programs air at 11 a.m. ET Tuesday through Friday.

On Tuesday, April 29, fans can watch the action of the 2003 NHRA O'Reilly Spring Nationals, while Wednesday's program features the Mac Tools Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals. The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals air Thursday with the K&N Filters NHRA Supernationals airing Friday.

ESPN2 is the home for the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series and the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.

NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman Series Action Saturday on ESPN2

Action from the NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman Series airs Sunday, May 4, at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN2. The program features racing from the recent NHRA event at Atlanta. Dave Rieff hosts the coverage for ESPN2.

Featuring race vehicles that range from 5-second Top Alcohol Dragsters and Top Alcohol Funny Cars to 15-second Stockers, the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series is the premier Sportsman series in drag racing. Eight categories are included in the series, which is showcased at select NHRA national events.

Firestone Indy Lights Series on ESPN2 Thursday

The Firestone Indy Lights Series will be featured in action from Kansas Speedway Thursday, May 1, at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The series, formerly known as the Indy Pro Series, is the developmental series for the IndyCar Series.

Bob Jenkins, Robbie Buhl and Mike King call the action.

Classic Car Auction Program Marathon Sunday on ESPN2

ESPN2 and ESPN Classic are the homes for lovers of classic car auction programs, and viewers will have the opportunity this week to see multiple hours of programming.

ESPN2 airs a marathon of car auction programming Sunday, May 4, beginning at midnight ET with three hour-long episodes of RM Classic Car Auctions. The shows continue at 3 a.m. with an episode of Russo and Steele Classic Car Auction.

After a break, the marathon resumes at noon with back-to-back episodes of Russo and Steele, followed at 1 p.m. by RM Classic Car Auctions.

ESPN Classic will air an episode of RM Classic Car Auctions Tuesday, April 29, at 10 p.m. ET.

Also airing this week on ESPN2 are two episodes of Mothers Car Show starting Saturday, May 3, at noon, and an episode of Autotrader.com DRIVE! In HD airing Sunday, May 4, at 6 p.m.

Two Episodes of Car Wars with Funkmaster Flex Airing This Week

A new season of the ESPN2 reality show Car Wars with Funkmaster Flex continues with two episodes this week.'

The show features popular New York TV and radio personality Funkmaster Flex, who opens each episode with 'music is my life but cars are my passion.' Flex oversees a competition involving amateur car customizers and the real-life drama associated with the contest. The contestants put everything on the line to win.

Back-to-back episodes air Saturday, May 3, beginning at 9 a.m.