ESPN Analyst, Two-time NASCAR Champion Crew Chief Tim Brewer on Racing at California Speedway

Tim Brewer Reports Live During NASCAR on ESPN Events from the ESPN DISH Tech Center

August 28 , 2007 --

Q - The Cup and Busch teams were just at Michigan International Speedway, the sister track of California Speedway. Are there many differences in the setups between the two tracks?

“There are some similarities, but teams will most likely use the same car they used at Michigan, especially Kurt Busch. If I were that dominant in a race, I would put the car right on the truck and take it straight to California. There are a lot of good feelings when you come off a win with a car.

“California is a horsepower track as well as a good-handling track. The major transition that teams are watching for is starting late in the evening and being able to carry the momentum into the night. The surface has cooled drastically and you have to build a lot of adjustability into your car.”

Q - Does racing at night on a high-speed track like California Speedway present any special challenges to drivers and teams?

“You’ve got to be able to adjust the car when the track transitions and cools off. When that happens it gets tighter. It may be harder on the drivers, but the crews welcome it because when the sun is up it will be 100 degrees or better outside. The crews are waiting for the sun to go down because it’s hot on those guys down there. It’s very physically demanding on the pit crews.”

Q - How tough is a 500-mile race at California Speedway on engines and cars?

“It is very tough on the valve train and engines because they’re held at a constant RPM instead of accelerating and pulling up. You’re turning a lot of RPMs for a long time continuously. When the valve train intake – including springs and push rods – go through harmonics like that, it’s like taking a hammer and beating on those components. RPMs are always a challenge to an engine builder.”

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series Live in Prime Time on ESPN and ESPN2 from California Speedway

The fast and competitive California Speedway near Los Angeles will host the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race presented by Principle Financial on Sunday, Sept. 2, for 500 miles of prime-time racing. ESPN will have live coverage from the 2-mile Fontana, Calif., oval beginning at 7 p.m. ET with the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program.

ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series with live, prime-time racing from California Speedway. The telecast of the CampingWorld 300 presented by RVs.com begins Saturday, Sept. 1, at 9:45 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.

Dr. Jerry Punch will anchor the coverage from California, with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro, while Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. ESPN’s Brent Musburger will host NASCAR Countdown, joined by analyst Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in NASCAR’s Busch and Truck series, in the ESPN Pit Studio.

About NASCAR on ESPN:

ESPN and ESPN on ABC have comprehensive, multi-platform coverage featuring telecasts of the final 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races including the 10-race “Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup” championship on ESPN on ABC. Additionally, ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Busch Series all season. For the first time in the history of televised motorsports, all programming is produced totally in High Definition. ESPN’s comprehensive, multimedia NASCAR coverage extends to ESPN.com, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, SportsCenter, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPNRadio, ESPN360.com and ESPN International, among other ESPN platforms. ESPN aired 262 NASCAR Cup Races over a 20-year period starting in 1981. The network's award-winning, live flag-to-flag coverage on ESPN was honored with 17 Sports Emmy Awards, as well as many industry honors. It is widely credited for helping to popularize the sport nationwide. NASCAR races have appeared on ABC for decades, beginning with broadcasts on the award-winning Wide World of Sports program in the 1960s.

Source: ESPN