The Chase Begins on ABC, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Live Sunday on ABC from New Hampshire International Speedway

NASCAR Countdown Preview

September 13, 2007 -- The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup begins with Sunday’s 300-lap race at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, N.H. ESPN on ABC will have live coverage of the New Hampshire event and all 10 races in the Chase. The New Hampshire telecast begins at 1 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.

Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevy, will be ESPN on ABC's In-Race Reporter on Sunday for the first race in the Chase. Suzy Kolber will host NASCAR Countdown, while two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. The race telecast begins at 2 p.m. Some NASCAR Countdown highlights:

Chase Drivers Talk About Their Quest

With the top 12 drivers locked in for the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup – Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex, Jr., Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer – NASCAR Countdown will report on each driver and get individual perspectives on the 10-race battle for the championship. The show also recounts some of best moments from the 2007 regular season.

No. 24, Jeff Gordon, Makes 500th Start on Sunday

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup star Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet, will make his 500th career Cup start Sunday, Sept. 16, at Loudon. It has been an amazing year for the four-time Cup champion, both personally and professionally. He has become a father, has won four regular-season races and kept the points lead before the reseeding for the Chase. ESPN’s Shannon Spake reports on Gordon’s accomplishments this year and talks with him about his season so far.

In or Out – Strategy Racing in the Final 10 Chase Races

NASCAR Countdown will discuss how driving strategy changes for those drivers not in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and how the non-Chase drivers approach those who are in the Chase and have so much to lose.

NASCAR Busch Series: Weekend Off, Return to Racing Sept. 22 at Dover on ESPN2

The NASCAR Busch Series has the weekend off, but ESPN2 will resume its season-long coverage live from Dover International Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 22, at 3 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. The race telecast begins at 3:30 p.m. ET.

About NASCAR on ESPN:

ESPN and ESPN on ABC has 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.

For complete ESPN NASCAR NEXTEL Cup TV listings, visit:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espntv/espnTopics?topic=Motor%20Sports&watch=N...

Source: ESPN