Motorsports This Week on ESPN, ABC

The Chase Continues - NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Live on ABC Sunday from Dover

September 17, 2007 -- The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup continues with Sunday’s 400-mile race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. ESPN on ABC will have live coverage of the Dover event and all 10 races in the Chase. The Dover telecast begins at 1 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.

The 1-mile, concrete-surfaced Dover track is known as the “Monster Mile” for good reason, as it is tough on drivers and equipment. The 12 Chase drivers will look to survive the grueling race and score as many points as possible.

Brent Musburger will be the Dover telecast host, while Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play for the race, joined in the booth for analysis by 1989 NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Wallace is the only national TV analyst who has competed in the Chase as a driver.

Pit reporters will be Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. Two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center.

Suzy Kolber will host NASCAR Countdown along with analyst Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in NASCAR’s Busch and Truck series, in the ESPN Pit Studio.

ESPN2 will have live coverage of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup qualifying from Dover on Friday, Sept. 21, at 3 p.m. A one-hour program covering a practice session for the race airs at 11 a.m. Saturday.

NASCAR Busch Series Action Live on ESPN2 Saturday From Dover

On Saturday afternoon, ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series with live racing from Dover International Speedway. The telecast of the 200-mile race begins at 3 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.

Series points leader Carl Edwards won when Dover hosted the NASCAR Busch Series in June, one of four wins this season for Edwards on concrete-surfaced tracks. Richard Childress Racing swept both Dover events last year, with Jeff Burton winning in June and Clint Bowyer in September.

Dr. Jerry Punch will anchor ESPN2’s coverage from Dover, with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake, while two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. Allen Bestwick 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.

NASCAR Now Schedule

NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily news and information show dedicated to NASCAR, will have its expanded one-hour edition on the air tonight at 5:30 p.m. ET with extensive highlights from Sunday’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at New Hampshire International Speedway. The program airs at 6 p.m. in its normal 30-minute format Tuesday through Friday of this week on ESPN2. The one-hour weekend edition airs Sunday at 10 a.m. with a preview of Sunday’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Dover International Speedway as well as a recap of the previous day’s NASCAR Busch Series event at the same track. The weekend wrap-up edition airs Monday, Sept. 17, at 12:30 a.m.

NASCAR Now is hosted by Erik Kuselias, Ryan Burr or Allen Bestwick and originates from ESPN’s High Definition studios in Bristol, Conn., with reporters Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake. Contributors include analysts Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Stacy Compton and Boris Said, along with NASCAR insiders Terry Blount, Angelique Chengelis, Tim Cowlishaw, David Newton and Marty Smith, as well as D.J. Copp, a member of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR team.

NASCAR Driver Kurt Busch Featured in This Is SportsCenter Promotional Spot

Kurt Busch, one of 12 drivers in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, is featured in a This Is SportsCenter promotional spot that began airing today on ESPN. All 10 races in the Chase will air live on ESPN on ABC.

In the spot, SportsCenter anchor John Anderson tries to buy a good sponsor location on Busch’s car in the parking lot of ESPN’s campus in Bristol, Conn.

NHRA Coverage from Dallas To Air This Weekend on ESPN2

With the inaugural Countdown to the Championship playoffs in full swing, the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series moves to Texas Motorplex in Dallas this weekend for the O’Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals. ESPN2 will have coverage of qualifying and finals. Qualifying coverage from the Texas drag racing facility airs at 12:30 a.m. ET Sunday, with three hours of finals coverage at 7 p.m. Sunday.

Texas Motorplex is the only all-concrete quarter-mile on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule, which allows crew chiefs the opportunity to unleash horsepower with little restraint and guarantees explosive performances, sometimes in more ways than one. The event is the final chance for the eight Pro Stock Motorcycle riders in the Countdown to 4 to gain one of the treasured positions that could carry them to glory at season’s end and is the second-to-last chance for the Countdown teams in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock.

Paul Page will anchor ESPN2’s coverage from Dallas, with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould, Dave Rieff and John Kernan will report the action from the pits. Rieff also will host Sunday’s NHRA Race Day at 11 a.m. on ESPN2. The half-hour program will set the stage for Sunday’s eliminations with driver interviews, features and up-to-the-minute information.

Hot Rod Television to Highlight ESPN2 Garage Programs Airing This Week

Three episodes of Hot Rod Television air this week as part of the ESPN2 Garage block of automotive programming. In addition, new episodes of Race Wizard with Ray Evernham and King of the Strip will premiere.

The long-running Hot Rod Television show made its debut on ESPN2 this year with a new production team and a new attitude as it continued to expand on the excitement, passion and lifestyle of Hot Rod magazine. With action-packed episodes mixing in the thrills of live events, candid conversations with automotive legends and celebrities plus showing the passion of car enthusiasts worldwide, the show expanded its appeal with a focus on entertainment-based features. The program airs Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 5 p.m. ET with back-to-back episodes airing Wednesday, Sept. 19, beginning at 5 p.m.

Back-to-back episodes of King of the Strip air Sunday, Sept. 23, starting at 11:30 a.m. Another episode airs Thursday, Sept. 20, at 5 p.m. Episodes of Stacey David’s GearZ air Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and Friday at 4:30 p.m.

Race Wizard with Ray Evernham airs Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. The ESPN2 Garage program Autotrader.com DRIVE in HD airs Friday at 5 p.m.

Designed to complement ESPN’s extensive coverage of NASCAR, IndyCar, Champ Car and NHRA racing in 2007, ESPN2 Garage is dedicated to the automotive, motorcycle and motorsports worlds. ESPN2 will air more than 1,100 hours of motorsports programming in 2007.

Source: ESPN

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