ESPN Analyst and Two-Time NASCAR Champion Crew Chief Tim Brewer on Racing at Talladega Superspeedway

The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup is on ABC

October 2, 2007:

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“It’s going to be very unpredictable. The restrictor-plate size has not been determined yet and the book has not been closed on that specification. We do know that NASCAR is going to stay away from the 200 mph area, but how the car will handle in traffic is unknown. All of the teams are going down there in preparation for a 500-mile event that no one has done before. The guy out front is going to be at a disadvantage because he’ll be a sitting duck, but the rate of closure is a big question. We’re going back to the old Cale Yarborough heydays, where mastering the slingshot will pay very high dividends in Talladega.”

Q - What makes some drivers better at racing on restrictor-plate tracks than others?

“It goes back to the old era of Cale Yarborough, Buddy Baker and Dale Earnhardt Sr. They would see a car and know how the air is moving over it. You have to be able to get that air to work in your favor and benefit from it. A lot of guys can do that, but then there are some who don’t have a clue.”

Q - How nerve-wracking is restrictor-plate racing for the teams in the pits and what should they anticipate?

“Everybody is going to be glued to the TV. They’re going to be clambering to get to the television, just like the drivers on the racetrack will be racing to get out front. It will be pins and needles for drivers, crews, fans and the people at home. The crews will be anticipating the big wreck and wanting their driver to miss it, but not everyone can. Everybody knows when the checkered flag is going to come on Lap 188, but they don’t know when the big one is coming. It can happen on Lap 3, 110 or 188 and it has happened everywhere in between in the past. That’s why it’s so mentally demanding on drivers and crews.”

The Fourth Race in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup is Sunday on ABC

The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup continues Sunday, Oct. 7, at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. ESPN on ABC will have live coverage of the Talladega event and all 10 races in the Chase. The Talladega telecast begins at 1 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. The event will mark the first time teams will race on a large superspeedway with NASCAR’s Car of Tomorrow.

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.

NASCAR Busch Series: Weekend Off, Return to Racing Oct. 12 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on ESPN2: The NASCAR Busch Series has the weekend off, but ESPN2 will resume its season-long coverage live from Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. The race telecast begins at 8 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.

Source: ESPN