NASCAR Busch Series Regulars Could Pull Upset at Memphis, Live on ESPN2

October 24, 2007 -- The fall of 2007 has become the season of the upset in college football. From Appalachian State to Stanford, teams that were supposed to show up, take their whipping by the powerhouses and quietly get back on the bus have turned the tables.

Like those teams, a strong contingent of NASCAR Busch Series drivers would like to bring that same spirit to the high-profile Busch Series races on ESPN2, starting with Saturday’s event at Memphis Motorsports Park. Fans can watch all the action with live coverage on ESPN2 beginning at 3 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.

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If there is going to be a Busch Series upset in this fall of upsets, it’s likely that Memphis will be the place. The last two surprise winners in the Busch Series claimed victory at stand-alone events at a non-Cup Series track: Kentucky Speedway. Stephen Leicht won in June at Kentucky, while David Gilliland scored an impressive victory at the same track in 2006.

Candidates for a similar breakout win in the closing stages of the 2007 campaign include Marcos Ambrose and Steve Wallace. Ambrose, the former Australian road racing champion, is eighth in the Busch Series standings with four top-10 finishes. Wallace has had a season of mixed fortunes. He has been fast enough to win poles at Bristol and Nashville, but he’s still looking for his first top-10 finish after a tough summer.

Also in the mix for an upset at Memphis are several veterans. High on that list are Bobby Hamilton Jr., who despite his solid standing in the points has posted just two top-10s, and Mike Bliss, who has had several strong runs down the stretch. Hamilton already has one win at Memphis, in 2003. A sentimental favorite is Jason Keller, who recently surpassed Tommy Houston for the all-time record for Busch Series starts.

Not to be outdone, the younger crowd could make some noise at Memphis as well. Fourteen drivers age 23 or younger, including five teenagers, will compete this weekend. Among them is Chase Austin, a teammate of Steve Wallace who aims to make his series debut and become just the second driver of African American descent to drive in the NASCAR Busch Series. Bill Lester was the first; he made his series debut in 1999.

Adding to the excitement at Memphis this week, the race will showcase the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital “Design a Dream” effort, in which 16 NASCAR teams will compete with cars that feature paint schemes created by the children who are patients at nearby St. Jude. Participants include cars from Richard Childress Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing and Kevin Harvick Inc., among others.

Marty Reid will call the action for ESPN2 at Memphis, joined in the booth for analysis by two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion Randy LaJoie and 1989 NASCAR Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace. Allen Bestwick, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch will report from the pits.

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