Familiar names/faces for ABC/ESPN

There will be several familiar faces to race fans when ESPN debuts its NASCAR coverage next season.

Dr. Jerry Punch, NASCAR veteran Rusty Wallace and former NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree are expected to take prominent roles in ESPN’s return to NASCAR coverage, The Charlotte Observer has learned.

Among the others taking part in the networks' race weekend and daily coverage of the sport are Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro, multiple sources confirmed Saturday. Bestwick and Burns work with NBC currently, while Little and Massaro both work with ESPN. Little works with the Indy Racing League and Massaro with NASCAR.

ESPN and ABC are expected to officially introduce their team of on-air talent and producers during a news conference Thursday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

“We have a news conference at Lowe’s on Thursday at which time we are going to reveal our announcers and producers who will be ushering our return to NASCAR in 2007," said George McNeilly, ESPN’s senior director of corporate and consumer communications.

“We’ve asked everyone associated with that team to please refrain revealing their involvement. I have an obligation to abide by the same rules.

“However, it is no secret that Thursday’s announcement will be the culmination of months of auditions and assessments. Certainly, a number of these people have been under serious consideration." ThatsRacing.com