Racing on ESPN this week
NASCAR Countdown presented by Hellman’s airs Saturday, March 20, at 2 p.m. ET. The race telecast starts at 2:30 p.m. with the green flag at 2:43 p.m. Marty Reid will be the lap-by-lap announcer, joined in the booth for analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch. Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.
Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio, with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty, a team owner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
NASCAR Legends Race Again at Bristol Live on ESPN2
Some of the great NASCAR drivers of the past will slip behind the wheel again for a special 35-lap race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and ESPN2 will have a live telecast on Saturday, March 20, at 5:30 p.m.
Some of the drivers competing in the Saturday Night Showdown are David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Harry Gant, Jack Ingram, Jimmy Hensley, Dave Marcis and L.D. Ottinger. All will be in late model stock cars painted to resemble cars they drove during their careers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series.
Marty Reid will call the action with analysis from former NASCAR champions Dale Jarrett and Rusty Wallace. Hosting the telecast will be Allen Bestwick with pit reporters Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch.
LaJoie, Wallace, McGee on NASCAR Now Roundtable
NASCAR on ESPN analyst Randy LaJoie and ESPN the Magazine senior writer Ryan McGee will be joined by NASCAR driver Mike Wallace as panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program on Monday, March 22, at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Allen Bestwick will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.
Nicole Briscoe hosts half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now airing Tuesday through Thursday of this week at 5 p.m. and Friday at 6 p.m. Briscoe also hosts the one-hour weekend edition that airs Sunday, March 21, at 9 a.m. with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mike Massaro and Marty Smith will report from the speedway. .
NASCAR Now is hosted by Massaro, Bestwick and Briscoe and originates from ESPN’s high definition studios in Bristol, Conn. Contributors include reporters Marty Smith, Shannon Spake and Angelique Chengelis, analysts Ray Evernham, Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Ricky Craven and Randy LaJoie, and ESPN.com reporters Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton. The NASCAR on ESPN team event coverage team of Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Marty Reid, Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, and Vince Welch also make frequent contributions to NASCAR Now.
Danica Patrick’s Historic IndyCar Series Win on ESPN Classic
Danica Patrick made history in 2008 when she became the first woman ever to win an IndyCar race. Patrick’s win in the Firestone Indy 300 at Japan’s Twin-Ring Motegi made news around the world.
ESPN Classic will give racing fans the chance to see Patrick’s victory again with an airing of the race, which was originally televised live by ESPN and featured lap-by-lap announcer Marty Reid capturing the significance of the moment with “Boys, move over – the lady is coming through! Danica Patrick wins at Twin-Ring Motegi!" The program airs Wednesday, March 17, at 9 p.m. ET.
Also airing on ESPN Classic this week are episodes of the network’s signature series SportsCentury featuring NASCAR stars Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The Stewart program airs Tuesday, March 16, at 11 a.m., while the Earnhardt program airs Thursday, March 18, at 11 a.m.
NHRA Modified, Sportsman Action on ESPN2
Drag racing fans can watch two hours of action featuring the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the new Get Screened America Pro Mod Series on Saturday, March 21, beginning at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN2. The programs will include highlights of the Sportsman and Modified cars and drivers from the recent event at Gainesville, Fla.