Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Moves to ABC for Remainder of Season

One of the most important races of the season for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is on tap this weekend as the series runs under the lights Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway. ESPN’s live, flag-to-flag coverage of the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, the race that will determine the 12 drivers who will be in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, will air on ABC. The telecast begins with NASCAR Countdown presented by Degree V12 at 7 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag is at 7:43 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12.

ESPN’s coverage of the final 11 races of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule will air on ABC, including all 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. ESPN’s coverage from Richmond includes NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying on Friday, Sept. 11, at 5:30 p.m., and a telecast of NASCAR Sprint Cup final practice on Friday at 2 p.m., both on ESPN2.

Dr. Jerry Punch will be lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN’s coverage, with analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Reporting from the pits will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch, with two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer in the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.

Allen Bestwick will host the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty, owner of a winning team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, in the ESPN pit studio.

Also this week, ESPN Classic will air highlights of the 1999 Pontiac Excitement 400 from Richmond on Monday, Sept. 14, at 2 p.m.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Live from Richmond on ESPN2

ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series this weekend as the series races under the lights at Richmond International Raceway. The live, flag-to-flag telecast airs Friday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. ET. ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season, with selected races on ESPN and ABC.

Also on Friday, coverage of NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying airs at 4 p.m. on ESPN2, while coverage of final practice airs at 10 a.m. on ESPN2.

Marty Reid will be lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN’s coverage, with analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Reporting from the pits will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch, with two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer in the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.

Evernham, LaJoie, Craven on NASCAR Now Roundtable

NASCAR on ESPN analysts Ray Evernham, Randy LaJoie and Ricky Craven will be panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program on Monday, Sept. 12, at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Allen Bestwick will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.

Mike Massaro hosts half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now airing in the early part of this week. News from Tuesday will air Wednesday, Sept. 9, at midnight (late Tuesday night), while news from Wednesday will air Thursday at 12:30 a.m. (late Wednesday night). News from Thursday will air Friday, Sept. 11, at 1 a.m. (late Thursday night). The program is delayed from its normal 5 p.m. airtime due to ESPN2’s coverage of U.S. Open tennis.

Massaro also hosts an edition of NASCAR Now airing Friday at 3:30 p.m., sandwiched between ESPN2’s coverage of NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series qualifying at Richmond International Raceway.

Massaro will be joined by Craven for the one-hour weekend edition that airs Saturday, Sept. 12, at 9 a.m. with a preview of that night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Richmond. The weekend wrap-up edition airs at 11:30 p.m. following the race. Nicole Manske and Marty Smith will report from Richmond for both programs. .

NASCAR Now is hosted by Massaro, Bestwick and Manske and originates from ESPN’s high definition studios in Bristol, Conn. Contributors include NASCAR Insiders Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis, analysts Ray Evernham, Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Boris Said, 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, Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Spake and Vince Welch also make frequent contributions to NASCAR Now.

NHRA Full Throttle, Lucas Oil Series Action on ESPN Networks

NHRA drag racing fans can watch highlights of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals and other NHRA events this week on ESPN Classic. Highlights from the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis will air Tuesday, Sept. 8, for four hours beginning at 7 a.m. ET.

ESPN2 airs action featuring the NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman Series from Indianapolis on Sunday, Sept. 13, at 6 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 14, is a day of multiple hours of NHRA programming on ESPN Classic. The day begins at noon with two consecutive hours of Lucas Oil Sportsman Series action from Dallas and Pomona. Then, at 5 p.m., two half-hour episodes of NHRA Thrills and Spills air, followed by two half-hour episodes of American Dragster.