Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season Ends Live from Homestead on ABC

The NASCAR season comes to an end this weekend, and the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is down to the last race to determine the 2008 NASCAR champion. ESPN on ABC will have live, high definition coverage of the Ford 400 from Homestead-Miami Speedway beginning with NASCAR Countdown at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 16.

ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will air live coverage of NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying from Homestead on Friday, Nov. 14, at 3 p.m., along with practice on the 1.5-mile track earlier that day at noon. Coverage of final practice airs Saturday, Nov. 15, at 3 p.m. The race will re-air Monday, Nov. 16, at 10 a.m. on ESPN Classic.

Dr. Jerry Punch will be lead announcer, joined in the booth for analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree. Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will be pit reporters with two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer in the ESPN Tech Center.

The pre-race NASCAR Countdown show from the ESPN pit studio will be hosted by Allen Bestwick, with 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace, three-time champion crew chief Ray Evernham and analyst Brad Daugherty. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race.

Also this weekend, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD air live coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series season-ending Ford 300 from Homestead on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 4 p.m.

Wallace, Evernham on Final NASCAR Now Monday Roundtable Discussion

The Monday, Nov. 17, edition of NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information show, at 5 p.m. ET will feature host Allen Bestwick leading a roundtable discussion of NASCAR’s season-ending weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Panel members will include ESPN NASCAR analysts Rusty Wallace and Ray Evernham. The program will be the final episode of NASCAR Now for the season.

Episodes of NASCAR Now air Tuesday through Thursday of this week at 5 p.m. and at 12:30 a.m. Saturday (late Friday night). The one-hour weekend edition of NASCAR Now airs Sunday, Nov. 16, at 10 a.m. with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Homestead, and the weekend wrap-up edition airs that night at 10 p.m.

NASCAR Now is hosted by Ryan Burr, Nicole Manske and Bestwick 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 and Tim Cowlishaw, ESPN.com reporters Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton and D.J. Copp, a member of the Petty Enterprises NASCAR team.

NASCAR Now viewers also benefit from frequent contributions by the NASCAR on ESPN team including Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake.

Season-Ending NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Event on ESPN2

The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Countdown to 1 playoffs end with this weekend’s Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals from Pomona, Calif. ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will have same-day coverage of qualifying on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 11 p.m. ET, and same-day coverage of eliminations on Sunday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. In addition, ESPN360.com, ESPN’s signature live events network, streams live coverage of eliminations beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday. Finals re-air Monday, Nov. 18, at 8 a.m. on ESPN Classic.

The season concludes where it began with an event traditionally laced with drama. The historic racetrack typically enjoys seasonably cool temperatures that translate into perfect racing conditions and a spectacular, no-holds-barred battle for the prestigious NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series world championships. It’s a good bet that the Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle world titles again will still be in doubt at the beginning of the season’s final day.

Paul Page will anchor ESPN2’s coverage with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould, John Kernan and Dave Rieff will report from the pits. Rieff and Dunn host NHRA RaceDay on Sunday at 11 a.m. to set the stage for that day’s eliminations action.