Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC
The Chase: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Live from Martinsville on ABC
The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup continues Sunday, Oct. 21, when the series visits Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, the smallest track in NASCAR’s top series, for the Subway 500. ESPN on ABC will have live coverage of the Martinsville event and all 10 races in the Chase. The telecast begins at 1 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.
Martinsville Speedway, at just more than a half-mile in length, is shaped like a paper clip with long straights and tight, mildly banked turns. The track places a premium on brakes as well as driving skill as the action is usually rough-and-tumble short track racing.
Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play for the race telecast, joined in the booth for analysis by 1989 NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Wallace is the only national TV analyst who has competed in the Chase as a driver.
Pit reporters will be Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. Two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center.
Suzy Kolber will host NASCAR Countdown along with analyst Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in the NASCAR Busch Series and Truck Series, in the ESPN Pit Studio.
ESPN2 will have live coverage of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup qualifying from Martinsville on Friday, Oct. 19, at 3:30 p.m. NASCAR Happy Hour practice airs Saturday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m.
NASCAR: Chasing Glory Continues Wednesday on ESPN2
The fourth episode of ESPN2’s weekly series NASCAR: Chasing Glory airs Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 5:30 p.m. ET.
NASCAR: Chasing Glory is a behind-the-scenes look at the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. The 11-part series follows drivers during the final 11 races of the season and documents their preparation for the races.
ESPN Ultimate NASCAR: Biggest Races Airs Thursday on ESPN2
NASCAR fans will have another chance to watch an episode of the summer series ESPN Ultimate NASCAR when ESPN2 re-airs Biggest Races Thursday, Oct. 18, at 5 p.m. ET.
Biggest Races counts down the 20 most significant races in the history of NASCAR as selected by a special panel of journalists, historians and officials. ESPN racing announcer Dr. Jerry Punch and lead auto racing analyst Rusty Wallace host the program.
The shows includes commentary from panelists and many others, such as former NASCAR champion and ESPN broadcaster Ned Jarrett, two-time NASCAR Cup champion Darrell Waltrip and Lowe’s Motor Speedway President and General Manager H.A. “Humpy" Wheeler.
NASCAR Now Schedule
NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily news and information show dedicated to NASCAR, will have its expanded one-hour edition on the air tonight at 5:30 p.m. ET with extensive highlights from Saturday night’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The program airs at 6 p.m. in its normal 30-minute format Tuesday through Thursday of this week and at 5:30 p.m. Friday on ESPN2 following NASCAR NEXTEL Cup qualifying at Martinsville Speedway. The one-hour weekend edition airs Sunday, Oct.21, at 10 a.m. with a preview of Sunday’s race at Martinsville. The weekend wrap-up edition airs Monday, Oct. 22, at midnight.
NASCAR Now is hosted by Erik Kuselias or Ryan Burr and originates from ESPN’s High Definition studios in Bristol, Conn., with reporters Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake. Contributors include analysts Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Stacy Compton and Boris Said, along with NASCAR insiders Terry Blount, Angelique Chengelis, Tim Cowlishaw, David Newton and Marty Smith, as well as D.J. Copp, a member of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR team.
Champ Car World Series Australia Event Live on ESPN Classic
The 2007 Champ Car World Series season is coming down to the wire with only two races left for the open-wheel stars. The series holds its annual event at Surfers Paradise, Australia, this weekend and live coverage airs Saturday, Oct. 20, at 11:30 p.m. ET on ESPN Classic.
Champ Car fans will have another chance to watch the Grand Prix of Australia with a repeat telecast Sunday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
Rick Benjamin and Jon Beekhuis will anchor ESPN’s coverage of the event.
Special Episode of NHRA RaceDay Airs Sunday on ESPN
ESPN2 will bring fans of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series up to date on the exciting 2007 season and preview the remaining two events with a special edition of NHRA RaceDay. The 30-minute program airs Sunday, Oct. 21, at 11 a.m. ET.
Dave Rieff will host NHRA RaceDay as the NHRA’s new Countdown to the Championship format determines champions in the four classes of competition in the POWERade Drag Racing Series.
ESPN2 will have coverage of the final two events of the season, including Oct. 25-28 at Las Vegas and Nov. 1-4 at Pomona, Calif.
NHRA Xpl�d Sport Compact Racing Series Airs Tuesday on ESPN2
While the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series has the weekend off, the NHRA Xpl�d Sport Compact Racing Series is on ESPN2 every week in October for the final five races of the season. Action airs Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 5 p.m. ET, followed by NHRA Stylefest at 5:30 p.m.
The NHRA Xpl�d Stylefest includes the NHRA Tuner Car Show, which offers the best sport compact show cars, the Modified Magazine NHRA Bikini Xhibition and other extreme sports exhibitions.
In the announcing booth is Kenny Sargent, co-host of the nationally syndicated radio show SpeedFreaks, along with veteran drag racing announcer Bruno Massel. Joining Sargent and Massel is Amanda Amann, a producer and writer on various shows for BET, CNN and MTV.
Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League Action Airs Sunday on ESPN2
Fans of truck and tractor pulling can check out the action Sunday, Oct. 21, with the Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League at 11:30 a.m. ET on ESPN2.
The program features events from the league’s recently completed 2007 Champions Tour. The series visited racetracks in North Carolina, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Missouri and New York.