Motorsports This Week on ESPN
DAYTONA EVENT TO KICK OFF ESPN’S RETURN TO LIVE NASCAR COVERAGE
Live NASCAR racing returns to ESPN for the first time in six years Saturday with coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series season opener from Daytona International Speedway on ESPN2. The telecast begins at noon ET with the NASCAR Busch Series Countdown pre-race show, followed at 1:15 p.m. by flag-to-flag coverage of the 300-mile race.
The race telecast will be produced in High Definition and with the most
advanced technology ever used in motorsports coverage. ESPN is elevating
the NASCAR Busch Series with full-season coverage on its multi-media
platforms and the same standards and quality of production as the NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup Series including the full use HD cameras, Sportvision
enhancements and state-of-the-art graphics.
Brent Musburger will host the race telecast, while Jerry Punch will handle
play-by-play. Joining Punch in the booth for expert analysis will be 1989
NASCAR champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy
Petree. Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro will be
pit reporters.
For the pre-race show from the ESPN pit studio, ESPN’s Chris Fowler will be studio host, joined by analysts Tim Brewer, a two-time NASCAR champion crew chief, and five-time NBA All-Star and former NASCAR team owner Brad Daugherty.
NASCAR NOW AT DAYTONA ALL WEEK
NASCAR Now, ESPN’s first-ever daily news show totally dedicated to NASCAR,
will originate from Daytona International Speedway all week in advance of
ESPN2’s live telecast of the NASCAR Busch Series season opener on Saturday, Feb. 17.
Special editions of NASCAR Now will air on ESPN on Tuesday (5-6 p.m. ET),
Wednesday (5:30-6 p.m.) and Thursday (5-6 p.m.) The show will also appear
on its regular network, ESPN2, on Tuesday (6:30-7 p.m.), Wednesday (6-7
p.m.), Thursday (6-6:30 p.m.) and Friday (6-7 p.m.)
In addition to the weekday shows, the inaugural weekend editions of NASCAR Now on ESPN2 will debut from Daytona, beginning with a one-hour episode at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18, prior to the Daytona 500. A weekend wrap-up
edition will begin at midnight, and the show will return to its normal 6:30
p.m. timeslot on ESPN2 on Monday, Feb. 19.
NASCAR Now is a fast-paced program of highlights, opinion, debate,
analysis, and the latest news from drivers, crew chiefs and insiders both
on and off the track. Host Erik Kuselias will be joined by analysts
including two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Tim Brewer and five-time NBA
All-Star and former winning NASCAR team owner Brad Daugherty, along with
current NASCAR drivers Boris Said and Stacy Compton.
Reporters Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake and NASCAR Insiders Angelique
Chengelis and Marty Smith will also contribute to NASCAR Now, and ESPNs
Chris Fowler will share the host role.
ESPN2 TO HAVE LIVE NASCAR BUSCH SERIES PRACTICE, QUALIFYING COVERAGE FROM
DAYTONA
As the NASCAR Busch Series prepares to kick off its 2007 season at Daytona
International Speedway on Saturday, ESPN2 will have live coverage of
practice and qualifying for the season-opening race on Thursday and Friday,
Feb. 15-16.
Live coverage of the 90-minute final practice session for the series will
be aired from 9:30-11 a.m. on Thursday, with a condensed replay from 5-6
p.m. that afternoon.
Qualifying to determine the starting lineup for the race will be covered
live from 3-6 p.m. Friday on ESPN2, with a simulcast on ESPN from 5-6 p.m.
Brent Musburger will host the practice and qualifying telecasts, joined in
ESPNs pit studio by analyst Tim Brewer. Calling the action from the booth
will be Jerry Punch with analysts Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree. Allen
Bestwick, Dave Burns and Jamie Little will report from the pits and garage.
ESPN2 TO AIR THREE HOURS OF NASCAR PROGRAMMING IN PRIME TIME WEDNESDAY
NIGHT
ESPN2 will air three hours of NASCAR-related programming in prime time
Wednesday night, including two season preview shows and a movie about one
of NASCARs greatest drivers.
A pair of half-hour programs previewing the 2007 seasons of both the NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series will be aired on Wednesday night,
Feb. 14, starting at 9 p.m. ET with the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup show.
The evening will continue at 10 p.m. with a replay of the ESPN Original
Entertainment movie 3, based on the life of the late Dale Earnhardt,
seven-time NASCAR champion.
MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING: A NEW ERA ON SUNDAY, FEB. 11
A new episode of Michael Waltrip Racing: A New Era will air on ESPN2
Sunday, Feb. 18, at 11 p.m. ET, while a previously-aired episode will be
replayed earlier in the day at 11 a.m.
Michael Waltrip Racing: A New Era is an 11-episode series that chronicles
Michael Waltrip Racing and Toyotas new partnership in the NASCAR NEXTEL
Cup Series.
RM CLASSIC CAR AUCTIONS ON ESPN2 GARAGE SCHEDULE
Multiple episodes of RM Classic Car Auctions will highlight the weeks
programming in the ESPN2 Garage block of automotive and motorsports shows
on ESPN2.
Set at one of the biggest auction houses in the country, viewers will see
the auction scene in Monterey, Calif., and show some of the most beautiful
and exotic cars in the world being sold for astronomical prices during the
show. Episodes will air Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 5:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Feb.
14, at 5 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 17, at 10 a.m.
A new episode of SpeedFreaks will be aired on Sunday, Feb. 17, at 10:30
a.m. ET. A motorsports and lifestyle show, SpeedFreaks blends superstar
motorsports pilots with actors and musical guests, all while positioning
The Freak Nation in a unique, cutting edge format unlike anything else in
the racing world. The Freaks also ask their own brand of questions en route
to covering the broad spectrum of the industry.
The ESPN2 Garage block for the week will also include an episode of Chopper
Nation at 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Feb. 13, and an episode of American
Dragster at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 15.
Designed to complement ESPNs extensive coverage of NASCAR, IndyCar, Champ
Car and NHRA racing in 2007, ESPN2 Garage is dedicated to the automotive,
motorcycle and motorsports world. ESPN2 will air more than 1,100 hours of
motorsports programming in 2007.
VINTAGE NHRA RACING AIRING ON ESPN CLASSIC
ESPN Classic is reaching into its vast video archive for daily airings of
vintage NHRA Drag Racing featuring races dating back to the mid-90s. The
show airs Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. ET and will run through the end
of March with 40 episodes.
NHRA Drag Racing on ESPN Classic features exclusive racing coverage that
aired on ESPN and ESPN2. This weeks schedule:
Feb. 13 NHRA Northwest Nationals, Aug. 8, 1995
Feb. 14 Lucas Oil NHRA Northwest Nationals, July 29, 2002
Feb. 15 NHRA Chief Auto Parts Nationals, Oct. 15, 1995
Feb. 16 — NHRA AutoZone Winternationals, Feb. 4, 2001
Feb. 19 NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Sept. 5, 2005
Fans will have some input moving forward with the scheduling. NHRA
announced that fans can email classics@nhra.com to pick which race they
would like to see in the future on ESPN Classic, from those that aired on
ESPN and ESPN2 since the mid-90s.