August 22, 2011
NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series Live from Bristol
The NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series race under the lights in prime time this weekend on the half-mile Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and ESPN networks will have live telecasts of both events on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 26-27.
The 500-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race will air on ABC on Saturday night, Aug. 27, with the NASCAR Countdown pre-race show at 7 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag at 7:43 p.m.
The NASCAR Nationwide Series race telecast on Friday night, Aug. 26, on ESPN begins at 7 p.m. with NASCAR Countdown presented by OneMain Financial with the race’s green flag at 7:43 p.m.
Analysts Dale Jarrett, the 1999 driving champion, and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree will join lap-by-lap announcer Allen Bestwick in the booth to call the action for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race, while Marty Reid will anchor the Friday night telecast. Two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch.
NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio will be hosted by Nicole Briscoe with analysis by 1989 champion driver Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race.
Schrader, Benson, Craven on NASCAR Now Roundtable
NASCAR drivers Ken Schrader and Johnny Benson Jr. join ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven as panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program airing Tuesday, Aug. 30, at midnight ET (late Monday night) on ESPN2. Shannon Spake will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.
Half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now air this week on Tuesday at 5 p.m., Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and Thursday at 6 p.m. with Mike Massaro hosting. NASCAR Now’s weekend edition hosted by Massaro airs Saturday, Aug. 27, at 10 a.m. with a preview of that night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Spake and David Newton will report from the track while Craven will join Massaro in the studio.
NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Airs Sunday
While the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series has the weekend off, drag racing fans can watch action from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series recent event in Brainerd, Minn., on Sunday, Aug. 28, at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
ESPN.com Offers RacingLive! During Bristol Race
NASCAR fans looking for an online gathering during ESPN’s telecasts of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series now have a place to go on ESPN.com.
RacingLive! on ESPN.com is a live blog where fans can engage in debate and discussion with ESPN.com writers and editors during the NASCAR Sprint Cup races. On Saturday, Aug. 27, RacingLive! Bristol will kick off to coincide with ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Fans can join ESPN.com’s NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live at https://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/.
ESPN.com motorsports writer David Newton will be on hand at BMS to report.
ESPN Radio Raceday Airs Saturday, Sunday
Each weekend morning, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. ET with host Pat Patterson anchored from Daytona Beach, Fla. Patterson also originates the broadcast from several racetracks with key races during the season. On both Saturday and Sunday mornings, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay listeners get an hour of news, previews and analysis, as well as profiles and interviews with NASCAR’s biggest names and newsmakers and the involvement of listeners via calls and e-mails.
Additionally, many of ESPN’s NASCAR reporters and analysts contribute each week as ESPN networks televise the entire NASCAR Nationwide Series and the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 10-race “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup” championship. A list of ESPN Radio affiliates can be found at www.espnradio.com.
Visit www.espnmediazone.com for ESPN’s latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video and audio clips and more.
-30-
Media Contact: Andy Hall, 386-492-2246 or andy.hall@espn.com