NASCAR Countdown: ESPN on ABC Talladega Superspeedway Highlights

ESPN on ABCs NASCAR Countdown will preview the NASCAR Busch Series at Talladega Superspeedway action Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET, with the race to start at 3 p.m. Brent Musburger will host the telecast with studio analyst Brad Daugherty. Analyst Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Cutaway Car.

The race telecast team including veteran NASCAR reporter Jerry Punch, #44 UPS NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Toyota driver Dale Jarrett, filling in for ESPN’s lead motorsports analyst Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree will also contribute. NASCAR Countdown will also include reports from pit reportersAllen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaroas drivers and teams prepare to race on the 2.66-mile superspeedway.   

NASCAR Countdown will originate from Talladega Superspeedway and will be telecast from ESPN’s state-of-the-art mobile pit studio as it sets the stage for coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series race Saturday afternoon, April 28.  Highlights will include:  

Jeff Burton in the Booth

Jeff Burton, a two-time winner in the NASCAR Busch Series this season, is not competing at Talladega and will join Brent Musburger and Brad Daugherty in the ESPN Pit Studio for NASCAR Countdown. The South Boston, Va., native will share his views about racing at NASCAR’s biggest track, how to avoid “The Big One” multi-car crash that often occurs at Talladega and Daytona and his success in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series this season.

Huffman and Earnhardt Go Navy

NASCAR Busch Series driver Shane Huffman and his team owner, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., recently visited the USS Cleveland off the coast of San Diego and NASCAR Countdown went along. ESPN’s Shannon Spake will report on the visit to the U.S. Navy amphibious transport dock vessel by Huffman and Earnhardt. Huffman’s car carries sponsorship of the Navy in the NASCAR Busch Series.

Truex Goes For Four Straight

Former NASCAR Busch Series champion Martin Truex, Jr., is going for his fourth consecutive NASCAR Busch Series win at Talladega. Though he is only running a limited schedule in the series this season, his past record at Talladega still ranks him as a favorite to win. 

Sunday’s Nascar Now To Take Fans into the Talladega Infield

Among the news, opinion analysis and features on Sunday’s 10 a.m. ET NASCAR Now will be a special behind-the-scenes look at the Talladega Superspeedway infield. Viewers will get an up-close-and-personal look at the NASCAR fanatics – part of the 175,000 who fill the Alabama track – and their pre-race antics and activities. Host Erik Kuselias will be joined by Stacy Compton and Tim Cowlishaw with reports from Shannon Spake, Marty Smith, Boris Said, Mike Massaro and Brad Daugherty in Talladega.

NASCAR Now, weekdays at 6:30 p.m., will be seen at a special 3:30 p.m. time Friday, April 27.

This Week on NASCAR Now:

Will Jeff Gordon Break Dale Earnhardt’s Record at Talladega?

“This might be a real good week for Jeff (Gordon) to do some points racing, and finish second, and go home happy with his huge lead in the championship. I don’t think anything really bad will happen, but he won there (Talladega) a few years ago – the beer cans were flying at him when he did. There’s a lot of Earnhardt fans, and a lot of Dale Jr. fans there, and there’s going to be some unhappy fans if Jeff Gordon wins.” – ESPN analyst Tim Brewer on the possibility Jeff Gordon could break his victory tie with Dale Earnhardt this weekend at Talladega, on Earnhardt’s 56th birthday.

Viewer Poll

How would you classify Gordon’s post-race gesture (waving the No. 3 flag)?

Respectful: 87%

Disrespectful: 16%

About NASCAR on ESPN:

ESPN and ESPN on ABC will have comprehensive, multi-platform coverage featuring telecasts of the final 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races including the 10-race “Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup” championship on ESPN on ABC. Additionally, ESPN2 will be the home of the NASCAR Busch Series all season. For the first time in the history of televised motorsports, all programming will be produced totally in High Definition. ESPN’s comprehensive, multimedia NASCAR coverage will extend to ESPN.com, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, SportsCenter, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPNRadio, ESPN360.com and ESPN International, among other ESPN platforms. ESPN aired 262 NASCAR Cup Races over a 20-year period starting in 1981. The network's award-winning, live flag-to-flag coverage on ESPN was honored with 17 Sports Emmy Awards, as well as many industry honors. It is widely credited for helping to popularize the sport nationwide. NASCAR races have appeared on ABC for decades, beginning with broadcasts on the award-winning Wide World of Sports program in the 1960s.

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