ESPN on ABC To Cover Chase for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup

ESPN on ABC is the home for the final 11 races of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, including the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. For the first time since NASCAR introduced the Chase format four years ago, all 10 Chase races will be televised by a single network.

The Chase, which is NASCAR’s version of the playoffs and determines the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion, begins Sept. 16 at New Hampshire International Speedway and concludes Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 10 Chase races take place on many different types of race tracks, ranging from the half-mile Martinsville (Va.) Speedway to the mammoth 2.66-mile Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The Oct. 13 event at the 1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., will be televised in prime time.

Drivers such as former NASCAR champions Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth are among the drivers in the Chase, which includes the top 12 drivers in the NASCAR standings after the Sept. 8 race at Richmond International Raceway. The Richmond race will be televised live in prime time by ABC and will be the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race on ABC since August of 2000.

ESPN NASCAR Coverage Most Technologically Advanced In Motorsports History

ESPN presents NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and NASCAR Busch Series races with the most advanced technology in motorsports coverage. ESPN, which has televised more NASCAR Cup races than any other network, introduced High Definition in-car cameras in February at Daytona, becoming the first to use HD in-car cameras and produce race telecasts that are 100 percent HD. ESPN’s NASCAR coverage also includes HD cameras that provide distinctively different views, including the grass cam, wall cam, crew cams, pit overhead cams, blimps and multiple robotic cameras around the track.

Created exclusively for NASCAR on ESPN, the ESPN DISH Tech Center and the ESPN Pit Studio are the most technologically advanced mobile studio used in sports TV. In the DISH Tech Center, two-time NASCAR Cup champion crew chief Tim Brewer shows fans the intricacies and technologies of racing with the Chevy Cutaway Car and state-of-the-art touch-screen technology during live race telecasts. The ESPN Pit Studio is the home of the pre-race show NASCAR Countdown.

ESPN2: Home of the NASCAR Busch Series

In 2007, ESPN2 became the new home of the NASCAR Busch Series. The eight-year deal with NASCAR makes ESPN2 the series’ exclusive home, with select races each season on ESPN on ABC. Additionally, ESPN has introduced a dedicated pre-race program, NASCAR Countdown, and comprehensive coverage of the Busch Series in ESPN2’s NASCAR news and information program, NASCAR Now. This is the first time that one company has televised all events in the series since it was introduced in 1982. At the conclusion of the season, Anheuser-Busch will end its 26-year sponsorship of the series, and ESPN is actively working with NASCAR on a replacement sponsor.

Veterans of TV and NASCAR Championships Highlight ESPN’s NASCAR Coverage

ESPN has an all-star team of talent for its NASCAR coverage, led by hosts Brent Musburger and Suzy Kolber, experienced veterans of many sports on ESPN. Jerry Punch, play-by-play announcer, was part of ESPN’s previous NASCAR coverage and remained with the network to do IndyCar, college football and college basketball. Former NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace, champion crew chiefs Andy Petree and Tim Brewer and five-time NBA All-Star and former NASCAR team owner Brad Daugherty are also members of the team. Allen Bestwick serves in multiple roles in ESPN’s NASCAR coverage, including play-by-play announcer, NASCAR Countdown studio host and pit reporter. Additionally, ESPN Deportes, the Spanish-language home of NASCAR, features Andrés Agulla (play-by-play) and Alex Pombo (analysis).

Multimedia Commitment: NASCAR Touches 18 ESPN Platforms

As with all things ESPN, coverage of NASCAR can be seen on all of ESPN’s multimedia platforms. A major programming priority – commitment on par with Monday Night Football – NASCAR touches 18 multimedia platforms: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN on ABC, ABC HD, ESPNHD, ESPN2HD, ESPN.com, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPNDeportes.com, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio, ESPN360.com, ESPN International, ESPN Mobile Properties and Jayski.com.

ESPN2’s NASCAR Now: ESPN’s First Daily Program Dedicated to NASCAR News and Information

ESPN2’s NASCAR Now, launched Feb. 5, is the network’s first daily news and information show dedicated to NASCAR. The show airs at 6 p.m. ET Mondays with a one-hour episode and at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, with a special weekend edition at 10 a.m. Sunday. Erik Kuselias and Ryan Burr are the show’s hosts, and a rotating panel of analysts and insiders, including five-time NBA All-Star and former winning NASCAR team owner Brad Daugherty, two-time NASCAR Cup champion crew chief Tim Brewer and NASCAR drivers Stacy Compton and Boris Said work the show with them, either from the studio or via satellite. The show originates from a state-of-the-art High Definition studio on ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., campus. NASCAR Now and NASCAR Countdown are produced under the leadership of ESPN’s Rich Feinberg, vice president, motorsports, and Jack Obringer, senior coordinating producer, studio production.

Ride Along for Thrills, Speed and Glory with ESPN Ultimate NASCAR

Experience the evolution of America’s fastest sport as ESPN Home Entertainment, in conjunction with Genius Products, LLC, releases the acclaimed ESPN Ultimate NASCAR Volumes 1-4. Volume 1: The Explosion – NASCAR’s Rise; Volume 2: The Dirt, The Cars Speed and Danger; Volume 3: Greatest Drivers, Biggest Races, Hottest Rivalries; and Volume 4: 100 Defining Moments.  The DVDs are on sale nationwide, along with the book ESPN Ultimate NASCAR: The 100 Defining Moments in Stock Car Racing History, authored by Ryan McGee.

ESPN Ultimate NASCAR takes NASCAR fans inside the birth of the sport by exploring its past, examining the evolution of stock car racing, and celebrating the cultural phenomenon it has become. From the opening of Daytona International Speedway to the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, these DVDs offer a unique view into America’s No. 1 spectator sport.  

The comprehensive DVDs include never-before-seen images, as well as bonus features and commentary from NASCAR legends Richard Petty, Jeff Burton, Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison, and many more. The book includes a forward by ESPN’s lead auto racing analyst and 1989 NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace.

ESPN’s Racing ICONS Content Navigation and Marketing Across Media Platforms

ESPN introduced “Racing ICONS” in its telecasts this year, content categories that provide a distinct way for NASCAR fans to find and consume the content they want most within ESPN’s media assets. The five icons represent fields of relevant content related to a single category, and are “tagged” on content across ESPN's television, online and print media. The five ICON categories are Auto Tech, Communications, Safety, Tech Center and Know How. 

• Auto Tech – Sponsored by Chevy. The Auto Tech category of content helps fans engage with the sport and includes information on the legendary vehicles and what makes them run, race and evolve from ‘street/stock’ cars to the Car of Tomorrow. Content includes Cutaway Cars, providing insight into the mechanics and technology of the NASCAR vehicles. 
• Communications – Sponsored by NEXTEL. The Communications ICON explores the pivotal role of communication among the driver, owner, pit crew and team. From spotters to pit stops to crew chief/driver dialogue and owner/driver dialogue to pit stops and how crews find more speed, communication – as well as miscommunication – impacts a race’s outcome.
• Safety – Sponsored by ALLSTATE. Fans can learn more about safety equipment and safety measures in NASCAR with the Safety ICON. Content concentrates on what goes into keeping drivers safe, including a look at the evolution of safety in the sport. Subjects include the Car of Tomorrow; safety preparations for teams and drivers at each track; how drivers are kept safe in an accident; the significance of tire safety; the HANS Device; polls; data; designs; the S.A.F.E.R. (Steel And Foam Energy Reduction) barriers at the tracks and more. 
• Tech Center – Sponsored by DISH Network. Technology is at the heart of ESPN’s NASCAR telecasts, and content tagged with the Tech Center ICON will help fans learn more about how the race is telecast. Get inside ESPN's unique on-site studio and see all of the technological enhancements ESPN and NASCAR bring to fans throughout the season.
• Know How – Sponsored by The Home Depot. Content that covers the rules and strategies of racing are tagged with the Know How ICON. Throughout the season, ESPN media assets will work with The Home Depot to highlight the basics of racing for those who want to learn from the ground up. Know How content includes current and former drivers’ insights into each week's races and into some common issues that drivers face:  1) drafting, 2) drag, 3) down force, 4) tight vs. loose, 5) drivers' pitting, 6) specialized roles of the pit crew and more.

About NASCAR on ESPN:

ESPN and ESPN on ABC 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 is the home of the NASCAR Busch Series all season. For the first time in the history of televised motorsports, all programming is produced totally in High Definition. ESPN’s comprehensive, multimedia NASCAR coverage extends 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.

- NASCAR07 -