Motorsports This Week on ESPN

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Live from Watkins Glen on ESPN

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series makes its second and final appearance of the season on a road course this weekend, and ESPN will have live, flag-to-flag coverage of the event from Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International on Sunday, August 10, at 1 p.m. ET. The historic road racing facility is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

Coverage from Watkins Glen also includes a live telecast of NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying on Friday, Aug. 8, at 3 p.m., and coverage of practice sessions earlier that day at noon and Saturday, Aug. 9, at 1:30 p.m., all on ESPN2. All programming also airs in high definition and the race is simulcast on ESPN Deportes. The race replays on Monday, Aug. 11, at 1 p.m. on ESPN Classic.

Dr. Jerry Punch will be lead announcer for ESPN’s coverage, joined in the booth for analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree. Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will be pit reporters with two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer in the ESPN Tech Center.

The pre-race NASCAR Countdown show from the ESPN pit studio will be hosted by Allen Bestwick, with 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and analyst Brad Daugherty. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race. NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Juan Pablo Montoya will join the team as In-Race Reporter and will talk with Jarrett on the race’s pace laps and under caution periods.

As part of the 60th anniversary celebration of Watkins Glen, ESPN Classic airs the track’s 1988 NASCAR Sprint Cup race on Thursday, Aug. 7, at 2 p.m. The race originally aired on ESPN.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Live from Watkins Glen on ABC

The NASCAR Nationwide Series goes road racing for the third time this season, and second week in a row, with its annual event at historic Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, and ABC will have live coverage on Saturday, Aug. 9, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. The telecast also airs in high definition on ABC HD.

Lead announcer for ABC will be Dr. Jerry Punch, with analysis by Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree. Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will report from the pits with Tim Brewer in the ESPN Tech Center. Allen Bestwick hosts NASCAR Countdown with analysts Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty.

ESPN2 airs coverage of qualifying for the event at 10 a.m. on Saturday, and coverage of final practice on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

Said, Evernham in NASCAR Now Monday Roundtable Discussion

The Monday, Aug. 11, edition of NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information show, at 5 p.m. ET will include host Allen Bestwick leading a roundtable discussion of the latest NASCAR news and races. Panel members for the show will be ESPN analysts Boris Said and Ray Evernham, along with ESPN pit reporter Mike Massaro. A half-hour episode of NASCAR Now airs Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 5:30 p.m., with the Wednesday and Thursday editions at 5 p.m. On Friday, Aug. 8, the program airs at 6:30 p.m. following NASCAR Nationwide Series final practice from Watkins Glen.

Two editions of NASCAR Now, both one hour in length, air Sunday, Aug. 10, and early Monday, Aug. 11. The program airs at 10 a.m. Sunday with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen, while the weekend wrap-up edition airs at midnight (late Sunday night).

NASCAR Now is hosted by Ryan Burr, Nicole Manske and Bestwick and originates from ESPN’s high definition studios in Bristol, Conn. Contributors include NASCAR Insiders Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis, analysts Ray Evernham, Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Boris Said and Tim Cowlishaw, ESPN.com reporters Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton and D.J. Copp, a member of the Petty Enterprises NASCAR team.

NASCAR Now viewers also benefit from frequent contributions by the NASCAR on ESPN team including Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake.

Terry, Bobby Labonte Featured on ESPN2’s Driven to Hunt Sunday

NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers and former champions Terry and Bobby Labonte will be featured on an episode of the ESPN2 series Driven to Hunt on Sunday, August 10, at 7 a.m. ET. The program repeats at 9:30 a.m. The brothers participate in a whitetail deer hunt in Kansas.

Each week, Driven to Hunt will invite a prominent NASCAR personality on a once-in-a-lifetime hunt. From drivers to team owners to the over-the-wall gang, hunting is what they dream about. Guests this season include drivers Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Terry and Bobby Labonte and Kerry Earnhardt, and NASCAR team owner Richard Childress.

IndyCar Series Live on ESPN2 Saturday from Kentucky Speedway

The IndyCar Series returns to oval track racing this weekend and ESPN2 will have live, flag-to-flag coverage of the 300-mile race at Kentucky Speedway near Cincinnati on Saturday, Aug. 9, at 6 p.m. ET. The race also airs in high definition on ESPN2 HD, and a replay airs Monday, Aug. 11, at 9 a.m. on ESPN Classic. The telecast is presented by GoDaddy.com.

ESPN360.com, ESPN’s signature broadband TV network, airs live coverage of IndyCar Series qualifying from Kentucky Speedway at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 8.

Marty Reid will call the action for qualifying and the race with analysis by former IndyCar Series star Scott Goodyear. Jack Arute, Brienne Pedigo and Vince Welch report from the pits.

NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series in Minnesota on ESPN2

As the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series moves closer to its Countdown to 1 playoffs, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will have coverage of qualifying and final eliminations for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals from Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway this weekend. Qualifying coverage airs Saturday, Aug. 9, at 8:30 p.m. ET, with eliminations coverage airing Sunday, Aug. 10, at 7 p.m. Eliminations re-air Monday, Aug. 11, at 11 a.m. on ESPN Classic.

NHRA’s version of a weeklong campout, this event is a popular stop due to the area’s recreational opportunities. Avid fishers often spend the days before the event trolling the area’s many lakes for walleye, bass, and northern pike, and a huge on-site campground provides nightly camaraderie for racegoers who sit around fires discussing the day’s action. A 700-foot concrete launchpad, one of the longest on the tour, helps boost performances as competition heightens for positions in the Countdown to 1.

Paul Page anchors coverage for ESPN2, with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould, John Kernan and Dave Rieff report from the pits. Rieff and Dunn co-host NHRA RaceDay on Sunday at 11 a.m. to set the stage for that day’s eliminations action.

NHRA Fans Can Relive Events on ESPN Classic

Fans of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series will have opportunities all week to relive some of the great events of the 2003 season as ESPN Classic opens the archives and brings the events back to life on TV. The programs air at 11 a.m. ET Tuesday through Friday of this week, and Monday of next week.

On Tuesday, Aug. 4, fans can watch the action of the 2003 Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals from Atlanta, while Wednesday’s program features the NHRA K&N Filters Supernationals from Englishtown, N.J. The NHRA O’Reilly Summernationals at Topeka, Kan., air Thursday with the Lucas Oil NHRA Route 66 Nationals from Joliet, Ill., airing Friday.  

ESPN2 is the home for the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series and the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.

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