NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series Return to ESPN Networks in 2009

Continuing a multimedia commitment to the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, the ESPN networks launch coverage of the 2009 season with a live, flag-to-flag telecast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World 300 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 14, at noon ET on ESPN2. ESPN2 will again be the television home for the series in 2009, with select races on ESPN and ABC.

ESPN and ABC also will have live coverage of the final 17 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, including all 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup on ABC. The Sept. 20 event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., again marks the beginning of ESPN’s coverage of the Chase to the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The Richmond International Raceway event, run the week before the start of the Chase, is the first ABC event after six races on ESPN. The Richmond event determines the final seeding of the 12 drivers in the Chase. ESPN’s NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage begins July 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

In addition to race coverage for both series, the networks also will televise practice and qualifying from select races, the season-ending banquets and season preview and review specials. Each race includes a dedicated pre-race program called NASCAR Countdown, and comprehensive coverage of NASCAR appears on ESPN2’s NASCAR news and information program, NASCAR Now. All NASCAR programming on the ESPN networks is produced fully in high definition.

NASCAR fans have become accustomed to ESPN’s on-air team, including play-by-play announcers Dr. Jerry Punch and Marty Reid, analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree, and pit reporters Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch. NASCAR Countdown is hosted by Allen Bestwick, with analysts Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty and Ray Evernham. Analyst Tim Brewer reports from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.

ESPN’s multimedia approach to coverage of NASCAR touches multiple ESPN platforms, including ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN2, ESPN2 HD, ABC, ABC HD, ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Classic, ESPN Deportes, ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio, ESPN International, ESPN Mobile and Jayski.com.

NASCAR race schedules for the ESPN Networks in 2009 are as follows:

2009 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES SCHEDULE on ESPN NETWORKS

Date       Site                                                                            Network             Airtime (ET)
July 26    Indianapolis Motor Speedway                                  ESPN                   1 p.m.
Aug. 2     Pocono Raceway                                                    ESPN                   1 p.m.
Aug. 9     Watkins Glen International                                     ESPN                   1 p.m.
Aug. 16   Michigan International Speedway                          ESPN                   1 p.m.
Aug. 22   Bristol Motor Speedway                                         ESPN                   6:30 p.m.
Sept. 6    Atlanta Motor Speedway                                        ESPN                   7 p.m.
Sept. 12  Richmond International Raceway                           ABC                     7 p.m.
Sept. 20  New Hampshire Motor Speedway                          ABC                     1 p.m.
Sept. 27  Dover International Speedway                                 ABC                     1 p.m.
Oct. 4     Kansas Speedway                                                   ABC                     1 p.m.    
Oct. 11   Auto Club Speedway                                                ABC                     2:30 p.m.
Oct. 17   Lowe’s Motor Speedway                                         ABC                     7 p.m.
Oct. 25   Martinsville Speedway                                              ABC                     1 p.m.
Nov. 1     Talladega Superspeedway                                      ABC                     Noon
Nov. 8     Texas Motor Speedway                                          ABC                     2:30 p.m.
Nov. 15   Phoenix International Raceway                  ABC                     2:30 p.m.
Nov. 22   Homestead-Miami Speedway                                  ABC                     2:30 p.m.

2009 NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES SCHEDULE on ESPN NETWORKS
Date        Site                                                                           Network             Airtime (ET)
Feb. 14     Daytona International Speedway                          ESPN2                 Noon
Feb. 21     Auto Club Speedway                                              ESPN2                 7 p.m.
Feb. 28     Las Vegas Motor Speedway                                 ESPN2                 4 p.m.
March 21  Bristol Motor Speedway                                        ABC                     2 p.m.
April 4      Texas Motor Speedway                                         ESPN2                 2:30 p.m.
April 11     Nashville Superspeedway                                     ESPN                   3 p.m.
April 17     Phoenix International Raceway                            ESPN2                 9 p.m.
April 25     Talladega Superspeedway                                    ABC                     2:30 p.m.
May 1       Richmond International Raceway                         ESPN2                 7 p.m.
May 8       Darlington Raceway                                               ESPN2                 7 p.m.
May 23      Lowe’s Motor Speedway                                      ESPN2                 7 p.m.
May 30      Dover International Speedway                 ABC                     2 p.m.
June 6       Nashville Superspeedway                                     ESPN2                 7 p.m.
June 13     Kentucky Speedway                                              ESPN2                 8 p.m.
June 20     Milwaukee Mile                                                      ESPN2                 7:30 p.m.
June 27     New Hampshire Motor Speedway                        ABC                     2:30 p.m.
July 3        Daytona International Speedway                         ESPN                   7:30 p.m.
July 10      Chicagoland Speedway                                        ESPN                   7:30 p.m.
July 18      Gateway International Raceway                          ESPN2                 9 p.m.
July 25      O’Reilly Raceway Park                                         ESPN                   7:30 p.m.
Aug. 1      Iowa Speedway                                                      ESPN                   4 p.m.
Aug. 8      Watkins Glen International                                    ESPN2                 2:30 p.m.
Aug. 15    Michigan International Speedway                         ESPN2                 3 p.m.
Aug. 21    Bristol Motor Speedway                                        ESPN2                 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 30    Circuit Gilles Villenueve                                         ESPN2                 2 p.m.
Sept. 5     Atlanta Motor Speedway                                       ESPN2                 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 11   Richmond International Raceway                          ESPN2                 7 p.m.
Sept. 26   Dover International Speedway                                ESPN2                 3 p.m.
Oct. 3      Kansas Speedway                                                  ESPN2                 3 p.m.
Oct. 10    Auto Club Speedway                                               ESPN2                 4 p.m.
Oct. 16    Lowe’s Motor Speedway                                        ESPN2                 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 24    Memphis Motorsports Park                                    ESPN2                 3 p.m.
Nov. 7      Texas Motor Speedway                                         ESPN2                 Noon
Nov. 14    Phoenix International Raceway                 ESPN2                 4 p.m.
Nov. 21    Homestead-Miami Speedway                                 ESPN2                 4 p.m.

Visit www.espnmediazone.com for ESPN's latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video and audio clips and more.

About NASCAR on ESPN:

ESPN and ABC have comprehensive, multi-platform coverage featuring telecasts of the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 10-race “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup” on ABC. Additionally, ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season. All programming is produced totally in high definition. ESPN’s comprehensive, multimedia NASCAR coverage extends to ESPN.com, SportsCenter, ESPN the Magazine, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPNRadio and ESPN International, among other ESPN platforms. ESPN aired 262 NASCAR Cup Races over a 20-year period starting in 1981 and returned to NASCAR coverage in 2007. The network's award-winning, live flag-to-flag coverage on ESPN has been honored with 18 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.

-30-