SportsCenter NASCAR Special from Homestead

contacts: andy.hall@espn.com or george.mcneilly@espn.com

SportsCenter will present a 90-minute special from Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 22, at 1 p.m. ET, leading into the NASCAR Sprint Cup season finale Ford 400 live at 2:30 p.m. on ABC. SportsCenter at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, hosted by Allen Bestwick, will give NASCAR fans behind-the-scenes coverage of the final race as Jimmie Johnson tries to make history as the first driver to win four consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup titles.

Mike Rowe, host of Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel, will be a special on-site reporter for ESPN and will look at some of the dirty jobs in NASCAR. Rowe’s voice has been heard by NASCAR fans as the narrator of segments during ESPN’s coverage of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup this season. 

Kyle Busch, who will clinch the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship when he starts Saturday’s race, will be ESPN’s in-race reporter at 4 p.m. on ESPN2. Carl Edwards will be the driver-reporter for Sunday’s race. Both will speak with analyst Dale Jarrett on the race’s pace laps and during caution periods.

NASCAR: ESPN Radio Revs Up Coverage

contact: dan.quinn@espn.com

Listeners and simulcast viewers (Mike & Mike in the Morning and the Scott Van Pelt Show on ESPN2, The Herd with Colin Cowherd on ESPNU) will get to hear from and see Rusty Wallace, Marty Smith, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Jarrett among others. ESPN Radio’s weekend morning RaceDay will originate from Homestead-Miami Speedway, site of Sunday’s season finale.  

• Mike & Mike in the Morning (6-10 a.m. ET M-F): Jimmie Johnson (Thursday); Rusty Wallace (Friday)
• The Herd with Colin Cowherd (10 a.m.-2 p.m. M-F): “Spanning the Globe” segments; race preview Friday; re-cap Monday; NASCAR content will be included in podcasts posted after each show
• Scott Van Pelt Show (2-4 p.m. M-F): Dale Jarrett (Thursday); race preview Friday; re-cap Monday
• Doug Gottlieb Show (4-7 p .m. M-F): Jimmie Johnson (Wednesday); Marty Smith (Friday); Sprint Cup winner (Monday)
• RaceDay with Pat Patterson (6-7 a.m. Saturdays, Sundays): NASCAR Truck Series champ Ron Hornaday (Saturday); Nationwide Series news: Kyle Busch needs only to start Saturday to win his first big-time NASCAR title; Sunday RaceDay will focus on Jimmie Johnson as he attempts to make history with his run for a fourth consecutive championship.

Monday Night Football: Surging Tennessee Titans at AFC South Rival Houston Texans

contact: bill.hofheimer@espn.com 

This week’s Monday Night Football matchup will spotlight an AFC South rivalry when the quarterback-receiver duo of Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson and the Houston Texans host the NFL’s leading rusher, Chris Johnson, and the Tennessee Titans at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN HD. The Titans are seeking their fourth consecutive win since Houston native Vince Young was named the starting quarterback.

Mike Tirico (play-by-play) and analysts Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski will call the game with reporters Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya. Álvaro Martin (play-by-play) and Raúl Allegre (analyst) will call the Spanish-language telecast on ESPN Deportes with reporter John Sutcliffe.

ESPN’s “game around the game” coverage will include NFL Live at 3:30 p.m. and continue throughout the day with SportsCenter Monday Kickoff at 6 p.m. and Monday Night Countdown at 7 p.m., hosted by Chris Berman with analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen, and NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Stuart Scott, Matt Millen and Steve Young will be on site at Reliant Stadium.

MNF Director Chip Dean Inducted at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism Alumni Hall of Fame

contact: bill.hofheimer@espn.com

Chip Dean, ESPN’s Emmy award-winning Monday Night Football director and a 30-year company employee, will be honored this afternoon (Wednesday, Nov. 18) as the newest member of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications Alumni Hall of Fame. A 1977 graduate of Arizona State, Dean studied broadcast journalism and played free safety for the Sun Devils for longtime head coach Frank Kush. Dean joined ESPN in its inaugural year (1979) and has worked numerous assignments, including college football, basketball, the ESPYs, X Games, baseball and most notably Monday Night Football since 2006. Dean, on this special honor: “Walter Cronkite (was) probably the greatest newsman of our time. To be remembered by his school … it’s incredible.”

Men’s College Basketball: Extensive Coverage of Tournaments & Start of Feast Week Highlight Schedule

contact: michael.c.humes@espn.com

ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360.com will combine to provide extensive coverage of multiple early season men’s college basketball tournaments, including: 

• ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360.com will televise nine games of the third annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off from San Juan, beginning with a doubleheader Thursday, Nov. 19: George Mason vs. No. 6 Villanova at 2 p.m. on ESPNU and Indiana vs. Mississippi at 5 p.m. on ESPN2.

• ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360.com will televise the second annual Charleston Classic from South Carolina for the first time. Coverage will begin Thursday, Nov. 19, with two ESPNU telecasts: UNC Wilmington vs. Penn State at 4 p.m. and La Salle vs. South Carolina at 9:30 p.m.

From Monday, Nov. 23, to Sunday, Nov. 29, all men’s college basketball telecasts will be part of ESPN’s Feast Week Presented by Lowe’s, a special week to celebrate the matchups surrounding Thanksgiving, including the beginning of the EA Sports Maui Invitational. Additional highlights include two ESPN2 telecasts with matchups between ranked teams in the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer from New York City on Thursday, Nov. 19: No. 24 Syracuse vs. No. 12 California at 7 p.m. followed by No. 4 North Carolina vs. No. 15 Ohio State at 9 p.m. ESPN2 will also televise the third-place game and championship Friday, Nov. 20, at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.

Feast Week Presented by Lowe’s

Women’s Volleyball Conference Championship Action on ESPNU

contact: tilea.coleman@espn.com

ESPNU will televise five women’s college volleyball conference championship games beginning Sunday, Nov. 22, with three matchups -- BIG EAST (3 p.m.), SWAC (8 p.m.) and MEAC (10 p.m.). Coverage will continue on Monday, Nov. 23, with the MAAC title game at 7:30 p.m. and will conclude Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 9:30 p.m. with the WAC Championship. Commentators: Beth Mowins and Krista Blunk (BIG EAST); Sam Gore and Kelli Tennant (SWAC); Quint Kessenich and Holly Mcpeak (MEAC); Gore and Kevin Barnett (MAAC) and Anne Marie Anderson and Karch Kiraly (WAC).

PBA and Women’s Series Chameleon Championships Sunday

contact: kimberly.jessup@espn.com

The PBA Men’s and Women’s Chameleon Championships from Allen Park, Mich., will air Sunday, Nov. 22, at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN. Rob Stone will call play-by-play with analyst Randy Pederson. Advancing to the PBA women’s championship round are Shannon Pluhowsky of Phoenix, and Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of Keller, Texas.  The women are competing for a first-place prize of $10,000. Advancing in the PBA men’s semifinal rounds are Sean Rash of Wichita, Kan., against Ronnie Russell of Camby, Ind., and Bill O’Neill of Southampton, Pa., vs. Amleto Moncelli of Venezuela. The winner of each semifinal round will advance to the championship. At stake is a $25,000 top prize.

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