NASCAR Countdown: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the NASCAR Busch Series at O'Reilly Raceway Park

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Will be ESPN's In-Car Race Reporter for Allstate 400 at the Brickyard

ESPN’s NASCAR Countdown will have a live preview of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, July 29, as the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series visits the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Brent Musburger will host ESPN’s coverage from Indianapolis, and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. ESPN’s Suzy Kolber will host NASCAR Countdown at Indianapolis, joined by analyst Brad Daugherty and ESPN’s lead auto racing analyst and the 1989 NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace, in the ESPN Pit Studio. Wallace will also work in the ESPN booth for the race telecasts, joined by two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will serve as ESPN’s in-car race reporter. Pit reporters Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro will contribute.

ESPN, which has televised more NASCAR Cup races than any other network, will have live coverage from Indianapolis Motor Speedway of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup qualifying at 10 a.m. ET Saturday, July 28, and Happy Hour final practice at 3:30 p.m. NASCAR Countdown will originate from the ESPN Pit Studio at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as it sets the stage for NASCAR Cup racing’s return to ESPN on Sunday. Highlights include:

From Open-Wheel Racing to Stock Car – Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya

ESPN’s Suzy Kolber sits down with 2000 Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya and car owner Chip Ganassi and asks the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup rookie for his thoughts on returning to the site of one of his greatest triumphs. How will his open-wheel experience help him in a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup car? And what does Ganassi, an open-wheel veteran himself, think about his driver's chances of winning the 400?

Jeff Gordon Bowls for Charity

Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon hosts an annual charity bowling tournament the week of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in support of the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. ESPN’s Suzy Kolber, Brent Musburger and Brad Daugherty join Gordon at the tournament and ask the four-time Brickyard winner why Indianapolis is so special to him.  

Indiana a Racing Hotbed?

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup stars Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, David Stremme, Ryan Newman and Tony Raines all grew up in the Hoosier State. A seemingly unknown hotbed for racing, these drivers will weigh in on why racing is such a big deal in a state more known for its passion for high school basketball.

In the News: DEI-Ginn Racing Merger

This week, DEI and Ginn Racing announced their merger, creating a four-car NASCAR NEXTEL Cup team. NASCAR Countdown will report on the deal and ask Mark Martin how he feels about being a teammate of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

ESPN2 Covers NASCAR Busch Series from O’Reilly Raceway Park 

ESPN2’s NASCAR Countdown will have a live preview at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, July 28, of the NASCAR Busch Series race at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis presented by Hormel Compleats. ESPN’s Marty Reid will anchor coverage from ORP, joined in the booth for expert analysis by two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion Randy LaJoie. Pit reporters Jack Arute, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch will contribute. Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. ESPN2, the home of the NASCAR Busch Series in 2007, will have live coverage of NASCAR Busch Series practice from ORP at 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday, and qualifying at 4:30 p.m. before Saturday night’s race. Highlights include:

Racing at ORP

ESPN’s Reid and LaJoie talk about how to race O’Reilly Raceway Park. LaJoie has two career wins at the raceway and will talk about why this is considered a “driver’s track” and why the race can be won running either the high line or the low line. ESPN’s Tim Brewer will report from the DISH Tech Center on what teams will do to set up the car and handle the two grooves.

From the Pits:

• ESPN’s Shannon Spake will report on NASCAR driver Mike Wallace, winner of the 1994 NASCAR Busch Series race at ORP, a race considered one of the most exciting at this track. Spake will get Wallace’s thoughts on the raceway and his chances of winning Saturday night’s race.
• Only a few days removed from dislocating his thumb during a dirt-track, late model race, Carl Edwards will be behind the wheel in this weekend’s NASCAR Busch Series and NEXTEL Cup races at Indianapolis. ESPN’s Jack Arute will report on Edwards’ condition and why the driver, who has a monumental lead in Busch Series driver points, decided to compete in Saturday’s Busch Series race despite his injury.
• Will this be Toyota’s weekend? ESPN’s Shannon Spake will report on NASCAR Busch Series driver Jason Leffler, who, with seven top-10 finishes this season, is one of Toyota’s best chances of getting to victory lane.
• USAC National Midget Car champion Bobby East, a Brownsburg, Ind. resident, will drive the NASCAR Busch Series No. 37 Ford for Brewco Motorsports in just his fifth career NASCAR Busch Series start. ESPN’s Vince Welch will report on the 22-year-old’s career as he races at ORP, a track with which the Hoosier is familiar.

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 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.

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