Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Returns to ABC with Prime Time Race from Richmond

After an absence of more than seven years, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing will return to the ABC Television Network Saturday night with ESPN on ABC’s live, prime time telecast of the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 from Richmond International Raceway. The telecast begins at 7 p.m. ET with the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program.

ESPN on ABC will have live coverage of the final 11 races of the 2007 season, including all 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. The last time a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race aired on ABC was the Brickyard 400 from Indianapolis Aug. 5, 2000.

The Chevy Rock and Roll 400 will set the field of 12 drivers who will compete for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup championship in the Chase, which begins Sept. 16 at New Hampshire International Speedway.

Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play for the Richmond race, joined in the booth for expert analysis by 1989 NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. Two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center.

Suzy Kolber will host NASCAR Countdown along with analyst Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in NASCAR’s Busch and Truck series, in the ESPN Pit Studio.

 NASCAR Busch Series Action Live in Prime Time on ESPN2 Friday Night from Richmond   

On Friday night, ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series with live, prime-time racing from Richmond International Raceway. The telecast of the 250-lap race begins at 7:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.

The .75-mile Richmond track is a favorite among drivers and fans because of its competitive nature and for the action it produces. The NASCAR Busch Series has raced at Richmond since the inception of the series in 1982 and Kevin Harvick won last year’s September race, one of three consecutive wins for him at the track. Clint Bowyer took the win when the series was at Richmond in May.

Dr. Jerry Punch will anchor ESPN2’s coverage from Richmond, with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake, while two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown, joined by analyst Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in NASCAR’s Busch and Truck series, in the ESPN Pit Studio.

A simulcast of the race can be seen on ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s domestic Spanish-language network. In addition, the race can be seen live on ESPN360.com, ESPN’s signature broadband service.

ESPN2 To Have NASCAR Qualifying, Practice Coverage from Richmond

ESPN2 will have six hours of NASCAR qualifying and practice coverage Friday from Richmond International Raceway, including live coverage of qualifying for both the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series races.

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup qualifying will air at 6 p.m. ET Friday, leading up to that night’s NASCAR Busch Series race. Busch Series qualifying will air at 4 p.m.

ESPN2 will be on the air early Friday with NASCAR Busch Series practice from 10-11 a.m. and NEXTEL Cup practice from 11 a.m. until noon.

NASCAR in Primetime Five-Part Series Continues Wednesday on ABC 

The ABC News five-part series NASCAR in Primetime continues Wednesday, Sept. 7, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. The series takes a behind-the-scenes look at the preparation, logistics, drama and competition of NASCAR.

For the first time, NASCAR has given uncensored access to the lives of some of its top drivers, including Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya and Mark Martin. Millions see the NASCAR world every weekend, but with cameras rolling for five months ABC News documented what really goes on and what the drivers are really made of.

The unscripted ABC News documentary series chronicles NASCAR and a range of its competitors on and off the track to explain the sport's growth, multi-dimensional appeal and cultural phenomenon.

NASCAR Now Schedule

NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily news and information show dedicated to NASCAR, will air at 6 p.m. in its normal 30-minute format Tuesday through Thursday of this week, and Friday at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN2. The one-hour weekend edition will air Saturday at 10 a.m., with extensive highlights of Friday night’s NASCAR Busch Series race at Richmond International Raceway and a preview of Saturday night’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at the same track. The weekend wrap-up edition will air Sunday at 12:30 a.m. 

NASCAR Now is hosted by Erik Kuselias, Ryan Burr or Allen Bestwick and originates from ESPN’s High Definition studios in Bristol, Conn., with reporters Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake. Contributors include analysts Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Stacy Compton and Boris Said, along with NASCAR insiders Terry Blount, Angelique Chengelis, Tim Cowlishaw, David Newton and Marty Smith, as well as D.J. Copp, a member of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR team.

IndyCar Series Season Finale Live on ABC Sunday from Chicago

For the Indycar Series, it’s all down to one race this weekend as the series championship will be determined in Sunday’s PEAK Antifreeze IndyCar 300 presented by Mr. Clean at Chicagoland Speedway. ESPN on ABC will have live coverage of the event at 4 p.m. ET.

The battle for the IndyCar Series championship is coming down to the wire between former IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon and 2007 Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti. The two drivers have been fast and consistent all season in the intensely-competitive series. Their rivalry came to a head in this past weekend’s race at Detroit when they crashed together on the next-to-last lap of the race. 

Marty Reid will anchor ESPN on ABC’s coverage, with analysis by former IndyCar Series star Scott Goodyear. Jack Arute, Brienne Pedigo and Vince Welch will report from the pits.

NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Action Airs Sunday

Coverage of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series will air at 11 a.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 9, on ESPN2 with action from the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. Two hours of coverage will air.

Featuring race vehicles that range from 5-second Top Alcohol Dragsters and Top Alcohol Funny Cars to 15-second Stockers, the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series is the premier Sportsman series in drag racing. Eight categories are included in the series, which is showcased at select NHRA national events. ESPN’s Dave Rieff will anchor the coverage.

PowerSports ATV Tour Competition Returns Friday

Action from the PowerSports ATV Tour will air on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. ET Friday, Sept. 7. The one-hour program will contain highlights from Round Seven of the series as the ATV Tour appears on ESPN2 for the second year.

The PowerSports ATV Championship Tour is North America’s premier professional ATV racing circuit, featuring QuadMX, QuadTerrain and SuperSport Pro series action as well as 20-plus amateur classes for adults, women and children. The Tour is sanctioned by the World PowerSports Association, North America’s most respected snowmobile and ATV sanctioning body, and a promoter of ATV and snowmobile racing on both the regional and national level.

Rally America Action Airs on ESPN2 Thursday

Rally America, which was featured as part of ESPN’s X Games 13, will be in action on ESPN2 at 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Sept. 6. The 30-minute program will feature action from two of Rally America’s events of 2007.

There are no ovals, pace cars or rain delays, as Rally racing features real cars racing against the clock on closed-off sections of real roads that are usually unpaved and unforgiving. Events can last several days and cover hundreds of miles through rain, snow, day or night.

Stacey David’s GearZ to Highlight ESPN2 Garage Programs Airing This Week

Four episodes of Stacey David’s GearZ will air this week as part of the ESPN2 Garage block of automotive programming. In addition, new episodes of Race Wizard with Ray Evernham and King of the Strip will premiere.

GearZ aired two times Monday and will air once Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Gearz is an entertaining how-to program that focuses on trucks, hot rods and other rides. Each episode includes David completing a high-end build and then taking it out on the road, off-road or in the mud for a true test drive. The show also will air at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

King of the Strip will air Sunday, Sept. 9, at 10 a.m., followed at 10:30 a.m. by Race Wizard with Ray Evernham.    

Other ESPN2 Garage programs scheduled to air this week include three episodes of Hot Rod Television on Tuesday and Wednesday at 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. SpeedFreaks will air Thursday at 5 p.m.

Designed to complement ESPN’s extensive coverage of NASCAR, IndyCar, Champ Car and NHRA racing in 2007, ESPN2 Garage is dedicated to the automotive, motorcycle and motorsports worlds. ESPN2 will air more than 1,100 hours of motorsports programming in 2007.