Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC

NASCAR Nationwide Series Live from Nashville on ESPN2

ESPN2’s season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series continues with a live telecast of the event at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway Saturday, June 7, beginning at 7 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. The telecast is presented by Craftsman. The race also airs in high definition on ESPN2 HD and will be simulcast on ESPN360.com, ESPN MobileTV and ESPN Deportes.

Dr. Jerry Punch will be the lead announcer for ESPN2’s coverage, joined in the booth for analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace and two-time Cup Series champion crew chief Andy Petree. Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will report from the pits, while two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer will be in the ESPN DISH Tech Center.

Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown with analysis by Wallace and Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, in the ESPN pit studio.

NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Mike Bliss joins ESPN’s coverage team as In-Race Reporter.  Bliss will talk to Wallace on the race’s pace laps as well as under caution periods.

ESPN2 also airs live coverage of practice for the event Friday, June 6, at 6 p.m., and qualifying on Saturday at 3 p.m. 

NASCAR Now Expands Monday for Roundtable Discussion of NASCAR Weekend

The Monday, June 9, edition of NASCAR Now will expand to an hour and will include host Allen Bestwick leading a roundtable discussion with ESPN analysts and reporters of the weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup action at Pocono Raceway and the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. The program airs at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now air at the following times this week: Tuesday, June 3, 6:30 p.m.; Wednesday, 7 p.m.; Thursday, 6 p.m.; and Friday, 7:30 p.m. The one-hour weekend edition airs Sunday at 10 a.m. with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Pocono.

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 Terry Blount and David Newton and D.J. Copp, a member of Bobby Labonte’s 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.

IndyCar Series Under the Lights at Texas Saturday on ESPN2

The IndyCar Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth this weekend, and ESPN2 will have coverage of the Bombardier LearJet 550 Saturday, June 7, at 10 p.m. ET. A replay airs Monday, June 9, at 9 a.m. on ESPN Classic.

The 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway has been the scene for some of the most competitive races in the history of the IndyCar Series, and the element of racing at night under the lights brings additional excitement for fans.

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

NHRA POWERade Series Moves to Heartland Park Topeka on ESPN2

The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series moves to Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., this weekend, and ESPN2 will have coverage of qualifying and final eliminations for the Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals. Qualifying coverage airs Saturday, June 7, at 5 p.m. ET, with eliminations airing Sunday, June 8, at 5 p.m. The finals re-air Monday, June 9, at 11 a.m. on ESPN Classic.

Route 66 Raceway, which opened in 1998, has regularly been the site of astounding performances, including Doug Kalitta’s all-time Top Fuel best of 4.420 seconds in 2004. The event is the site of the Jegs Allstars, which pits the best Sportsman racers from across the country in individual and team competition. The event also is the fifth of the season for Pro Stock ­Motorcycle riders.

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 2004 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.

On Tuesday, June 3, fans can watch the action of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals from Denver, while Wednesday’s program features the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals. The Fram-Autolite NHRA Nationals air Thursday with the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals airing Friday.

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

NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman Series Action Saturday on ESPN2

Action from the NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman Series airs Saturday, June 7, at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN2. The program features racing from the recent NHRA event at Topeka, Kansas. Dave Rieff hosts the coverage for ESPN2.

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.

Firestone Indy Lights Series on ESPN2 Thursday

The Firestone Indy Lights Series will be featured in action from The Milwaukee Mile Thursday, June 5, at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The series, formerly known as the Indy Pro Series, is the developmental series for the IndyCar Series.

Bob Jenkins, Robbie Buhl and Mike King call the action.

Car Wars with Funkmaster Flex Airing This Week

A new season of the ESPN2 reality show Car Wars with Funkmaster Flex continues with two episodes airing Saturday, June 7, beginning at 11 a.m. ET on ESPN2.

The show features popular New York TV and radio personality Funkmaster Flex, who opens each episode with “music is my life but cars are my passion.” Flex oversees a competition involving amateur car customizers and the real-life drama associated with the contest. The contestants put everything on the line to win.

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