Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC

NASCAR Nationwide Series Live in Prime Time from Kentucky on ESPN2

ESPN2’s season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series continues with a live telecast of the event at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Ky., near Cincinnati, on Saturday, June 14, beginning at 8 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. The race also airs in high definition on ESPN2 HD and will be simulcast on ESPN360.com, ESPN MobileTV and ESPN Deportes.

Marty Reid 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. Jamie Little, Mike Massaro, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch 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.

Fresh from his breakthrough win in last week’s event in Nashville, NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Brad Keselowski joins ESPN’s coverage team as In-Race Reporter. Keselowski will talk to Wallace on the race’s pace laps and during caution periods.

ESPN2 also airs coverage of final practice for the event Friday, June 13, at 7 p.m., and qualifying on Saturday at 5 p.m. 

Rusty, Mike and Kenny Wallace on NASCAR Now Monday Roundtable Discussion

ESPN analyst Rusty Wallace, the 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, will be joined by his brothers, current NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers Mike and Kenny Wallace, on the Monday, June 16, edition of NASCAR Now. The program expands to an hour and includes host Allen Bestwick leading a roundtable discussion with the Wallace Brothers of the weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup action at Infineon Raceway and the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kentucky Speedway. Airtime is 5:30 p.m. ET.

Half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now air Tuesday through Friday of this week at 6 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 Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Rusty and Mike Wallace will appear on the Sunday program.

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.

Dale Jr. – Shifting Gears Airs Saturday on ESPN2

NASCAR fans will have an opportunity to see an episode of the television series Dale Jr. – Shifting Gears, chronicling the move of Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Saturday, June 14, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The program airs following NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying from Kentucky Speedway and prior to that night’s race.

The series provides viewers with a behind-the-scenes look at the personal, corporate and competitive ramifications involved with the five-time NASCAR Most Popular Driver award recipient leaving Dale Earnhardt, Inc., the team founded by his late father. Dale Jr. – Shifting Gears is produced by Earnhardt Jr.’s Hammerhead Entertainment, a division of JR Motorsports, in cooperation with Hendrick Motorsports and is presented by the National Guard.

The final two episodes air on ESPN in prime time the week of the July 27 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, ESPN’s first live NASCAR Sprint Cup event of the season.

ESPN Classic Features Classic NASCAR Event Thursday

ESPN Classic will feature highlights of a classic NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, the 1992 Champion Spark Plug 400, on Thursday, June 12, at 2 p.m. ET. The race from Michigan International Speedway originally aired on ESPN.

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, and Monday of next week.

On Tuesday, June 10, fans can watch the action of the Mac Tools NHRA Nationals from Indianapolis, while Wednesday’s program features the O’Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals. The Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals air Thursday with the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals airing Friday. Monday’s program features the 2004 ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals.

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 14, at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN2. The program features racing from the recent NHRA event at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois. 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.

-30-