Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC
June 13, 2011
NASCAR Nationwide Series Live from Michigan on ABC
The NASCAR Nationwide Series races at the 2-mile Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., this weekend and ABC will have a live telecast of the event on Saturday, June 18. NASCAR Countdown airs at 3 p.m. ET with the race’s green flag at 3:46 p.m. Also from MIS, ESPN2 airs coverage of NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Allen Bestwick will call the action with analysis by Rusty Wallace, the 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree. Reports from two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will air from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Mike Massaro, Dr. Jerry Punch and Shannon Spake.
NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio will be hosted by Nicole Briscoe with analysis by Wallace and former NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner Ricky Craven. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race.
IZOD IndyCar Series Season Returns to Milwaukee Live on ABC
The IZOD IndyCar Series returns to the Milwaukee Mile on Sunday, June 19, and ABC will have a live telecast of the event starting at 3:30 p.m. ET. The race is one of five IZOD IndyCar Series events that will air on ABC this season.
The telecast from Milwaukee will include 30 minutes of pre-race with the green flag at 4 p.m.
Marty Reid will anchor with former IndyCar winner Scott Goodyear providing analysis. Reporting from the pits will be Rick DeBruhl, Jamie Little and Vince Welch.
NHRA Action from Bristol on ESPN2, ESPN3.com
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series races this weekend in the Tri-Cities Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol (TN) Dragway. ESPN2 will air action from qualifying on Saturday, June 18, at 7 p.m. ET and coverage of eliminations airs Sunday, June 19, at 4:30 p.m. NHRA fans also can watch the full day of eliminations live on ESPN3.com starting Sunday at noon.
Bristol Dragway is known as Thunder Valley not only because it cuts a path between mountains but also because it can be home to incredible performances. The facility hosted NHRA’s Springnationals from 1965 to 1967 and non-NHRA events until it was closed in 1996 for an $18 million renovation. It reopened in 1999 and was the site of NHRA’s all-star event that year and in 2000 before hosting its first national event in 34 years in 2001. The event is the final chance for Pro Stock teams to earn points toward making the field for the K&N Horsepower Challenge and another stop on the tour for Pro Mod racers.
Paul Page anchors for ESPN with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould, and Dave Rieff report from the pits.
Schrader, Craven, McGee on NASCAR Now Roundtable
NASCAR driver Ken Schrader joins ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven and ESPN the Magazine senior writer Ryan McGee as panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program airing Monday, June 20, at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Allen Bestwick will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.
Half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now air at 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, with Mike Massaro hosting Tuesday and Michelle Bonner hosting Wednesday. Bonner also hosts episodes airing Friday at midnight (late Thursday night) and Saturday at 12:30 a.m. (late Friday night). NASCAR Now’s weekend edition, hosted by Bonner, airs Sunday, June 19, at 9 a.m. with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway. Smith and McGee will report from the track.
Global RallyCross Championship – Last Chance at Pikes Peak
The third and final stop of the 2011 Global RallyCross Championship – Pikes Peak – takes place June 17 -18 at the Pikes Peak International Raceway in Colorado Springs, Colo. Dubbed the “Last Chance” stop, cars will run a mixed dirt and tarmac course featuring the signature 70-foot gap jump in hopes of securing the final invite to X Games 17. Two-time World Rally Champion Marcus Grondholm returns to competition after missing round two to take on Snoqualmie winner Tanner Foust and new roster addition Brian Deegan.
Friday, April 15 will feature head-to-head SuperRally action while Saturday’s main event will see six cars battle for RallyCross supremacy. ESPN3.com will air live Global RallyCross coverage June 17 at 6:30 p.m. ET and will return Sunday with 2-Wheel Drive coverage at 4 p.m. ET and All-wheel Drive coverage at 6 p.m. ET. Highlights from Pikes Peak will air June 25 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
ESPN.com Offers RacingLive! During NASCAR Michigan Event
NASCAR fans looking for an online gathering during ESPN’s telecasts of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series now have a place to go on ESPN.com.
RacingLive! on ESPN.com is a live blog where fans can engage in debate and discussion with ESPN.com writers and editors during the NASCAR Sprint Cup races. On Sunday, June 19, RacingLive! Michigan will kick off to coincide with the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway. Fans can join ESPN.com’s NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/.
ESPN.com motorsports writers Ed Hinton and Terry Blount will be reporting from MIS.
ESPN Radio Raceday Airs Saturday, Sunday
Each weekend morning, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. ET with host Pat Patterson anchored from Daytona Beach, Fla. Patterson also originates the broadcast from several racetracks with key races during the season. On both Saturday and Sunday mornings, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay listeners get an hour of news, previews and analysis, as well as profiles and interviews with NASCAR’s biggest names and newsmakers and the involvement of listeners via calls and e-mails.
Additionally, many of ESPN’s NASCAR reporters and analysts contribute each week as ESPN networks televise the entire NASCAR Nationwide Series and the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 10-race “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup” championship. A list of ESPN Radio affiliates can be found at www.espnradio.com.
Visit www.espnmediazone.com for ESPN's latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video and audio clips and more.
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Media Contact: Andy Hall, 386-492-2246 or andy.hall@espn.com
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