NNS Heads North For Sta-Green 200 This Weekend

Courtesy: NASCAR/ESPN/ESPN2/ABC

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular and Hendrick Motorsports driver Kasey Khane ruined the party for the Nationwide regulars last weekend at Daytona when he won the Firecracker 250 presented by Coca-Cola. Nationwide Series regular and JR Motorsports driver Regan Smith reclaimed the NNS points lead thanks to a second place finish in the race. Elliot Sadler and Chase Elliot both had a rough weekend in Daytona, dropping each one position in the standings. This week, Sadler and Elliot look to rebound whil Smith looks to keep his lead as the NASCAR Nationwide Series comes to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Sta-Green 200.

The 200-lap race will be broadcast live on ESPN2 beginning with NASCAR Countdown at 3pm ET. The green flag is expected to fly at 3:46pm ET. Nicole Briscoe will anchor NASCAR Countdown. She will be joined at the desk by Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty. Allen Bestwick will have the call from the booth. He will be joined by ESPN analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree.

More information on this weekend’s race and all of ESPN’s NASCAR coverage is available online at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

NNS Celebrates America’s Independendence With Its Own Fireworks Friday Night

Courtesy: NASCAR/ESPN/ESPN2/ABC

Joe Gibbs Racing has been the center of attention in recent weeks. The reason being that Roush Fenway driver Carl Edwards has been rumored to be heading over there next season. But after last weekend’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kentucky Speedway, JGR is the center of attention for another reason. That reason being that JGR driver Elliot Sadler now leads the NASCAR Nationwide Series points thanks to a 10^th place finish in the John R. Elliot Hero Campaign 300 presented by Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. Chase Elliot, who came into last weekend’s race as the series’ points leader finished two positions behind Sadler in 12^th, knocking him down to second overall in the points standings. This weekend, Elliot will look to bounce back and retake the points lead as the NASCAR Nationwide Series races under the lights at Daytona.

The Subway Firecracker 250 will be run at Daytona International Speedway Friday night live on ESPN2. It all begins with ESPN2’s weekly pre-race NASCAR Countdown broadcast at 7pm ET. The green flag is expected to fly at 7:49pm ET. Allen Bestwick will anchor Friday night’s broadcast. He will be joined by ESPN analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree in the booth. Nicole Briscoe will anchor NASCAR Countdown. She will be joined by her regular co-hosts Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty.

More information on the ESPN family of networks’ coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series is available online at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

NNS Roars Into Thunder Valley This Weekend

Courtesy: NASCAR/ESPN/ESPN2/ABC

The NASCAR Nationwide Series heads to “Thunder Valley” this weekend.

Points leader Regan Smith looks to extend his lead over Trevor Bayne when the Nationwide Series makes its way to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 Presented by Lilly Diabetes.  Coverage on ESPN2 begins with live qualifying at 10am ET.  NASCAR Countdown follows at 1:30pm ET with the green flag expected to drop at 2:13pm ET.

Allen Bestwick will anchor Saturday’s broadcast of the 300-lap event.  He will be joined in the booth by former Winston Cup champion and ESPN analyst Dale Jarrett and former NASCAR crew chief Andy Petree.

More information on ESPN2’s coverage of the  NASCAR Nationwide Series is available online at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar.  To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Networks To Offer Full Coverage Of NNS Season Opener

Courtesy: NASCAR/ESPN/ESPN2

NASCAR official kicks off its 2014 season this Sunday with the annual running of the Daytona 500. Before NASCAR’s top names take to the track, the next generation of NASCAR will start their engines for the first time Saturday in the Drive4COPD 300 live on ESPN.  The green flag for Saturday’s race is expected to drop at 1:15pm ET.  Allen Bestwick will have lap-by-lap coverage of Saturday’s race.  He will be joined by veteran NASCAR driver and Winston Cup Champion Dale Jarrett and former crew chief Andy Petree.

Before NASCAR’s next generation starts its engines for the first race of the 2014 season, they must first qualify.  ESPN2 will carry live qualifying for the Drive4COPD Friday, February 21^st at 1pm ET.

More information on this weekend’s coverage of the Drive4COPD 300 and all of the latest from the NASCAR Nationwide Series is available online at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Takes Over NASCAR Broadcasts Beginning This Weekend

Courtesy: ESPN

NASCAR shifts gears again this weekend, literally.  Its top series, the Sprint Cup Series, will shift coverage of its races to ESPN beginning with coverage of the annual Brickyard 400 Sunday, July 28^th.  Sunday’s telecast is sponsored by Golden Corral.  It all kicks off with the NASCAR Countdown pre-race show at noon ET.  The pre-race show will broadcast live from the IMS’ legendary Pagoda.  It all leads up to the drop of the green flag, which is expected at 1:19pm ET.

Along with Sunday’s broadcast, ESPN will also handle coverage of Brickyard qualifying Saturday, July 27^th at 2pm ET.  ESPN2 will carry Sprint Cup practice at 9am. 

ESPN also has live coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race this weekend beginning with pre-race coverage on NASCAR Countdown at 4p.m. ET.  The green flag for the Nationwide Series race is expected to drop at 4:50pm ET.  Sprint Cup Series driver and 5-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will be in the broadcast booth for part of the Nationwide Series race.

ESPN will have a number of cameras covering what is one of the biggest of NASCAR’s biggest races each season.  It will have a camera mounted on a helicopter to get aerial shots.  There will also be eight in-car cameras that will give viewers at home an “inside” look at the race.  In all, ESPN will have a total of seventy-two high definition cameras position around Indianapolis Motor Speedway for this weekend’s coverage of the Brickyard 400.  That number includes four Ultra Hi Motion cameras for replays and other unique shots.  Another will be mounted on pit wall near the “Yard of Bricks” at the track’s Start/Finish line.  And another robotic Ultra Hi Motion camera will be mounted to show a low shot in Turn One.  Turns two and four will also have cameras mounted. 

Recently enshrined NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and 1999 Winston Cup Champion Dale Jarrett will be joined by two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree and lap-by-lap announcer Allen Bestwick in the booth during the race.  Marty Reid will take over calling lap-by-lap action for ESPN’s broadcasts of the NASCAR Nationwide Series.  Nicole Briscoe will be joined by 1989 Winston Cup Series Champion and fellow NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Rusty Wallace, three-time champion crew chief Ray Evernham, and team owner Brad Daughtery for ESPN’s NASCAR Countdown pre-race broadcast.  Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, and Vince Welch will all be in the pits for all of the action trackside. 

During pre-race coverage, ESPN will take a look at a handful of notable drivers at this year’s Brickyard 400.  Those drivers are Juan Montoya, Danica Patrick, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Tony Stewart.  Each driver will have a special feature that focuses specifically on them during ESPN’s NASCAR Countdown.

NASCAR fans can catch up on all of the latest on this weekend’s race online at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/. 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.