ESPN To Air NASCAR SCS, NNS Finales This Weekend

Courtesy: ESPN

And then there was one.  This weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ 2013 series comes down to a winner take all race that will decide who takes the Sprint Cup Championship.  Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson have been locked in a head to head battle since the start of the annual “Chase for the Championship.”  But Kenseth has fallen off track in recent weeks.  He trails Jimmie Johnson by almost thirty points as the series heads into its season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend.  Allen Bestwick will anchor this weekend’s broadcast.  He will be joined by analysts and NASCAR veterans Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree.  Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, and Vince Welch will have all the latest in-race news live from the pits.  ESPN’s NASCAR Countdown will be anchored by Mike Massaro.  He will be joined by NASCAR veteran Rusty Wallace, former crew chief and Evernham Racing head Ray Evernham, as well as team owner Brad Daughtery for analysis.

The Ford Econoboost 400 closes out the Sprint Cup Series’ 2013 season.  It will be broadcast live this Sunday beginning with a special two-hour edition of NASCAR Countdown beginning at 1pm ET.  The green flag is currently scheduled to drop at 3:15pm ET.  ESPN will have also air practice and qualifying live this Friday at 1:30pm and 6pm ET respectively.

Along with its broadcast of the Sprint Cup Series season finale, ESPN will also have full coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ finale Saturday afternoon.  Austin Dillon and Sam Hornish, Jr. will take it right down to the wire Saturday for the series’ championship in the Ford Econoboost 300.  Broadcast of the race begins with NASCAR Countdown live at 4pm.  The green flag is expected to drop at 4:46pm ET.

ESPN will build up to this weekend’s championship battle by embedding reporters Ryan McGee and Shannon Spake with Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth’s teams respectively today and tomorrow, November 12^th and 13^th.  They will bring reports from both camps on ESPN’s flagship show, SportsCenter.  NASCAR fans can also tune in to ESPNEWS this Thursday, November 14^th for a special hour-long program that will come live from the NASCAR Championship Contenders news conference.  That broadcast will kick off live at 12pm ET from Miami.

More information on this weekend’s races is available online at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/.  To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news, 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.

ESPN Announces Daytona Coverage Schedule

The weather is still cold around most of the country.  But America’s premier racing series is warming up its engines.  NASCAR will return to the track this weekend.  And ESPN will be there with two full weeks of coverage culminating in a broadcast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series season opener on Saturday, February 23^rd.  The network’s coverage will span its family of networks, as well as its digital and print outlets.  As an added bonus, the winner of this year’s Daytona 500 will appear on a variety of ESPN telecasts the day after the Sprint Cup Series’ season opener.

Courtesy: ESPN

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN’s coverage of the Nationwide Series begins with live coverage of Nationwide practice on Thursday, February 21^st at 3pm EST and qualifying Friday, February 22^nd at 3:30pm EST.  Its broadcast of the season opening 300-mile race live from Daytona International Speedway begins at 12pm EST on February 23^rd with the race itself beginning at 1:15pm EST.  The race will be called from the booth by Allen Bestwick.  He will be joined by ESPN analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree.  The pits will be covered by Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, and Vince Welch.  The countdown show will be hosted by Nicole Briscoe.  She will be joined by Rusty Wallace, Ray Evernham, and Brad Daughetry.

 

This week and next week will be front loaded with all the coverage that any member of the NASCAR Nation could want.  A complete schedule of coverage across the ESPN family of networks is available below.

ESPN’S 2013 DAYTONA SPEEDWEEKS SCHEDULE

(all times Eastern)

 

Date	Time	Program	Network
Tuesday, Feb. 12	12:30 a.m.	NASCAR Now	ESPN2
Wednesday, Feb. 13	12:30 a.m.	NASCAR Now	ESPN2
Thursday, Feb. 14	2 a.m.	NASCAR Now	ESPN2
Thursday, Feb. 14	Noon	NASCAR Now: Media Day Special	ESPNEWS
Friday, Feb. 15	Midnight	SportsCentury: Dale Earnhardt	ESPN Classic
Friday, Feb. 15	1 a.m.	1998 Daytona 500	ESPN Classic
Friday, Feb. 15	1:30 a.m.	NASCAR Now	ESPN2
Friday, Feb. 15	3 a.m.	3 Nation: The Life & Legacy of Dale Earnhardt	ESPN Classic
Friday, Feb. 15	4 a.m.	SportsCentury: Dale Earnhardt	ESPN Classic
Friday, Feb. 15	5 a.m.	3 Nation: The Life & Legacy of Dale Earnhardt	ESPN Classic
Friday, Feb. 15	7 a.m.	1998 Daytona 500	ESPN Classic
Friday, Feb. 15	9 a.m.	SportsCentury: Dale Earnhardt	ESPN Classic
Saturday, Feb. 16	6 a.m.	RaceDay	ESPN Radio
Sunday, Feb. 17	6 a.m.	RaceDay	ESPN Radio
Tuesday, Feb. 19	12:30 a.m.	NASCAR Now	ESPN2
Wednesday, Feb. 20	12:30 a.m.	NASCAR Now	ESPN2
Wednesday, Feb. 20	8:30 a.m.	SportsCentury: Mario Andretti	ESPN Classic
Wednesday, Feb. 20	9:30 a.m.	SportsCentury: Tim Flock	ESPN Clsssic
Wednesday, Feb. 20	10:30 a.m.	SportsCentury: Jeff Gordon	ESPN Classic
Wednesday, Feb. 20	11 a.m.	1993 Daytona 500	ESPN Classic
Wednesday, Feb. 20	1 p.m.	2007 Daytona 500	ESPN Classic
Wednesday, Feb. 20	3 p.m.	1997 Daytona 500	ESPN Classic
Wednesday, Feb. 20	5 p.m.	1999 Daytona 500	ESPN Classic
Thursday, Feb. 21	2 a.m.	NASCAR Now	ESPN2
Thursday, Feb. 21	2:30 a.m.	2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series Preview	ESPN2
Thursday, Feb. 21	8 a.m.	Tim Richmond: To the Limit	ESPN Classic
Thursday, Feb. 21	9 a.m.	3 Nation: The Life & Legacy of Dale Earnhardt	ESPN Classic
Thursday, Feb. 21	10 a.m.	NASCAR Nationwide Series practice	ESPN2
Thursday, Feb. 21	10 a.m.	SportsCentury: Dale Earnhardt Jr.	ESPN Classic
Thursday, Feb. 21	11 a.m.	SportsCentury: Dale Earnhardt	ESPN Classic
Thursday, Feb. 21	Noon	1976 Daytona 500	ESPN Classic
Thursday, Feb. 21	1 p.m.	1981 Daytona 500	ESPN Classic
Thursday, Feb. 21	3 p.m.	1983 Daytona 500	ESPN Classic
Thursday, Feb. 21	5 p.m.	1979 Daytona 500	ESPN Classic
Friday, Feb. 22	1:30 a.m.	NASCAR Now	ESPN2
Friday, Feb. 22	2 a.m.	2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Preview	ESPN2
Friday, Feb. 22	7:30 a.m.	1998 Daytona 500	ESPN Classic
Friday, Feb. 22	9:30 a.m.	SportsCentury: Tony Stewart	ESPN Classic
Friday, Feb. 22	11 a.m.	SportsCentury: Richard Petty	ESPN Classic
Friday, Feb. 22	Noon	1973 Daytona 500	ESPN Classic
Friday, Feb. 22	1 p.m.	1978 Daytona 500	ESPN Classic
Friday, Feb. 22	2 p.m.	1988 Daytona 500	ESPN Classic
Friday, Feb. 22	3:30 p.m.	NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying	ESPN2
Friday, Feb. 22	4 p.m.	1993 Daytona 500	ESPN Classic
Friday, Feb. 22	6 p.m.	1998 Daytona 500	ESPN Classic
Saturday, Feb. 23	1:30 a.m.	NASCAR Now	ESPN2
Saturday, Feb. 23	6 a.m.	RaceDay	ESPN Radio
Saturday, Feb. 23	Noon	NASCAR Countdown	ESPN
Saturday, Feb. 23	1:15 p.m.	NASCAR Nationwide Series race, telecast presented by Royal Purple	ESPN
Sunday, Feb. 24	2:30 a.m.	NASCAR Nationwide Series race (re-air)	ESPN2
Sunday, Feb. 24	4 a.m.	NASCAR Nationwide Series race	ESPN Deportes
Sunday, Feb. 24	6 a.m.	RaceDay	ESPN Radio
Sunday, Feb. 24	9 a.m.	NASCAR Now	ESPN2
Monday, Feb. 25	Midnight	NASCAR Now	ESPN2
Monday, Feb. 25	TBA	Daytona 500 winner at ESPN	Various outlets

  

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NASCAR Now Returns This Friday

Courtesy: NASCAR/ESPN/ESPN2, ESPNNews/Rick Hendrick Racing

ESPN2’s NASCAR Now returns this Friday.  The hit show will air its first new broadcast of the season live from the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.  This year marks the show’s seventh season on ESPN2.  The broadcast will air at 3pm EST.  It will broadcast live from the NHOF as part of the sport’s celebration of the latest class of inductees into the NASCAR Hall.  Among this year’s class of inductees is former driver and NASCAR Now analyst Rusty Wallace.  Also included in this year’s class are:  Leonard Wood, Cotton Owens, Buck Baker, and Herb Thomas.

The broadcast will be anchored by Allen Bestwick.  He will be joined by analysts Dale Jarrett and Ray Evernham.  Both Wallace and Leonard Wood are expected to appear on the broadcast as special guests.  Regular broadcasts will resume Monday, February 11^th.  For the first time, NASCAR Now will broadcast in West Coast prime time this year.  Viewers should check local listings for air times each day.  Also new for this season of NASCAR Now is the inclusion of special segments focusing on drivers Juan Montoya, Joey Logano and Nationwide Series driver Travis Pastrana.  Pastrana’s segments are expected to generally run during the show’s weekday editions while the segments featuring Logano and Montoya are expected to run on race-morning editions of NASCAR Now. 

The entire NASCAR Now staff will be back once again with some new additions this time around.  This season, ESPN SportsCenter anchors Lindsay Czarniak and Jonathan “The Coach” Coachman will also fill in occasionally.  The “NASCAR Nation” can tune in to ESPNNews on Valentine’s Day, for a very special three-hour edition of NASCAR Now beginning at 12pm EST.  The broadcast will be live as part of the Daytona 500 Media Day.  This broadcast and all NASCAR Now broadcasts are available both on TV and online on WatchESPN and on the WatchESPN app.

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