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.

Indianapolis 500 Returns To ABC This Weekend For 49th Consecutive Year

Courtesy: Izod Indycar Series

Memorial Day and Memorial Day weekend will be a big one for fans of basketball.  The WNBA kicks up its 2013-2014 season in a big way across ABC and the ESPN family of networks.  Fans of auto racing get to celebrate the weekend with the annual celebration of the Indianapolis 500, live from Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS).  ABC will broadcast the annual race this Sunday, May 26^th live for the forty-ninth consecutive year.  The race will be preceded by a one-hour pre-race telecast at 11am ET presented by Go Daddy.  The green flag is expected to drop at 12:15pm ET.

The broadcast of the race will incorporate eighty-four different cameras including three each on board twelve of the thirty-three cars entered for the Izod Indy Car Series premier race.  Those drivers who will be carrying in car cameras will be: Defending race winner Dario Franchitti and defending IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay. Others will be Charlie Kimball, JR Hildebrand, James Hinchcliffe, Townsend Bell, Will Power, Helio Castroneves, Marco Andretti, Graham Rahal and Tristan Vautier.  Veteran racer Ed Carpenter will also carry one of the in-car cameras.

Audiences can also get a view of pit road and the front stretch thanks to the enhanced “Batcam” (skycam).  The “Batcam” runs on a wire overhead pit road and the front stretch at IMS.  The “Batcam” has been used by ESPN for many years.  But with its new enhancements, it can now fly over the track at speeds upwards of ninety-five miles per hour.  Four Ultra Hi Motion cameras placed around the track will give viewers an amazing view of the race.  The cameras, which will be used for the second consecutive year, will be placed in the short chutes at each end of the two and a half mile track.  There will also be a camera in the fourth turn exit, and one robotic camera placed at the entrance to turn one.  Along with the cameras, which can shoot at a rate of up to 1,200 frames per second, each turn will also have a Super Slo Motion camera.

Thanks to ESPN3, fans watching the race will get the option of streaming live video on a second screen.  The live streaming feeds will be available via ESPN’s WatchESPN and WatchESPN app.  ESPN3 is available online via http://www.WatchESPN.com.  Viewers watching online via ESPN3’s second screen can cwitch between in-car cameras.  For the first time this year, fans watching online can also check out the live scoring ticker.  ESPN3 will also carry a rebroadcast of the race after it ends on ABC.

Marty Reid will have the lap-by-lap call, while ESPN SportsCenter anchor Lindsay Czarniak will serve as race host.  Former driver Scott Goodyear and 1998 Indy 500 winner Eddie Cheever will be on hand for analysis.  Rick DeBruhl, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, and Vince Welch will report from the pits.

For all 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.

Czarniak Tapped To Lead 2013 Indy 500 Broadcast

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN’s Lindsay Czarniak will host this year’s Indy 500.  The SportsCenter co-host’s appointment to the broadcast marks the first time ever that the race broadcast has ever been helmed by a female broadcaster.  Czarniak co-hosts ESPN’s SportsCenter alongside John Anderson.  Before taking on co-hosting duties with Anderson was a pit reporter and feature reporter for broadcasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races on TNT and NBC.  She also hosted ESPN’s NASCAR Now previously. 

Lindsay got her start in broadcasting at WRC-TV (NBC 4) in Washington, D.C.  She worked at WRC-TV from 2005 – 2011.  During her time there, she covered the 2006 Winter and 2008 Summer Olympic Games as well as NASCAR broadcasts. 

Courtesy: ESPN/ABC

The Indy 500 pre-race show is scheduled to run from 11am – 12pm on Sunday, May 26^th.  Czarniak will head the pre-race broadcast from the IMS’ famed Pagoda.  She will also help contribute to the race broadcast itself.  Former Indy 500 winner Eddie Cheever will also take part in calling the race.  He will serve as an in-race analyst in the broadcast booth for the race, and for the remaining five races that ABC will carry.

Cheever is a former Formula One racer who won the Indy 500 in 1998.  He made 132 starts in Formula One from 1978 to 1989.  That is the most by any American driver in the history of Formula One racing.  He returned to the U.S. and joined the former CART Series in 1990 and then the IndyCar Series in 1996.  He claimed five wins in his time in the IRL, including his win in 1998.  Cheever last raced in the IndyCar series in 2006.   He will be joined by lap-by-lap announcer Marty Reid and fellow analyst Scott Goodyear to call all six Izod IndyCar Series races broadcast on ABC this season.  Also on hand for the broadcasts will be pit reporters: Rick DeBruhl, Jamie Little, and Vince Welch.  Dr. Jerry Punch will join the broadcast team in the pits for the Indy 500. 

The Indy 500 is the first of six races that will be broadcast on ABC this year.  Each race will be produced by ESPN and broadcast on ABC.  ABC’s other races include: a doubleheader from Detroit’s Belle Island on June 1^st and 2^nd, a primetime broadcast from Texas Motor Speedway on June 8^th, the series’ race from Iowa Speedway on June 23^rd, and its return to the hills of Pocono, PA on July 7^th at Pocono Raceway. 

To get all the latest news from the Izod Indycar Series on ABC and ESPN, viewers can “Like” the ESPN Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ESPN and the ABC Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ABCNetwork.

To keep up with all the latest news from the Izod Indycar Series, fans can “Like” the official Izod Indycar Series Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/IZOD-IndyCar-Series/181178948587654.

To keep up with all 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.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Heads Out West This Weekend

Courtesy: NASCAR/ESPN/ESPN2

The NASCAR Nationwide Series returns to Phoenix this weekend.  Drivers will face off in the desert in the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 presented by Kawasaki.  Current series points leader Sam Hornish, Jr. and the rest of the field will look to rebound this week after this past weekend’s devastating wreck in the series’ season opening race at Daytona.  NASCAR Countdown host Nicole Briscoe will be joined by analysts and NASCAR veterans Rusty Wallace and Ricky Craven along with Brad Daugherty beginning at 4pm. 

Allen Bestwick will helm the race broadcast as he calls lap-by-lap action from the booth.  He will be joined by two more well known NASCAR veterans in Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree for in race analysis.  Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, and Vince Welch will have the call from the pits.  The green flag is currently expected to drop at 4:45pm EST/1:45 PST.  The race will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

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

  

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