In its
second NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race
telecast in 2007, ESPN visits Pocono
Raceway, where reliable brakes and
managing the "tunnel turn" will be
critical to a driver's shot at
victory. ESPN's coverage of the Cup
Series began last week at
Indianapolis, the network's first
Cup event since 2000.
ESPN's
NASCAR Countdown will
have a live preview of the NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup Series at Pocono
presented by Rush Hour 3 at 1
p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 5. ESPN will
have live coverage of NASCAR NEXTEL
Cup qualifying at 3:30 p.m. Friday,
Aug. 3, and Happy Hour final
practice at 11 a.m. Saturday.
ESPN?s Suzy Kolber will host
NASCAR Countdown at Pocono.
Two-time NASCAR champion crew chief
Tim Brewer will report from
the ESPN DISH Tech Center. Some
highlights:
On
the Bubble
With
six races left before the Chase for
the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, NASCAR
Countdown will examine drivers
on the bubble in the points for
making the top 12, who will qualify
for the Chase. For now, Dale
Earnhardt Jr. holds the final
position in 12th but
leads Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman by
just a few precious points.
The
Toughest Turn in Racing
What
is the toughest turn in racing? Many
drivers will say it's the ?tunnel
turn? ? or Turn 2 ? at Pocono
Raceway. NASCAR Countdown
will ask drivers why that turn is so
difficult to negotiate and what they
remember about wrecking at Pocono.
Included in the segment is a feature
on legendary NASCAR driver Bobby
Allison, who had a near fatal crash
at Pocono. Allison still struggles
with the physical and emotional
difficulties caused by his crash 19
years ago at Pocono.
NASCAR Busch Series to Make Historic
First Visit to Canada Live on ESPN2
The
Busch Series will make history this
weekend on ESPN2 as it becomes the
first of NASCAR's national series to
race in Canada. The race presents a
level playing field for NASCAR Busch
Series drivers and teams, as most
will be racing on the track for the
first time. Coverage begins on ESPN2
with NASCAR Busch Series practice at
2 p.m. ET Friday, Aug. 3, and
qualifying at noon Saturday.
NASCAR Countdown will have
live coverage of the race beginning
at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4; the
race telecast starts at 3:30 p.m.
Allen Bestwick
will anchor ESPN2?s coverage from
Montreal and will host NASCAR
Countdown. Road racing star
Scott Pruett will be ESPN's
in-car race reporter for the race
telecast, driving for the Ganassi
team. Some NASCAR Countdown
highlights:
Making good on a deal
ESPN
NASCAR insider Marty Smith will
speak to sports car specialist Andy
Pilgrim, a friend of Dale Earnhardt
Sr. Earnhardt once promised Pilgrim
a ride in a NASCAR Busch Series
road-course race, and Dale Earnhardt
Jr. will fulfill that promise.
No
checking in the pits, please
New
Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur
will be in the pits of the No.16 car
of Greg Biffle during the NASCAR
Busch Series race at Montreal. ESPN
pit reporter Vince Welch will talk
with Biffle and Brodeur before the
race and test Biffle's French and
hockey knowledge.
About NASCAR on ESPN:
ESPN and ESPN on ABC has
comprehensive, multi-platform
coverage featuring telecasts of the
final 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races,
including the 10-race ?Chase for the
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup? championship on
ESPN on ABC. Additionally, ESPN2 is
the home of the NASCAR Busch Series
all season. For the first time in
the history of televised motorsports,
all programming is produced totally
in High Definition. ESPN's
comprehensive, multimedia NASCAR
coverage extends to ESPN.com, ESPN
Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio,
SportsCenter, ESPN The
Magazine, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS,
ESPNRadio, ESPN360.com and ESPN
International, among other ESPN
platforms. ESPN aired 262 NASCAR Cup
Races over a 20-year period starting
in 1981. The network's
award-winning, live flag-to-flag
coverage on ESPN was honored with 17
Sports Emmy Awards, as well as many
industry honors. It is widely
credited for helping to popularize
the sport nationwide. NASCAR races
have appeared on ABC for decades,
beginning with broadcasts on the
award-winning Wide World of
Sports program in the 1960s.
