Jayski's® Silly Season Site

ESPN NASCAR News

ESPN Acquires Jayski.com: ESPN has acquired Jayski.com - one of the top NASCAR information sites on the Internet. Jayski, who began the site in 1996, will continue to operate Jayski.com, which counts top NASCAR crew chiefs, drivers and owners among its regular visitors. The site has seen tremendous growth in the past three years and is now considered one of the most influential web sites in the sport. Jayski has gained a reputation for consistently breaking industry stories and serving as the ultimate resource and trackside companion for NASCAR fans. Jayski.com will remain an independent voice on ESPN.com and complement the site's revamped NASCAR editorial section, providing NASCAR fans the most comprehensive coverage of the sport on the Internet.
"Jayski.com is, day-in and day-out, one of the most distinctive, authoritative voices for NASCAR fans online," said John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN New Media. "Few developments for ESPN are more exciting than getting back into NASCAR, and doing so with one of the most dialed-in NASCAR insiders in the business. Jay's fan perspective informs everything he writes; he's a must-read for any serious NASCAR enthusiast."
Jayski.com's relationship with ESPN extends back to 2004, when ESPN began hosting the website. Jayski and partner Mark Garrow will serve as contributors for NASCAR coverage across all ESPN media - including on-air, online and radio and podcasting. "I am proud to be associated with ESPN, especially as they expand their role in NASCAR," said Jayski. "I'll still be running the site, but with the support of ESPN, we'll have the resources to grow Jayski.com to serve NASCAR fans even better than it already does."
Jayski.com features more than 1,500 pages of content on NASCAR Nextel Cup, the Busch Series and Truck Series. Some of the most popular features of the site include Jayski's NASCAR News and Rumors, Team Pages and the Jayski Paint Scheme section. ESPN.com's core NASCAR news, information and feature coverage is anchored by award-winning writers Terry Blount and David Newton, with contributions from Rusty Wallace, Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis.(ESPN PR)(4-2-2007)
AP/Sports Business Journal Article: ESPN has acquired Jayski.com, a website that collects NASCAR news, rumors, links, information and statistics. Jayski.com founder Jay Adamczyk, who created the site in 1996 for a class project and made it his full-time job in 1999, will continue to accumulate the bountiful supply of information that fills Jayski.com's 1,500 pages, which cover everything from breaking news to team pages to new paint schemes and television ratings. ESPN.com has served as the host server for Jayski.com since 2004. Terms of the deal were not available. Adamczyk said he had a pair of analysts look at his ad revenue and site traffic to determine a value. John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager of ESPN new media, said he wouldn't tinker too much with Adamczyk's homespun site. Viewers might see more standard Internet banners and ad units, but the content will remain in Adamczyk's hands. "The assumption is that if you make a deal with ESPN, your site is going to look like ESPN," Kosner said. "But Jay has hit on a successful formula. We don't have to reinvent the wheel here. With the Internet, everything is trackable, you can see people's behavior, you know what works." Adamczyk said Jayski.com has been experiencing its most successful period during the first quarter. February produced 17 million page views, aided largely by the Daytona 500, he said, including 1 million unique hits, which marked the first time he had reached 1 million in a month. ESPN first struck a relationship with Jayski.com in late 2004. The network became a host server for the site and began to help with ad sales in January 2005. A Jayski.com link was created on ESPN.com's NASCAR page and ESPN received prominent placement on the Web site's home page. When ESPN acquired the rights to televise half of the Nextel Cup schedule and the full Busch Series slate, which began this year, it revamped the ESPN.com motorsports page and hired more reporters. The purchase of Jayski.com fits into that broader strategy of upgrading its NASCAR coverage, Kosner said. Adamczyk and his partner, Mark Garrow, will serve as contributors for NASCAR coverage on all of ESPN's media, including on-air, online, radio and podcasting. Adamczyk, a computer programmer who has not attended a race in nearly three years, will contribute his reports by phone. "I don't like crowds, I don't like the traffic," Adamczyk said. "There's so much more I can do here in front of my computer. I'm not a reporter who needs to go interview a bunch of people. I'm a web dude who puts it all together." Adamczyk works out of his home in Mooresville, N.C. Michael Smith is a reporter with SportsBusiness Journal.(Sporting News/SportsBusiness Journal)(4-2-2007)

ESPN on ABC Talladega TV Ratings Score Big Jump from 2007: ESPN on ABC's live telecast of Saturday's Aarons 312 Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway scored big increases in ratings and household impressions over last year's race, continuing an upward trend to series TV numbers in 2008. The race earned a 2.6 rating and 2,962,000 household impressions, increases of 28 and 29%, respectively, over the same categories for last year's ABC telecast (2.1; 2,291,000). The event also earned the largest numbers for a Nationwide Series race on the ESPN networks since live NASCAR racing returned to ESPN in 2007, eclipsing the previous high of 2.4/2,699,000 for the March, 2007, event from Las Vegas that aired on ABC. The Talladega telecast also earned large increases across the board in important demographic categories, increasing 67% in Males 18-34, 50% in males 55 and older and 44% in persons 55 and older. Cable ratings for the series have also increased in 2008. The average rating for the five Nationwide Series events that have aired on ESPN2 is 1.9, a 10% increase over the 1.7 from this point last season. ESPN2 numbers do not include the rain-delayed event from California Speedway in February that was run on a Monday. ESPN's multi-platform approach to NASCAR coverage is also showing increases in areas other than television. ESPN.com's motorsports section has grown 32% in visits during 2008, and ESPN's Fantasy Racing was up 43% in visits and 15% in page views during the Talladega weekend as compared to the same weekend last year. ESPN-owned Jayski.com was up 16% in visits during Talladega weekend.(ESPN PR)(5-1-2008)

ESPN Wins Seven Sports Emmy Awards AND Fox: ESPN won seven Sports Emmy Awards, presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences last night in New York, including ESPN.com taking all three of the “New Approaches” categories for online and broadband entries. “The Sports Emmys we received reflect the rich diversity of offerings across ESPN and our ability to not only cover and report on sports, but to inform, entertain and inspire, both on television and online,” said George Bodenheimer, President, ESPN and ABC Sports. ESPN.com was honored for “Ray of Hope” (Long Form), Fantasy Football Now (Coverage) and “Death Race 2007” (General Interest). NASCAR returned to ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 last year, and the three networks shared the Emmy for Technical Team Remote. ESPN won 17 Sports Emmys for its NASCAR coverage in the 1990s. Also, College GameDay was cited in the Studio Show Weekly category, Sunday NFL Countdown’s “Fear” took top honors among Short Features and Ali’s 65 won in Editing. ESPN has now won 14 Sports Emmys in the Feature category, including seven in the last six years. Overall, ABC has now won 160 Sports Emmy Awards since they were first given in 1980, while ESPN has won 123 in 21 years of eligibility.(ESPN)(4-29-2008)
AND FOX Sports led all broadcast networks with five Sports Emmy Awards, including two major honors for outstanding sports series and sports special. The winners were announced last night [4/28] during the 29th Annual Sports Emmy Awards by The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences at ceremonies held in New York. NASCAR on FOX won two statuettes, one for Outstanding Live Sports Series and one for Outstanding Technical Team Remote. In its seven seasons of coverage, NASCAR on FOX has been recognized for Outstanding Sports Series three times and this year’s recognition brings the series Emmy total to 12. Since its inception in 1994, FOX Sports’ has won 76 Emmy Awards.(Fox PR)(4-30-2008)

NASCAR Now Schedule Includes Monday Roundtable Discussion: NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information show, will have six episodes this week. The program features news, highlights, opinion, debate and analysis from drivers, crew chiefs and insiders both on and off the track. On Monday, March 17, host Allen Bestwick leads a discussion of the Bristol Motor Speedway weekend and other NASCAR news in a one-hour episode airing at 5:30pm/et. Half-hour episodes air Tuesday and Wednesday of this week at 6:00pm/et, and at midnight/et Friday and Saturday. A one-hour edition airs Sunday, March 16, at 10am/et with the latest news from Bristol.(ESPN PR)(3-10-2008)

Evernham Joins ESPN’s NASCAR Team as Analyst: Ray Evernham, a successful team owner in NASCAR racing and a three-time Sprint Cup champion crew chief, has joined ESPN’s NASCAR coverage team as an analyst. Evernham, who makes his debut this week from Daytona International Speedway, will appear on NASCAR Now, ESPN’s daily NASCAR news and information show, as part of a rotating panel of ESPN analysts for a weekly roundtable discussion in an expanded one-hour Monday edition of the program. The roundtable, hosted by ESPN’s Allen Bestwick, will discuss the latest NASCAR news and events. Evernham, owner of Gillett Evernham Motorsports, also will make appearances via satellite on other editions of NASCAR Now. NASCAR Now airs weeknights at 6pm/et on ESPN2. In addition to his duties with NASCAR Now, Evernham will work as an analyst in ESPN’s booth for live telecasts of Nationwide Series races from Mexico City and Loudon, N.H. Evernham also will join ESPN’s pre-race NASCAR Countdown show for some races in 2008, including prior to the Feb. 16 Nationwide Series opening event from Daytona, and will appear from Daytona on NASCAR Now, SportsCenter and ESPNEWS. “We are thrilled to further elevate our NASCAR telecasts with the addition of another former champion in Ray Evernham,” said Rich Feinberg, vice president, motorsports, ESPN production. “Our team already has a very deep bench and this only strengthens it.” Evernham appeared on several Nationwide Series telecasts in 2007 as a guest analyst on the pre-race program and also was featured in Race Wizard with Ray Evernham, a program that aired on ESPN2 in 2007. He previously appeared as an analyst on ESPN and ABC’s coverage of the IROC Series in 2000. "ESPN is the leader in sports worldwide,” said Evernham. “Their expertise and credibility with the men and women around the world reinforces this position, and I am excited that NASCAR is such an integral part of their programming. I look forward to joining their team and sharing my knowledge and experience of the sport with the fans."(ESPN PR)(2-13-2008)

Shifting Gears on ESPN Goes Behind Scenes with Dale Earnhardt Jr.: #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the focus of a new television series on ESPN, Dale Jr. – Shifting Gears, premiering prior to next month’s opening of the 2008 NASCAR season. The five-part series chronicles Earnhardt’s move from Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team founded by his father, to Hendrick Motorsports, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The first episode airs Friday, Feb. 8, at 7:00pm/et on ESPN2. The series provides viewers with a behind-the-scenes look at the personal, corporate and competitive ramifications involved with the five-time NASCAR Most Popular Driver award recipient changing teams. Dale Jr. – Shifting Gears is produced by Earnhardt Jr.’s Hammerhead Entertainment, a division of JR Motorsports, in cooperation with Hendrick Motorsports and is presented by the National Guard. The new program is part of an exclusive, multimedia agreement between ESPN and Hammerhead Entertainment. “We were working on a new DVD about my life and the guys kept getting more and more footage, so they decided to put a whole TV show together to document the biggest career decision I’ve ever made,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “The past year of my life has been a roller coaster, and it’s pretty cool that we’re giving everyone an inside look at how everything came together.” Three of the five episodes of Shifting Gears air on ESPN2 in the nine days prior to the Daytona 500, including following ESPN2’s live coverage of Nationwide Series qualifying on Friday, Feb. 15, and the Nationwide Series Camping World 300 at Daytona on Saturday, Feb. 16. The final two episodes air on ESPN in prime time the week of the July 27 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, ESPN’s first live Sprint Cup event of the season. The pre-season episodes reveal never-before-seen footage from the 2007 press conferences and fan response to the announcements. Shifting Gears also chronicles the design process of the new paint schemes, the makings of Earnhardt Jr.’s Adidas fire suit and how the driver of the No. 88 Mountain Dew AMP/National Guard Chevrolet handles the pressure of working with new sponsors as he prepares for his first season with Hendrick Motorsports. The final two episodes, each one hour in length, will catch up with Earnhardt Jr. and the Hendrick team as he chases his first Sprint Cup championship. Previews and additional video from the show will be made available on ESPN.com Video and DaleJr.com starting next week and the full episodes will be made available shortly after they air on ESPN2 on ESPN MobileTV and ESPN.com Video.
The air schedule (all times Eastern):
Friday, Feb. 8 7-8 p.m. ESPN2
Friday, Feb. 15 6:30-8 p.m. ESPN2
Saturday, Feb. 16 4:30-6 p.m. ESPN2
Thursday, July 24 7-8 p.m. ESPN
Friday, July 25 7-8 p.m. ESPN.(ESPN PR) Comment here

Jarrett and Rusty Headline ESPN’s Season-Long NASCAR Coverage: Dale Jarrett will expand his role with ESPN and join high school friends Dr. Jerry Punch and Andy Petree in the booth for ESPN’s full season of NASCAR coverage in 2008. Rusty Wallace will become lead analyst for ESPN studio programs in 2008, highlighted by serving as analyst for an enhanced NASCAR Countdown, the program that precedes all NASCAR telecasts. Wallace also will appear across multiple ESPN platforms, including regularly on NASCAR Now, ESPN’s daily NASCAR news and information show, and will call several race telecasts in place of Jarrett. Allen Bestwick moves into the fulltime role of host of ESPN’s race telecasts and host of NASCAR Countdown. Wallace and Bestwick will appear with analyst Brad Daugherty on the pre-race program, and the three will be integrated with the booth team during race telecasts. ESPN also has named motorsports television veteran Nicole Manske as host of NASCAR Now, which returns to the air for its second season Feb. 4 on ESPN2. Manske, who joins ESPN after two years as co-host of a weekly motorsports news program on the SPEED Channel, will share the NASCAR Now host role with Bestwick and ESPNEWS anchor Ryan Burr. On ESPN’s event coverage, Shannon Spake, a reporter for ESPN’s studio programs and fill-in pit reporter last year, will take Bestwick’s position as a fulltime pit reporter, joined by returnees Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. Two-time NASCAR Cup champion crew chief Tim Brewer returns to report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. “We now have the opportunity to provide our viewers with analysis from a pair of former NASCAR Cup champions with Dale Jarrett in the booth and Rusty Wallace on the NASCAR Countdown set as well as on other platforms,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, studio and event production. “We were pleased to have Dale with us in a limited role last year and look forward to his participation on a regular basis,” Williamson said. “Rusty’s enthusiasm, team spirit and knowledge make him an invaluable contributor to our coverage. These champion drivers in their new roles add tremendously to ESPN’s championship team for our second year back in NASCAR.” ESPN’s 2008 NASCAR season begins with live, flag-to-flag coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series opener at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 16, at noon ET on ESPN2. In addition to coverage of all 35 races in the Nationwide Series, ESPN also will have telecasts of the final 17 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Jarrett, who is retiring from driving after the first five races of the 2008 Sprint Cup season, was booth analyst for 10 Nationwide Series ESPN race telecasts last year and worked several Sprint Cup races as a guest analyst on NASCAR Countdown. Punch, ESPN’s lead announcer, Petree, booth analyst and a two-time NASCAR Cup champion crew chief, and Jarrett are all natives of Newton, N.C., and attended Newton-Conover High School within a few years of each other in the early 1970s. The three were partners in one of Jarrett’s first race cars in 1979. “It was exciting to see ESPN return to NASCAR last year and be a part of it when my racing schedule allowed,” said Jarrett, winner of 32 NASCAR Cup Series races and 11 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. “To have this opportunity to shift from fulltime driver to fulltime analyst for ESPN’s second year back is a great privilege and I can’t wait to get started.” Jarrett followed the footsteps of his father, Ned, a two-time NASCAR champion, into driving and television. Ned Jarrett was a popular analyst on ESPN’s coverage of NASCAR from 1988-2000 and returned to the booth as a guest analyst for one race last year to work alongside his son for the first time. Wallace joined ESPN after retiring from driving following the 2005 season and spent 2006 as analyst for ESPN’s coverage of the IndyCar Series in preparation for ESPN’s return to NASCAR in 2007. Bestwick served multiple roles for ESPN’s NASCAR coverage last year, including pit reporter, host of NASCAR Countdown for Nationwide Series races and play-by-play announcer for several events. Along with returning NASCAR Insiders Angelique Chengelis and Marty Smith, ESPN.com reporters Terry Blount and David Newton and analysts Boris Said, Tim Cowlishaw and D.J. Copp, many members of ESPN’s event coverage team also will contribute to NASCAR Now in 2008.(ESPN PR)(1-23-2008) Comment here

Rusty Wallace rumors untrue: there were some rumors floating around on Wednesday that ESPN/ABC would replace Rusty Wallace as it's analyst of the Busch and Nextel Cup Series races [to be Nationwide and Sprint Cup in 2008] for the 2008 season. All ESPN and Wallace sources have told me this is NOT TRUE and Wallace will return in 2008. From ESPN: "Rusty Wallace is our guy. We have a long-term contract with him. He's the voice of NASCAR on ESPN." NORBY WILLIAMSON - ESPN Executive Vice President, Studio and Remote Production.(10-17-2007)

More on Draft Track: The University of Washington says its computer scientists have developed software to illustrate the drafting effect of NASCAR race cars. The university says the technology was used by the Sportvision company of Chicago and ESPN to create "Draft Track." It uses fluid dynamics math algorithms to create real-time displays of colors trailing behind cars. Green, blue, yellow and red correspond to different speeds and directions for air flow. It shows viewers how drivers can use drafting to save gas or pick up speed.(AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer)(8-10-2007)

ESPN Draft Track Technology Will Allow NASCAR Fans to 'See the Air': For years, NASCAR fans have heard about the effects of drafting on high-speed racetracks and how certain drivers, such as the late Dale Earnhardt, were so good in the draft it was said they could "see the air." Now, as Nextel Cup racing returns to ESPN with Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, a technical innovation developed by ESPN and SportVision will allow fans to see the air when they watch ESPN's coverage of the Nextel Cup and Busch Series. Beginning with Sunday's telecast of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, ESPN will enhance its NASCAR coverage with Draft Track, a special effects package that will provide to viewers a never-before-seen effect that shows airflow created by NASCAR race cars. When ESPN's producers activate Draft Track, viewers will see air flowing over and behind race cars as they speed around the track, whether there is one car or a multi-car pack on the television screen. The Draft Track airflow visualization will change as the cars, in relation each other, change position in real time on the racetrack, including passing, racing side by side or when cars are lined up nose to tail. The new effect will initially be used on replays. (ESPN PR), see a demo of the technology on the ESPN site.(7-25-2007)

Ned Jarrett Returns to ESPN TV Booth: Ned Jarrett, one of the most popular motorsports announcers in history and a mainstay of ESPN’s NASCAR coverage for 15 years, will make a guest appearance alongside his son, Dale Jarrett, in the ESPN booth Saturday night during ESPN2’s live, prime-time coverage of the Busch Series race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The telecast will begin at 7:30pm/et. Father and son will work together as television analysts for the first time. The elder Jarrett was an auto racing analyst for ESPN from 1986 until the network ended its previous period of NASCAR coverage in 2000, at which point the two-time NASCAR Cup champion retired from television. Dale, still an active Nextel Cup driver, is working as an analyst on 10 Busch Series race telecasts this season. He made his ESPN debut in April. "Ned Jarrett has a tremendous role in the history of ESPN and NASCAR,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, studio and remote production. “A legendary father joining his legendary son in the ESPN booth, having Ned back just for one race, is certainly special to all of us. This is Father's Day arriving early for Ned and Dale, and our viewers will be the lucky ones." The Jarretts will work the ESPN booth with lead announcer Dr. Jerry Punch and analyst Andy Petree. All four are from tiny Newton, N.C., and Punch and Petree were part of Dale Jarrett’s first racing team in the late 1970s. Punch shared ownership with Ned. Dale was one of the founding drivers of the Busch Series in 1982. “I’m looking forward to Saturday night and working with my dad,” said Dale, who is filling in for ESPN’s lead auto racing analyst Rusty Wallace. “It should be a blast having him there in the booth with Jerry, Andy and me. He was a big part of my success and getting started in racing.” Ned Jarrett’s last race as a driver was in 1966, and he became a radio broadcaster shortly after. He added TV work in the 1970s. “I didn’t get to race against Dale because he was only 9 years old when I retired, but now to have the chance to work with him in the broadcast booth, my second career, is pretty neat,” he said. One of the most memorable moments in NASCAR television history occurred in 1993, when Dale won the Daytona 500 with his excited father calling the final lap from the television booth. Ned also lists as personal career highlights: working the ESPN telecast of Dale’s first NASCAR Cup win in 1991 at Michigan International Speedway and interviewing Dale on pit road for ESPN when he clinched the 1999 championship. Ned helped along his son’s driving career at the beginning and has helped with advice on Dale’s foray into television. “He asked my opinion before he agreed to do this,” Ned said. “I thought he was capable of doing it, and I felt he would be good for it and it would be good for ESPN. I feel that the best advice I can give anyone in TV is to listen to what’s being said and pay attention so that you’re not repeating what someone else has said. It helps to get into the rhythm and make a better contribution to the broadcast.” Dale has worked five telecasts so far and Ned said he has watched them all. “I’ve honestly been impressed,” he said. “I’m prejudiced but I also feel I’m realistic. He’s done a good job for the role he’s been in. I’ve had a lot of people tell me he puts it in ways they can understand it, and they appreciate that. I told him that broadcasting would be as big a challenge as driving,” Ned said. “I’m just as proud of what he’s done in the broadcast booth as I am of what he’s done in the race car.”(ESPN PR)(5-23-2007)

ESPN has introduces its new “racing ICONS”: ESPN has introduced its new “racing ICONS” content categories that provide a distinct way for fans of NASCAR to find and consume the content they want most on ESPN’s media assets. Covering all aspects of the racing experience, the five icons represent fields of relevant content related to a single category, and will be "tagged" on content across ESPN's television, online and print media. The five ICON categories are Auto Tech, Communications, Safety, Tech Center and Know How. Each ICON category organizes the broad array of in-depth ESPN content and enables fans to increasingly pursue more in-depth information and entertainment. Additionally, the innovative new fan navigation device delivers "surround" engagement across ESPN's media platforms and allows advertisers to have a complete brand-aligned content topic within ESPN's comprehensive coverage of NASCAR
Auto Tech – Sponsored by Chevy - The Auto Tech category of content addresses content that helps fans engage with the pure passion of the heart of the sport - the legendary vehicles and what makes them run, race, perform and evolve from 'street/stock' cars to The Car of Tomorrow.
Communications – sponsored by NEXTEL - Content categorized under the Communication ICON is dedicated to exploring the pivotal role that communication plays -- between driver, owner, pit crew and an entire team.
Safety – sponsored by ALLSTATE - Fans looking for information about the central focus that safety equipment and measures in NASCAR will find it categorized under the Safety ICON.
Tech Center – sponsored by DISH Network - Technology is at the heart of ESPN’s NASCAR telecasts, and content tagged with the Tech Center ICON will help fans learn more about how.
Know How – sponsored by The Home Depot - Content that covers news and information about the rules and strategies of racing are tagged with the Know How ICON.
ESPN'S NASCAR ICONS can be found on ESPN.com through search also, keyword ICONS or goto sports.espn.go.com.(ESPN PR)(5-15-2007)

ESPN2’s NASCAR Now Expanding to One Hour on Mondays: NASCAR Now, ESPN’s first daily news and information show totally dedicated to NASCAR, is expanding its Monday evening edition to one hour, beginning April 16. The expanded format will provide more time for recaps and analysis of the weekend’s NASCAR races. The Monday program will air from 6:00-7:00pm/et on ESPN2. NASCAR Now will air on ESPN2 for 30 minutes at its regular 6:30pm/et timeslot Tuesday through Thursday next week, with no Friday edition due to the live NASCAR Busch Series race at Phoenix International Raceway that evening on ESPN2. In addition, the weekend edition will air at 10:00am/et Saturday, rather than its usual day of Sunday, due to the Nextel Cup Series running that night at Phoenix. Reports from Phoenix will be included in Saturday’s program. Sunday night’s edition of the program will air at midnight. NASCAR Now is hosted by Erik Kuselias, Doug Banks and Ryan Burr and originates from ESPN’s High Definition studios in Bristol, Conn., with contributions from reporters Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake. Analysts Tim Brewer, Brad Daugherty, Stacy Compton and Boris Said, along with NASCAR insiders Terry Blount, Angelique Chengelis, Tim Cowlishaw, David Newton and Marty Smith, as well as D.J. Copp, a member of the Dale Earnhardt, Jr., NASCAR team also contribute.(ESPN PR)(4-13-2007)

Ryan Burr Joins NASCAR Now as Host: Ryan Burr will join Erik Kuselias and Doug Banks sharing the host role of ESPN2’s NASCAR Now (6:30pm/et M-F, 10am and midnight Sundays) beginning tonight (Wednesday, April 4). Burr, who joined ESPN in August 2005 from FSN in Pittsburgh, will continue to anchor ESPNEWS. Burr said, "NASCAR Now is a wonderful opportunity to keep the NASCAR fans up to date on a daily basis, and I look forward to this next challenge in my broadcast career.” The Syracuse graduate added, “NASCAR is the fastest growing sport in this country -- definitely a priority at ESPN, and the goal of NASCAR Now is to educate and entertain NASCAR fans everywhere.” ESPN2’s NASCAR Now, ESPN’s first daily program dedicated solely to NASCAR news and information, debuted February 5, 2007, and features highlights, opinion, debate, analysis, and the latest news from drivers, crew chiefs and insiders both on and off the track.(ESPN PR)(4-4-2007)

ESPN360.com To Feature All 26 ESPN2 Busch Series Races Live: ESPN announced today that its signature broadband service, ESPN360.com, will deliver live online simulcasts of every remaining ESPN2 Busch Series telecast – 26 in all, beginning on April 7 at the Nashville Superspeedway. Coverage will also include simulcasts of ESPN2’s pre-race programming, including each week’s NASCAR Countdown. ESPN360.com’s live coverage will be integrated directly into the ESPN.com RaceCast, allowing fans with access to ESPN360.com to not only watch the live race Webcast, but also follow the in-race animated graphic display and get track information, lap leaders, race leaders, driver stats and live chat with ESPN NASCAR contributor Tim Cowlishaw throughout the race. ESPN360.com is available at no charge to consumers in more than 15 million homes nationwide, via highspeed Internet connections provided by ESPN affiliated service providers. ESPN360.com’s coverage will make it the live online home of the Busch Series, complementing ESPN2 as the television home of the Busch Series.
Highlights: Extensive videohighlights from every Busch and NEXTEL Cup race on ESPN.com and ESPN360.com
Surrounding Action: Additional video from each race, including insider features, practice and qualifying footage, interviews with drivers, pit teams, extensions to ESPN studio programming and video blogs covering major news and events.
Season-Long Driver Capsules: ESPN360.com features exclusive driver-specific video capsules, progressively updated throughout the season, that provide season-to-date highlights, interviews, news and all other driver-related video.(ESPN PR)(3-27-2007)

ESPN, Fox, Turner work together: ESPN has struck a cooperative agreement with NASCAR's other broadcast partners, Fox and Turner, to share camera crews as a cost-saving measure. "It's for the common good," said Jed Drake, ESPN's senior vice president and executive producer for NASCAR coverage. "It would be financial insanity to do it any other way. We'll share the cameramen and certain audio effects." Drake said that ESPN has an obligation with NASCAR to show highlights of other NASCAR-sanctioned events, but the network does not have any sort of cross-promotion agreement with Fox between the Busch and Nextel Cup broadcasts.(Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service)(2-24-2007)

Dr. Jerry Punch to the rescue: Just because ESPN's Dr. Jerry Punch decided to swap his stethoscope for a microphone doesn't mean the medical degree he earned at Wake Forest hasn't been useful over the years. Twice while working races as an ESPN announcer Punch has been called on to aid seriously-injured drivers. At Bristol he revived Rusty Wallace, who had stopped breathing, and once after an ARCA crash he administered lifesaving first aid to injured racer Don Marnor. And ESPN's Dr. Jerry Punch was addressing a Nashville Superspeedway media luncheon Tuesday at The Palm restaurant downtown when he was interrupted by a loud crash from the back of the room. Someone yelled "Is there a doctor in the house?" Amid the laugher came a more serious shout: "We're not kidding! We need a doctor back here!" Punch immediately rushed from the podium to the back of the room where Jenny Gill [Vince Gill's daughter], a Nashville Superspeedway intern, had fainted. Punch helped to revive the Middle Tennessee State graduate student. She was taken to a local care center for observation and soon recovered, according to Sean Dozier, the superspeedway's public relations director. Punch returned to the podium and resumed his speech.(Tennessean)(2-21-2007)

Contreras joins ESPN Deportes’ NASCAR Team: Carlos Contreras, one of the first Hispanic drivers in NASCAR, has joined ESPN Deportes’ experienced team of hosts, analysts and reporters for ESPN Deportes’ coverage of the 2007 NASCAR season. Contreras will serve as analyst for numerous races, joining analyst Alex Pombo and play-by-play commentator Andrés Agulla in the booth. He will make his first appearance on ESPN Deportes’ flag-to-flag coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series: Stater Bros 300 Saturday, Feb. 24 at 7:30pm/et live from the California Speedway in Fontana, CA. “We are excited to have Carlos on our team,” said Chris Calcinari, vice president of production and operations, ESPN Deportes. “Carlos will bring real world insight, experience, and inside information to our productions, and his on-the-track experience will be a tremendous asset for our NASCAR telecasts. For the first time in the history of Spanish-language television fans will be able to follow NASCAR action in Spanish and we have assembled the most knowledgeable team to offer top-notch coverage.” Contreras, an eight-time Mexican racing champion, has 84 career starts in NASCAR’s top series, including 70 in the Craftsman Truck Series and 14 in the Busch Series, the most of any Hispanic driver. Contreras made his NASCAR debut by qualifying 7th and finishing 14th in the season finale Craftsman Truck Series at the California Speedway in 1999. He ran the full Truck Series season in 2000 and was runner-up in the Rookie of the Year standings to future Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch. In addition to his duties with ESPN Deportes, this 2007 season Contreras is slated to run several Busch series races for Armando Fitz and Fitz Motorsports, beginning with Mexico City on March 4th.(ESPN PR)(2-12-2007)

ESPN Sets Nextel Cup Schedule Times: Nextel Cup Series racing will return to ESPN for the first time in six years with the network’s coverage of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday, July 29, from Indianapolis Motor Speedway. ESPN and ESPN on ABC will have live coverage of the final 17 races of the 2007 season, including all 10 races in the “Chase for the Nextel Cup” by ESPN on ABC, the first time that all Chase races will be on the same network. ESPN’s full schedule for the 2007 Nextel Cup Series season will include telecasts of practice and qualifying from 13 races, the season-ending banquet and season preview and review specials. There will also be a dedicated pre-race program for each race telecast called Nextel Cup Series Countdown. And, for the first time in televised motorsports, all will be produced totally in High Definition. ESPN’s return to NASCAR will begin with live coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series season opener from Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 17. ESPN2 will be the home of the NASCAR Busch Series all season, with six select races televised by ESPN on ABC. "The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard has always been a marquee event on the Nextel Cup schedule and we cannot wait to provide our flag-to-flag coverage from such an historic race track," said John Wildhack, ESPN senior vice president, programming. "We will dedicate unprecedented multimedia resources to the sport beginning with the season-opening NASCAR Busch Series race at Daytona, continuing with our opening NEXTEL Cup race at Indianapolis on ESPN, and until the season champions are crowned."(ESPN PR), see my 2007 Nextel Cup Schedule page for the race/tv times.(2-8-2007)

ESPN names Said and Compton Analysts of NASCAR Now: NASCAR drivers Boris Said and Stacy Compton and popular urban radio host Doug Banks have joined the experienced team of hosts, analysts and reporters for NASCAR’s return to ESPN’s multimedia platforms in 2007. The three will be part of NASCAR Now, ESPN’s first-ever daily news show totally dedicated to NASCAR, debuting Monday, Feb. 5 [at 6:30pm/et]. Said and Compton will bring their years of racing experience to NASCAR Now as expert analysts, joining two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Tim Brewer and five-time NBA All-Star and former winning NASCAR team owner Brad Daugherty in that position. Banks will contribute to the show’s host role with primary host Erik Kuselias. NASCAR Now will air at 6:30pm/et Monday through Friday on ESPN2, with special editions to air on NASCAR race weekends. Reporter Shannon Spake and NASCAR Insiders Angelique Chengelis, Tim Cowlishaw and Marty Smith will also contribute to a fast-paced menu of highlights, opinion, debate, analysis and the latest news from drivers, crew chiefs and insiders both on and off the track. Live NASCAR racing returns to ESPN for the first time in six years with coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 1:15pm/et on ESPN2.(ESPN PR)(1-30-2007)

ESPN signs Compton as lead analyst: Stacy Compton has agreed to terms on a contract that will make him ESPN's "lead analyst," the driver confirmed Thursday. He said the contract is for one year with a two-year option for 2008 and 09. ESPN will make a formal announcement of Compton's hiring next Tuesday. Compton made his first ESPN appearance on Thursday night's 6 p.m. SportsCenter. He will be a regular contributor to the ultra-popular sports news show, and he will share his racing expertise on three racing-exclusive programs a week during the season. He and host Erik Kuselias will do a Monday "NASCAR Now" program, and Compton will also appear on two Sunday "RaceDay" shows. Most of the programs will air from ESPN's Bristol, Conn., studios, but Compton expects to do some work from NASCAR tracks. Official airdates of "NASCAR Now" [Feb 5th at 6:30pm/et and weekdays at that time] and "RaceDay" will be announced next week. Compton's only regret about his budding television career is it will cut into his racing slate. He recently signed to drive an abbreviated Craftsman Truck Series schedule for 2007 with Wood Brothers/JTG Motorsports, the team he drove for in the Busch Series from 2001-06. Compton will share the driving duties of the #09 Ford F-150 with Georgia driver Joey Clanton. Compton is signed to pilot the truck for nine races, and Clanton is scheduled to drive the other 16. There also are plans for Compton to drive some Busch Series races for Wood Brothers Racing. Compton is talking with other teams about possible race dates, too.(News and Advance)(1-27-2007)

All NASCAR Races on ESPN to be in High-Def..including In-Car Cams: NASCAR fans are welcoming back an old friend this year with ESPN’s return to coverage of the sport, but the old friend is going to have a sophisticated new look when live NASCAR coverage resumes next month. ESPN and ESPN on ABC’s coverage of the Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series will be the most technologically advanced programming in the history of televised motorsports, according to Jed Drake, senior vice president and executive producer for ESPN. "ESPN's presentation of NASCAR will be state of the art at every level of production,” said Drake. ”We have built a production plan that will provide a truly exceptional presentation to our viewers."
All NASCAR on ESPN races and associated programming will be totally produced in High Definition, a first for televised motorsports. Of the approximately 60 to 75 cameras that will be used by ESPN in televising races, more than used in any other sport, all will be HD. ESPN, a pioneer in the development of in-car cameras during its 20 seasons of NASCAR coverage from 1981-2000, has been preparing for use of HD in-car cameras in advance of the Busch Series season-opening Orbitz 300 from Daytona on ESPN2 February 17. The camera systems had to be re-engineered for HD, as did the camera power and transmission systems within the race cars, all while maintaining a delicate balance to not add weight to the cars and possibly affect their performance. ESPN’s NASCAR coverage will also include HD cameras providing other interesting points of view, including grass cam, wall cam, crew cams, pit overhead cams, blimps and multiple robotic cameras at various points around the tracks. In addition to 100% use of HD cameras, ESPN will also produce NASCAR’s top two series with Sportvision technology, which Rich Feinberg, senior coordinating producer, said no TV network has ever used in Busch Series coverage. Sportvision utilizes satellite technology to create on-screen “pointers” to designate specific cars within a pack, helping viewers distinguish their favorite driver’s car, lead-lap cars and produces telemetry from the race cars to show speeds, braking and other compelling information to viewers. All cars in the races will carry Sportvision transmitters.
ESPN’S NASCAR FUN FACTS:
6 – Tractor-trailer rigs used each event (including pit studio, in-car camera trailer, custom office trailer)
10 – Number of months ESPN’s NASCAR fleet will be on the road (February-November)
26 – Tracks ESPN’s mobile fleet will visit in 2007
38 – NASCAR events ESPN’s mobile fleet will attend in 2007
52 – NASCAR races to be televised live by ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC in 2007 (full 35-race Busch Series season, final 17 Nextel Cup events)
60-75 – HD Cameras used by ESPN to televise a NASCAR race (including in-car cameras)
200 – Credentialed ESPN personnel working on NASCAR each week
78,000 – Weight in pounds of ESPN traveling studio for NASCAR Countdown shows
ESPN commissioned the creation of four of what Feinberg said are “the most sophisticated mobile production units ever built in the history of TV motorsports, designed just for our NASCAR coverage.” Among the innovations within the ESPN-branded units is a radio room in which radio transmissions of all 43 teams in NASCAR races will be recorded during races, allowing producers to be able to lift specific transmissions of any driver or team at any time. “I call it the ultimate TiVo,” said Feinberg.
For its NASCAR Countdown studio shows that will precede all NASCAR race telecasts, ESPN will originate from the most technologically-advanced traveling studio ever used in sports television. The studio, which weighs nearly 78,000 pounds and will travel to 26 NASCAR tracks this season, will allow ESPN to bring the look and feel of its Bristol, Conn.,-based studio shows such as SportsCenter and Sunday NFL Countdown to the tracks.
The mobile pit studio will be outfitted with state-of-the-art LED lighting, three robotic HD cameras and a dramatic, contoured, video display fronting the anchor desk. Situated near the pits at every track, the studio will be elevated 14 feet while in use and 30 foot glass windows will give viewers a look at the cars, grandstands and pageantry prior to the race start. “We want to show the scope and size of the sport,” Feinberg said. Feinberg also said ESPN will have an exciting new animation, graphic and musical package featuring Aerosmith.(ESPN PR)(1-24-2007)

ESPN Unviels First Phase of Marketing Campaign for NASCAR: ESPN is unveiling the first phase of its multimedia marketing campaign for NASCAR on ESPN, announced by Katie Lacey, senior vice president, marketing. Created by Wieden+Kennedy New York, the campaign honors NASCAR’s rich heritage and pays tribute to the teams, drivers and dedicated legions of fans whose combined passion has fueled the sport’s tremendous growth. This is the opening campaign for NASCAR’s eight-year, multi-platform return to ESPN. “Our NASCAR on ESPN brand campaign is intended to generate awareness and excitement of NASCAR coming to ESPN and, importantly, demonstrate our understanding of the sport and the passionate culture that surrounds it,” said Lacey. The brand campaign bears the new NASCAR tagline, “NASCAR on ESPN: It’s The Life”, and provides an inside look and behind-the-scenes glimpse of the sights, sounds, energy and fandom that makes up the NASCAR experience. An additional phase of the campaign is scheduled to roll out in February and will run throughout the NASCAR NEXTEL and NASCAR Busch Series season, as well as the 10-race “Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.” This year will mark the first time all of “The Chase” races will air on one network - ESPN on ABC. The NASCAR on ESPN brand campaign will run on all ESPN TV and Radio networks and will include outdoor, print and online components. Flag-to-flag NASCAR racing returns to ESPN on February 17th with the NASCAR Busch Series season-opener from Daytona International Speedway.(ESPN PR)(1-17-2007)

Brewer, Smith, Chengelis, Blount, Newton Join ESPN: Championship-winning crew chief Tim Brewer and award-winning journalists Marty Smith, Angelique Chengelis, Terry Blount and David Newton have joined the experienced team of hosts, analysts and reporters for NASCAR’s return to the ESPN’s multimedia platforms in 2007.
Aligning their expertise with that of previously announced hosts, analysts and pit reporters -- Brent Musburger, Rusty Wallace, Jerry Punch, Andy Petree, Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro, Dale Jarrett, Brad Daugherty, Shannon Spake and ESPN Deportes’ NASCAR commentators Andrés Agulla and Alex Pombo -- Brewer, Smith, Chengelis, Blount and Newton add more than 75 years of combined experience to the already-accomplished team.
Brewer, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series championship-winning crew chief for Cale Yarborough in 1978 and Darrell Waltrip in 1981, will join Daugherty and Spake as an analyst on NASCAR Now, the network’s first-ever daily program solely dedicated to NASCAR. Additionally, he also will work from the pit studio on NASCAR Countdown, which will immediately precede all NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series races televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC.
“Tim Brewer’s wealth of knowledge and experience is a tremendous addition to our NASCAR studio programs,” said ESPN coordinating producer Jill Frederickson. “He has more than 35 successful years of history with the sport and we welcome the contributions he will make.”
Smith, a former writer for NASCAR.com, and Chengelis, longtime motorsports writer for the Detroit News, join ESPN as NASCAR Insiders, reporting on the latest news and information behind-the-scenes and breaking stories on teams, drivers, owners and crew chiefs. Two of the industry’s most respected journalists, both will serve several of ESPN’s multi-media platforms, reporting for NASCAR Now, NASCAR Countdown, ESPN Radio, ESPNEWS and SportsCenter, as well as provide weekly content on ESPN.com.
Nationally acclaimed motorsports writers Blount and Newton recently began serving the leading online sports destination, ESPN.com, as part of the one-two punch on the NASCAR beat, providing expanded coverage of NASCAR and other racing events. Their columns are among the many features that NASCAR enthusiasts will find on the Web site, in addition to the weekly Monday Rundown, Wallace’s weekly Rusty Nails It column and regularly updated NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Power Rankings. ESPN.com will continue to collaborate with the popular Jayski’s Silly Season Site that features news, rumors and commentary on the happenings in NASCAR.
“NASCAR continues to have one of the most passionate and dedicated fan bases, and in adding David and Terry to ESPN.com's award-winning editorial staff, we'll be able to deliver extensive news and information to meet the interests of those fans,” said Patrick Stiegman, vice president and executive editor, ESPN.com. "They join the signature voices of Rusty Wallace, Jayski.com and others who provide depth and variety to the coverage we deliver daily."
ESPN’s return to NASCAR kicks off with up-to-date news and information each weekday evening on NASCAR Now, debuting Feb. 5, 2007, at 6:30pm/et on ESPN2.
Coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway takes place Feb. 17, 2007, on ESPN2.
ESPN and ABC will have 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 ABC. Additionally, ESPN2 will be the home of the NASCAR Busch Series all season.
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.(ESPN PR)(12-13-2006)

5-Time NBA All-Star Daugherty Shifting Gears: Basketball fans know Brad Daugherty as an accomplished and well-known NBA and college basketball star, but few may know of Daugherty’s lifelong passion of NASCAR racing. Daugherty’s racing interests date back to his childhood when he met Richard Petty at the Daytona International Speedway in 1977. Daugherty would later choose to wear Petty’s number – 43 – throughout his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now, Daughterty has joined the ESPN and ABC team of hosts, analysts and pit reporters in 2007 to provide what he describes as the “fan’s perspective” in the network’s comprehensive, multimedia coverage devoted to NASCAR. “I’m just really excited about being able to get involved on this level,” said Daugherty. “I have a little bit of technical and ownership experience, but mostly, I am a fan.” In his second year in the NBA, Daugherty took a serious interest in racing and in 1987, co-founded a late-model stock race team with driver Robert Pressley in Asheville, N.C. The team raced in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the NASCAR Racing Series, winning the regional championship in 1987 and 1988. In 1989, they joined the NASCAR Busch Series and earned the team’s first major victory at the Orange County Speedway in North Carolina. While continuing to play pro hoops, Daugherty supported and mentored several up-and-coming drivers as an owner in the NASCAR Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series, explaining that he wanted to nurture their talents and see their careers grow. Drivers included the late Kenny Irwin Jr., Wayne Anderson and Kevin Harvick. Irwin won two Craftsman Truck Series races driving for Daugherty in 1997, the first at Homestead-Miami Speedway in March and the second at Texas Motor Speedway in June. "I hope to draw in a new audience,” he added. “NASCAR is a sport that business-wise, has to continue to grow and go international. It needs to broaden horizons and I hope my presence gives fans even more reason to turn it on and watch.”
A long-time fan of the sport, Daugherty will sit alongside fellow commentators on two new shows -- NASCAR Countdown and NASCAR Now. NASCAR Countdown will immediately precede all Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series races televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, while NASCAR Now, the network’s first-ever daily program solely dedicated to NASCAR, will deliver the most up-to-date news and information each weekday. NASCAR Now will debut on ESPN2 on Feb. 5, 2007. “It’s like taking a fan out of the stands and into the booth,” said Daugherty. “I’m as interested in the stories and sagas as the competition. I know those little pieces that nobody talks about.” Daugherty previously served as a college basketball game sideline reporter and analyst for ESPN and ABC (1999-2001), covering the ACC conference telecasts. Before ESPN, Daugherty served as a game analyst for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers from 1996-1998 on the Hometown 43/Cavaliers Television Network and in those same years did limited work as an analyst for the San Antonio Spurs.(ESPN PR)()

ESPN adds more auto racing to their coverage: ESPN has further bolstered its motorsports lineup with the announcement of a new, multi-year agreement that will mark the return of the Champ Car World Series in 2007. At least 11 events of the international open-wheel racing series will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC in 2007, with the networks exclusively airing the series in 2008. With the addition of Champ Car to its motorsports lineup, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC will televise races in 2007 featuring the four major North American auto racing sanctioning bodies: NASCAR, NHRA, Champ Car and IndyCar. ESPN2 will have more than 500 hours of motorsports programming in 2007. The new arrangement also provides for coverage of races of Champ Car’s feeder series, the Champ Car Atlantic Series, which will be aired primarily on ESPN2.(ESPN PR)(11-17-2006)

Where is Marty? [Waldo?] been asked by many readers: where is Marty Smith? looks like he is formerly of nascar.com as his columns and videos are no longer there, have not heard anything for sure and emails go un-answered, but hearing Smith has signed with ESPN/ESPN.com/ABC to do TV and other duties, but have heard nothing official. Smith has been doing some NASCAR reporting on ESPNews Monday nights most of the season.(11-3-2006)

ESPN broadcast crew announced UPDATE 3 Daugherty, Petree, Rusty: hearing that the 2007 ESPN/ABC broadcast crew will be announced this week, supposedly Dr. Jerry Punch, former Cup champ Rusty Wallace and former Truck Series owner/NBA Basketball player Brad Daugherty will be in the booth.
UPDATE: been told the announcement will come Thursday, Oct 12th at Lowe's Motor Speedway and the lineup I hear above is NOT correct....(10-9-2006)
UPDATE 2: For years, Brad Daugherty has worked with NASCAR behind the scenes on diversity issues, trying to increase minority interest and representation in what remains a very white sport. Now the Asheville [NC] resident will be front and center as an African-American voice on stock car racing, hosting a television show on ESPN. NASCAR officials have scheduled a press conference today in Charlotte to announce the television crew for ESPN’s 2007 coverage, a group that will include the Black Mountain native and former NBA star on the NASCAR Pit Studio Show. Daugherty has owned race teams in the Busch and Craftsman Truck Series and has served on NASCAR’s ultra-secret Rules and Competition Committee that doles out fines and punishments to drivers, but said he believes he can be a more visible minority voice on television. The Pit Studio Show will provide pre- and post-race coverage and will include segments during races. Daugherty said another racer with WNC ties will be involved with ESPN’s NASCAR coverage. Andy Petree, who operated the APR team out of Flat Rock [NC] that once fielded two Nextel Cup cars, will serve as a race analyst.(Asheville Citizen Times)(10-12-2006)
OFFICIAL: NASCAR will return to ESPN and ABC in 2007 with a powerful and experienced team of television and NASCAR championship veterans, led by host Brent Musburger, an accomplished and prominent sports commentator; Rusty Wallace, the 1989 NASCAR champion who made his debut as an analyst in 2006; and play-by-play announcer Jerry Punch, a veteran of ESPN's previous NASCAR coverage. Television newcomer Andy Petree, a former team owner and the 1993-94 championship-winning crew chief for the late Dale Earnhardt, will join Punch and Wallace as an analyst for a booth with nearly 90 years experience in motorsports. The trio will team with veteran pit reporters with a combined 45 additional years of motorsports experience - Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro.
ESPN also is planning for a comprehensive, up-to-the-minute NASCAR Countdown show to immediately precede all NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series races televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. Musburger will serve as NASCAR Countdown host for all races airing on ABC, including the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and select ESPN races including Daytona and the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. NASCAR Countdown will be telecast from a new, state-of-the-art mobile pit studio that also will be an integral part of race telecasts.
All telecasts will be in high-definition under the leadership of ESPN Executive Vice President, Studio and Remote Production Norby Williamson, Senior Vice President and Executive Producer Jed Drake, Senior Coordinating Producer Rich Feinberg, who led ESPN's NASCAR efforts in the 1990s, and Senior Motorsports Producer Neil Goldberg, who returns to ESPN after producing FOX's NASCAR races the past six years. Feinberg and Goldberg have won numerous Sports Emmy Awards and were part of the team behind ESPN's motorsports series Speedworld, which won 17 Sports Emmys in the 1990s. Richie Basile, who has served as FOX's NASCAR technical director, will direct.
At a news conference at Lowe's Motor Speedway Thursday, ESPN also announced that 1999 NASCAR champion Dale Jarrett will join Punch and Petree in the booth for select NASCAR Busch Series races on ESPN2 and ABC.
"When NASCAR returns 'home' to ABC and ESPN, fans will instantly recognize the passion and expertise that distinguished our coverage for 30 years, but now applied with an unprecedented, multimedia commitment," said ESPN and ABC Sports President George Bodenheimer. "The extent of our coverage and our talent and production team will set a new standard for service to NASCAR fans." ESPN's return to NASCAR kicks off with coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway, Feb. 17, 2007 on ESPN2.
"We are proud to once again call ABC/ESPN our partner," said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. "The team has already shown a remarkable enthusiasm for NASCAR in its preparation for its entry in 2007. Sports fans will be the big winners as ESPN will provide terrific NASCAR content on its television broadcasts and beyond including each of its media platforms." Drake added, "As we reunite NASCAR with ESPN, we have assembled a deep and knowledgeable commentator team with varied motorsports backgrounds. Our group will bring the excitement of NASCAR to the audience with the same enthusiasm that NASCAR fans have for their sport."
And to get fans prepared for the new season, NASCAR Now will debut on ESPN2 on Feb. 5, 2007, marking the network's first-ever daily program solely dedicated to NASCAR. NASCAR Now will deliver the most up-to-date news and information each Monday through Friday evening and will feature NASCAR reporters and analysts including five-time NBA All-Star and former winning NASCAR team owner Brad Daugherty, former NASCAR crew chief Frank Stoddard, a 14-race winner with Jeff Burton, and veteran racing TV reporter Shannon Spake among others to be named. Musburger, Daugherty, Stoddard and others will work from the pit studio during the NASCAR Countdown shows and during the race telecasts.
ESPN2 is planning special editions of NASCAR Now to air on the day of all NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races, starting with the Daytona 500. A race preview show will air at 11am/et on race day, with a post-race edition to run on ESPN2 in the evening following the event. NASCAR Now and NASCAR Countdown will be produced under the leadership of ESPN Senior Vice President/Managing Editor of Studio Production Mark Gross, Vice President of Studio Production Mike McQuade and Senior Coordinating Producer Jack Obringer.
ESPN's comprehensive coverage also will extend to its new media platforms, with extensive coverage on ESPN.com - the leading online sports destination that reaches as many as 20 million fans per month. Among the many features will be a weekly Monday Rundown, Wallace's weekly Rusty Nails It column and regularly updated NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Power Rankings. In addition, ESPN.com will continue to collaborate with the popular Jayski's Silly Season Site that features news, rumors and commentary on the happenings in NASCAR. Additionally, ESPN Motion, ESPN360 and the ESPN PodCenter will deliver comprehensive multimedia race coverage including select live video, on-demand online video and podcasts.
Also in 2007, ESPN Deportes will become the Spanish-language home of NASCAR, highlighted by a special onsite presentation of the NASCAR Busch Series race from Mexico City in March. ESPN Deportes' NASCAR commentator team will feature Andrés Agulla (play-by-play) and Alex Pombo (analysis). ESPN and ABC will have 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 ABC. Additionally, ESPN2 will be the home of the NASCAR Busch Series all season. 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. ESPN2 is seen in 91.7 million homes, virtually equal to ESPN's 92.3. NASCAR races have appeared on ABC for decades, beginning with broadcasts on the award-winning Wide World of Sports program in the 1960s.(ESPN PR)(10-12-2006)

Talent/Production Briefs:
Andrés Agulla
" A motorsports broadcast veteran, Agulla handled play-by-play for ESPN's Spanish-language coverage of the IRL IndyCar Series and World Rally Championship. He also serves as host on RPM Semanal, ESPN Deportes' weekly motor sports news and information show.
Richie Basile
" Lead director for NASCAR on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC networks - including ESPN and ABC's 17 NEXTEL Cup telecasts - the 10-race Chase for the Cup - and all NASCAR Busch Series telecasts on ESPN2. Basile has served as FOX Sports' lead technical director on NASCAR and its premier NFL production team for the past six plus years and directed many of FOX's NASCAR telecasts while partnered with Neil Goldberg.
Allen Bestwick
" An award-winning NASCAR television and radio broadcaster who has covered thousands of races in nearly 20 years. Bestwick first began a national broadcast career in racing on MRN Radio. Since 2001, he has served as lead reporter for NBC and TNT on the networks' coverage of NASCAR, as well as provided play-by-play coverage of a variety of other sporting events.
Dave Burns
" A motorsports broadcast veteran who served as a pit reporter on NBC and TNT's NASCAR coverage the last five years. Burns also is a former member of ESPN's racing team, having covered the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 1998 and 1999. Started his TV career with TNN covering the ASA series.
Brad Daugherty
" A five-time NBA All-Star in eight seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who selected him as the No. 1 pick in the 1986 draft. A follower of NASCAR since his childhood, his #43 jersey was chosen in honor of Richard Petty. Daugherty also spent time as a winning NASCAR Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series team owner with drivers Robert Pressley, Kenny Irwin Jr. and others. Pressley won a Busch Series race in 1989 in a car owned by Daugherty while Irwin won a Truck Series race for Daugherty in 1997. Daugherty previously served as a college basketball game sideline reporter and analyst for ESPN and ABC.
Jed Drake
" Joined ESPN in 1980 and was named senior vice president and executive producer for ESPN in 2000. Oversees all remote production efforts totaling more than 6,000 hours per year including NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, X Games, Winter X Games, college basketball and football, World Cup soccer and other properties. Helped build and solidify ESPN's position as a production leader, spearheading innovations including the critically acclaimed "1st and Ten" for football and the "K Zone" for baseball telecasts, both Emmy winners.
Rich Feinberg
" Joined ESPN in 1993 and as a coordinating and senior coordinating producer, he and his production teams earned 47 Sports Emmy nominations and 15 awards. He oversees the production of ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC's comprehensive auto racing lineup including NASCAR, Indy Car, NHRA, the Indianapolis 500 and the networks' month-long programming surrounding the Indy 500. Feinberg also remains part of the X Games senior production team and is the senior coordinating producer for the ESPYS.
Jill Frederickson
" ESPN's Coordinating Producer for Motorsports. Oversees all of ESPN and ABC's motorsports productions, including NASCAR. As coordinating producer of remote production since 2003, Frederickson develops the overall vision of ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC's NASCAR coverage. She earned a Sports Emmy in 1996 for her work on the Summer Olympics for NBC.
Neil Goldberg
" Senior motorsports producer for ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC including ESPN and ABC's 17 NEXTEL Cup telecasts - the 10-race Chase for the Cup - and NASCAR Busch Series telecasts on ESPN2. He began his career working on NASCAR in 1982 with ESPN and served as a producer of ESPN's NASCAR Winston Cup and other motorsports coverage, which won 17 Sports Emmy Awards and received three CableACE Awards in the live sports series category. In 2001, he joined FOX Sports as the lead race producer for all productions through 2006.
Mark Gross
" Senior vice president and managing editor, studio production for ESPN since 2005, overseeing all studio production for ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNEWS. Responsibilities include studio presentation of news on all three networks, including SportsCenter, the NFL, Major League Baseball, College GameDay, NASCAR and features. Had been senior coordinating producer in ESPN's studio production department since January 2003, earning that position after guiding the Saturday morning show College GameDay to its most-watched season ever.
Dale Jarrett
" The 1999 NASCAR champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner will make his television debut in 2007 as an analyst on select Busch Series events. Jarrett and his father, Ned - the 1961 and '65 NASCAR champion who worked for ESPN from 1988 to 2000 as a NASCAR analyst - are just the second father-son combo to win Cup titles. (Lee and Richard Petty)
Jamie Little
" An experienced action sports and motorsports reporter for ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, serving as a pit reporter for ESPN's broadcast of the IRL IndyCar Series season the last three years. Additionally, she has covered ESPN's Winter and Summer X Games as a supercross and motocross reporter.
Mike Massaro
" An award-winning reporter for NASCAR who joined ESPN in 2001, he covers motorsports for SportsCenter, Outside the Lines, ESPNEWS, and ESPN Radio. He also was a reporter for ESPN2's daily motorsports news program RPM2Night (2001-02). He started his racing career as PR director for a Connecticut short track and then reported for MRN Radio from 1997-2000. He also was a reporter for Inside NASCAR on TNN.
Mike McQuade
" Vice president of studio production responsible for all NASCAR studio shows on ESPN and ABC - NASCAR Now and NASCAR Countdown - as well as ESPN2's live morning show Cold Pizza and nightly Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith. Also oversees ESPN's news and information studio coverage of the NBA Finals and major golf events. Joined ESPN in 1987 and held various positions in the production department before assuming current role in 2006.
Brent Musburger
" Joined ABC Sports in May 1990, continues to handle play-by-play for a variety of sports. His assignments have included golf, pro and college football and basketball. He also serves as play-by-play commentator for ESPN, ESPN Radio, and ABC's NBA coverage. Prior to joining ABC Sports, Musburger was with CBS Sports from 1975 through 1990, serving as that network's primary voice for The NFL Today, the NCAA Final Four, U.S. Open Tennis Championships, the NBA Finals and the Masters.
Jack Obringer
" Senior coordinating producer most recently responsible for 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. ET editions of SportsCenter, as well as NBA FastBreak, NBA Coast to Coast and NASCAR coverage on SportsCenter. Previously a coordinating producer for the 6 p.m. SportsCenter, Monday Night Countdown and ESPNEWS. Prior to joining ESPN, Obringer worked at WNDU-TV in South Bend, Ind., for 16 years, ultimately as assistant news director.
Andy Petree
" A NASCAR veteran whose career includes being a driver, car owner and two-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup-winning crew chief for the late Dale Earnhardt. Petree joined Richard Childress Racing as the crew chief for the famous #3 Goodwrench Chevy and won back-to-back NASCAR championships in 1993 and '94. As a driver, Petree raced from 1988 to 2004. As a car owner, Petree worked with Kenny Wallace, Joe Nemecheck, Bobby Hamilton and Greg Biffle.
Alex Pombo
" A former driver, Pombo joined ESPN Deportes in 2005 and handles Spanish-language analysis for IRL IndyCar Series and World Rally Championship alongside Agulla. He also serves as an analyst for RPM Semanal.
Jerry Punch
" One of the busiest and most versatile sports commentators, working an extensive schedule of college football, college basketball and motorsports assignments for ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, including NASCAR. In his commentary, Punch calls on knowledge as a former emergency room physician to explain injuries. He received his medical degree from Wake Forest University in 1979 and was the director of emergency room services at a Florida hospital for 14 years, serving two terms as chief of staff. Punch became a track announcer at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina as a teenager and became a garage/pit reporter for MRN Radio in 1980. He became a reporter for ESPN in the mid-1980s while continuing his medical practice.
Shannon Spake
" Has brought the behind-the-scenes stories of NASCAR to viewers while reporting for SPEED Channel's NASCAR Nation and hosting Backseat Drivers. Spake also shared the excitement of NASCAR Champion's Week with viewers when she co-hosted a 2005 special from New York City. Spake most recently was a pit reporter for the All-American Soap Box Derby Championships presented by Levi Strauss Signature on ESPN.
Frank Stoddard
" A longtime NASCAR crew chief who solidified his position in NASCAR's premier series with driver Jeff Burton in the No. 99 Roush Racing Ford. With Stoddard's guidance, Burton drove his way to 14 wins from 1998 to 2002.
Rusty Wallace
" The 1989 NASCAR champion, whose 25-year career included 55 Cup wins. His dynamic personality and knowledge of racing led to a successful debut in ESPN and ABC's IRL booth in 2006, including the Indianapolis 500. Additionally, Wallace has served as a NASCAR analyst for SportsCenter on ESPN. Wallace ranks as one of the top-five money winners in NASCAR history, with nearly $50 million in career earnings.(ESPN PR)(10-12-2006)

ESPN Daily Show: hearing the ESPN 'Daily NASCAR/Racing Show' will be called "NASCAR Now". No word who will host the shows, but told that John Kernan will not and will not be part of the ESPN NASCAR TV Crew at the track in 2007. Kernan was the host of the Bass Master Fishing Show on ESPN until it was recently cancelled and the host of the late great RPM2Nite show on ESPN until 2001, no word on his plans but hear his looking for a gig.(8-28-2006)

ABC Sports Will Carry ESPN Brand: The ESPN look is moving to ABC. ESPN will become the brand for all sports programming carried on ABC, starting with the debut of ABC's college football season on Sept. 2. "ESPN on ABC" will begin with the College Football Countdown, followed by regional college football games that day. The first prime-time college football series on broadcast television, "Saturday Night Football," will debut at 8pm with Notre Dame at Georgia Tech. "Our collection of multimedia sports assets is unmatched in the industry, and we will now extend the ESPN brand across all platforms," said George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN and ABC Sports and co-chairman of Disney Media Networks, on Thursday. The new approach covers all production efforts, including on-air, graphics and branding. Sporting events on ABC will be promoted on ESPN. "ESPN has been infused with ABC Sports' history of innovation, and we are committed to building upon that legacy as we continue to serve fans and our partners more effectively through ESPN on ABC," Bodenheimer said. The network will acquire NASCAR's Nextel Cup next year, including the Chase for the championship. ABC already features the NBA finals, Indy 500, Rose Bowl, Belmont Stakes, British Open, World Cup, WNBA, MLS and the Little League World Series, broadcasting 500 hours of sports a year.(Associated Press)(8-11-2006)

More on the Split-screen for TV: Ramsey Poston, NASCAR's managing director for corporate communications, touched off strong reaction on internet message board with a quote in the Long Island (N.Y.) Press about NASCAR’s opinion of the "side by side" approach ABC/ESPN uses with commercials on Indy Racing League races. "We've looked at a lot of options to enhance the fan/viewer experience but feel that a split-screen presentation of ads and racing serves neither the fan nor advertiser," Poston told the newspaper. On Friday [July 21st], Poston said he didn't mean for his comment to come off as though he was speaking for the fans. "We are open to it, if there is a better way of presenting it," he said. “But we haven't seen an idea that we think would work both the advertisers and fans." On its IRL broadcasts, ABC/ESPN present commercials with audio on part of the screen while showing an image from the track, with no sound, on another part. The method has produced no appreciable gain in IRL ratings for ABC/ESPN, however. Advertisers pay considerably higher rates for ads on NASCAR telecasts.(Thatsracin)(7-28-2006)

No Split-screen option? No says NASCAR: Fans hoping that NASCAR’s move to ABC/ESPN next year would improve their viewing experience may be in for a rude awakening. Although the networks employ a “Side-By-Side” split-screen feature for its Indy Racing League coverage that allows viewers to continue watching the action while commercials play, NASCAR has forbidden ABC/ESPN or any of its other TV partners from marketing that kind of advertising. “We’ve looked at a lot of options to enhance the fan/viewer experience but feel that a split-screen presentation of ads and racing serves neither the fan nor advertiser,” says Ramsey Poston, NASCAR’s managing director of corporate communications. “Our TV partners do an excellent job of immediately returning to significant track action when it happens during commercials. With replays and other technology, the networks make sure NASCAR fans get the best, most comprehensive race coverage anywhere.” But according to George McNeilly, senior director of communications for ESPN/ABC Sports, the networks would be interested in exploring the split-screen option. “We are engaging focus groups and other research in an effort to quantify the positive feedback we’ve received from people who’ve enjoyed the viewing experience,” McNeilly says. “[Allowing the split screen] would be a NASCAR decision. We’re in discussions about that and many other things.”(Long Island Press)(7-20-2006)

Smith to ESPN/ABC?: NASCAR.com's Marty Smith is rumored to be one of the commentators for ESPN's live race coverage when the cable network resumes live NASCAR broadcasts next year.(Ford Racing)(6-13-2006)

FOX Producer back to ESPN? UPDATE: hearing that Neil Goldberg is leaving as FOX Producer and going back to ESPN. Pocono is supposedly his last race.
UPDATE: been told that Goldberg going back to ESPN isn't a done deal nor does he have a contract already signed with ESPN. Apparently, Goldberg and FOX are taking the next three weeks to look at all options.(6-9-2006)

ESPN Sports Poll Tabs NASCAR as Top Racing Series: NASCAR tops the list as the favorite type of motorsports according to fans polled from January-December 2005 on ESPN.com. It received 59.5% of the votes compared to the next-highest total of 13.4% for the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). Following in third place were motorcycle events at 9.7, Formula 1 with 6.3, the Indy Racing League (IRL) with 6.1, Champ Car World Series with 1.4 and other racing series at 0.4. NASCAR also led the 2004 version of the ESPN Sports Poll, with fans sampling conducted from January through February of that year. In the 2004 poll, NASCAR led with 57.6% of fans’ response, followed by the NHRA with 13.9, motorcycle events with 9.8, the IRL with 6.8, Formula 1 with 6.0, Champ Car World Series with 1.8 and other racing series at 0.5.(NASCAR PR)(5-15-2006)

NASCAR, ESPN International announce venture: ESPN International will become the exclusive worldwide syndication agent for NASCAR outside of North America, officials for both groups announced. Beginning in 2007, ESPN International will handle the worldwide television syndication for NASCAR and will also help find broadcast partners on a country-by-country basis. Therefore, both companies will expand the scope of their operations. ESPN and ABC take over broadcasting of the portion of the NASCAR Nextel Cup schedule currently carried on NBC beginning next season. The group also has the rights to the Busch Series broadcasts as of 2007. "This agreement is an important step in the continued growth of NASCAR beyond the U.S.," Robbie Weiss, international managing director for NASCAR, said in a news release. "We are excited to partner with ESPN International and their worldwide syndication team to help strengthen NASCAR's reach and bring NASCAR to audiences all over the world."(SceneDaily.com)(4-18-2006)

NASCAR TV deal near? UPDATE 4 OFFICIAL: NASCAR could announce as early as this week a TV rights deal that would see Fox broadcast the first half of the Nextel Cup season and TNT and ESPN/ABC sharing the back half starting in 2007, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal reports. The sanctioning body could get as much as $550 million a year from TV rights, a 38% increase over the estimated $400 million a year it gets under the current arrangement with Fox, NBC and TNT. The story says industry insiders say the ABC/ESPN commitment alone is expected to be about $270 million a year. TNT and ESPN are expected to air six races each, reporter Scott Warfield writes, and ABC will air the final 11 races, including all 10 events [and Indy] in the Chase For The Nextel Cup.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter), so that would be 36 total races: ESPN gets 6, TNT gets 6, ABC gets 11, so Fox/FX would get 13 [plus Bud Shootout and Nextel Challenge].(11-29-2005)
UPDATE: look for an announcement Thursday, Dec 1st in NYC.(12-1-2005)
UPDATE 2: NASCAR CEO Brian France said Thursday that NASCAR was on the "final lap" of its TV deal, in which ESPN is expected to replace NBC for 2007 and beyond. An announcement is expected before the end of the year.(Richmond Times Dispatch)(12-2-2005)

UPDATE 3: Big Apple buzz included the TV partnerships for 2007. Apparently, NASCAR has signed an eight-year deal across the board that will include FOX Sports, TNT and a reunion with ESPN/ABC. FOX will get the rights to the first half of the season, including the Daytona 500. TNT, a NASCAR partner for more than two decades, inherits the next part of the schedule, and ESPN/ABC picks up the final portion of the season, including the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. ESPN2 will cover the entire Busch Series schedule, providing much-needed continuity. The return of ESPN promises fans a wide range of programming that was limited to Speed Channel under the current deal. We probably won't know for a while which announcers and analysts will end up where. For example, the NBC regulars can't discuss future opportunities until their contracts expire. Expect Rusty Wallace, who has lent his experience to TNT in the past, to find a role somewhere.(Sporting News)(12-6-2005)

UPDATE 4 - OFFICIAL Announcement: NASCAR announced the completion of comprehensive broadcast agreements that will benefit the industry and its fans for years to come. Under the new eight year agreements NASCAR races will be broadcast on a combination of networks that includes FOX, SPEED, Turner’s TNT and ABC/ESPN beginning in 2007. “NASCAR’s new network agreements mark a historic moment for the entire NASCAR community,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “This is a major accomplishment for the NASCAR drivers, teams and track operators that have made this sport what it is today. It represents a significant reward for the competitive side-by-side racing our fans have come to expect. It also validates the marketing and production enhancements our current media partners have brought to the sport. The new broadcast partnership is also good for the fans because they will have so much more NASCAR content from a variety of media and new media sources."
.
“NASCAR is proud to continue its relationship with FOX, SPEED and TNT, while welcoming back ABC/ESPN into the family of broadcasters,” said NASCAR Vice President Dick Glover. “By signing deals with three of the largest and best media companies in the world, NASCAR will meet the growing nationwide fan demand for more NASCAR content into the next decade,” Glover said.

NASCAR expands its relationship with News Corp as FOX becomes the official home of the Daytona 500. FOX’s broadcast agreements for the NFL Playoffs, the Super Bowl, the Bowl Championship Series and American Idol provide an excellent opportunity for cross promotion around the Daytona 500 held each year in mid-February. The deal also includes a brand-new comprehensive multi-media distribution program which includes Internet, wireless and broadband platforms. “FOX is extremely excited to extend its relationship with NASCAR for another eight years, and come 2007 be known as the official television home of the Daytona 500, by far the most watched auto race in this country,” said FOX Sports President Ed Goren. “Our production team has done an amazing job over the last five years to put NASCAR broadcasts on par with America's most popular sports, and we look forward to pushing the production envelope further as we move forward.”

SPEED will increase NASCAR programming as the continuing exclusive home for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series as well as the new home for the Gatorade Duels, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Pit Crew Challenge and NASCAR Nextel Cup Series All-Star Challenge.

NASCAR looks forward to continued great exposure and coverage of the sport from TNT, which will be entering its 22nd year with NASCAR, the longest continuous relationship of any media company with the sport. TNT will broadcast six consecutive races in the middle of the season including the July 4th weekend extravaganza, the Pepsi 400 from Daytona.

ABC and ESPN will provide comprehensive coverage of NASCAR on their numerous outlets. The final 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events will be broadcast on ABC or ESPN with the last 10, the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, on ABC. All NASCAR Busch Series races will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN or ESPN 2. In addition, ESPN will bring NASCAR coverage to its full suite of media including its cable TV networks, ESPN360, Mobile ESPN, ESPN.com and affiliated international networks throughout the world. “This agreement totally embraces NASCAR’s multimedia future,” said George Bodenheimer, ESPN Inc. and ABC Sports president and co-chairman of Disney Media Networks. “NASCAR is a strong and growing property, and the ESPN of the 21st century – an array of new media platforms and content outlets reaching fans wherever and however they consume sports – will take the sport to even higher levels of exposure and growth. ABC Sports first exposed sports fans to the racing excitement of NASCAR in the 1960s, and ESPN and the sport grew up together in the 1980s and ‘90s. Our tradition is rich, and our future is bright. To NASCAR, its drivers and fans we say, ‘Welcome back.”
“NASCAR thanks NBC for its stellar coverage and commitment to the sport for the past five years and looks forward to another great year in 2006,” Glover concluded.

About the agreements:

Beginning in 2007, each NASCAR season will be launched on FOX with the telecast of the Daytona 500. FOX will also carry NASCAR “Speedweeks” events including the Budweiser Shootout and Daytona Pole Qualifying. FOX will also broadcast the 12 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races following the Daytona 500.

TNT will broadcast six consecutive NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races (races 14 through 19).

The final 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series points races will be broadcast on ABC or ESPN. The final 10 races, the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, will be broadcast on ABC. The NASCAR Busch Series will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN or ESPN 2, with no less than four events on ABC.

SPEED will be home to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with the exception of two events, which will be broadcast by FOX.

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series qualifying practice and “happy hours” will be broadcast on a combination of SPEED Channel, ESPN and ESPN2.

SPEED will broadcast the Gatorade Duels held each year during “Speedweeks” to determine part of the Daytona 500 starting order.

SPEED will also broadcast the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series All-Star Challenge and its companion all-star event, the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Pit Crew Challenge.
ESPN will launch specially NASCAR-branded news and information programming.

All broadcast partners will have new interactive rights, special “season preview” and “season end review” programming rights and other ancillary content. NASCAR fans will be able to receive NASCAR coverage from an expanded range of outlets including highlights and live streaming, content from and on each network’s Web pages, datacasts and newly-developed multimedia programming.(NASCAR PR)(12-7-2005)

AND see a column at ESPN.com: NASCAR agrees to 8-year deal with ESPN, ABC and from Speed Chanel: SPEED's Hunter Nickell Explains NASCAR Television Package

MSN Money/AP: Wall Street Pans NASCAR TV Deal.(12-8-2005)

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