Motorsports This Week on ESPN

NASCAR Nationwide Series at Phoenix           

The NASCAR Nationwide Series moves to the 1-mile Phoenix International Raceway this weekend for a 200-mile race and ESPN2 will have a live telecast. NASCAR Countdown airs at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 3, with the race’s green flag at 4:45 p.m. All NASCAR programming on ESPN and ESPN2 is also available on computers, smartphones and tablets with the WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.com.

Announcers:

Booth: Lap-by-Lap announcer Allen Bestwick; analysts Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree.

Pit reporters: Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, Vince Welch.

ESPN Tech Garage: Tim Brewer

NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe (host); Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty (analysts).

NASCAR Now Schedule

The one-hour weekend edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will air on Sunday, March 4, at 11 a.m. ET with a preview of that day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. Mike Massaro will host, joined by analyst Andy Petree from Phoenix along with reporters Shannon Spake and Marty Smith. Weekday editions of the program air Tuesday and Thursday of this week at 3 p.m.

Date	Time	Show	Host	Network
Tues., Feb. 28	3 p.m.	NASCAR Now	Allen Bestwick	ESPN2
Thur., March 1	3 p.m.	NASCAR Now	Mike Massaro	ESPN2
Sun., March 4	11 a.m.	NASCAR Now	Mike Massaro	ESPN2
Mon., March 5	3 p.m.	NASCAR Now	Mike Massaro	ESPN2

Motorsports on Other ESPN Platforms

ESPN.com -- RacingLive! on ESPN.com is a live blog where fans can engage in debate and discussion with ESPN.com writers and editors during the NASCAR Sprint Cup races. On Sunday, March 4, RacingLive! Phoenix will coincide with the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway. Fans can join ESPN.com’s NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/. ESPN.com motorsports writer Terry Blount will be on hand at Phoenix.

ESPN Radio -- Each weekend morning, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. ET with host Pat Patterson anchored from the site of that weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race. On both Saturday and Sunday mornings, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay listeners get an hour of news, previews and analysis, as well as profiles and interviews with NASCAR’s biggest names and newsmakers and the involvement of listeners via calls and e-mails.

Motorsports This Week on ESPN

(NASCAR returns to Daytona International Speedway this weekend. Photo courtesy of ESPN)

Under the lights and in prime time, the NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Daytona International Speedway in the Subway Jalapeno 250 on Friday night, July 1. ESPN will have a live telecast of the race with NASCAR Countdown at 7 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag at 7:49 p.m. Also from Daytona, ESPN2 will air NASCAR Nationwide Series practice on Thursday, June 30, at 5:30 p.m. and qualifying on Saturday at 2 p.m. 

The Daytona race is the first in the 2011 Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash, a bonus program designed to reward Nationwide Series championship contenders. The top four drivers in the series standings prior to the Daytona race are eligible for a $100,000 bonus to be paid to the highest-finishing of the four in the race. One of the drivers has the possibility of winning $1 million over the course of the four select races.  

Marty Reid will call the Daytona action with analysis by Dale Jarrett, the 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree. Reports from two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will air from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Mike Massaro, Dr. Jerry Punch and Shannon Spake.  

Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN Pit Studio with analysis from Jarrett and Rusty Wallace, the 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion. The studio team will interact with the booth during the race telecast. 

Jarrett, Brewer, Petree on NASCAR Now Roundtable 

ESPN NASCAR analysts Dale Jarrett, Tim Brewer and Andy Petree will be panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program airing Monday, July 4, at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Nicole Briscoe will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program. 

Briscoe hosts half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now airing at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday of this week, as well as NASCAR Now’s weekend edition airing Saturday, July 2, at noon with a preview of that night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Daytona International Speedway. Mike Massaro and Marty Smith will report from the track, joined by analyst Rusty Wallace. 

NHRA Sportsman, Modified Action Sunday 

While the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series has the weekend off, drag racing fans will still be able to watch some NHRA action Sunday, July 3, on ESPN2. 

Highlights from the recent NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Norwalk, Ohio, will air in a one-hour format at 1 p.m. Action from the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Modified Series event at Norwalk will air for 30 minutes at 2 p.m. 

ESPN.com Offers RacingLive! During NASCAR Daytona Event 

NASCAR fans looking for an online gathering during ESPN’s telecasts of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series now have a place to go on ESPN.com. 

RacingLive! on ESPN.com is a live blog where fans can engage in debate and discussion with ESPN.com writers and editors during the NASCAR Sprint Cup races. On Saturday, July 2, RacingLive! Daytona will kick off to coincide with the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Daytona International Speedway. Fans can join ESPN.com’s NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/. 

ESPN.com motorsports writer Terry Blount will be reporting from Daytona. 

ESPN Radio Raceday Airs Saturday, Sunday 

Each weekend morning, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. ET with host Pat Patterson anchored from Daytona Beach, Fla. Patterson also originates the broadcast from several racetracks with key races during the season. On both Saturday and Sunday mornings, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay listeners get an hour of news, previews and analysis, as well as profiles and interviews with NASCAR’s biggest names and newsmakers and the involvement of listeners via calls and e-mails. 

Additionally, many of ESPN’s NASCAR reporters and analysts contribute each week as ESPN networks televise the entire NASCAR Nationwide Series and the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 10-race “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup” championship. A list of ESPN Radio affiliates can be found at www.espnradio.com.

Miller's Time Earns AARWBA Award

"Miller's Time," Coastal 181's acclaimed publication on the life and accomplishments of Don Miller, auto racing executive and longtime partner of Roger Penske, is the recipient of a highly valued award for excellence in motorsports writing.

The American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) awarded "Miller's Time" second place in its annual Motorsport Book competition, a contest judged by journalism professionals that attracts entries from around the world. Miller’s co-author is Jim Donnelly, an award-winning writer and senior editor of Hemmings Motor News in Bennington, Vermont.

The book recounts the story of Don Miller’s remarkable rise from Chicago hot rodder and automotive businessman to his role as Penske's top lieutenant in motorsports, a position that made him one of racing’s most respected and influential people. “Miller's Time” describes Don’s discovery and mentoring of both Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman, his invention of the NASCAR roof flap, and in gripping detail, the nearly fatal accident on pit road at Talladega that left him disabled.

Miller was humbled when hearing of the award. "I am very pleased, and very grateful, for the recognition we received, especially because it was the first effort for both of us in a project like this," Miller said. "To have been involved with a friend like Jim Donnelly in telling my story, and then have it win praise from our peers in racing is a true honor.”

"This is the story of Don's amazing life of accomplishment, lived fully with compassion and humility," Donnelly said. "Not many authors are fortunate to find a subject with such a worthwhile and interesting story, one that can also so clearly benefit anyone who reads it. I am thrilled to share this tribute with him."

All net proceeds from the sale of "Miller's Time" will be used in efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect, a special interest of Miller, who founded “Stocks for Tots” in Mooresville, NC, to mobilize the racing community around the issue. Miller was the recipient of NASCAR's first Humanitarian of the Year award.

For interview opportunities with the co-authors, please contact the publisher, Coastal 181, at 877-907-8181 or at www.coastal181.com.

Rusty Wallace gets extension with ESPN

(Rusty Wallace speaks to the media at a 2010 press conference at the now-defunct Gateway International Raceway. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and STL native Rusty Wallace will continue to be the lead NASCAR studio analyst for ESPN through 2014 after it was announced Tuesday the two reached an agreement on a contract extension. Read the full story at the St. Louis Motorsports Examiner.

Steve Wallace to Make Cup Series Debut at Daytona

(Steve Wallace, seen here at the 2009 Gateway International Raceway NASCAR Nationwide Series Media Day at Tri-City Speedway, will race in the 53rd Annual Daytona 500. Photo by Leah Vaughn.)

Steve Wallace, son of St. Louis native and 1989 NASCAR Sprint (then Winston) Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace, is making his Cup Series debut Feb. 20 in the 53rd Annual Daytona 500. He is locked in for the event, using the points the No. 77 team earned last year. That team was piloted by former IndyCar champ and Indianapolis 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr. It appears Hornish will not race the full Cup Series season in 2011 and will run a limited NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule.

Steve joins his father and uncles Mike and Kenny as the fourth member of the Wallace family to run the Great American Race. For the full release, click HERE.

Inside Motorsports Preview: Memorial Day Weekend Edition

Memorial Day Weekend is one of the biggest in motorsports and Inside Motorsports has you covered. This week's column focuses on Don Miller, a former St. Louis resident who discovered Rusty Wallace and was the right-hand man for Roger Penske for decades. He has also written a new book called Miller's Time and I would highly recommend you get it.

I will also be traveling this weekend to as diverse a selection of races as possible. Friday I start off at Gateway International Raceway for the Muscle Car Reunion and Nostalgia Drags and then head over to Tri-City Speedway for their regular Friday night show. On Saturday, I journey to O'Reilly Raceway Park for the USAC Night Before the 500 midget series race. Sunday, I plant myself firmly in front of the tube for 1,100 miles of great racing and finally, on Monday, I head to Macon (Ill.) Speedway for their NASCAR Day featuring area favorites Kenny Wallace, Ken Schrader, and Justin Allgaier.

Be sure to check here frequently for updates, photos, and whatnot. Enjoy the racing this weekend and be safe!