TMS ESPN Countdown

[NickHolt]

For Immediate Release - April 12, 2007

 

ESPN’s NASCAR Countdown: ESPN2 Texas Motor Speedway Highlights

 

ESPN’s NASCAR Countdown will preview the NASCAR Busch Series at Texas Motor Speedway action, Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET, with the race to start at 3 p.m. Erik Kuselias will host the telecast, while studio analyst Brad Daugherty and guest analyst Dale Jarrett, the 1999 NASCAR champion and winner of 32 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races, as well as 11 NASCAR Busch Series races, will join Kuselias and Daugherty in the ESPN Pit Studio, with analyst Tim Brewer at the ESPN Cutaway Car.

 

The race telecast team including veteran ESPN motorsports commentator Marty Reid, filling in for regular play-by-play announcer Jerry Punch, #44 UPS NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Toyota driver Dale Jarrett, filling in for ESPN’s lead motorsports analyst Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree will also contribute. NASCAR Countdown will also include reports from pit reporters Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Mike Massaro and Vince Welch as drivers and teams prepare to race on the fast-paced surface of Texas Motor Speedway.

 

NASCAR Countdown will originate from Texas Motor Speedway and will be telecast from ESPN’s state-of-the-art mobile pit studio as it sets the stage for primetime coverage of the 300-mile NASCAR Busch Series race Saturday afternoon, April 14. Highlights will include:

 

Reports from the Pit

 

· Kyle Busch – Hard Luck Driver?

 

ESPN NASCAR pit reporter Mike Massaro will speak with NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series driver Kyle Busch, dubbed this year's hard luck driver. Busch has led the most races and laps, but hasn't been able to follow through with a win. Will Texas Motor Speedway be his time to finally take the checkered flag?

 

· NASCAR Busch Series Rookie Brad Coleman Living the Dream

 

NASCAR Busch Series rookie Brad Coleman will speak with ESPN NASCAR pit reporter Vince Welch about living the dream as a 19-year-old NASCAR driver. Coleman is a Texas native whose dream week has included meeting the Governor and throwing out the first pitch at Nolan Ryan's Round Rock Express baseball game. Does Coleman have it what it takes to top off his dream week with a win?

 

· The Points Lead Keeps Growing

 

ESPN Pit Reporter Dave Burns will speak with current NASCAR Busch Series point’s leader Carl Edwards about his incredible start to the season and points lead. Can his lead get much bigger and does Edwards feel he is getting too much respect, or is he just that dominant?

 

· Can Jeff Burton Make It Three-in-a-Row?

 

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver Jeff Burton will return to race in the NASCAR Busch Series after winning the last two he has entered – Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway – both one and one-half mile tracks like Texas. Can he make it three-in-a-row? ESPN NASCAR pit reporter Allen Bestwick will report.

 

JR Motorsports Driver Shane Huffman Feature

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, started his own NASCAR Busch team, JR Motorsports in North Carolina. NASCAR Countdown will feature Earnhardt’s, #88 team and driver Shane Huffman, providing Huffman the best possible shot at success in the NASCAR Busch Series.

 

Toyota’s NASCAR Busch Series Success

 

In the NASCAR Countdown pit studio, analysts Brad Daugherty, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree will talk about Toyota’s excellent racing at Nashville Superspeedway, finishing second, third and fourth behind race winner Carl Edwards. They’ll discuss why Toyota has found success in the Busch Series but continues to struggle in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.

 

Bushwhackers vs. Young Guns

 

ESPN NASCAR booth analyst Andy Petree will talk about the Bushwhackers vs. the Young Guns. What is better for the NASCAR Busch Series and why are so many NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers driving in the Busch Series?

 

NASCAR Now – Sunday: 10 a.m. & Midnight on ESPN2

 

Ryan Burr will host the ultimate pre- and post-race programming, and will be joined in NASCAR Now’s Bristol, Conn. HD studios by NASCAR drivers Boris Said and Stacy Compton. Reporting from Texas Motor Speedway will be Shannon Spake, Tim Cowlishaw, Mike Massaro, Marty Smith, Brad Daugherty, and D.J. Copp.

 

The Sunday morning edition will feature an all-access piece on Evernham Motorsports owner Ray Evernham, who was voted the “Greatest Crew Chief of All Time” by the media in 2006. NASCAR Now cameras will spend Friday at Texas Motor Speedway with Evernham, who runs one of NASCAR’s premier racing organizations, fielding cars in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series (No. 19 Elliott Sadler, No. 9 Kasey Kahne, and No. 10 Scott Riggs), Busch Series, as well as ARCA.

 

For related photos, news and information visit www.espnracingmedia.com.

 

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