ESPN’s booth for NASCAR coverage – analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree and lap-by-lap announcer Allen Bestwick – participated in a media availability today at Daytona International Speedway along with Rich Feinberg, ESPN vice president, motorsports. ESPN will televise Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race from Daytona starting at noon ET. A transcript of the conference follows:

RICH FEINBERG:  Good afternoon, everybody.  As always, happy to be back here in Daytona with our team, Allen and Andy and Dale Jarrett.  As many of you may have heard, we recently announced that Ray Evernham will be rejoining our talent team, and we’re delighted and excited to have Ray back with our group.

We come here to Daytona, just a mere 94 days since our last telecast, which was at Homestead, and we could not be more happy with how the season ended for us and for the sport.  As I’m sure many of you were as we were, very excited about what happened at Homestead.

Last year was a successful year for us.  Just a couple of quick thoughts about that.  Our Chase telecasts were up 14% in the ratings.  That was nice to see that growth.  And Homestead was up 19%, and was the most viewed race ever on ESPN, so that was certainly a high watermark for us, and we were delighted to finish that way.

As we finished last year and start this year, technology always remains a focus of our telecast, in addition to entertaining and storytelling, and documenting race coverage, I’m happy to announce our NASCAR NonStop initiative that we launched last year in the Chase will return this year to all our Chase telecasts.

For those who are not familiar, during the second half of all our Chase races, we do commercials in a two box format, allowing our viewers to see continuing coverage.  Our goal is to service them the best that we can.  That worked out quite well for us.  We got a lot of good feedback on the research side and audience analysis side on how positive our NASCAR nonstop initiative was.

In addition, we used other technology that we deployed last year that’s returning this year, including our dual path technology that allows viewers to see multiple in car camera angles.  Our 5.1 surround sound for those of you with home theaters, I encourage you to crank it up so we can rock your house.  And our race effect system that allows us to do more graphics and pointer technology over more cameras than we’ve ever done in the past, including our aerial systems and helicopters which uses new technology visual recognition to identify the cars and help show the viewers what’s going on the racetrack.

I could not be prouder of the work our team did last year.  We’re really excited to get going this year.  And with that, I’ll turn it over to the real experts in the room, our talent.

Q – Allen, what is your general philosophy of the anchor position and what you bring to the table? 

ALLEN BESTWICK:  First of all, I’m thrilled to be back at Daytona again.  It’s really an honor to be here and call these races.  This is a magical place for me.  I lived here for about a decade, and to come back here every year in this particular job is just a real thrill.

We are all about, Rich was talking about, 94 days since Homestead.  And we’ve had conversations among ourselves how if Tony Stewart’s team came to every race this year and put the exact same set up in the car they raced last year, by some point in this season they’re going to be getting lapped.

Our team in those 94 days has done a phenomenal amount of work looking for how we can push the technology and how we can better serve the fans.  What our goal is, and my goal is and my job is to make sure that we’re doing the best possible job of documenting the race that we can and putting on the best possible telecast for the fans that we can.

That’s what it’s all about is serving the fans of this sport and the television viewers that watch, and make sure that we’re doing the job for them as best we possibly can.

For me, that means being as prepared as I can, having fun, because that is what it’s all supposed to be about, and making sure that journalistically we tie up all the stories in a proper way that makes sense, is understandable, and entertaining at the same time.

I’m very proud of the work we did last year, but also mindful that like those race teams, we have to constantly dig for the next greatest way to raise the bar, and we will do that.

Q – For Andy, there’s been a lot of talk about the changes that NASCAR has made to the cars in the Sprint Cup Series to break up the tandem drafting.  But the Nationwide Series cars haven’t tested here and there hasn’t been a whole lot of talk about what NASCAR may have done.  So Andy, what has been done for the Nationwide Series? 

ANDY PETREE:  NASCAR did a lot of testing with the Sprint Cup package down here and found an aero package that really worked.  What we saw in the Bud Shootout the other night was incredible.  They’ve done the same things aero wise as far as the inlets for the radiators.  They’ve moved them up, made them specified size.  They’ve reduced the pressure on the cooling system to 25 pounds which is going to make these drivers have to separate to get air to the front end of the car so they can cool.

The other thing that they’ve done is they’ve lowered the rear bumper which restricts air flow to the front of the car.  All of these things are going to try to enhance the same kind of racing that we saw in the Bud Shootout.  More pack style, less of the two car tandem.

In the Nationwide Series, I expect to see that two car tandem be a little more effective, and the biggest reason is because of the rear spoiler.  The rear spoiler on these cars is bigger, and they make a lot bigger hole in the air.

I really believe there is more payoff for that two car tandem in the Nationwide Series.  We’ll see some of the pack racing, but also the two car tandem as something that’s going to be used as a tool to make the cars go faster.  They can’t unlearn it.  They’ve already learned how to do it.  I think there is more payoff because of the aero difference in the Nationwide cars and the Cup cars.

Q – Dale, what are your thoughts as a former winner of the Daytona 500 on the return of the pack racing? 

DALE JARRETT:  It was fun to watch.  I have to say Saturday night was one of the most entertaining races that I’ve watched.  The drivers are just spectacular.  Hopefully they’ve learned a little something about the pack racing again, because it seemed like obviously they’re going to try to survive 500 miles on Sunday, 150 miles tomorrow.  And then 500 on Sunday to give themselves a chance to be in victory lane at the end of 500 miles is going to require not running into each other quite as much.

But it just shows that things have come a long way.  I applaud NASCAR and the teams for the hard work and effort that they’ve put forth and giving the fans back what they really want to see.

For so many years that’s what they were accustomed to seeing when they went to Daytona 500 or Talladega to see that pack racing.  I think it still may show what we saw as the shootout unfolded that hooking up with someone in a two car tandem is going to probably be the way to win it, but I don’t think that will be the case as far as throughout the majority of the race.  But it should be a very entertaining weekend on Saturday and Sunday.

Q. – Dale, you’ve won the 500 three times, but in the last ten years there have been ten different guys who have won.  Talk about that and why that might be? 

DALE JARRETT:  I think it has to do with the level of competition, and how difficult it is.  I think sometimes we get lost in a way that we forget how difficult this is, and especially the biggest race of the year.

Everybody’s had the most time to prepare, all the drivers are excited.  They’re in the best shape they’re going to be in all year, and you can’t make any mistakes and win this race.  Because of the level of competition and changes to the cars, to the rules, it’s tightened everything up.  So it makes it difficult to put that back to back or even, as you said, we haven’t had a repeat winner in a while.

So I think in years past, it was a little more easy whenever you had something, especially me going through with Robert Yates, and of course, I won my first one with Joe Gibbs.  But I think that you could expect some of the same cast of characters to be there, and certainly there are a number of guys that we expect to see up front.  But I think that continues on right on with an 11th time this year.

Again, the difficulty of it, and you’ve got a guy out there that is the defending champion of the series that hasn’t won this Daytona 500 yet, and I think it may be his time.

It’s just so incredibly tough to go put 500 miles together and make it happen, again, with the competition level.

Q. – Everybody knows what Tiger Woods meant to golf coverage back in the day.  Is there a Danica factor, and if so how do you measure it?  Does that help the overall economic health of the sport, do you think? 

RICH FEINBERG:  I think the answer has to be yes.  It was two years ago we were sitting here and talking about Danica.  One of the questions that I was asked was are you concerned about focusing too much on her.  Yet somebody pointed out that 90% of the questions that came from you all in this room are about her.  So our coverage is in balance with what we believe the audience interest is.

She is somebody that clearly has brought new fans to the sport.  She represents appeal to a younger demographic which is an important area for us to grow our viewership base, and she’s a darn good race car driver.

So we’ve had the privilege to cover her for many, many years, both in IndyCar and in NASCAR.  I couldn’t be more happy that she’s with us and the sport.  Hopefully the fans feel the same way for the entire year.

DALE JARRETT:  I think she’s a polarizing figure, and she’s embraced the idea that she is the face of the Nationwide Series and somewhat the Sprint Cup Series now.  A lot of eyes are on her.

I’ll be quite honest, I was very skeptical whenever she came over, could she handle these cars, get in, and mix it up?  I’m a fan.  I think she can do it.  Is she going to go out and set the world on fire?  That’s going to be difficult to do because she’s up against the best in the world.

She’s good for the sport, and I think we do a very nice job of balancing that and giving her enough and giving the fans enough but not going over the top either.  But you have to take advantage.  She’s going to be good for the sport, and it’s going to be very healthy for us.

Q. – As always, there are always shifts on teams, with Kasey Kahne moving and Kurt Busch moving and Clint Bowyer moving.  Can you talk about just who you think is going to make the biggest impact on a team?  Can you specifically talk about Clint and his move from Childress to Waltrip?

ANDY PETREE:  I think the biggest impact was Kurt Busch going over to James Finch.  I think that was a good move for that team.  I know James Finch personally and he is very excited about it.  With Kurt with so much to prove and James having pretty good equipment, I think you’ll see some things that will surprise you over there.

Clint Bowyer, on the other hand left a great team to go drive for Michael Waltrip’s team.  Got a great crew chief over there.  I really respect Brian Pattie.  They’re going to have a good season, and Clint’s a good race car driver.  He’s probably not fulfilled his potential yet in the Sprint Cup Series.  I think he’s championship material, and I expect him to make the Chase if they have a pretty decent start to the season.  I think they’ll get a lot better as it gets rolling.  But I think the start’s going to be critical for them though.

DALE JARRETT:  I agree with what Andy said.  I think it would be great if Kurt Busch and James Finch can make a good pair and good showing there on a weekly basis.  We know there are going to be certain places just like here this Sunday that they can have a possible huge impact on what happens in this race.

Can they carry that on to Phoenix and Vegas?  I think it will take some time to build that, but a good mix there.  And hopefully Kurt can showcase the talents we know that he has on the racetrack there.  I think it could be a little bit of a struggle for him for what he’s been used to.  But as Andy said, a very talented race driver, and we expect to see things run.

Kasey Kahne can possibly have an impact on who wins the championship, because he might be somebody that is battling for it when we start talking about the last five races of the season.

I fully believe we’ll see Kasey Kahne in the Chase and have an opportunity with he and Kenny Francis with Hendrick Motorsports to prove what they can do and good they can be.

Q. – Rich, along the same lines as Danica and what she does for the sport, Travis Pastrana.  Last year you guys were so pumped for him and his debut, and that took a turn there.  Are you surprised it’s been a little bit challenging for him to get more races this year?  How much are you guys looking forward to that when he comes over? 

RICH FEINBERG:  Fell is a good term to describe what happened last year.  He fell out of the sky.  Look, we were disappointed.  We thought it was a tremendous opportunity not only for our company and the fans that we serve, but for the sport that we’re partners with.

He’s an amazing personality.  I actually know Travis.  I worked on the X Games since their inception, and he’s charismatic, he’s fun to talk to, and he doesn’t set a lot of barriers for himself.  He’s a guy that goes out and gives it his all no matter what he’s done, whether it’s back flipping at the X Games or running his race car.

Yeah, it was an unfortunate situation, but I think that those who were involved, and I talked to Ty Norris about this, recognized the risks associated with what we call the Pastrana thon that weekend.  We can’t wait to have him back on the track.

I mentioned earlier that one of our focuses is appealing our product to a younger audience base.  If you look at things like Danica Patrick and Travis Pastrana and Ricky Stenhouse, and Austin Dillon, those all represent potentially the future of the sport.  For us to have the ability to tell the stories to document the journey through the season with our Nationwide coverage on ESPN2 and ESPN, puts us in a really good place.

I think it can be as big of a deal, but it won’t be simultaneous.  My understanding is the first race is going to be Richmond.  It’s not going to be simultaneous with the X Games and our ability to cross brand those audiences, but he will be a major part of our Storytelling, no doubt about it?

Q. – Andy, a lot of us who aren’t tech guys look at what Johnson’s team did, and try to compare it to what Michael Waltrip’s team did with windshields, just as far as manipulating aero and stuff.  Is that an accurate analogy?  Would you expect kind of a similar penalty or similar advantage to the game by that? 

ANDY PETREE:  But anyway, I expect what you’re trying to do is work between the templates.  You’ve got a ton of them now, so there are very few places to work.  I expect to see the same kind of penalty, to answer your question.  It’s the same kind of thing working in different areas of the car.

I personally think they’re taking a lot of the fun out of it.  I’d rather be able to work on the cars more and put more creativity in them.  They’ve kind of gone away from that.  They smack you pretty hard if they get outside of that.  I can’t remember the penalty for the windshield thing, but I expect maybe the same kind of thing for Chad on that.

Q. – Rich, can you talk about NASCAR on television as it relates to other sports how you think we compare in things that have come from this sport to coverage of other sports and maybe outline what we’ve contributed, you all have contributed, to the coverage of the way other sports are broadcast? 

RICH FEINBERG:  We just had our day-long meeting yesterday, and there was a research presentation.  One of the things they pointed out is that of all the sports that we televise on ESPN, ABC, and ESPN2 and all our platforms, NASCAR is within the Top 5, putting aside some one-off special events.  That’s a good place to be.

There are an awful lot of sports on our air and across our platforms, and to be at that level makes a statement about its value to our company and about the fan base.

On the technology side, these are big, complicated shows that we do here.  We use on average 65 plus cameras.  Everything we do is in high definition.  It is a Super Bowl sized production that we do 35 weeks straight with a couple of off weeks in the spring.

We see all the time cross pollination between usage of technology on our air, and that’s because I work closely and side by side with my colleagues and my boss who oversee Monday Night Football, Major League Baseball, Soccer.  So to the extent that we’re together when we’re not on the road, we’re constantly talking about how to take technology from one area of the company and cross pollinate it to the others.

In fact, when we got started with the X Games back in 1995, a lot of the systems that we brought into that project came from the world of Motorsports.  So it’s somewhat of a laboratory in Bristol where we’re constantly trying to push the envelope and how we can serve our viewers better and in a more interesting and compelling way?

Q. – Andy and D.J., what you were saying there about how NASCAR has restricted the ingenuity of the crew chiefs.  Do you think that it ever maybe unavoidably gets personal for NASCAR that they view it as some sort of an a front that here’s a guy who has broken the rules before, and is trying to slip something by us?  Is that sort of unavoidable when they get into really restricting the cars? 

ANDY PETREE:  I know what you’re saying.  I used to take it personal sometimes.  I don’t think so.  I think they’ve just got a strict set of rules, and they mean it.  They say they don’t want you doing these things and they lay it out pretty clearly.  When you do, which is your job    I mean, you’re always walking that tight rope as a crew chief to what you can push.  Your job is to push it.  Now they keep pushing that line so close that it makes it tough.

But they don’t take it personally, no.  I can tell you firsthand they don’t.  The only time they take it personal is when you make it personal.  So I don’t think so.

About NASCAR on ESPN:

ESPN produces comprehensive, multi-platform coverage featuring telecasts of the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Additionally, ESPN is the television home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series. ESPN’s NASCAR coverage extends to ESPN.com, SportsCenter, ESPN the Magazine, WatchESPN, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio and ESPN International, among other ESPN platforms. ESPN aired 262 NASCAR Cup Races over a 20-year period starting in 1981 and returned to NASCAR coverage in 2007. The network’s award-winning, live flag-to-flag coverage on ESPN has been honored with 19 Sports Emmy Awards, as well as many industry honors. It is widely credited for helping to popularize the sport nationwide.

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ESPN’s coverage of the 2012 NASCAR season launches with a live, flag-to-flag telecast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 25, on ESPN. The telecast is presented by GoDaddy.com and begins at noon ET with NASCAR Countdown. The 300-mile race’s green flag flies at 1:34 p.m.

All 33 races on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule this season will appear on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. ESPN also will televise the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races of the season, including all 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Fourteen of the 17 races will air on ESPN, with three Saturday night races appearing on ABC. ESPN’s NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage begins July 29 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway while the Chase begins Sept. 16 at Chicagoland Speedway.

In addition to race coverage for both series, the networks also will televise practice and qualifying from select races, season preview and review programs and a special Chase preview. Races include NASCAR Countdown, a dedicated pre-race program, and comprehensive coverage of NASCAR appears on ESPN2’s NASCAR news and information program, NASCAR Now.

All of ESPN’s NASCAR television content is also viewable digitally through WatchESPN and WatchESPN.com, the groundbreaking online-accessible authenticated version of ESPN. WatchESPN is available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN.com and the free WatchESPN app, which are accessible to fans who receive their video service from an affiliated provider.

ESPN’s team of announcers has five former NASCAR Sprint Cup champions in analyst roles in 2012, including 1999 champion driver Dale Jarrett and 1989 champion Rusty Wallace. Two-time champion crew chiefs Tim Brewer and Andy Petree also will offer expert analysis during the season while three-time champion crew chief Ray Evernham returns to ESPN this season after taking the 2011 season off.

Lap-by-lap announcer Allen Bestwick will join Jarrett and Petree in the booth for race telecasts, with pit reporters Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch. From the ESPN Pit Studio, Nicole Briscoe will host NASCAR Countdown with analysts Wallace and Brad Daugherty, joined by Evernham for selected races, mostly in the second half of the season. Brewer will report from the Emmy-winning ESPN Tech Garage during race telecasts to help viewers better understand the technical and mechanical aspects of NASCAR racing.

Marty Reid will step into the lap-by-lap announcer position for NASCAR Nationwide Series telecasts once ESPN’s NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage begins, with Bestwick calling the Cup races. Reid also will call selected Nationwide Series races in the first half of the season while continuing his role as lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN on ABC’s telecasts of the IZOD IndyCar Series.

Wallace, Evernham and NASCAR Now analyst Ricky Craven also will help call some races from the booth as fill-ins for Jarrett and Petree. NASCAR Now co-hosts Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will work as pit reporters for selected races as will Rick DeBruhl, a pit reporter on ESPN’s coverage of the IZOD IndyCar Series, and Jim Noble.

ESPN’s NASCAR race telecasts will be produced under the oversight of ESPN vice president, motorsports, Rich Feinberg and coordinating producer Kate Jackson. NASCAR Sprint Cup races and selected Nationwide Series races will be produced by Jamie Shiftan while Jim Gaiero will produce other Nationwide Series races. Richie Basile will be director.

ESPN’s multimedia approach to coverage of NASCAR touches multiple ESPN platforms, including ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN2, ESPN2 HD, ABC, ABC HD, WatchESPN, ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Classic, ESPN Deportes, ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio, ESPN International, ESPN Mobile, espnW and Jayski.com.

NASCAR race schedules for the ESPN Networks in 2012 are as follows:

 

2012 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES SCHEDULE ON ESPN NETWORKS

Date                 Site                                                                              Network            Time

July 29	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	ESPN	1 p.m.
Aug. 5	Pocono Raceway	ESPN	1 p.m.
Aug. 12	Watkins Glen International	ESPN	1 p.m.
Aug. 19	Michigan International Speedway	ESPN	1 p.m.
Aug. 25	Bristol Motor Speedway	ABC	7:30 p.m.
Sep. 2	Atlanta Motor Speedway	ESPN	7:30 p.m.
Sep. 8	Richmond International Raceway	ABC	7:30 p.m.
Sep. 16	Chicagoland Speedway	ESPN	2 p.m.
Sep. 23	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	ESPN	2 p.m.
Sep. 30	Dover International Speedway	ESPN	2 p.m.
Oct. 7	Talladega Superspeedway	ESPN	2 p.m.
Oct. 13	Charlotte Motor Speedway	ABC	7:30 p.m.
Oct. 21	Kansas Speedway	ESPN	2 p.m.
Oct. 28	Martinsville Speedway	ESPN	2 p.m.
Nov. 4	Texas Motor Speedway	ESPN	3 p.m.
Nov. 11	Phoenix International Raceway	ESPN	3 p.m.
Nov. 18	Homestead-Miami Speedway	ESPN	3 p.m.

2012 NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES SCHEDULE

Date                 Site                                                                              Network            Time

Feb. 25	Daytona International Speedway	ESPN	1:15 p.m.
March 3	Phoenix International Raceway	ESPN2	4:30 p.m.
March 10	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	ESPN2	5 p.m.
March 17	Bristol Motor Speedway	ESPN	2 p.m.
March 24	Auto Club Speedway	ESPN	5:30 p.m.
Apr. 13	Texas Motor Speedway	ESPN2	8:30 p.m.
Apr. 27	Richmond International Raceway	ESPN2	7:30 p.m.
May 5	Talladega Superspeedway	ABC	3:15 p.m.
May 11	Darlington Raceway	ESPN2	7 p.m.
May 20	Iowa Speedway	ESPN	2 p.m.
May 26	Charlotte Motor Speedway	ABC	2:45 p.m.
June 2	Dover International Speedway	ESPN	2 p.m.
June 16	Michigan International Speedway	ABC	3:45 p.m.
June 23	Road America	ESPN	3:30 p.m.
June 29	Kentucky Speedway	ESPN2	7:30 p.m.
July 6	Daytona International Speedway	ESPN	7:30 p.m.
July 14	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	ESPN	3:30 p.m.
July 22	Chicagoland Speedway	ESPN	3 p.m.
July 28	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	ESPN	4:30 p.m.
Aug. 4	Iowa Speedway	ESPN2	8 p.m.
Aug. 11	Watkins Glen International	ABC	2:15 p.m.
Aug. 18	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve	ESPN	2:30 p.m.
Aug. 24	Bristol Motor Speedway	ESPN	7:30 p.m.
Sept. 1	Atlanta Motor Speedway	ESPN2	7 p.m.
Sept. 7	Richmond International Raceway	ESPN	7:30 p.m.
Sept. 15	Chicagoland Speedway	ESPN2	3:30 p.m.
Sept. 22	Kentucky Speedway	ESPN	4 p.m.
Sept. 29	Dover International Speedway	ESPN2	3:30 p.m.
Oct. 12	Charlotte Motor Speedway	ESPN2	7:30 p.m.
Oct. 20	Kansas Speedway	ESPN	3:30 p.m.
Nov. 3	Texas Motor Speedway	ESPN	7:30 p.m.
Nov. 10	Phoenix International Raceway	ESPN	4 p.m.
Nov. 17	Homestead-Miami Speedway	ESPN2	4:30 p.m.

 

About NASCAR on ESPN:

ESPN produces comprehensive, multi-platform coverage featuring telecasts of the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Additionally, ESPN is the television home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series. ESPN’s NASCAR coverage extends to ESPN.com, SportsCenter, ESPN the Magazine, WatchESPN, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio and ESPN International, among other ESPN platforms. ESPN aired 262 NASCAR Cup Races over a 20-year period starting in 1981 and returned to NASCAR coverage in 2007. The network’s award-winning, live flag-to-flag coverage on ESPN has been honored with 19 Sports Emmy Awards, as well as many industry honors. It is widely credited for helping to popularize the sport nationwide.

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Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Ray Evernham is returning to ESPN as a NASCAR analyst for the 2012 season.

Evernham will join ESPN’s team at Daytona Speedweeks and will be part of NASCAR Countdown before the NASCAR Nationwide Series race that airs on ESPN on Saturday, Feb. 25, at noon ET. He also will appear on NASCAR Now and SportsCenter from Daytona as ESPN’s multimedia platforms surround the opening of the NASCAR season.

Evernham, who won three championships and 47 races as crew chief for Jeff Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports, will be an analyst on NASCAR Countdown for many of the 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races that will appear on ESPN networks in the second half of the season. In addition to his work on NASCAR Now and SportsCenter, he will help call several NASCAR Nationwide Series races from the booth.

Evernham was an analyst for ESPN from 2008-2010 but left prior to the 2011 season when he took a consulting position with Hendrick Companies, a management company that oversees strategic initiatives for chairman Rick Hendrick, who also owns Hendrick Motorsports.

“I chose to take a year off from ESPN out of respect for ESPN and Hendrick Motorsports,” said Evernham. “I didn’t want to create any perceived conflict of interest while I got my bearings at Hendrick and didn’t want to cause distraction to either company.

“Now that I’m settled at Hendrick Performance, I don’t have any involvement on the racing side of the operations and it frees me from any conflict with NASCAR teams,” he said. “Mr. Hendrick and I have worked out an agreement that allows me to return to the ESPN team.”

Evernham has a history with ESPN dating back to 2000, when he appeared as an analyst on ESPN and ABC’s coverage of the IROC Series and some NASCAR races. In 2007, he was a guest analyst on NASCAR Countdown for several NASCAR Nationwide Series telecasts and was featured in Race Wizard with Ray Evernham, a program that aired on ESPN2.

“I’m glad to be coming back to ESPN,” Evernham said. “I really enjoy the team camaraderie at ESPN and I’m very much at home with this group from my previous three years,” he said. “Stock car racing is my passion and I’m looking forward to being back involved. I’m excited about the momentum NASCAR has going into the 2012 season.”

Evernham, who raced Modifieds in his native New Jersey, rose to prominence in NASCAR after hanging up his helmet and becoming a crew chief. After his championships with Gordon and Hendrick in the 1990s, he started his own team to coincide with Dodge’s return to the top level of NASCAR racing in 2001. He sold the race team in 2007.

With the return of Evernham, ESPN will again have five former NASCAR champions as analysts, including 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup driving champion Rusty Wallace, 1999 champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chiefs Tim Brewer and Andy Petree.

“We welcome Ray back to the team and look forward to enhancing our coverage of NASCAR with the knowledge and expertise he brings to the table,” said Rich Feinberg, ESPN vice president, motorsports, production. “He’s a solid professional and a well-respected voice in the sport.”

ESPN’s NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage begins with the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 29.

About NASCAR on ESPN:

ESPN produces comprehensive, multi-platform coverage featuring telecasts of the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Additionally, ESPN is the television home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series. ESPN’s NASCAR coverage extends to ESPN.com, SportsCenter, ESPN the Magazine, WatchESPN, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio and ESPN International, among other ESPN platforms. ESPN aired 262 NASCAR Cup Races over a 20-year period starting in 1981 and returned to NASCAR coverage in 2007. The network’s award-winning, live flag-to-flag coverage on ESPN has been honored with 19 Sports Emmy Awards, as well as many industry honors. It is widely credited for helping to popularize the sport nationwide.

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With the NASCAR season getting underway at Daytona International Speedway this week, ESPN’s multimedia platforms will have two weeks of comprehensive coverage of events surrounding the Feb. 26 running of the Daytona 500.

Television coverage, highlighted by Daytona locations for ESPN’s flagship program SportsCenter and ESPN2’s daily news program NASCAR Now, coverage of NASCAR Media Day on ESPNEWS and NASCAR Nationwide Series practice and qualifying, will culminate with the NASCAR Nationwide Series 300-mile race on ESPN on Saturday, Feb. 25.

Other TV highlights include NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series preview shows on ESPN2 and the airing of more than 46 hours of past Daytona 500 races and NASCAR programming on ESPN Classic. And for the first time, all NASCAR programming airing on ESPN and ESPN2 from Daytona will be available on computers, smartphones and tablets with WatchESPN.

Extensive Daytona coverage also will appear on ESPN digital platforms including ESPN.com, espnW.com and ESPN Mobile, as well as on ESPN Radio. In addition, the winner of the Daytona 500 will be at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Ct., on Monday, Feb. 27, the day after the race, and will appear on numerous ESPN platforms throughout the day.

SportsCenter at the Daytona 500 airs Sunday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2, originating from the Fan Zone at Daytona International Speedway. The program will have extensive highlights, interviews and analysis from the “Great American Race.” In addition to the special program, ESPN’s reporters and analysts will appear on regular editions of SportsCenter throughout Daytona SpeedWeeks.

Daytona NASCAR Nationwide Series Race Telecast

Allen Bestwick will be the lead announcer for the Daytona race telecast on Feb. 25, joined in the booth for analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion crew chief Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch. Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Tech Garage.

Prior to the 1:15 p.m. ET race telecast, Nicole Briscoe will host NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio at noon, with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty, a team owner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

ESPN2 also airs coverage of NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying on Friday, Feb. 24, at 2 p.m., as well as NASCAR Nationwide Series practice coverage on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 10 a.m.

All 33 NASCAR Nationwide Series races will air on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC this season. ESPN also will televise 14 of the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races of the season, with the other three airing on ABC.

NASCAR Now at Daytona

NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily news and information show totally dedicated to NASCAR, originates from Daytona for three programs the week of the Daytona 500. Briscoe hosts the Thursday, Feb. 23, program at 5:30 p.m. and the Friday, Feb. 24, program at 1:30 p.m. The edition on the morning of the Feb. 26 Daytona 500 airs at 9 a.m. with Bestwick hosting and analysts Jarrett and Wallace.

Mike Massaro and Briscoe will co-host ESPNEWS’ coverage of NASCAR Media Day on Thursday, Feb. 17, at noon, and conduct exclusive driver interviews from Daytona for the three-hour telecast. They’ll be joined for analysis by former NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie of the year Ricky Craven.

 

Feature Content for Daytona SpeedWeeks

Among the features planned for airings across various ESPN platforms during Daytona SpeedWeeks are:

Roundtable Discussion – ESPN’s Andy Petree, Rusty Wallace, Marty Smith and Allen Bestwick discuss the hot topics brewing in NASCAR, including Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards and Danica Patrick and others.

Tony Stewart Conversation – Stewart discusses his 2011 championship run with Smith.

Kurt Busch – In a hard-hitting interview with Smith, Kurt Busch discusses the trials and tribulations from the 2011 season and how he plans to bounce back to championship form with his new team Phoenix Racing.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Earnhardt talks about his confidence and goals heading into the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season with ESPN’s Dale Jarrett.

Jimmie Johnson – Johnson reflects on not winning a sixth straight championship last year and how the team will rebound in 2012 with ESPN’s Shannon Spake.

Carl Edwards — Edwards speaks with ESPN’s Nicole Briscoe about finishing in second place in the Chase and his quest for a championship in 2012.

Kasey Kahne – The newest driver for Hendrick Motorsports, Kahne discusses his goals and expectations for the upcoming season with Smith.

Silly Season – With all the changes in the off-season, Smith details from point to point who went where. Smith draws diagrams on everything from paper to windows to fully explain all aspects of the silly season.

Cheers to Daytona – An essay from Smith that celebrates the racing roots, legends and beauty that is all Daytona.

Austin Dillon #3 Car – NASCAR Nationwide Series rookie Austin Dillon discusses his family lineage and driving the iconic #3 car for Richard Childress Racing.

Danica Patrick – As she starts her journey racing fulltime in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Patrick focuses on the next chapter of her racing career.

ESPN’S Multimedia Platforms Surround Daytona

In addition to the live telecasts on ESPN and ESPN2, NASCAR’s Daytona SpeedWeeks will be covered on other ESPN multimedia outlets:

WatchESPN – All of ESPN’s NASCAR television content is also viewable digitally through WatchESPN and WatchESPN.com, the groundbreaking online-accessible authenticated version of ESPN. WatchESPN is available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN.com and the free WatchESPN app, which are accessible to fans who receive their video service from an affiliated provider.

SportsCenter at Daytona – SportsCenter will present a one-hour special from Daytona International Speedway on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, following the Daytona 500. Hosted by Allen Bestwick, with analysts Dale Jarrett and Rusty Wallace, SportsCenter at Daytona will review the Great American Race with highlights, analysis, opinion, and interviews. Regular editions of ESPN’s flagship news and information program will include regular updates from Daytona.

ESPN Deportes — ESPN’s Spanish-language television, radio and Internet in the U.S. will televise the NASCAR Nationwide Series race from Daytona on a tape-delayed basis at 4 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26. ESPN Deportes’ NASCAR commentator team will feature Andrés Agulla (play-by-play) and Alex Pombo (analysis). In addition to the telecast of the race, ESPN Deportes will have segments for its edition of SportsCenter.

ESPN.com — Extensive coverage will originate from Daytona. Award-winning motorsports journalists Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton and ESPN.com motorsports editors K. Lee Davis and Joe Breeze will lead the reporting team, with additional contributions from NASCAR Insider Marty Smith as well as ESPN The Magazine’s Ryan McGee. Hinton, Blount, Newton and other ESPN reporters and personalities maintain and regularly update blogs with their insights, perspectives and more. ESPN.com, along with Jayski.com, will feature extensive video, audio and editorial coverage of the 2012 NASCAR season, as well as providing multiple ESPN Fantasy games and content distributed to other platforms such as Apple’s iTunes Store and Microsoft’s X Box Live.

ESPN.com RaceCast, ESPN.com’s enhanced, live race-day application features a live animated graphic display, track information, lap leaders, race leaders, driver information and live in-race chat with ESPN announcers and reporters. NASCAR fans looking for an online gathering during telecasts of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as well as the Nationwide Series opener at Daytona have a place to go on ESPN.com. Racing Live! on ESPN.com is a live blog where fans can engage in debate and discussion with ESPN.com writers and editors during the races. Fans can join ESPN.com’s NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/. As part of ESPN.com’s integration with Jayski.com, veteran racing voice Mark Garrow returns as a frequent contributor this year, producing podcasts and hosting regular chats on ESPN.com.

espnW.com – espnW’s mission is to connect female fans with the sports they love and follow, and with Danica Patrick making her NASCAR Sprint Cup debut in the Daytona 500, espnW.com will have on-site coverage, including blogs and video analysis. espnW.com provides an engaging environment where women are an integral part of the sports conversation, share their perspective on men’s and women’s sports and find the motivation and support for their athletic goals and interests.

ESPNEWS – Coverage of NASCAR Media Day at Daytona from noon – 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16, hosted by Mike Massaro and analyst Ricky Craven with reporter Nicole Briscoe on-site in Daytona. ESPNEWS also will air extensive NASCAR reports and interviews during regular programming throughout Daytona SpeedWeeks.

ESPN Radio – The Raceday program airs from 6 – 7 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, and Sunday, Feb. 19, and then again on Saturday, Feb. 25, and Sunday, Feb. 26. Programs will originate from Daytona with host Pat Patterson and include news, interviews and reports. In addition, ESPN Radio will have daily reports and interviews during other programming in the week leading up to the race. RaceDay airs 52 weeks a year and will originate from the site of every NASCAR Sprint Cup race this season.

ESPN International – ESPN International is one of the world’s leading syndicators of sports programming and its relationship with NASCAR is helping maximize coverage of NASCAR and providing a solid base of distribution. Through a combination of sales and network programming, the 38 NASCAR Sprint Cup races (including the Bud Shootout and Sprint All-Star Race) and 33 NASCAR Nationwide Series races are available to 112 countries and territories around the world. In addition, U.S. troops and their families serving around the world and Navy vessels at sea can watch the season through American Forces Network.

ESPN the Magazine – ESPN the Magazine’s Rivalry Issue, on newsstands Feb. 10, contains a preview of the NASCAR season by senior writer Ryan McGee. Handshakes or fisticuffs? Choirboys or moonshiners? NASCAR has the dirtiest roots in sports—roots that fans still love and expect to see. But with sponsors and new markets wanting clean-cut images, NASCAR drivers are forced to ride the line. McGee also writes that in 2012, priority No. 1 for Jimmie Johnson will be improving the 48 pit crew, which was fired twice last season. The preview also has a rundown of each team in the garage.

ESPN Mobile Web – Live event reporter D’Arcy Maine will be in Daytona live chatting and blogging, delivering feature stories and bringing the taste of Daytona SpeedWeeks to fans. She also will focus on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut of Danica Patrick. The ESPN mobile Web site is available on all Internet accessible mobile and tablet devices.

ESPN Mobile – ESPN’s multiple mobile platforms will give fans on-the-go access to all the racing action, news and developments. Fans can find coverage on the ESPN mobile Web site — the leading mobile Web sports site and among the most-trafficked sites in the world – in a dedicated NASCAR section that includes special coverage around the biggest races, driver cards and more.  Additionally, fans can access real-time results on the ESPN ScoreCenter mobile app and sign up to receive customizable alerts to follow their favorite drivers during the race.

ESPN Classic – To help get NASCAR fans fired up for the opening of the season, ESPN Classic is running a marathon of NASCAR-related programming during the week leading up to the Daytona 500. Included are episodes of the ESPN Classic signature series SportsCentury featuring some of history’s greatest drivers such as Richard Petty, Tim Flock, Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart and 1967 Daytona 500 winner Mario Andretti. The lineup will include highlights of many past Daytona 500 races. In addition, ESPN Classic will tribute Jeff Gordon on Friday, Feb. 17, at 5:30 p.m. with an airing of the 1997 Daytona 500, the 15^th anniversary of when at 25 he at the time became the youngest-ever winner of NASCAR’s biggest race.

 

ESPN’S 2012 DAYTONA SPEEDWEEKS SCHEDULE

(all times Eastern)

Visit www.espnmediazone.com for ESPN’s latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video and audio clips and more.

 

About NASCAR on ESPN:

ESPN produces comprehensive, multi-platform coverage featuring telecasts of the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Additionally, ESPN is the television home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series. ESPN’s NASCAR coverage extends to ESPN.com, SportsCenter, ESPN the Magazine, WatchESPN, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio and ESPN International, among other ESPN platforms. ESPN aired 262 NASCAR Cup Races over a 20-year period starting in 1981 and returned to NASCAR coverage in 2007. The network’s award-winning, live flag-to-flag coverage on ESPN has been honored with 19 Sports Emmy Awards, as well as many industry honors. It is widely credited for helping to popularize the sport nationwide.

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ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now returns for its sixth season on Monday, Feb. 13, at 3 p.m. ET, coinciding with the week activities begin for NASCAR’s season-opening Daytona 500.

NASCAR Now will air Monday-Friday with half-hour episodes originating from ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Ct. A one-hour weekend edition will air on the morning of each NASCAR Sprint Cup race and NASCAR Now will air a weekend wrap-up edition starting with the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

AJ Allmendinger, driver of the Shell-Pennzoil Dodge for Penske Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, joins NASCAR Now this season as a guest reporter for the weekend edition programs. “The Daily Dinger” segment will feature Allmendinger in off-beat interviews around the racetracks with drivers, crew chiefs, fans and others or reporting on a unique aspect of that day’s race.

Mike Massaro will continue as the primary host of NASCAR Now with ongoing hosts Allen Bestwick, Nicole Briscoe, Marty Reid and Shannon Spake. ESPN SportsCenter anchors Lindsay Czarniak, Michael Yam and Michelle Bonner also will fill in as occasional NASCAR Now hosts. Marty Smith will again be the lead reporter for the program while Briscoe, Massaro and Spake will also serve as reporters.

Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie of the year Ricky Craven will continue as an analyst for NASCAR Now and other ESPN studio programs such as SportsCenter. ESPN NASCAR analysts Dale Jarrett, Rusty Wallace, Andy Petree, Tim Brewer and Brad Daugherty also will contribute to NASCAR Now as will ESPN pit reporters Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch. NASCAR Now also will continue to have contributions from ESPN.com motorsports writers Ed Hinton, Terry Blount and David Newton along with ESPN the Magazine senior writer Ryan McGee and former NASCAR pit crew member D.J. Copp.

The program will originate from Daytona International Speedway for three shows surrounding the Daytona 500. In past years, NASCAR Now also has originated from remote locations including the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the White House, Chicago’s Navy Pier and other racetracks.

NASCAR Now and all of ESPN’s NASCAR television content is also viewable digitally through WatchESPN and WatchESPN.com, the groundbreaking online-accessible authenticated version of ESPN. WatchESPN is available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN.com and the free WatchESPN app, which are accessible to fans who receive their video service from an affiliated provider.

Visit www.espnmediazone.com for ESPN’s latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video and audio clips and more.

About NASCAR on ESPN:

ESPN produces comprehensive, multi-platform coverage featuring telecasts of the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Additionally, ESPN is the television home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series. ESPN’s NASCAR coverage extends to ESPN.com, SportsCenter, ESPN the Magazine, WatchESPN, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio and ESPN International, among other ESPN platforms. ESPN aired 262 NASCAR Cup Races over a 20-year period starting in 1981 and returned to NASCAR coverage in 2007. The network’s award-winning, live flag-to-flag coverage on ESPN has been honored with 19 Sports Emmy Awards, as well as many industry honors. It is widely credited for helping to popularize the sport nationwide.

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