ESPN2s NASCAR Countdown will preview the live, primetime Busch Series race at Darlington Raceway Friday at 8 p.m. ET. Allen Bestwick will host the telecast with studio analyst Brad Daugherty. Nextel Cup team owner Richard Childress will join Bestwick and Daugherty as a guest in the pit studio. Analyst Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Cutaway Car. The race telecast team including lead announcer Jerry Punch, Andy Petree and Dale Jarrett will also contribute. Additionally, NASCAR Countdown will include segments from pit reporters Dave Burns, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake as drivers and teams prepare to race the track deemed To Tough to Tame. NASCAR Countdown will originate from Darlington Raceway and will be telecast from ESPNs state-of-the-art mobile pit studio as it sets the stage for ESPN2s coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series race Friday night, May 11. Highlights will include:
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.s Future in Racing:On Thursday, May 10 at 11 a.m. ET, driver of the #8 Budweiser Chevy, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., announced his decision to cut ties with his current race team, Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI), at the end of 2007. NASCAR Countdown hosts, analysts and reporters will report on the latest news from Earnhardt Jr., opinions among fellow drivers and teams and the ripple effect this will cause in the NASCAR community. Darlington Raceway will mark Earnhardt’s first time at the track since the announcement.
Bobby Labonte in Victory Lane again? Bobby Labonte scored his tenth Busch Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway in April and his first since 1998, taking the checkered flag in the #77 Dollar General Chevy owned by Kevin Harvick Inc. Labonte will be behind the wheel of the #77 again this Friday night and will speak with Bestwick and Daugherty about his chances for another win.
Rookie David Ragan Will Try to Tame the Lady in Black: ESPN NASCAR reporter Shannon Spake will speak with NASCAR Busch Series rookie David Ragan on conquering Darlington Raceway, earning his rookie stripe, and finishing Fridays race on the track known as Too Tough to Tame.
Clint Bowyer on a Roll: NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer has been on roll recently in the NASCAR Busch Series putting away two wins in the #2 Chevy at Phoenix and last weeks race at Richmond. ESPN NASCAR pit reporter Dave Burns will report live with Bowyer on his successes this season and his outlook for Darlington.(ESPN PR)(5-10-2007)
