The NASCAR Sprint Cup series moves to ESPN for the rest of the season heading into next week’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Both Fox and TNT have seen steady gains in the ratings of their Sprint Cup coverage over last year, and with no real clear-cut favorite with seven races left before the Chase for the Championship begins, there is no doubt ESPN will see the same.
ESPN made several changes heading into the Brickyard 400. Allen Bestwick, the former host of the prerace show, will become the lap-by-lap announcer, and he will be joined by analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree. The pit reporters — Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Jerry Punch and Vince Welch — remain the same, and Tim Brewer will continue to be in the ESPN Tech Garage.
Meanwhile, Nicole Briscoe will become the regular “NASCAR Countdown” host before all NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series telecasts on ESPN after serving as a fill-in host since 2010. Briscoe will work with analysts Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty in the ESPN Pit Studio.
Briscoe, the wife of IndyCar driver Ryan Briscoe, talked earlier this week about her new role and about the wide-open season in the Sprint Cup Series.
Briscoe on why there’s no real favorite so far this year » “I don’t know why but I love it. I really think that a number of teams came into this season focused on making the Chase field. There was a real concentration by car owners, drivers, crew chiefs that we are going to use the new fuel, the new rules and the points system to put ourselves in contention for a title this year. Each week we see it with different winners, and I really think the fans love that there really is no one dominate race team or driver — at least thus far.”
Briscoe on her new job » “It is so wonderful that I get to start my new role as host in Indianapolis. That is where I began to cover racing. It is where I came to really understand the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and where my love or racing began. As for working with Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty, that will be great. We are already good friends, and so I know they will be super. As for my role, if I can take the viewers and give them the real behind-the-scenes look at the sport and tell them some fun stories along the way, then I will have done my job.”
Examiner columnist Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!
