ESPN will televise the 10 races that make up the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, beginning with the Sunday, Sept. 16, GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway and ending Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. NASCAR’s version of the playoffs, the 10 races will determine the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion.

Nine of the 10 races will air on ESPN on Sunday afternoons, with the Saturday night, Oct. 13, race at Charlotte Motor Speedway airing in prime time on ABC. Elements of ESPN’s coverage of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup include:

NASCAR NonStop — ESPN’s telecasts of the 10 races in the Chase will have a different look with the return of NASCAR NonStop, a split-screen commercial format designed to bring more racing action to viewers. The format, which debuted in ESPN’s 2011 coverage of the Chase, will show the advertisement on the left side of the screen and a continuation of racing action on the right side. ESPN’s scoring ticker will continue to move across the top of the screen, allowing NASCAR fans to follow the running order of the race during the breaks. NASCAR NonStop will take effect at or near the halfway point of the race, with the first half of the race presented in the traditional commercial break format

WatchESPN — All NASCAR programming on ESPN and ESPN2 is available on computers at WatchESPN.com and on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider. Included will be the nine Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup races airing on ESPN as well as selected practice and qualifying sessions airing on ESPN2, and ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now. ESPN and ESPN2’s telecasts of NASCAR Nationwide Series races, practices and qualifying sessions also appear on WatchESPN.

SportsCenter – ESPN’s flagship news and information program SportsCenter will air immediately following the nine Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup events airing on ESPN with expanded post-race coverage, including exclusive interviews with the race winners. ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven will be in the SportsCenter studio for the post-race analysis and as he has done for the past two years, NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Carl Edwards will join SportsCenter live from the track following each Chase race with additional analysis from the perspective of a driver who just competed in the event. For the last three races of the season, which start after 3 p.m. ET, ESPN has scheduled an additional SportsCenter to air from 1-2 p.m. leading into NASCAR Countdown. Content of the additional program will be heavy on NASCAR pre-race.

NASCAR Now — The weekend wrap-up edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now returns for the Chase and will air on Sunday nights after the nine Sunday afternoon races in the Chase. The one-hour race morning edition of NASCAR Now will continue to air on the morning of all NASCAR Sprint Cup races for the rest of the season. NASCAR fans should check their local listings for the times of both weekend programs.

ESPN Radio – ESPN NASCAR analyst Dale Jarrett will appear each Friday morning on ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike in the Morning program (6-10 a.m. ET M-F, simulcast ESPN2) during the 10 weeks of the Chase. Analyst Rusty Wallace will appear each Thursday afternoon on ESPN Radio’s The Scott Van Pelt Show (1-4 p.m. M-F, simulcast 1-3 p.m. ESPNEWS). Each weekend morning, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. 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.

ESPN.com — In addition to the enhanced coverage ESPN.com will provide via WatchESPN, the site will include seven-day-a-week analysis of all things related to the Chase. NASCAR Now will provide up-to-date coverage Monday-Friday, including the daily “NASCAR Now Minute.” Race day video highlights from SportsCenter as well as analysis from the ESPN booth crew will round out ESPN.com’s video offerings. ESPN.com writers Terry Blount, Ed Hinton, David Newton, Marty Smith and Ryan McGee will lead coverage with insightful columns, features and blogs.

ESPN Deportes — ESPN’s Spanish-language television, radio and Internet in the U.S. will televise all 10 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup races airing on ESPN networks on a delayed basis, starting with the GEICO 400 from Chicagoland Speedway at 4 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 17. ESPN Deportes’ NASCAR commentator team will feature Andrés Agulla (play-by-play) and Alex Pombo (analysis). In addition to the telecasts of the races, ESPN Deportes will have segments for its edition of SportsCenter.

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 134 countries and territories around the world. In addition, U.S. troops and their families serving around the world and Navy ships at sea can watch the season through American Forces Network.

ESPN Mobile – ESPN’s mobile platforms 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 app and sign up to receive customizable alerts to follow their favorite drivers during the race.

Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule on ESPN Networks

(all times Eastern)

                                                                                                NASCAR                                 Green

Date                        Location                                                 Countdown            Flag        Network

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 on Xbox LIVE, 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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Contact:           Andy Hall at 386-492-2246, [email protected].