Your Weekend in Motor Sports: 11/7-10, 2013

The Global Rally Cross Championship gets the racing weekend of to an early start, but Sprint Cup & Nationwide really steal the show this weekend. Here's your schedule of events followed by ESPN's press release.

Thursday, November 7

7 PM- Global Rallycross Championship- ESPN2

Friday, November 8

Noon- Nationwide: Phoenix, Practice- FS1

1:30 PM- Sprint Cup: Phoenix, Practice- FS1

3:30 PM- Nationwide: Phoenix, Practice- FS1

4:30 PM- Camping World Truck Series: Phoenix, Qualifying- FS2

5:30 PM- Sprint Cup: Phoenix, Qualifying- FS2

8:30 PM- Camping World Truck Series: Phoenix- FS1

Saturday, November 9

11:30 AM- Sprint Cup: Phoenix, Practice- FS1

12:30 PM- Nationwide: Phoenix, Qualifying- FS1

2:30 PM- Sprint Cup: Phoenix, Final Practice- FS1

4 PM- Nationwide: ServiceMaster 200- ESPN2

Sunday, November 10

8 AM- MotoGP: Valencia World Championship- FS1

3 PM- Sprint Cup: Advocare 500- ESPN
3 PM- MotoGP: Generali Grand Prix of Valencia, Moto3- FS2
4 PM- MotoGP: Generali Grand Prix of Valencia, Moto 2- FS2

7 PM- NHRA: Auto Club Finals- ESPN2

Motorsports This Week on ESPN

NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series in Phoenix Action

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is down to two races remaining and the Chase moves to the 1-mile Phoenix International Raceway this weekend for a 500-kilometer race on Sunday, Nov. 10. ESPN will have a live telecast with NASCAR Countdown at 2 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag at 3:15 p.m., with the telecast presented by Quicken Loans. The NASCAR Nationwide Series also races at PIR on Saturday, Nov. 9. ESPN2 will have a live telecast with NASCAR Countdown at 3:30 p.m. and the green flag at 4:16 p.m. All NASCAR programming on ESPN and ESPN2 is also available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app.


Announcers:
Booth: Lap-by-Lap announcer Allen Bestwick; analysts Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree.
Pit reporters: Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, Vince Welch.
NASCAR Countdown: Mike Massaro (host); Rusty Wallace; Ray Evernham, Brad Daugherty (analysts).

NHRA Season Finale at Pomona on ESPN2, ESPN3 
The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season comes to a close this weekend with the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Pomona, Calif., and drag racing fans will be able to watch action from both qualifying and eliminations on ESPN2 and ESPN3. All NHRA programming on ESPN networks is also available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app. The schedule:

Date	Time	Event	Network
Friday, Nov. 8	4:45 p.m.	Qualifying (live)	ESPN3, WatchESPN
Sunday, Nov. 10	2:30 a.m.	Qualifying	ESPN2, WatchESPN
	2 p.m.	Qualifying (re-air)	ESPN2, WatchESPN
	2 p.m.	Eliminations (live)	ESPN3, WatchESPN
	7 p.m.	Eliminations	ESPN2, WatchESPN

Announcers:
Booth: Dave Rieff (anchor); Mike Dunn (analyst)
Pit reporters: Gary Gerould, Jamie Howe, John Kernan.

Global Rallycross Season Finale in Las Vegas on ESPN2
The 2013 season for the Global Rallycross Championship comes to an end on Thursday, Nov. 7, in Las Vegas and ESPN2 will televise the race at 7 p.m. ET. RallyCross combines the best aspects of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition to deliver intense action in a variety of fan-friendly environments. Fans can expect to see door-to-door racing on a combination of dirt and asphalt surfaces, featuring drifting turns, jumps and water elements. The Las Vegas circuit is set up on the famous Las Vegas Strip.

NASCAR Now Weekend Wrap-up Show Airs Sunday night
ESPN2’s NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will review the next-to-last race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup at Phoenix International Raceway in the episode airing Sunday night, Nov. 10, at 10 p.m. ET. Host Todd Grisham will be joined in the studio by ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven with reporter Marty Smith at the track. The week’s schedule:  

Date	Time	Show	Host	Network
Tue., Nov. 5	2:30 a.m.	NASCAR Now	Todd Grisham	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Wed., Nov. 6	3 a.m.	NASCAR Now	Mike Massaro	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Thu., Nov. 7	1 a.m.	NASCAR Now	Mike Massaro	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Fri., Nov. 8	2 a.m.	NASCAR Now	Mike Massaro	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sun., Nov. 10	10 p.m.	NASCAR Now	Todd Grisham	ESPN2, WatchESPN

Motorsports on Other ESPN Platforms
ESPN.com — RacingLive! on ESPN.com is a live blog where fans can engage in debate and discussion with ESPN.com writers and editors during the NASCAR Sprint Cup races. On Sunday, Nov. 10, RacingLive! Phoenix will coincide with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. Fans can join ESPN.com’s NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/.

ESPN Radio — Each weekend morning, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. ET 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. RaceDay also features interviews with newsmakers from the IZOD IndyCar Series from correspondent Bruce Martin.

Click HERE for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series schedules on ESPN.

Click HERE for the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule on ESPN.

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Media Contact: Andy Hall, 386-492-2246 or andy.hall@espn.com

Your Weekend in Motor Sports 10/24-27

How many people knew that MAVTV carried live motor sports? It's not very often, but Lucas Oil, who owns the network, carries many of their races on MAVTV. Anyway, MAVTV will be carried on the listings here at Eye on Sky and Air Sports, and they make their debut this week. The majority of the racing action is live on FS1, but FS2, NBCSN, ESPN2, and ESPN3 all have their share. Here's this weeks motor sports schedule.

Thursday, October 24

9 AM- Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing: Pro 4 and Pro Buggy, Round 10- MAVTV

Friday, October 25

4:30 AM- Formula 1: Indian Grand Prix, Practice- NBCSN

9 AM- Camping World Truck Series: Kroger 200, Practice- FS1

10:30 AM- Camping World Truck Series: Kroger 200, Practice- FS1

Noon- Sprint Cup: Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500, Practice- FS1

3:30 PM- Sprint Cup: Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500, Qualifying- FS1

5 PM- Camping World Truck Series: Kroger 200, Qualifying- FS2

5:45 PM- NHRA: Toyota Nationals, Qualifying- ESPN3

Saturday, October 26

4:30 AM- Formula 1: Indian Grand Prix, Qualifying- NBCSN, Univision Deportes

10:30 AM- Sprint Cup: Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500, Practice- FS2

Noon- Sprint Cup: Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500, Final Practice- FS1

1:30 PM- Camping World Truck Series: Kroger 200- FS1

Sunday, October 27

Midnight- MotoGP: Japan World Championship- FS2

2:30 AM- NHRA: Toyota Nationals, Qualifying (Tape Delayed)- ESPN2

5:30 AM- Formula 1: Indian Grand Prix- NBCSN, UniMas, Univision Deportes

1:30 PM- Sprint Cup: Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500- ESPN

3 PM- NHRA: Toyota Nationals- ESPN3

5 PM- Lucas Oil Challenge Cup from Lake Elsinore- MAVTV

8 PM- NHRA: Toyota Nationals (Tape Delayed)- ESPN2 

And here's the weekly releases.

Motorsports This Week on ESPN

Chase for NASCAR Sprint Cup Goes Short Tracking  

Only four races remain in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and the Chase moves to the smallest track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule this weekend for a 500-lap race at the half-mile Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 27. ESPN will have a live telecast withNASCAR Countdown presented by Goody’s Headache Relief Shot at 1 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag at 1:43 p.m. All NASCAR programming on ESPN is also available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app.

Announcers:

Booth: Lap-by-Lap announcer Allen Bestwick; analysts Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree.

Pit reporters: Dave Burns, Mike Massaro, Dr. Jerry Punch, Vince Welch.

NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe (host); Rusty Wallace; Ray Evernham, Brad Daugherty(analysts).

NHRA in Las Vegas on ESPN2, ESPN3 

The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season is nearing its conclusion and the year’s next-to-last event will be this weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. ESPN2 and ESPN3 will air qualifying and eliminations action from the NHRA Toyota Nationals. All NHRA programming on ESPN networks is also available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app. The schedule:

Date	Time	Event	Network
Friday, Oct. 25	5:45 p.m.	Qualifying (live)	ESPN3, WatchESPN
Sunday, Oct. 27	2:30 a.m.	Qualifying	ESPN2, WatchESPN
	2 p.m.	Eliminations (live)	ESPN3, WatchESPN
	8 p.m.	Eliminations	ESPN2, WatchESPN

Announcers:

Booth: Dave Rieff (anchor); Mike Dunn (analyst)

Pit reporters: Gary Gerould, Jamie Howe, John Kernan.

NASCAR Now Weekend Wrap-up Show Airs Sunday night

ESPN2’s NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will review the seventh race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in the episode airing Sunday night, Oct. 27, at 11 p.m. ET. Host Todd Grisham will be joined in the studio by ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven with reporter Marty Smith at the track. The week’s schedule:  

Date	Time	Show	Host	Network
Tue., Oct. 12	2:30 a.m.	NASCAR Now	Mike Massaro	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Fri., Oct. 25	2 a.m.	NASCAR Now	Todd Grisham	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sun., Oct. 27	11 p.m.	NASCAR Now	Todd Grisham	ESPN2, WatchESPN

Motorsports on Other ESPN Platforms

ESPN.com — RacingLive! on ESPN.com is a live blog where fans can engage in debate and discussion with ESPN.com writers and editors during the NASCAR Sprint Cup races. On Sunday, Oct. 27, RacingLive! Martinsville will coincide with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Fans can join ESPN.com’s NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/.

ESPN Radio — Each weekend morning, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. ET 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. RaceDay also features interviews with newsmakers from the IZOD IndyCar Series from correspondent Bruce Martin.

Click HERE for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series schedules on ESPN.

Click HERE for the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule on ESPN.

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Media Contact: Andy Hall, 386-492-2246 or andy.hall@espn.com

SEBASTIAN VETTEL CAN CLINCH FOURTH CONSECUTIVE FORMULA ONE CHAMPIONSHIP AT INDIAN GRAND PRIX THIS SUNDAY ON NBCSN

Vettel Needs Top 5 Finish To Secure F1 Title

NBCSN To Provide Comprehensive Live Coverage of Practice, Qualifying and Grand Prix

Race Coverage Begins Sunday at 5 a.m. ET; Encore Presentation Airs at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

STAMFORD, Conn. – October 23, 2013 – Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) will look to win his fourth consecutive Formula One Championship at the Indian Grand Prix on Sunday at 5 a.m. ET on NBCSN, needing only a top five finish to secure the season title.

Vettel has a commanding 90-point lead over Fernando Alonso (Ferarri) in the points standings with just four races remaining. Sunday’s race marks the third running of the Indian Grand Prix. Vettel has won both previous races, and has led every single lap in the two-year history of the event. Vettel has dominated the F1 landscape this season, winning nine of 15 grand prixes, including five consecutive races dating back to the Belgian Grand Prix on August 25.

With a fourth consecutive World Championship, Vettel would tie Alain Prost (4) and trail onlyJuan Manuel Fangio (5) and Michael Schumacher (7) for the most career F1 World Championships. Vettel’s resume currently includes numerous F1 records, including youngest polesitter, youngest race winner, and youngest world champion.

Live coverage of the Indian Grand Prix begins with practice on Friday at 4:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN, followed by qualifying on NBCSN on Saturday at 4:30 a.m. ET. Live race coverage of the Indian Grand Prix begins on Sunday at 5 a.m. ET. NBCSN will also air an encore presentation of the Indian Grand Prix on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET. F1 Extra, NBC Sports Group’s half-hour post-race show, will air immediately following the conclusion of NBCSN’s Indian Grand Prix coverage.

Live coverage of practice, qualifying, and the Indian Grand Prix can also be seen on NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets.

NBCSN will also re-air last Saturday’s MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships, where Scott Dixon (Target Chip Ganassi) finished fifth to win his third career IZOD IndyCar Series championship, on Saturday at 12 a.m.

Date	Coverage	Network	Time (ET)
Fri., October 25	F1 Indian Grand Prix – Practice	NBCSN	4:30 a.m.
	F1 Indian Grand Prix – Practice (Encore)	NBCSN	10:30 p.m.
Sat., October 26	MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships (Encore)	NBCSN	12 a.m.
	TRANSLOGIC	NBCSN	2:30 a.m.
	F1 Indian Grand Prix – Qualifying	NBCSN	4:30 a.m.
Sun., October 27	F1 Indian Grand Prix – Qualifying (Encore)	NBCSN	1 a.m.
	TRANSLOGIC	NBCSN	2:30 a.m.
	F1 Indian Grand Prix	NBCSN	5 a.m.
	F1 Extra	NBCSN	7:30 a.m.
	F1 Indian Grand Prix (Encore)	NBCSN	2:30 p.m.

FORMULA ONE ON NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA: NBC Sports Live Extra — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets — will provide live comprehensive streaming coverage of the Indian Grand Prix, as well as practice and qualifying in the days preceding the race . Coverage will be streamed via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of home and on multiple platforms.

COMMENTATORS: Lead F1 announcer Leigh Diffey will call the Indian Grand Prix and will be joined by veteran analyst and former racecar driver David Hobbs, and analyst and former race mechanic for the Benetton F1 team Steve Matchett. F1 insider Will Buxton will serve as the team’s on-site reporter from the Buddh International Circuit in India.

For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.

Coverage airing on NBCSN will live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra, and to the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, and telco services, via “TV Everywhere,” which is available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of participating MVPDs.

Click here for the participating cable/satellite/telco companies offering NBC Sports Live Extra:  

http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2013/08/16/nbc-sports-live-extra-providers/

MOTORSPORTSTALK: MotorSportsTalk (@MotorSportsTalk) on NBCSports.com brings racing fans up-to-the-minute news, video and information on the IZOD IndyCar Series, Formula One, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and all other motorsports racing from around the world. The site also serves as the destination for all news, analysis and video from NBC and NBCSN productions of IndyCar and F1, including contributions from on-air commentators.

MotorSportsTalk’s content is provided by top racing journalists and expert analysts, including:

• Keith Collantine (@KeithCollantine), editor and creator of the F1Fanatic blog;
• Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) creator of the F1 site RichlandF1.com;
• Tony DiZinno (@TonyDiZinno), who has written for RACER Magazine and has covered IndyCar and NASCAR since 2006;
• Writer Christopher Estrada (@estradawriting) who has written for the Boston Globe, FoxSports.com, created the Indy Racing Revolution blog and is a contributor to IndyCar’s IndyCar Nation blog.

To explore the site, please visit MotorSportsTalk.com.nbcsports.com or www.NBCSports.com.

SOCIAL: Follow @MotorsportsTalk, @F1onNBCSports and @NBCSN on Twitter and “like” Facebook.com/NBC Sports for the most up-to-date news, videos and commentary about Formula One on NBC Sports and NBCSN.

For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com.

– NBC Sports Group –

Your Weekend in MotorSports 10/18-20

Friday, October 18

10:30 AM- Camping World Truck Series: Talladega 250, Practice- FS1

2:30 PM- Sprint Cup: Camping World RV Sales 500, Practice- FS1

4 PM- Sprint Cup: Camping World RV Sales 500, Final Practice- FS1

5 PM- Camping World Truck Series: Talladega 250, Qualifying- FS2

7 PM- IndyCar: MAVTV 500, Qualifying- NBCSN

Saturday, October 19

9 AM- FIM Superbike World Championships, Superpole: Spain, Race 1- beIN

11 AM- American Le Mans: Alms Petit- FS2

Noon- Sprint Cup: Camping World RV Sales 500, Qualifying- FS2

2:30 PM- American Le Mans: Alms Petit- FS2

4 PM- Camping World Truck Series: Talladega 250- FS1

6:30 PM- American Le Mans Series: Alms Petit- FS1

8 PM- IndyCar: MAVTV 500- NBCSN

8 PM- American Le Mans: Alms Petit- FS2

9 PM- Monster Energy Cup: Las Vegas- FS2

Sunday, October 20

5:45 AM- FIM Superbikes World Championships 2013: Spain, Race 1 & 2- beIN

9 AM- Moto GP: Tissot Australian Grand Prix- FS1

2 PM- Sprint Cup: Camping World RV Sales 500- ESPN

4 PM- Pirelli World Challenge Auto Racing- NBCSN
8 PM- Australian V8 Supercars: Bathurst 1000- FS2

Motorsports This Week on ESPN

It’s Talladega Time for NASCAR Sprint Cup

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series moves to Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway this weekend and the 2.66-mile track that often produces some of the most dramatic and exciting races in NASCAR will host a 500-mile event on Sunday, Oct. 20. ESPN will televise the sixth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with NASCAR Countdown airing at 1 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag at 2:19 p.m. The telecast is presented by 5 Hour Energy. All NASCAR programming on ESPN is also available on computers, smartphones and tablets throughWatchESPN and the WatchESPN app.

Announcers:

Booth: Lap-by-Lap announcer Allen Bestwick; analysts Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree.

Pit reporters: Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, Vince Welch.

NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe (host); Rusty Wallace; Ray Evernham, Brad Daugherty(analysts).

Matt Kenseth to Visit ESPN Thursday

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point leader Matt Kenseth, winner of seven races this season, will visit ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Ct., on Thursday, Oct. 17, and will appear on a variety of ESPN programs and platforms. Kenseth’s appearance is in advance of the Oct. 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway, the sixth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Kenseth will be at ESPN from 1-6:30 p.m. ET and is expected to be onSportsCenter and NASCAR Now and to conduct a live chat on ESPN.com among his appearances.

NASCAR Now Weekend Wrap-up Show Airs Sunday night

ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will review the sixth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in the episode airing Sunday night, Oct. 20, at 11 p.m. ET. Host Mike Massaro will be joined in the studio by ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven with reporter Marty Smith at the track. The week’s schedule:  

Date	Time	Show	Host	Network
Tue., Oct. 15	2 a.m.	NASCAR Now	Mike Massaro	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Thu., Oct. 17	2:30 a.m.	NASCAR Now	Mike Massaro	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Fri., Oct. 18	1:30 a.m.	NASCAR Now	Mike Massaro	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sat., Oct. 19	1:30 a.m.	NASCAR Now	Mike Massaro	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sun., Oct. 20	11 p.m.	NASCAR Now	Mike Massaro	ESPN2, WatchESPN

Motorsports on Other ESPN Platforms

ESPN.com — RacingLive! on ESPN.com is a live blog where fans can engage in debate and discussion with ESPN.com writers and editors during the NASCAR Sprint Cup races. On Sunday, Oct. 20, RacingLive! Talladega will coincide with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Fans can join ESPN.com’s NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/.

ESPN Radio — Each weekend morning, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. ET 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. RaceDay also features interviews with newsmakers from the IZOD IndyCar Series from correspondent Bruce Martin.

Click HERE for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series schedules on ESPN.

Click HERE for the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule on ESPN.

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Media Contact: Andy Hall, 386-492-2246 or andy.hall@espn.com

SCOTT DIXON AND HELIO CASTRONEVES BATTLE FOR INDYCAR TITLE IN MAVTV 500 INDYCAR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS SATURDAY ON NBCSN

Dixon Leads Castroneves Heading Into Final Race  of 2013 Season at Fontana

“Castroneves has the pressure on him. He’s not getting much sleep this week.”
– NBCSN IndyCar Analyst Wally Dallenbach

Live Race Coverage of the MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships Begins Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Championship Preview Special Airs Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN

STAMFORD, Conn. – October 16, 2013 – Scott Dixon (Target Chip Ganassi) and Helio Castroneves (Penske) battle for the 2013 IndyCar Championship in the final race of the season, the MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships this Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Dixon holds a 25-point advantage in the standings over Castroneves, the only driver who can overtake Dixon to win the 2013 championship, after registering first- and second-place finishes at the Grand Prix of Houston doubleheader. Dixon is a two-time IndyCar Series Champion (2003 & 2008); Castroneves, a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner and 13-year veteran of the IndyCar Series, hopes to clinch his first career season-series title.

NBCSN’s coverage of the MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships begins on Friday with qualifying at 7 p.m. ET. Live race coverage of the MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships begins on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Coverage of the Lefty’s Kids Club 100, part of IndyCar’s Indy Lights developmental series, will precede the IndyCar World Championships on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

COMMENTATORS: NBC Sports Group’s IndyCar and Formula One play-by-play voice Leigh Diffeywill call the IndyCar World Championships at Fontana. Diffey will be joined in the booth this week by former drivers Townsend Bell and Wally Dallenbach. Reporters Jon Beekhuis, Kevin Lee,Marty Snider and Robin Miller will manage the pits. Mike King, Davey Hamilton and Jake Query will have the call of the Indy Lights Fontana race.

Following are quotes from Dallenbach on the final weekend of the IndyCar season:

Dallenbach on the 2013 IndyCar season: “This has been one of the best seasons in IndyCar that I can remember. It’s been great for IndyCar that these past few seasons have come down to the final race.”

Dallenbach on Castroneves feeling the pressure: “There’s no question, Castroneves has the pressure on him. He’s not getting much sleep this week. He may say he doesn’t feel it, but he does, because he’s never won a championship, and he wants it bad. It’s amazing he’s never won a championship in IndyCar, because he’s certainly good enough.”

Dallenbach on approaches for Castroneves and Dixon: “Helio has the advantage going into the weekend. He is strong on these types of race tracks, and I believe his Chevrolet has the edge on these race tracks. Dixon’s got one thing on his mind this weekend, and that’s to stay in front of Helio. His mission is pretty simple.”

In addition to NBCSN’s coverage, NBC Sports Live Extra — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets — will present live coverage of the MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships on Saturday night.

This week’s motorsports coverage begins with NBCSN’s IndyCar Championship Preview on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. In addition to episodes of TRANSLOGIC and Auctions America, NBCSN will also air a one-hour special featuring the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Series.

Date	Coverage	Network	Time (ET)
Thu., October 17	IndyCar Championship Preview	NBCSN	8 p.m.
	Auctions America	NBCSN	10:30 p.m.
	TRANSLOGIC	NBCSN	11 p.m.
	TRANSLOGIC	NBCSN	11:30 p.m.
Fri., October 18	USF 2000	NBCSN	1:30 a.m.
	TRANSLOGIC	NBCSN	2:30 a.m.
	IndyCar World Championships – Qualifying	NBCSN	7 p.m.
Sat., October 19	Indy Lights – Lefty’s Kids Clup 100	NBCSN	7 p.m.
	MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships	NBCSN	8 p.m.

INDYCAR ON NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA: NBC Sports Live Extra — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets — will live stream the MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships on Saturday. Coverage will be streamed via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.

Coverage airing on NBCSN will live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra, and to the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, and telco services, via “TV Everywhere,” which is available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of participating MVPDs.

Click here for the participating cable/satellite/telco companies offering NBC Sports Live Extra:  

http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2013/08/16/nbc-sports-live-extra-providers/

MOTORSPORTSTALK: MotorSportsTalk (@MotorSportsTalk) on NBCSports.com brings racing fans up-to-the-minute news, video and information on the IZOD IndyCar Series, Formula One, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and all other motorsports racing from around the world. The site also serves as the destination for all news, analysis and video from NBC and NBCSN productions of IndyCar and F1, including contributions from on-air commentators.

MotorSportsTalk’s content is provided by top racing journalists and expert analysts, including:

• Keith Collantine (@KeithCollantine), editor and creator of the F1Fanatic blog;
• Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) creator of the F1 site RichlandF1.com;
• Tony DiZinno (@TonyDiZinno), who has written for RACER Magazine and has covered IndyCar and NASCAR since 2006;
• Writer Christopher Estrada (@estradawriting) who has written for the Boston Globe, FoxSports.com, created the Indy Racing Revolution blog and is a contributor to IndyCar’s IndyCar Nation blog.

To explore the site, please visit MotorSportsTalk.com.nbcsports.com or www.NBCSports.com.

SOCIAL: Follow @MotorsportsTalk, @F1onNBCSports and @NBCSN on Twitter and “like” Facebook.com/NBC Sports for the most up-to-date news, videos and commentary about Formula One on NBC Sports and NBCSN.

For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com.

– NBC Sports Group –