POSTED: Sunday September 9th 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

As Seen and Heard on ESPN on ABC?s NASCAR Countdown from Richmond International Raceway

The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series returned to ABC for the first time in seven years Saturday night for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Virginia?s Richmond International Raceway. ESPN on ABC?s Suzy Kolber hosted NASCAR Countdown; the race telecast began at 8 p.m. ET. Some NASCAR Countdown highlights:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Trying to Make the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup

NASCAR COUNTDOWN HOST SUZY KOLBER ? ?There?s Dale Earnhardt Jr. with the Elvis paint job. He hasn?t left the building yet. A long shot, but it can happen.?

How important are brakes on a short track?

TWO-TIME NASCAR CHAMPION CREW CHIEF TIM BREWER FROM ESPN DISH TECH CENTER WITH THE CHEVY CUTAWAY CAR ? ?Brakes are so important because without them, you can?t win the race. The weakest point in the system is the brake fluid. Therefore we?re going to induce all the airflow we can on the brakes to keep them as cool as possible. You?ve got this brake pad against this rotor creating a phenomenal amount of heat. What that?s going to do is transfer over to the piston. Well right behind the piston, that?s where the fluid is located. And when you boil the fluid, the pedal?s going to get really soft, the brake pedal?s going to go away, it?s going to fade, you have no brake, and there went your chance of winning the race.?

Are you ready for the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup?

DEFENDING NASCAR NEXTEL CUP CHAMPION JIMMIE JOHNSON ? ?I think the rhythm the team has now going into the Chase is important. We?ve done things right the last couple of weeks and we need to keep that going and keep this energy alive and this momentum that we have going.? 

About NASCAR on ESPN:

ESPN and ESPN on ABC have comprehensive, multi-platform coverage featuring telecasts of the final 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races, including the 10-race ?Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup? championship on ESPN on ABC. Additionally, ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Busch Series all season. For the first time in the history of televised motorsports, all programming is being produced totally in High Definition. ESPN?s comprehensive, multimedia NASCAR coverage will extend to ESPN.com, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, SportsCenter, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPNRadio, ESPN360.com and ESPN International, among other ESPN platforms. ESPN aired 262 NASCAR Cup Races over a 20-year period starting in 1981. The network’s award-winning, live flag-to-flag coverage on ESPN was honored with 17 Sports Emmy Awards, as well as many industry honors. ESPN is widely credited for helping to popularize the sport nationwide. NASCAR races have appeared on ABC for decades, beginning with broadcasts on the award-winning Wide World of Sports program in the 1960s.

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

For complete ESPN NASCAR NEXTEL Cup TV listings,

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Media Contact: Andy Hall at ESPN, (407) 566-2209, andy.hall@espn.com

or

Jenny Zimmerman at ESPN (407) 566-2213; jennifer.j.zimmerman@espn.com

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