Live Blogging Nationwide Series From TMS (ESPN2 - Noon ET)

This should be interesting! There have been a ton of announcements about the drivers and teams in the Nationwide Series for next year made this weekend in Texas. Instead of a lower level series struggling to survive, suddenly with a new car and names like Elliott Sadler, Justin Allgaier and Brian Scott racing fulltime things are looking up.

These stories should dominate the pre-race show on ESPN2 at noon ET. Allen Bestwick will host with Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty alongside in the Infield Pit Studio. These three have had a rocky season, with Rusty's emotional outbursts and Brad's endless cheerleading balanced only by Bestwick's patient approach to the sport.

With the season winding down and the NNS being pushed to the back burner again by ESPN, it should be interesting to watch just how much of this program revolves around the current Sprint Cup Series drivers racing on Saturday.

Marty Reid, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree have been having a nice and relaxed weekend so far. ESPN has not done much of the TMS coverage, leaving the heavy lifting to SPEED once again. This trio is struggling on the Cup side but still has a good attitude about the Nationwide Series races.

Jarrett and Petree are both former team owners and they seem to be genuinely interested in the young drivers making their way in the sport through this series. These two have a ton of potential, but Reid does not have a lot of NASCAR knowledge and his descriptions of the Nationwide teams and drivers are often a bit off-target.

The positives that ESPN has to work with is the spectacular weather at Texas that has resulted in a amazingly fast track. The racing should be great with a mix of Cup drivers, Nationwide regulars and some one-timers to spice up the show.

ESPN is the exclusive TV network of the Nationwide Series and promised back in 2007 to make it a showpiece. As this season ends amid ongoing college football problems and boring races dominated by a handful of Cup drivers, at least there is hope on the horizon for 2011.

This post will serve to host your comments on the ESPN2 telecast of the Nationwide Series from Texas. To add your TV-related comments, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for taking the time to join us today.

Live Blogging Camping World Truck Series From Texas (8:30PM - SPEED)

That is 18 year-old Johanna Long shown above with Steve Byrnes after a Race Hub interview. An up and coming driver who has worked her way through the ranks, Long will start 9th tonight in the truck race. There are lots of good stories in this field.

Krista Voda starts the night with The Setup at 8:30PM ET. Ray Dunlap and Adam Alexander are the pit reporters. The race starts shortly after 9PM. Rick Allen, Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip will call the action.

TMS has just been very fast today with the low temps and the big power the engines have been making. It should get down into the upper 40's during the truck race.

SPEED is coming off perhaps one of the best truck series telecasts in years. Talladega was done right from start to finish and the reviews were outstanding. TMS should give the TV team another opportunity to show what is right with NASCAR TV coverage.

This post will host your comments about the SPEED telecast of the CWTS from TMS. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for stopping by.

Set It And Forget It: Friday At TMS Is On SPEED

The season is winding down and all three of NASCAR's national touring series are at the Texas Motor Speedway for some high speed action. TV coverage begins on Friday and SPEED has it all.

The day starts at 10AM with Nationwide Series practice. Steve Byrnes will be teamed with Larry McReynolds and Jeff Hammond all day long for coverage.

Ray Dunlap is next with NASCAR Live at 11:30AM. Dunlap will have Phil Parsons, Hermie Sadler and Randy Pemberton working on this show.

After a break for Formula One coverage from Brazil, Steve Byrnes is back at 1:30PM with Nationwide and then Sprint Cup Series practice. Bob Dillner and Wendy Venturini are the reporters.

The first featured telecast is Sprint Cup Series qualifying at 4:30PM ET. This is a big session with a lot on the line for many teams for a wide variety of reasons.

The gang is back together on Trackside at 7PM with Elliott Sadler added to the Byrnes, Hammond and McReynolds trio. Early Thursday evening reporter Jim Utter of thatsracin.com broke the story that Sadler will be leaving the Sprint Cup Series in 2011 and running for the Nationwide Series championship for Kevin Harvick Inc. It should be interesting to hear what Sadler has to say on that issue.

Terry and Bobby Labonte are also guests. So is Steven Turner. He is the powerhouse business executive behind the emerging Turner Motorsports. He purchased Braun Racing and seems set to present a strong multi-team presence in both the trucks and Nationwide Series next season. Justin Allgaier is rumored to be joining that team full time for 2011 as well. Talk about a jam-packed hour!

Trucks are next with the pre-race at 8:30PM and the racing underway shortly after 9PM ET. The SPEED crew are coming off one of the best truck telecasts of the season at Talladega. With Texas always hosting great racing for this series, it may be that the TV gang is peaking at the right time. We will live blog this event.

Nicole Briscoe and the ESPN2 NASCAR Now gang end the night with a midnight ET edition of preview and review. Highlights of the day's action will be mixed with reporting from Shannon Spake and a preview of the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races on the weekend.

As we watch SPEED go through the TV day on Friday, please feel free to add your comments about the coverage. Just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for stopping by.