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NASCAR Countdown is aNASCARSprint Cup Series andNationwide Series prerace show that debuted on February 17, 2007. It was a live on-site pre-race show for allSprint Cup andNationwide Series races televised onESPN,ESPN2 andABC. It came as a result ofESPN getting broadcast rights toNASCAR races, including theChase for the Sprint Cup.

The program was also available inhigh-definition on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. Along with the press release of this program,ESPN also announced plans for a daily show devoted toNASCAR entitledNASCAR Now.NASCAR Countdown was telecast from a new, state-of-the-art mobile pit studio, similar toNASCAR on Fox's "Hollywood Hotel."

At Sprint Cup events, the program was always hosted byNicole Briscoe. Joining Briscoe was five-timeNBA All-Star and former winningNASCAR team ownerBrad Daugherty and former Cup championRusty Wallace.Andy Petree andDale Jarrett also contributed to the program from the broadcast booth.

• On February 17, at theOrbitz 300 atDaytona International Speedway,Brent Musburger broadcast from a separate studio between turns 3 and 4, whileChris Fowler took his place in the pit studio alongside Daugherty and Tim Brewer. Both sets were used in the program.
• On March 4, Fowler substituted for Musburger again, this time as the only host. ESPN did not explain Musburger's absence, but the race was held inMexico City and it is possible that Musburger could not enterMexico due to a lack of a validpassport. (Since January 23, 2007,U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE for short, has required all visitors from the U.S. to either Canada or Mexico to carry passports in those countries. The law took immediate effect for air travelers, such as those working the NASCAR on ESPN broadcasts.)[1]
• On March 10, the first of the six races on broadcast sister ABC, the two-studio setup returned atLas Vegas Motor Speedway and Musburger and Fowler co-hosted once again.
• In addition to Musburger and Fowler,Erik Kuselias andAllen Bestwick have served as hosts.
• Countdown was pre-empted in consecutive weeks on April 7 and 14 becausewomen's tennis matches, the preceding programs on ESPN2, ran long both weeks. It was also pre-empted on October 13 because the Arizona-Southern California football game ran longer than anticipated that day.
• Musburger returned as the host for the June 30, 2007 Busch Series telecast from New Hampshire on ABC.

• NASCAR on ESPN
• NASCAR Now
• ESPN auto racing broadcast teams

• TruckSeries.com: Musburger, Wallace, Punch Headline ESPN/ABC NASCAR Team

• Motor Sports at ESPN.tv
• NASCAR at ESPN.com

• 2007 American television series debuts
• 2000s American sports television series
• 2010s American sports television series
• ESPN original programming
• ESPN2 original programming
• American Broadcasting Company original programming
• NASCAR on television

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