''ESPN SpeedWorld'' (formerly ''Auto Racing '79–'86'') is a former television series broadcast on

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

from 1979 to 2006. The program that was based primarily based around

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

CART A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by draught animals such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs. A handcart ...

IMSA The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) is a North American sports car racing sanctioning body based in Daytona Beach, Florida, under the jurisdiction of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States, ACCUS arm of the Féd ...

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

, NHRA, and IHRA. The theme music is based on the piano interlude from " 18th Avenue (Kansas City Nightmare)" by

Cat Stevens Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; ), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and musician. He has sold more than 100 million records and has more than two billion st ...

History

''ESPN Auto Racing'' (1979–1986)

When

debuted in 1979, one of the first sporting events that they covered was auto racing. Initially the name of the show routinely changed to fit with the corresponding year at the time. Thus, when the program debuted, it was called ''Auto Racing '79'', and then ''Auto Racing '80'', ''Auto Racing '81'' and so forth. This practice was dropped after 1986, when the name of the program was changed to ''SpeedWorld''. The original commentators were primarily Bob Jenkins and Larry Nuber, who covered many diverse types of competition. Ultimately, by

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

, ''SpeedWorlds coverage encompassed not only

IndyCar IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with the Indianapolis ...

NASCAR Winston Cup The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...

(and its feeder series such as Busch Grand National, ASA, and ARCA), and IMSA Sportscar Racing, but also racing less familiar to the average person, such as NHRA

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, mos ...

, USAC sprints and midgets,

rallying Rallying is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (sometimes called "rally racing" in United States), navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed ...

motorcycle racing The motorcycle sport of racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) includes motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Other categories include hill climbs, drag racing and ...

, monster trucks and more. So many types of racing that were vastly different meant that specialization in broadcasting teams was necessary, so while Jenkins and Nuber continued with Winston Cup coverage, newer faces such as Paul Page and

Bob Varsha Robert August Varsha (born April 21, 1951) is an American broadcast journalist who specializes in covering motorsports. He is best known for being the lap-by-lap commentator for Formula 1 and Champ Car, CART series races for ESPN, ABC Sports, and ...

began to take their places for broadcasts of other racing.

Impact of NASCAR

ESPN began showing NASCAR races in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

with the first event being at North Carolina Motor Speedway, which brought NASCAR to huge popularity. The last of its 265 Cup telecasts (that number includes some on

ABC Sports ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial America ...

) was the

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

fall race (now the

Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 The Ambetter Health 400 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car racing, stock car race held at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. Christopher Bell (racing driver), Christopher Bell is the defending race winner. This race was originally Atlanta ...

). ESPN and ESPN2 continued to air

Craftsman Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck-based stock car racing, s ...

races in 2001 and 2002.

''SpeedWorlds final years

After losing the rights to NASCAR Winston Cup (and Busch Series) broadcasts for the 2001 season (as well as Formula One to Speedvision in , although for a while when Speedvision/Speed Channel aired Formula One, ABC were allowed to broadcast selected, mostly North American, Grands Prix), ESPN slowly began losing the remainder of their racing to other networks. For their 2002 season,

signed a TV contract with

Speed Channel Speed was an American sports-oriented cable and satellite television network that was owned by the Fox Sports Media Group division of 21st Century Fox. The network was dedicated to motorsports programming, including auto racing, as well as a ...

and CBS, ending ESPN's partnership with CART that had begun 20 years before. NASCAR's

left ESPN, also for Speed Channel, in

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

. For

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

the

International Race of Champions International Race of Champions (IROC) was a North American auto racing competition, created by Les Richter, Roger Penske and Mike Phelps, promoted as an American-motorsports equivalent of an all-star game. Despite its name, IROC was primarily ...

likewise moved to the Speed Channel. Since ESPN's reporters were no longer allowed (by NASCAR) to report from within the racetrack for RPM 2Night segments (due to their contract with Fox and NBC/ TNT), the weeknight show eventually came to an end. However, ESPN was not completely without racing, as

Indy Racing League IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing Governing body, sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two Auto racing, racing series: the premier IndyCar Serie ...

, its Indy Pro Series development championship, and the NHRA were still on ESPN's lineup. The ''SpeedWorld'' blanket title was discontinued in 2006; the final event aired under the branding was an NHRA championship event in Pomona Raceway. Sister network ABC maintained a package of IndyCar events produced by ESPN (pay television rights are held by

NBCSN NBCSN (also known as NBC Sports Network) was an American sports television television channel, channel owned by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It originally launched on July 1, 1995, as the Outdoor Lif ...

). NASCAR events would return to ESPN and ABC from 2007 to 2014, holding rights to the NASCAR Sprint Cup and

Nationwide Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

; these events were instead branded as '' NASCAR on ESPN''. After the NHRA left ESPN for Fox after the 2015 season and the

IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, officially known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons, is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies sinc ...

left after

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, the only motorsports coverage on the ESPN networks are

races on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 (which is simulcast with

Comcast Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...

-owned British broadcaster

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...

) and, for 2023, the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) series, which saw the revival of the Thursday Night Thunder name.

On-air staff

''This list does NOT include those who appeared on the air on ABC only, or were not a part of

before 2007.''

Commentators

* Griff Allen (NHRA) * Jack Arute (IndyCar and occasional NASCAR broadcasts) *John Bisignano (Formula One) *Mike Chamberlin (off road racing - such as MTEG) * Rick DeBruhl (IMSA, Thursday Night Thunder and occasional F1 broadcasts) * Dave Despain (

, AMA Supercross, AMA Flat Track and USAC, including ''Saturday Night Thunder'') * Ray Dunlap (occasional

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck-based stock car racing, s ...

broadcasts in its early years, Hooters Pro Cup) *Art Eckman (AMA Supercross) * Chris Economaki (

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

qualifying) *Bruce Flanders (

Trans-Am The Trans-Am Series presented by Pirelli is a sports car racing series held in North America. Founded in 1966, it is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Primarily based in the United States, the series competes on a variety of ...

) *Robbie Floyd (AMA Supercross) * Gary Gerould (

, Dayton Indy Lights, NHRA) * Eli Gold (NASCAR as a co-commentator / analyst - primarily in 1981) * Todd Harris (

) * Bob Jenkins (NASCAR, select IMSA races, select ARCA races, select F1 races, CART IndyCar, and IRL) * Mike Joy (early NASCAR broadcasts, including ESPN's first live NASCAR race at

, World of Outlaws) * Mike King ( IRL Indy Pro Series) *Brian Kreisky (Formula 1 - primarily in 1983) *Gary Lee (USAC - including ''Saturday Night Thunder'',

Indy Lights Indy NXT (pronounced "Indy Next"), previously Indy Lights, is an American developmental automobile racing series sanctioned by IndyCar, currently known as INDY NXT by Firestone for sponsorship reasons. Indy NXT is the highest step on the Roa ...

) *Larry Maiers (AMA Supercross) *Dave McClelland (NHRA) *Chris McClure ( American Racing Series) * Larry Nuber (NASCAR, USAC, IHRA, Formula One and IndyCar) * Paul Page (

, IRL, IMSA, and NHRA) * Dr. Jerry Punch (NASCAR) * Marty Reid (IRL, NASCAR, NHRA, off road racing (SCORE, CORR), Chili Bowl) *Mike Raymond ( NASCAR in Australia in 1988 - simulcast of

Seven Sport Seven Sport is the brand and production department under which all sporting events on the Australian Seven Network#Sport, Seven Network are broadcast. It broadcasts some of Australia's most prominent sporting events, such as the Australian Foot ...

coverage) * Ken Squier (IMSA, Barber Saab Pro Series) *

Jackie Stewart Sir John Young "Jackie" Stewart (born 11 June 1939) is a British former racing driver, sports broadcasting, broadcaster and motorsport executive from Scotland, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Flying Scottish people, Scot" ...

(Formula One) * Simon Taylor (Formula One - primarily in 1984) *

(

, IHRA & Sports Car events such as the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...

) * John Watson (Formula One - primarily in 1997)

Expert analysts (drivers and crew chiefs)

* Bill Adam (IMSA and other Sports Car races) *

David Bailey David Royston Bailey (born 2 January 1938) is an English photographer and director, most widely known for his fashion photography and portraiture, and role in shaping the image of the Swinging Sixties. Bailey has also directed several televisio ...

(AMA Supercross) *

Jon Beekhuis Jon Beekhuis (; born March 31, 1960) is an United States of America, American former race car driver. Beekhuis was born in Zurich, Switzerland while his American father was studying at ETH Zurich, and grew up in California. The 1988 American Racing ...

(CART Indy Lights, occasional CART Champ Car races) * Derek Bell (Formula One) * Robbie Buhl ( Indy Pro Series) *

Doc Bundy Harry "Doc" Bundy (born January 25, 1946) from Scio, Ohio, is an American former race car driver who competed in IMSA (International Motor Sports Association), 24 Hours of Le Mans, NASCAR Rolex Grand-Am Sports Car Series, American Le Mans Series ...

(junior

formula racing Formula racing, also known as open-wheel racing in North America, is any of several forms of open-wheeled single-seater motorsport. A "formula", first devised by FIA for its post–World War II single-seater races, is a set of regulations for ...

series, such as Barber Saab) *

Jeff Burton Jeffrey Tyler Burton (born June 29, 1967), nicknamed "the Mayor", is an American former professional stock car racing driver and current racing commentator. He is a member of the Burton racing family. He scored 23 career victories in the NASCAR ...

(

, or IROC) * Steve Chassey (''Saturday Night Thunder'') *

Eddie Cheever Edward McKay Cheever Jr. (born January 10, 1958) is an American former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to , CART between 1986 and 1995, and IndyCar between 1996 and 2006. In American open-wheel racing ...

(Formula One - primarily in 1996) * Peter Collins (occasional Formula One races, such as the 1987 Mexican Grand Prix) * Jeremy Dale (Craftsman Truck Series) * Derek Daly (Formula One and IndyCar) *

Rob Dyson Robert Richard "Rob" Dyson (born June 21, 1946) is a retired United States, American sports car racing driver and owner of Dyson Racing. Dyson began competing in amateur SCCA competition in 1974 and began racing professionally in IMSA GTO and th ...

(occasional IMSA GTP races) *

Gil de Ferran Gil de Ferran (11 November 1967 – 29 December 2023) was a Brazilian professional racing driver and team owner. De Ferran was the 2000 and 2001 Champ Car champion driving for Team Penske and the winner of the 2003 Indianapolis 500. He also ...

(Indy Racing League in 2004) *

Ray Evernham Raymond Donald Evernham Jr. (born August 26, 1957) is an American consultant for Rick Hendrick, Hendrick Companies, formerly an auto racing crew chief for Bill Davis Racing and Hendrick Motorsports, owner of his own team Evernham Motorsports fr ...

(occasional NASCAR Cup, IROC & NASCAR Truck races - primarily on ABC broadcasts) *

Chip Ganassi Floyd "Chip" Ganassi Jr. (born May 24, 1958) is an American businessman, former racing driver, current team owner and member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. He has been involved with the North American auto racing scene for over 30 ye ...

(

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

Mid-Ohio IndyCar 200) *

Don Garlits Donald Glenn Garlits (born January 14, 1932) is an American race car driver and automotive engineer. Born in Tampa, Florida, Garlits is considered the father of drag racing, he is known as "Big Daddy" to drag racing fans around the world. A pion ...

(NHRA) * Tom Gloy (

, Formula Atlantics) *

Scott Goodyear Donald Scott Goodyear (born December 20, 1959) is a Canadian retired racing driver. He competed in CART Championship cars and the Indy Racing League. Along with Michael Andretti, Goodyear is the only driver to have won the Michigan 500 more th ...

(Indy Racing League and IROC) *

Davey Hamilton David Jay "Davey" Hamilton (born June 13, 1962, in Nampa, Idaho) is a race car driver who competed in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series and Stadium Super Trucks. He has made 56 series starts and while never winning a race, finished second thr ...

(Indy Pro Series) * Bobby Hillin Jr. (occasional NASCAR Late Model races) * David Hobbs (Formula One and Sports Car racing) *

Innes Ireland Robert McGregor Innes Ireland (12 June 1930 – 22 October 1993) was a British racing driver and journalist, who competed in Formula One from to . Ireland won the 1961 United States Grand Prix with Lotus. Born in Mytholmroyd and raised in S ...

(occasional Formula One races, such as Monza in 1987) *

Ned Jarrett Ned Jarrett (born October 12, 1932) is an American former race car driver and broadcaster. He is a two-time NASCAR Grand National Series champion. Because of his calm demeanor, he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett". He is the father of form ...

(NASCAR and ARCA) * Gordon Johncock (IndyCar) *

Parker Johnstone Parker Johnstone III (born March 27, 1961) is a former race car driver and motorsports announcer from Redmond, Oregon. An accomplished musician, he was the principal trumpet of the International Youth Orchestra, touring Europe, playing with Herb ...

( CART FedEx Championship) *

Parnelli Jones Rufus Parnell "Parnelli" Jones (August 12, 1933 – June 4, 2024) was an American professional racing driver and racing team owner. He is notable for his accomplishments while competing in the Indianapolis 500 and the Baja 1000 desert race, and ...

(occasional USAC races) * P. J. Jones (occasional CART FedEx Championship Series races) *Bart Kendall (Pikes Peak Hill Climb - primarily in 1995) *

Tommy Kendall Tommy Kendall (born October 17, 1966) is an American race car driver and television broadcaster. He is best known for his IMSA GT Championship and SCCA Trans-Am Series career. Racing career Son of race driver Charles Kendall, Kendall began h ...

(occasional CART FedEx Championship Series races) *

Rick Mears Richard Ravon Mears (born December 3, 1951) is an American former race car driver. He is one of four men to win the Indianapolis 500 four times (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991) and is the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six (197 ...

(1986 Bud at The Glen Winston Cup race) * Gary Nelson (NASCAR) *

Benny Parsons Benjamin Stewart Parsons (July 12, 1941 – January 16, 2007) was an American NASCAR driver, and later an announcer/analyst/pit reporter on SETN, TBS, ABC, ESPN, NBC, and TNT. He became famous as the 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion, an ...

(NASCAR, ARCA and IROC) *

Phil Parsons Phillip Gregory Parsons (born June 21, 1957) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, team owner, and analyst for FOX NASCAR since 2003. After years racing in NASCAR Winston Cup, he returned to the Busch Series where he enj ...

(NASCAR) *

Dan Pastorini Dante Anthony Pastorini (born May 26, 1949) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Houston Oilers. He played college football for the Sa ...

(NHRA) *

Cruz Pedregon Cruz Pedregon (born September 19, 1963) is an American two-time NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car Champion from Torrance, California. He is the brother of Tony Pedregon, also a two-time Funny Car Champion & Frank Pedregon Jr. who ...

(NHRA) *

Kyle Petty Kyle Eugene Petty (born June 2, 1960) is an American former stock car racing driver and current racing commentator. He is the son of racer Richard Petty, grandson of racer Lee Petty, and father of racer Adam Petty, who was killed in a crash duri ...

(NASCAR and ARCA) *

Sam Posey Samuel Felton Posey (born May 26, 1944) is an American former racing driver and sports broadcast journalist. Early life and driving career Posey's father, Lt. (j.g.) Samuel Felton Posey, was killed in the Battle of Okinawa when a kamikaze struck ...

(IROC on both ABC and ESPN) *

Jason Priestley Jason Bradford Priestley (born August 28, 1969) is a Canadian-American actor and television director. Priestly starred as virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1990–1998, 2000). His other television roles in ...

(Indy Racing League) *

Scott Pruett Scott Donald Pruett (born March 24, 1960) is an American former racing driver who has competed in numerous disciplines of the sport. In the 1980s, Pruett established himself as a top sports car racer, winning two IMSA GTO, and three Trans-Am ...

(occasional CART FedEx Championship Series races, Barber Saab Pro Series) *

Bobby Rahal Robert Woodward Rahal ( ; born January 10, 1953) is an American racing driver and motorsports executive. As a driver, he won three championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series, including the 1986 Indianapolis 500. As co-owner of R ...

( American Racing Series) *

Larry Rice Larry Rice (24 March 1946 – 20 May 2009) was an American auto racing, racing driver in the United States Automobile Club, USAC and Champ Car, CART Championship Car series. He was the 1973 USAC National midget driver's champion and won the USAC S ...

(''Saturday Night Thunder'' and other USAC related events, Indy Racing League, NASCAR Modifieds, Hooters Pro Cup) *

Nigel Roebuck Nigel Scott Roebuck (born March 1946) is an English journalist. Since 1971, he has reported on Formula One, and is considered one of the sport's most influential writers. From 2007 to 2016, he was editor-in-chief of ''Motor Sport'' magazine. Ro ...

(Formula One) *

Johnny Rutherford John Sherman Rutherford III (born March 12, 1938), also known as "Lone Star JR", is an American former automobile racing driver. During an Indy Car career that spanned more than three decades, he scored 27 wins and 23 pole positions in 314 start ...

(IndyCar) *

Elton Sawyer Elton Everett Sawyer (born November 5, 1959) is an American former NASCAR driver. He is married to former NASCAR driver Patty Moise, and is the older brother of Roger Sawyer, who has also competed in NASCAR. Sawyer is currently the senior Vice P ...

(early SuperTruck races) *

Dorsey Schroeder Dorsey Alan Schroeder (born February 5, 1953) is an American race car driver. Since August 2015, he has served as Race Director for the Pirelli World Challenge series and since 2018 Race Director for the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli SCCA ...

(occasional Winston Cup road races, such as Watkins Glen in 1993) *

Scott Sharp Scott Sharp (born February 14, 1968) is an American professional racing driver in the United SportsCar Championship. He is the son of six-time SCCA champion Bob Sharp. Sharp is best known for his years as a competitor in the Indy Racing Leagu ...

(IROC) * Mike Skinner (Craftsman Truck Series, 2002 Florida Dodge Dealers 250) *

Tom Sneva Thomas Edsol Sneva (born June 1, 1948) is an American former race car driver who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1983. He primarily raced in Indy cars, and was named to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2005. A former math teacher and juni ...

(IRL) *K. C. Spurlock (NHRA) *Denny Stephenson (AMA Supercross) * Lyn St. James (occasional CART IndyCar World Series races, such as Cleveland in 1995) *

Danny Sullivan Daniel John Sullivan III (born March 9, 1950), better known as Danny Sullivan, is an American former racing driver. He earned 17 wins in the CART Indy Car World Series, including the 1985 Indianapolis 500. Sullivan won the 1988 CART Champions ...

(CART and IRL) *

Ken Tyrrell Robert Kenneth Tyrrell (3 May 1924 – 25 August 2001) was a British Formula Two racing driver and the founder of the Tyrrell Formula One constructor.Setright, L. J. K. "Tyrrell: A Shrewd Talent-spotter", in Northey, Tom, ed. ''World of Automo ...

(occasional

races, such as Estoril in 1987) *

Rusty Wallace Russell "Rusty" William Wallace Jr. (born August 14, 1956) is an American former NASCAR racing driver. He won the 1984 NASCAR Cup series NASCAR Rookie of the Year, Rookie of the Year and the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup ...

(IRL in 2006) *

Rodger Ward Rodger Morris Ward (January 10, 1921 – July 5, 2004) was an American racing driver best known for his open-wheel career. He is generally regarded as one of the finest drivers of his generation, and is best known for winning two National Champio ...

(IndyCar) *Bill Werner (AMA Flat Track) * Frank Williams (occasional

races, such as Jerez in 1987)

Pit reporters and RPM 2Night contributors

* James Allen (Formula One, CART) * Jack Arute (CART, IRL, and NASCAR) *

(CART) * Dick Berggren (NASCAR, World of Outlaws) *John Bisignano (Formula One) * Ray Dunlap (NASCAR) * Chris Economaki ( NASCAR in Australia in 1988 - simulcast of

coverage) *Steve Evans (NHRA) *Bruce Flanders (occasional USAC races) *Mike Gallaway (off road racing, such as MTEG) * Gary Gerould (CART, IRL, NHRA, select NASCAR races) *Jonathan Green (Formula One) * Todd Harris (IRL) *

Eddie Irvine Edmund "Eddie" Irvine Jr. (; born 10 November 1965) is a former racing driver from Northern Ireland, who competed Formula One drivers from the United Kingdom, under the British flag in Formula One from to . Irvine was runner-up in the Formula ...

(Formula One, 1994 Monaco Grand Prix) *Gary Lee (CART, IMSA) *

Jamie Little Jamie Little (born April 9, 1978) is an American pit reporter and play by play announcer for NASCAR coverage on Fox. Little is a former pit reporter for ESPN/ABC coverage of the Indy Racing League, although she returned to her pit reporting du ...

(IRL and NASCAR) *Larry Maiers (AMA Flat Track) * Andrew Marriott (Formula One) *

Kenny Mayne Kenneth Wheelock Mayne (born ) is an American former sports media personality who is best known for his work on ESPN from 1994 to 2021. He appeared as host of ''Kenny Mayne's Wider World of Sports'' on ESPN.com, and he appeared as a weekly cont ...

(RPM 2Night) *Chris McClure (North American Super Touring) * Larry Nuber (IndyCar and NASCAR) *

(was an occasional pit reporter for NASCAR broadcasts before his permanent booth position) *

(NASCAR) * Dr. Jerry Punch (NASCAR, CART, and IRL) * Marty Reid (Formula One, CART, IHRA, IRL, NASCAR, sports cars, USAC) *Leandra Reilly (NASCAR) * Ralph Sheheen (Sports car racing) * Walt Stannard (Formula One) * Lyn St. James (IndyCar) *

Darrell Waltrip Darrell Lee Waltrip (born February 5, 1947) is an American motorsports Color analyst, analyst, author as well as a former national television broadcaster and stock car driver. He raced from 1972 to 2000 in the NASCAR Cup Series (known as the NAS ...

(IROC) *

Bill Weber William Weber (May 8, 1957 – December 13, 2024) was an American television sports commentator best known for his work on TNT and NBC NASCAR broadcasts. Weber was also the lead announcer for Champ Car World Series events and other auto ra ...

(NASCAR) *Vince Welch (IRL) * Matt Yocum (NASCAR in 2000)

References

External links

*
Televisiontunes.com - SpeedWorld
{{DEFAULTSORT:Espn Speedworld ESPN original programming NASCAR on television IndyCar Series on television 1979 American television series debuts 2006 American television series endings 1970s American sports television series 1980s American sports television series 1990s American sports television series 2000s American sports television series Auto racing mass media