(Image courtesy NHRA/National Dragster)
This weekend, NHRA drag racing fans at home watching the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA SpringNationals presented by Super Start Batteries at the Royal Purple Raceway in Houston will be treated to an unparalleled level of live coverage, as the ESPN cameras will be delivering the racing action as it happens both during qualifying and eliminations.
Although the programming schedule for the Houston event has been public knowledge for months, the NHRA made it official this week with the announcement that both Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s eliminations from the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event will be broadcast live on ESPN2, a move the world’s largest motorsports sanctioning body hopes will lead to more live programming in the future.
The live coverage from Royal Purple Raceway will kick off on Saturday afternoon, April 27, at 3 p.m. (ET) and will run for two hours, showcasing the complete final round of professional qualifying that will set the fields for race day. The coverage will begin with Pro Stock Motorcycle, with Pro Stock, Top Fuel, and Funny Car to follow.
On Sunday, the live telecast will hit the air at 2 p.m. (ET), a big departure from the NHRA’s traditional prime-time slot. The three hour telecast (which will run until 5 p.m. ET) will feature live coverage of the semifinal and final rounds of professional racing. The ESPN2 cameras will roll back the first two rounds to catch the fans up to speed on the goings-on of the race on a very short tape-delayed basis, before going into the live semifinal coverage, which will begin with Pro Stock Motorcycle. After the semifinals are complete, the cameras will stay with the racing action as the teams make their short turnaround to prepare for the final round.
WatchESPN will also air its traditional coverage of Friday’s second qualifying session live on the internet, for those with access to the programming, meaning drag racing fans will have three straight days of live action from Houston on tap to fill their weekend.
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