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NASCAR Indy Allstate 400 will be one week earlier in 2007

2 min read

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – ESPN will open its NASCAR coverage next season with the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. The race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was moved up one week to accommodate the network, which will take over NBC’s share of the NASCAR schedule in 2007. The 36 Nextel Cup events will be split next year by Fox, TNT and ABC/ESPN, which last broadcast NASCAR in 2000.

“The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard has always been a marquee event on the schedule and we cannot wait to provide our flag-to-flag coverage from such an historic race track,” said John Wildhack, vice president of programming.

“We will dedicate unprecedented multimedia resources to the sport beginning with the season-opening NASCAR Busch Series race at Daytona, continuing with our opening NEXTEL Cup race at Indianapolis on ESPN, and until the season champions are crowned.”

Track spokesman Ron Green said the decision to switch dates would not force a change in the United States Grand Prix. America’s only Formula One race had been held in September and June before moving to the first weekend in July this year.

One week later, NASCAR drivers were in Indianapolis for a three-day test.

Indy’s contract with F1 expired earlier this month, but track officials are negotiating with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone to bring the USGP back to Indianapolis in 2007.

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