ESPN SpeedWorld

ESPN SpeedWorld (formerly Auto Racing '79–'86) is the name of a former television series broadcast on ESPN from 1979–2006. The program that was based primarily based around NASCAR, CART, IMSA, Formula One, NHRA, and IHRA. The theme music is a based on the piano interlude from "18th Avenue (Kansas City Nightmare)" by Cat Stevens.

ESPN Auto Racing (1979–1986)
When ESPN 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, SpeedWorld's coverage encompassed not only Formula One, IndyCar, NASCAR Winston Cup (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, USAC sprints and midgets, rallying, motorcycle racing, 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 began to take their places for broadcasts of other racing.

Impact of NASCAR
ESPN began showing NASCAR races in 1981 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) was the 2000 Atlanta fall race (now the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500). ESPN and ESPN2 continued to air Craftsman Truck Series races in 2001 and 2002.

SpeedWorld's final years
After losing the rights to NASCAR Winston Cup (and Busch Series) broadcasts for the 2001 season, ESPN slowly began losing the remainder of their racing to other networks. For their 2002 season, CART signed a TV contract with Speed Channel and CBS, ending ESPN's partnership with CART that had begun 20 years before. NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series left ESPN, also for Speed Channel, in 2003. For 2004 the International Race of Champions 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, 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 has maintained a package of IndyCar events produced by ESPN (pay television rights are held by NBCSN), and NASCAR events would return to ESPN and ABC from 2007 to 2014, holding rights to the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series; these events were instead branded as NASCAR on ESPN. After the NHRA left ESPN for Fox after the 2015 season and the IndyCar Series left after 2018, the only motorsports coverage on the ESPN networks is Formula One races on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 (which is simulcast with Comcast-owned British broadcaster Sky Sports).

On-air staff
This list does NOT include those who appeared on the air on ABC only, or were not a part of ESPN before 2007.

Commentators

 * Jack Arute (IndyCar and occasional NASCAR broadcasts)
 * Dave Despain (NASCAR, AMA Supercross and USAC, including Saturday Night Thunder)
 * Ray Dunlap (occasional NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series broadcasts in its early years)
 * Chris Economaki (Formula One)
 * Bruce Flanders (Trans-Am)
 * Gary Gerould (CART, Dayton Indy Lights, NHRA)
 * Todd Harris (Indy Racing League)
 * Bob Jenkins (NASCAR, Select IMSA races, select ARCA races, CART IndyCar, and IRL)
 * Mike Joy (early NASCAR broadcasts, including ESPN's first live NASCAR race at Atlanta in 1981)
 * Mike King (IRL Indy Pro Series)
 * Dave McClelland (NHRA)
 * Larry Nuber (NASCAR, USAC, IHRA and IndyCar)
 * Paul Page (CART, IRL, IMSA, and NHRA)
 * Dr. Jerry Punch (NASCAR)
 * Marty Reid (IRL, NASCAR, NHRA)
 * Griff Allen (NHRA)
 * Bob Varsha (Formula One, IHRA and Sports Car events such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans)
 * Jackie Stewart (Formula One)

Expert analysts (drivers and crew chiefs)

 * Bill Adam (IMSA and other Sports Car races)
 * Jon Beekhuis (CART Indy Lights, occasional CART Champ Car races)
 * Derek Bell (Formula One)
 * Robbie Buhl (Indy Pro Series)
 * Doc Bundy (junior formula racing series, such as Barber Saab)
 * Jeff Burton (International Race of Champions, or IROC)
 * Steve Chassey (Saturday Night Thunder)
 * Jeremy Dale (Craftsman Truck Series)
 * Derek Daly (Formula One and IndyCar)
 * Gil de Ferran (Indy Racing League in 2004)
 * Ray Evernham (Craftman Truck Series, IROC, and Winston Cup on ABC)
 * Chip Ganassi (1984 Mid-Ohio IndyCar 200)
 * Scott Goodyear (Indy Racing League and IROC)
 * Don Garlits (NHRA)
 * Tom Gloy (Trans-Am)
 * Davey Hamilton (Indy Pro Series)
 * David Hobbs (Formula One and Sports Car racing)
 * Ned Jarrett (NASCAR and ARCA)
 * Gordon Johncock (IndyCar)
 * Parker Johnstone (CART FedEx Championship)
 * P.J. Jones (occasional CART FedEx Championship Series races)
 * Tommy Kendall (occasional CART FedEx Championship Series races)
 * Rick Mears (1986 Bud at The Glen Winston Cup race)
 * Gary Nelson (NASCAR)
 * Cruz Pedregon (NHRA)
 * Benny Parsons (NASCAR, ARCA and IROC)
 * Phil Parsons (NASCAR)
 * Kyle Petty (NASCAR and ARCA)
 * Sam Posey (IROC on both ABC and ESPN)
 * Jason Priestley (Indy Racing League)
 * Scott Pruett (occasional CART FedEx Championship Series races)
 * Dan Pastorini (NHRA)
 * Larry Rice (Saturday Night Thunder and other USAC related events, and the IRL)
 * Nigel Roebuck (Formula One)
 * Johnny Rutherford (IndyCar)
 * Elton Sawyer (early SuperTruck races)
 * Dorsey Schroeder (occasional Winston Cup road races, such as Watkins Glen in 1993)
 * Scott Sharp (IROC)
 * Mike Skinner (Craftsman Truck Series, 2002 Florida Dodge Dealers 250)
 * Tom Sneva (IRL)
 * Danny Sullivan (CART and IRL)
 * KC Spurlock (NHRA)
 * Rusty Wallace (IRL in 2006)
 * Rodger Ward (IndyCar)

Pit reporters and RPM 2Night contributors

 * James Allen (Formula One, CART)
 * Jack Arute (CART, IRL, and NASCAR)
 * Jon Beekhuis (CART)
 * Dick Berggren (NASCAR)
 * John Bisignano (Formula One)
 * Ray Dunlap (NASCAR)
 * Steve Evans (NHRA)
 * Gary Gerould (CART, IRL, and NHRA)
 * Todd Harris (IRL)
 * Eddie Irvine (Formula One)
 * Jamie Little (IRL and NASCAR)
 * Andrew Marriott (Formula One)
 * Kenny Mayne (RPM 2Night)
 * Larry Nuber (IndyCar and NASCAR)
 * Benny Parsons (was an occasional pit reporter for NASCAR broadcasts before his permanent booth position)
 * Kyle Petty (NASCAR)
 * Dr. Jerry Punch (NASCAR, CART, and IRL)
 * Marty Reid (Formula One, CART, IHRA, IRL, NASCAR, sports cars, USAC)
 * Leandra Riley (NASCAR)
 * Lyn St. James (IndyCar)
 * Ralph Sheheen (Sports car racing)
 * Darrell Waltrip (IROC)
 * Bill Weber (NASCAR)
 * Vince Welch (IRL)
 * Matt Yocum (NASCAR in 2000)

Memorable quotes
Larry Nuber calling the 1985 Southern 500, when Bill Elliott won the Winston Million in its first year of existence
 * "Bill Elliott is racing into the record books. Bill Elliott is going towards immortality. Bill Elliott gets the checkered flag! Bill Elliott has won an additional one million dollars in 1985!"

Bob Jenkins calling the 1989 Holly Farms 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Carolina, when the two protagonists unbelievably made contact on the final lap
 * "Now Ricky Rudd is inside of Dale Earnhardt...as they go into Turn number one and both of them spin!"

Bob Jenkins calling the 1992 Hooters 500, when owner/driver Alan Kulwicki beat multi-championship car owner Junior Johnson's Bill Elliott by only 10 points; a new record
 * "Bill Elliott comes off the fourth corner; he wins the Hooters 500! And Alan Kulwicki is coming out of corner number four, knowing that he's winning the championship. There's the checkered flag for Alan! He's the champion for '92!"

Bob Jenkins calling the 1995 Goody's 500, when Earnhardt bumped leader Terry Labonte exiting Turn 4, and Labonte crashed just after sliding across the finish line
 * "Labonte is sideways, but wins the race; crashes, and he wins anyway! How about that?! Woah! Labonte crossed the line sideways, took the checkered flag, hit the wall, and still comes out the winner of the Goody's 500 over Dale Earnhardt!"

Bob Varsha calling the 1997 Budweiser Grand Prix of Portland, when Mark Blundell won the drag race with leader Gil de Ferran off the final turn by .027 of a second (27 thousandths), with Raul Boesel joining the photo finish just .055 of a second behind
 * "De Ferran, Blundell; here comes Boesel in third! To the line they come! And Mark Blundell takes the victory!"

Marty Reid calling the 1998 Craftsman Truck Series finale at Las Vegas, where Jack Sprague won the race but fell short on the championship to Ron Hornaday.
 * "Sprague wins the race, but Ron Hornaday wins the championship!"

Bob Jenkins calling the 1999 Goody's 500, when Dale Earnhardt bumped Terry Labonte in Turn 2 of the final lap
 * "Coming to the white flag, there's a leader change and Labonte takes the lead! Ohhh!!! And Earnhardt...spins him out!"

Marty Reid, which later he would say "keep your fingers crossed" after the accident, calling the big wreck on lap 57 at the Daytona truck race in 2000, when Geoff Bodine had an horrific crash which sent him towards the fence.
 * "Oh Look Out! We got trouble, this is going to hurt!"

Dr. Jerry Punch calling the 2000 Winston 500, which was Earnhardt's final Winston Cup win
 * "The No Bull 5 contender; "Mr. Restrictor Plate"! Dale Earnhart comes down, and will take his (record) 10th career victory at Talladega!"

Paul Page calling Gil de Ferran's qualifying laps at the California Speedway when the Brazilian set the all-time closed-course speed record in competition.
 * "First lap for Gil de Ferran; 241.428 miles an hour! That breaks Maurício Gugelmin's (California lap) record, that breaks the closed-course record, and that puts him on the pole!"

Bob Jenkins calling the 2000 NAPA 500; ESPN Speedworld's final Winston Cup broadcast
 * "Back in March of '81, Darrell Waltrip took the checkered flag to win the very first race we televised on ESPN, and in November 2000...Jerry Nadeau wins the final (NASCAR Winston Cup) race on ESPN!"

Paul Page calling the 2001 Rockingham 500, when Gil de Ferran passed CART title rival Kenny Brack on the outside of the final turn on the final lap
 * "De Ferran's right there, doing everything he can; de Ferran goes high...and de Ferran takes (Kenny Brack)! De Ferran takes him on the final corner of the final lap, and Gil de Ferran wins his first race of the year!"