Viewer's Guide: Indy (cont'd)

ESPN racing announcer Dr. Jerry Punch hosts each of the shows, while actor J.K. Simmons, who played Ralph Earnhardt in the ESPN movie, 3, narrates the series. The shows feature commentary from longtime motorsports writers and historians, including "the Dean of Motorsports Journalism" Chris Economaki, sports broadcaster Dr. Dick Berggren and ESPN's Jack Arute, former NASCAR champion and ESPN broadcaster Ned Jarrett, NASCAR author Peter Golenbock and motorsports writers David Poole, Ed Hinton and Monte Dutton, among others.

"NASCAR for so many years lived on ESPN and grew on ESPN," Dahl said, "and we thought a great way to commemorate and celebrate the return of the Nextel Cup to ESPN and ABC would be a defining series on the evolution and the history of NASCAR."

The other three documentaries will be re-aired, as will other specials the network has produced. Check below for program times.

• The Explosion is a two-hour documentary that examines stock-car racing as a national craze "particularly in the last decade or so, in the American sporting landscape.

• The Dirt looks back to the days of racing on dirt tracks across America. Two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart chimes in with his take on dirt-track racing and why he still loves its ever-changing conditions.

• The Cars revs up the crowd as it details the basic appeal of the machine and the special bond between man, fan and car. Cup champions Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip talk about their favorite and not-so-favorite cars, all of which have earned affectionate or disdainful nicknames based on their performance.

Check the listings below for times and networks for regularly scheduled programming, and all race activities including practices and qualifying.