ESPN/ABC Sports officially takes over the rest of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule starting with this weekend's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For those tuning in, you'll notice 2 changes in the networks' coverage of NASCAR's signature series.

For starters, Marty Reid, who called ESPN/ABC's coverage of each NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series race last year, is out. Although Reid will continue calling the "Worldwide Leader's" coverage of the Nationwide Series, Allen Bestwick will replace Reid as lead PBP voice of ESPN/ABC's Sprint Cup telecasts. Bestwick joined ESPN in 2007 after primarily hosting and working pit row for Turner's TBS & TNT Sports, along with NBC Sports and on radio via the Motor Racing Network. Bestwick will be behind the mic on ESPN/ABC's coverage of the final 17 races of the Sprint Cup sked, including practice & qualifying. He'll be joined in the booth by former crew chief Andy Petree and former Sprint Cup Champion Dale Jarrett for every ESPN/ABC broadcast of the Sprint Cup Series.

While Bestwick will continue as primary host of ESPN2's "NASCAR Now" in addition to his new duties, the network has also announced that Nicole Briscoe will replace Bestwick as new host of "NASCAR Countdown", ESPN/ABC's hourlong pre-race show starting Sunday. Briscoe, who had pinch hit for Bestwick the last 2 years, will be joined in ESPN/ABC's mobile studio by another former Cup Champion in Rusty Wallace, former Cleveland Cavalier big man and current NASCAR team owner Brad Daugherty & help in the ESPN garage by former crew chief Tim Brewer.

Just show me more Shannon Spake please.... that is all I care about when it comes to NASCAR

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Marty Reid is terrible. I'm a big fan of Bestwick. As far as the ESPN NASCAR babes go, I prefer Nicole Briscoe, who is married to Indy Car Series driver Ryan Briscoe. Bite!

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

ESPN's the only place that has 3 such babes on its NASCAR coverage. Let's not forget Jamie Little's also on pit row for ESPN/ABC's coverage, too.

Neither Little or Spake do much for me.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

Yeah, she isn't too bad at all.... never seen her before.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

That's the new host of ESPN's "NASCAR Countdown". Very easy on the eyes...

I've got a button 48/brush with fame story regarding Nicole (Manske) Briscoe.

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Here's a perfect opportunity to see how ESPN's broadcasting events influence Sportcenter and ESPN New's coverage. They'll make the Brickyard seem like it is the most importand race on the schedule while Nascar fans know it is a boring, follow-the-leader race. I wonder if ESPN will mention how attendance at the Brickyard has dramatically decreased over the last couple year.

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Lay off that whiskey and let that cocaine be.

Attendance will be down again this year.

It is still one of the top 2-3 races of the year, at least according to drivers, payout $$, etc. This is way, way bigger than any cookie-cutter track (1/2 the schedule), or any race at a place like Pocono, New Hampshire, Michigan, Fontana, or the road courses. So yeah, it's a pretty big deal.

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True on the payouts and also on prestige but Nascar fans know it is a boring race. And remember, I said most important.

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Lay off that whiskey and let that cocaine be.

The Brickyard is a big event but not a good race.

Another change ESPN should consider is to reassign Craig James to Nascar coverage and have him dart back and forth across the track frogger style.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

You obviously don't work in sales or marketing.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

That's not the point. You don't think this practice affects ESPN's credibility as a source for sports news?

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Lay off that whiskey and let that cocaine be.

While traditionalists haven't been thrilled that NASCAR first started racing the Sprint Cup Series at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994, I think there are drivers, past and present, that consider the Brickyard as much of a motorsports mecca as Daytona. I tend to think ESPN will treat Sunday's race as something more than that.