Rusty, Jamie and Jerry Go NASCAR

And to think, we were worried about Uncle Sam going to NASCAR. From the Charlotte Observer:

Dr. Jerry Punch, NASCAR veteran Rusty Wallace and former NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree are expected to take prominent roles in ESPN’s return to NASCAR coverage, The Charlotte Observer has learned.

Among the others taking part in the networks' race weekend and daily coverage of the sport are Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro, multiple sources confirmed Saturday. Bestwick and Burns work with NBC currently, while Little and Massaro both work with ESPN. Little works with the Indy Racing League and Massaro with NASCAR.

ESPN and ABC are expected to officially introduce their team of on-air talent and producers during a news conference Thursday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

I'm presuming this means they will not be covering IRL races in 2007, but you never know. Some folks work all over the place for broadcasts. It would be sad to no longer enjoy the company of Dr Punch and Big Jamie on race day.

At the same time, Rusty can go to where he belongs. I seriously doubt he would reciprocate in 2007 by busting out with "I tell you what, this is totally different from driving an IndyCar..."