Live coverage of Sunday's Grand Prix of Houston will mark the return of the Champ Car World Series to the ESPN networks for the first time in six years. The race will air from 3-5 p.m. ET on ESPN. source: ESPN Rick Benjamin, who will call the race from the booth along with analyst Jon Beekhuis, said viewers can expect a competitive race on the 1.69-mile street circuit at Houston's Reliant Park. "It was a very good track for racing last year," said Benjamin, a motorsports television veteran who has anchored telecasts of more than a dozen forms of racing. "I was very surprised at how much passing went on with such a short circuit. There's not a big straightaway but a lot of guys were willing to make bonsai moves under braking into corners. It was very entertaining." Though the Houston race will be the first Champ Car telecast on ESPN this season, it will be the third race of 2007, and Benjamin expects several storylines to carry over to Houston. "It will be interesting to see if Oriol Servia can back up his race last week with another strong run," said Benjamin of the driver who finished second in last week's Long Beach event as a substitute for the injured Paul Tracy. "And (three-time Champ Car titlist) Sebastien Bourdais won last week so he seems to have his first-race problems solved. "Bobby Rahal had a great career as an open-wheel driver and now his son Graham's learning curve will be something we follow all season," Benjamin said. Joining Benjamin and Beekhuis on the telecast from Houston will be pit reporters Cameron Steele and Bill Stephens and feature reporter Michelle Beisner. The group also worked together last season on Champ Car telecasts.
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