The latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Heartland

(AP) -- Nine of NASCAR's 10 championship races will be available online for the first time in history.

ESPN and Turner Sports are planning to announce Wednesday that NASCAR.com's RaceBuddy feature will be available during the Chase.

NASCAR programming will also appear for the first time in ESPN's WatchESPN.com platform and WatchESPN application.

It's a huge breakthrough for NASCAR, which has been unable to establish an online viewing presence because of its multiple broadcasting contracts.

The only time race coverage is available online is during the six races TNT broadcasts during the summer.

The 10-race Chase begins Sunday at Chicago. The Oct. 15 event at Charlotte is the only race that won't be available online because it is airing on ABC.

That network doesn't air events live online to protect its affiliate stations

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)