Pombo brings love of stock cars to broadcast

MEXICO CITY -- The neighbors will finally get to see Alex Pombo on television.

Pombo, ESPN Deportes' race analyst, is seen by thousands of folks every weekend. But the Spanish-language sports network isn't on local cable in his Connecticut neighborhood.

Alex Pombo Credit: ESPN Deportes

On Sunday, ESPN will simulcast the Spanish telecast of the Telcel-Motorola 200 from Mexico City, featuring Pombo and the rest of the ESPN Deportes team, and putting his face in a potential 90 million homes nationwide.

"Honestly, it's a little bit exciting," Pombo said. "When they announced it, it was a big surprise. To be honest, it makes us very, very proud.

"I feel so glad because now my neighbors will be able to see me because they always ask where we're going to be. I told my wife, 'Promote me because everybody can see me!' "

Pombo, a former open-wheel and sports car driver, isn't a newcomer to NASCAR.

"I started following NASCAR in the '70s when I was living here in Mexico," Pombo said. "We used to have a show every Sunday that showed 8-10 minutes of racing highlights. So for me, it was the most valuable time because I was able to see places like Darlington and Ontario."

When Pombo began focusing on his own racing career, his love for NASCAR went on the backburner -- until a certain movie starring Tom Cruise was released.

"Then when Days of Thunder came out, there were so many details that I really liked and I started getting involved again," Pombo said.

You think you're a big fan of racing? You may be hard-pressed to keep up with Alex Pombo.

"I have a big collection of small replica cars -- I have more than 2,000," he said. "I collect newspapers, books, DVDs, videos because I love it."

Because NASCAR isn't as popular as other forms of racing in Latin America, Pombo has to cater to a varied audience that comes in three sizes.

"As an analyst, you have to get to the people who don't have any idea about racing, so you have to make it interesting for them so they can become fans," Pombo said. "Then you have to talk to the people who know something about racing -- they read all the magazines and watch the races -- but they have never been involved in the sport. (Continued)