With network no longer televising races, some move on to other endeavors
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ESPN’s affiliation with NASCAR, providing coverage of the second half of the season’s Sprint Cup Series races as well as the entire 33-race Nationwide Series schedule, came to an end earlier this month at Homestead-Miami Speedway. ESPN had been a television partner for the sport since 2007 and overall, had been involved in NASCAR coverage for 28 years.
The cable sports giant is not part of NASCAR’s most recent broadcast package that officially begins in 2015. FOX Sports will air the first 16 Sprint Cup Series events while NBC Sports will handle live coverage of the final 20 races.
Coverage of the XFINITY Series (previously Nationwide) will also be split between the two networks while FOX Sports will carry coverage of NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series.
Many of the faces that fans have grown accustomed to seeing on ESPN during NASCAR events will still be seen next year. Some will still be affiliated with motorsports, others will not.
“It’ll be different,” Allen Bestwick said during a conference call prior to the season finale at HMS. “You know, my life has been centered around daily involvement with this sport since 1986. It will be very different.”
Bestwick, 53, served as lead announcer for ESPN’s NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage. Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett and former crew chief Andy Petree served as analysts alongside Bestwick.
Bestwick will remain in the booth, serving as the lead announcer for the Indianapolis 500 and ESPN’s association with the IndyCar Series. He will also be involved in college football and basketball, pro tennis and golf coverage
“They’re a big deal to me,” Bestwick said of the upcoming opportunities. “They’re new, and I mean, I’m going to have a chance to be involved in and around the British Open at St. Andrews next summer. How could you not be excited about that? It’ll be very different.”
Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch served as pit reporters for ESPN. Burns will join NBC Sports next season when that network begins its Sprint Cup affiliation while Little will move over to FOX Sports as a pit reporter.
Welch has worked the IndyCar series as well for ESPN and could possibly resume those duties. Jarrett, the 1999 premier series champion, Petree and Punch have not announced their plans for 2015 and beyond.
Former driver Ricky Craven and reporter Marty Smith will remain entrenched with the Bristol, Connecticut-based network and tethered to NASCAR.
Craven, lauded for his no-nonsense approach and knowledge of the sport, will continue to serve as the lead in-studio NASCAR analyst. Smith, based in Charlotte, will also report on the series, but also will be assigned to other sports such as college and pro football.
Those out front for the pre-race NASCAR Countdown show included host Nicole Briscoe, Brad Daugherty and Rusty Wallace.
Briscoe will move into the role of an anchor for SportsCenter starting in January and is expected to do other in-studio work as well.
Daugherty, the former NBA standout who currently co-owns the JTG Daugherty Racing Sprint Cup Series team, will transition to ESPN’s coverage of college and pro basketball.
Wallace, like Jarrett a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, has not announced his plans for next season.
“ESPN has allowed me to do a lot of different things,” Wallace, the ’89 series champion, said. “… All different kinds of platforms. I’ve learned so much. … ESPN has kept my name out there and kept me relevant and kept me going.”
NBC Sports will begin its portion of live NASCAR race coverage at Daytona International Speedway in July of 2015. In addition to Burns, former ESPN reporter Mike Massaro will join the group as a pit reporter, along with Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast.
Krista Voda will serve as host of pre- and post-race shows for NBC; Rick Allen (lead announcer), Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte (analysts) will be in the booth.
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