BY: EDDIE KALEGI
Photo Credit: Chris Graythen (Getty Images)
The function of motorsports is a stark contrast from all other sports for several reasons, and one of those is midseason roster news. There are early retirement announcements, like 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr’s official decision on Friday afternoon. Future contracts can likewise be announced before a campaign is complete, like Michael McDowell’s decision to move to Spire Motorsports with more than six months left in the 2024 season. Sometimes, there are even in-season driver changes, such as Tom Blomquist’s removal from his ride at Meyer-Shank Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series. The driver carousel is ceaseless, but during this particular summer, there is another element of movement: broadcasters.
Both NASCAR and IndyCar were up for media rights negotiations and redistribution at the conclusion of their respective 2024 seasons, and the changes were extensive.
NASCAR will now be broadcast across five different networks. FOX and NBC will still bookend the Cup Series season, but TNT returns in a partnership with Amazon Prime Video, as the two networks will broadcast ten midseason races, including NASCAR’s inaugural in-season tournament and the 2025 Coca Cola 600, which will be the sport’s first ever event exclusively on a streaming platform.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series, which had previously been aired as a sister series to Cup coverage, will move to the CW for the entire season next year. In fact, the network will air the final eight races of this year’s campaign as well.
On the open wheel side of things, IndyCar will end a 16-year partnership with NBC at season’s end, including the past decade when they’ve served as the series’ sole distributor. The division, anchored by the Indianapolis 500 during Memorial Day weekend, will move to FOX.
With these negotiations in the rearview mirror and pen officially put to paper, my broadcast-centric mind immediately brainstorms potential booth combinations for these new partnerships. Considering rising talent and non-negotiable contractual obligations, what follows are my predictions for who we can expect with headsets and microphones on your television next year.
IndyCar on FOX: Adam Alexander, Townsend Bell, James Hinchcliffe
Some people don’t realize that Adam Alexander does more than NASCAR for FOX. In fact, he’s a regular college football announcer on the network. Even with the cancellation of ‘NASCAR Race Hub,’ I don’t see him going anywhere. With Leigh Diffey’s unwavering ties with NBC, Alexander will be the right guy for this gig, as he has displayed his ability to adapt and gel with just about anyone in the booth. Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe are two of the best analysts in motorsports period. They will stick with the NTT IndyCar Series and migrate from NBC to FOX.
NASCAR Cup Series on FOX: Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick
There isn’t much to say here. Mike Joy is aging, but timeless. He still has no plans on retiring. The FOX booth has been re-structured so many times in recent years, so it is due for some stagnation. Clint Bowyer has improved (slightly), and Kevin Harvick has been a great addition so far. And yes, Larry McReynolds will still be the rules analyst.
NASCAR Cup Series on TNT/Prime Video: Allen Bestwick, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kyle Petty
Allen Bestwick has shown a willingness to work sparingly in the auto racing world since ESPN’s departure from NASCAR and IndyCar media rights after 2014, as evidenced by his three years as the play-by-play announcer of the now defunct Superstar Racing Experience. A ten-week work schedule is perfect for one of the sport’s all-time announcers. It has already been announced that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be joining the WBD/Prime Video family, and Kyle Petty’s time with NBC apparently came to an end. He already has an established relationship with TNT, having been an analyst from 2009-2014, so he’ll fit quite nicely into what is sure to be the most hyped up booth in motorsports entering the 2025 season.
NASCAR Cup Series on NBC: Leigh Diffey, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Brad Daugherty
The booth that we will see after the conclusion of the 2024 Paris Olympics will remain intact at NBC in 2025. Leigh Diffey is the most versatile announcer in auto racing right now, and has proven in the past that NASCAR is no exception. Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte will return for their eleventh seasons (I am getting old), and Brad Daugherty will provide the unique ownership perspective that was partially vacated by Dale Earnhardt Jr’s departure from the network.
NASCAR Xfinity Series on the CW: Rick Allen, Jamie McMurray, Kurt Busch
It seems like this is the logical destination for Rick Allen, who was previously announced as the Xfinity Series’ 2024 announcer for the NBC package before the broadcasts transition to the CW for the final stretch of the season. I would assume he stays put here and becomes the voice of NASCAR’s secondary series. It might seem like a demotion, but Allen does get to call a full season of a NASCAR series. With Race Hub’s shutdown, FOX’s unwillingness to put Jamie McMurray in the booth will finally cost them, as he’ll move to the new Xfinity Series package. As for a third announcer, Kurt Busch, who clearly won’t be returning to the Cup Series at this point as he approaches two years since his career-ending injury at Pocono Raceway, will be a worthy addition. Busch sounded good during the races he worked for FOX during their two-year ‘analyst roulette.’
NASCAR Trucks/ARCA on FOX: Eric Brennan, Phil Parsons, Michael Waltrip
If you don’t know the name Eric Brennan, you probably should. The lead voice of the CARS Tour, Brennan has called multiple ARCA races for FOX Sports previously, and received near unanimous acclaim for his performance during the 2024 race at Iowa Speedway. I appreciate FOX giving Jamie Little a chance in the booth, but it is clearly not her forté. With the IndyCar package moving to FOX, she has the opportunity to become their version of Marty Snider: a versatile pit reporter who can do just about anything. The time has come for FOX to improve its lower series coverage, and the first step is to bring in an accomplished and strong play-by-play voice. Eric Brennan is exactly that, and he’ll gel nicely with Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip, who have been mainstays of the Truck Series booth for almost two decades.
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