Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s time at NBC is over.
In accordance with The Athletic, Earnhardt Jr. will transfer to Amazon and TNT in 2025 and sure take the 2024 season off from broadcasting NASCAR races. Amazon and TNT will broadcast 5 Cup Sequence races every beginning in 2025 as they be a part of Fox and NBC as NASCAR’s TV companions when the brand new media rights settlement begins on the conclusion of the 2024 season.
Junior has been within the sales space for NBC’s TV protection since he retired after the 2017 Cup Sequence season. He stated on his podcast earlier this 12 months that his contract was up with NBC, and a spokesperson for the community confirmed his departure to The Athletic.
“Dale Earnhardt Jr. is beloved within the NASCAR world and has made quite a few contributions to NBC Sports activities, from his work as an analyst on our NASCAR protection to his experiences as a correspondent at main occasions just like the Indianapolis 500, the Kentucky Derby, the Tremendous Bowl and the Olympics,” an NBC Sports activities spokesperson informed The Athletic. “We thank Dale and we want him the very best going ahead.”
Junior’s transfer is a loss for NBC as he was by far their highest-profile analyst. The community will broadcast 20 of the 36 Cup Sequence races this season and can depend on analysts Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte alongside play-by-play announcer Rick Allen barring the addition of one other analyst to exchange Earnhardt Jr.
Amazon and TNT will broadcast 10 races between the Fox and NBC parts of the Cup Sequence schedule in 2025. Fox will televise the primary 14 races of the season, together with two non-points occasions whereas NBC will take the ultimate 14. Simply 9 of the 38 whole races in 2025 shall be on broadcast tv.
Junior’s transfer to Amazon and TNT is a coup for each networks and likewise offers him the chance to remain within the NASCAR TV enterprise whereas additionally calling fewer races than he does now at NBC. TNT is returning to NASCAR broadcasting after getting out of the enterprise following the 2014 season. TNT had televised NASCAR races for 14 consecutive seasons earlier than Fox and NBC took over everything of the Cup Sequence TV contract in 2015.
Amazon’s rent of Junior is just like the strikes it made when buying the NFL’s Thursday evening slate of video games. The corporate made a splash by hiring Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit to name video games and clearly felt {that a} large title would add credibility to its foray into NASCAR subsequent 12 months.
