One of the most influential figures in the history of NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is making a major change in his professional doings.
According to a February 29 report from The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, the long-time NASCAR Xfinity Series team owner and television personality is stepping away from his role with NBC Sports, to forge a new path ahead with Amazon Prime and Warner Bros. Discovery in 2025.
The report states that Earnhardt, a 15-time winner of NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award, will take the 2024 season to step away — having not renewed his contract with NBC Sports — before jumping back into broadcasting when Amazon Prime and WBD Sports begin their coverage, as part of a new television package in 2025.
As part of the new package, Amazon Prime and WBD Sports each have a five-race slate of NASCAR Cup Series events, while also providing practice and qualifying coverage for the first and second half of the season, respectively.
WBD Sports events will be broadcast on TNT, streamed on Max, and have a Bleacher Report component. The addition of NASCAR compliments a sports schedule that already includes the NBA, MLB, and NHL, among other sports.
Marchand reports that Earnhardt informed NBC Sports of his decision last week, but does still have the freedom to make a deal with either FOX or NBC for the 2024 NASCAR season. However, there are no substantial talks at this point.
A statement from an NBC Sports spokesperson to The Athletic reads: “Dale Earnhardt Jr. is beloved in the NASCAR world and has made numerous contributions to NBC Sports, from his work as an analyst on our NASCAR coverage to his experiences as a correspondent at major events like the Indianapolis 500, the Kentucky Derby, the Super Bowl, and the Olympics. We thank Dale and we wish him the best going forward.”
For further details on this story, visit the initial report from The Athletic. Further details regarding this story, should they become available, will be added to this page as an update.
One Response
I wonder how much fans are going to have to pay to watch NASCAR races in 2025? With all the different providers. I’m guessing more than we have to put out now