In a shocking turn of events, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not be returning to NBC Sports in 2024. Earnhardt will be taking his talents over to Amazon Prime and Warner Bros. Discovery in 2025.
The Athletic's Andrew Marchand reported that Earnhardt informed NBC Sports of his decision to leave the company last week. The plan for Earnhardt is to take the 2024 year off from broadcasting, but there is freedom for Earnhardt to work for FOX Sports or NBC Sports in 2024.
NEWS: The biggest name in NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Jr., is leaving NBC for two newcomers, The Athletic has learned.
Full story ...https://t.co/eb4Pn2u4WE
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) February 29, 2024
An NBC Sports spokesperson had a statement given to The Athletic.
"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."
Earnhardt made his way to NBC Sports in 2018 after he retired from racing in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2017. He had become a staple in the broadcast booth for NBC.
Earnhardt wasted no time making a name for himself in the booth. His first Cup Series race working for NBC Sports was at Chicagoland in 2018 where he made his signature "Slide Job!" call. It was after that moment that everyone felt that Earnhardt had what it took to be in the broadcast booth.
What makes the move to leave NBC Sports so surprising is that Earnhardt expressed his interest to stay with the NBC Sports family. On the season premiere episode of Earnhardt's podcast, "The Dale Jr. Download," Earnhardt talked about his feelings about being a free agent in broadcasting.
"I definitely love being in the broadcast booth and want to continue doing that," Earnhardt said. We've had some great conversations with all of NASCAR's TV partners. My home and my love is at NBC, and I'd love to be back with them, so we'll see where it goes."
For Amazon and Warner Bros. Discovery, this is a huge pickup for their entrance into the sport. Snagging the NASCAR Hall of Famer helps give their broadcasts credibility from the beginning. Being able to build around a superstar like Earnhardt will help viewership and hopefully attract more big names to their broadcasts.
It is unknown whether or not NBC Sports will fill Earnhardt's void in the broadcast booth or go to a traditional three-man booth with Rick Allen, Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte.
