The biggest names in NASCAR are taking action.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is leaving NBC for racing newcomers Amazon Prime Video and Warner Bros. Discovery, according to sources familiar with his decision. Sports). Competitor.
Earnhardt is expected to take the season off before resuming his broadcast career in 2025 when WBD Sports and Amazon begin coverage.
The move is expected to give WBD Sports and Amazon instant credibility when launching the series. There will be five games per season. WBD Sports games will be televised on TNT and live on Max with a bleacher report component. NASCAR complements WBD Sports’ strong NBA, NCAA Tournament, MLB and NHL programming schedule.
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Amazon Prime Video, whose subscription service already offers exclusive Thursday night NFL games, is a leading contender to join the NBA when the league decides on a partner in upcoming negotiations.
Earnhardt informed NBC of his decision last week, according to people familiar with the matter. While Earnhardt is expected to take this year off, he does have the flexibility to strike another deal with one of his two broadcast partners, Fox and NBC. There are currently no substantive negotiations between the two sides.
“Dale Earnhardt Jr. is well-loved in the NASCAR community and has made numerous contributions to NBC Sports, from his work as an analyst on NASCAR coverage to covering the Indianapolis 500, Kentucky Derby , Super Bowl and other major events. Bowling and the Olympics,” an NBC Sports spokesperson told Competitor. “We thank Dale and wish him all the best for the future.”
Earnhardt said on his podcast in early February that he wanted to stay at NBC, although he admitted he didn’t have a contract through 2024.
“I absolutely love being in the broadcast booth and want to continue to do that,” Earnhardt said on his podcast “Dale Jr. Download.” “We’ve had some great conversations with all of NASCAR’s television partners. My Home and my love are at NBC and I’d love to go back to them. So we’ll see where it goes.”
Earnhardt, 49, joined NBC in 2018 immediately after retiring.
NASCAR is turning to four partners in its latest TV deal, with existing NBC and Fox remaining among them, with the latter continuing to broadcast 14 races in 2025, joining WBD Sports and Amazon’s combined 10 races. NASCAR’s overall agreement is for seven years and is expected to be worth $7.7 billion in total. This season is still airing exclusively on Fox and NBC.
In 2025, coverage will be added by Amazon and WBD Sports, both of which will center around Earnhardt.
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(Photo: Jared Tilton/Getty Images)
