After all the outrage about his racing after retirement and The Clash, Dale Jr. has actually decided to remain inside the realm of NASCAR following his retirement – but he won’t be behind the wheel anymore.
NASCAR’s 14-time most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., has inked a multi-year deal with NBCUniversal to take effect following his exit from the driver’s seat. The terms of his deal are broad and include him joining their Sports Group for on-air coverage of stock car events next year.
Beyond just covering NASCAR events for NBC, Dale Jr. will also be included in what the network has called “a wide range of opportunities” and can be anything from movies to podcasts to other media coverage. Many have speculated that with Dale Jr.’s wide-reaching sports knowledge and involvement, NBC could feasibly use him in other sport areas, such as NFL coverage.
“Earnhardt will be utilized in a number of capacities on NBC’s NASCAR coverage, with specifics to be announced in the coming months,” The network stated in a release. “In addition, the agreement with NBCUniversal allows Earnhardt a wide range of opportunities in the company’s media businesses, including movies, television, podcasts, and other areas.”
Adding fuel to the fire that this famous driver could branch out into other sports, the chairman of broadcasting for NBC, Mark Lazarus, explained that the company “allows for talent to stretch themselves across not just their field of expertise, but across other areas of their interest in the media world”.
This move from the driver’s seat to the broadcast booth isn’t unusual for popular sports personalities and many drivers before him, like Jeff Gordon, have done the same. While his new job role isn’t completely unexpected, plenty of folks weren’t certain he would sign on to do broadcasting – especially after he announced his forthcoming home improvement TV segment with wife Amy.
What do you think about Dale Jr. signing on with NBC for this new deal? Do you think this is a good move for him? Let us know in the comments.