Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Edwards To Join ESPN Nationwide Broadcast Team

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Carl Edwards will move from his race car to the broadcast booth as he becomes an analyst for ESPN on two upcoming telecasts of NASCAR Nationwide Series races.

Cousin Carl to the TV booth
Edwards will make his debut during ESPN2’s live telecast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Darlington Raceway this Friday night at 6:30 p.m. ET. Edwards also will serve as analyst for the June 29 event at Kentucky Speedway.

For the Darlington race telecast, Edwards will join lap-by-lap announcer Allen Bestwick and analyst Andy Petree in the booth. While Edwards has never called a race, he has worked closely with ESPN the past two years during ESPN’s portion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule by doing post-race analysis for SportsCenter.

“I am humbled by this opportunity to broadcast for ESPN and be part of their team,” said Edwards. “This Friday in Darlington, I will hop out of my Sprint Cup Car and trade my firesuit for a suit and tie to see the Nationwide race from a totally different perspective.

“I am honestly a little nervous as it will be my first time being part of the broadcast,” he said. “ESPN has been a great partner for everyone in NASCAR and I hope I can add some insight for the fans.”

Edwards, who drives for Roush Fenway Racing, stopped competing in NASCAR Nationwide Series races this season after racing fulltime in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series the past seven years. He was the Nationwide Series driving champion in 2007, and earned the 2011 series owner’s championship for Roush Fenway Racing, but decided to concentrate his efforts on the Sprint Cup Series this season.

“Having a past NASCAR Nationwide Series champion and active NASCAR Sprint Cup driver in the booth will certainly bring some unique perspective to our viewers,” said Rich Feinberg, ESPN vice president, motorsports, production. “We have a very strong on-air team for NASCAR and this addition makes it even stronger.”

Photo Credit: Coastal181.com

9 comments:

  1. I think he is a perfect fit for ESPN, we need someone with insight into racing, and I can think of no one better. It will be a breath of fresh air, there are no personalities there now. I like Alan Bestwick, but he is boring and is hard to listen to for long periods of time.

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  2. Anonymous1:03 PM

    Edwards will make a great addition to the ESPN team

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  3. Smart move on ESPN's part. Carl is an asset to your broadcasts.

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  4. Anonymous1:35 PM

    Lets think here, all he knows is to peddle his sponsors and wreck other drivers and play how sad am I when he does bone head moves

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  5. Anonymous2:06 PM

    I am so excited by this news!! Not only will he be an amazing addition to the broadcast team...but his fans will once again have the opportunity to spend time with him, albeit virtually. I feel like I never get to see him anymore since he stopped racing in Nationwide, so I am very much looking forward to Friday night. I have also lost interest in the Nationwide series ever since he stopped racing in it...maybe now I'll start watching again :-) This is great news for Carl Edward's fans and any fan of NASCAR!

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  6. Looking to his future much? Not a bad idea - he'll make a good analyst, he'll have a foot in the door for when he does retire, and ESPN gains a current NASCAR personality in the booth.

    Kinda off topic, but I wish ESPN would utilize Ricky Craven more. He does very well in the booth.

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  7. Anonymous4:31 PM

    Blah blah flap flap, Ford, flap flap blah blather, Subway, blah bloop, flap flap, Aflac, blah, blah, blah, Kelloggs, blater, bloop, bling, blah, Scotts, blah and don't forget blah, posh, blother, Fastenal, Carl, Carl, Roush, Ford blather, Carl, Carl, blah blah blah.

    It would have been more fun to get Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear to make the commentary fun instead of about Carl, which in the end, is what it will be about.


    No thanks.

    Doug from NJ

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  8. Anonymous4:54 PM

    Old pic?

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