When NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. joined the Indy 500 broadcast team

Dale Earnhardt Jr. joined the NBC Sports broadcast team for the 2019 Indy 500. IndyCar and NBC’s partnership started in 2009 with NBCSN when it televised most of the races. In 2019, NBC Sports became the exclusive home of IndyCar. For the first Indy 500 as the exclusive broadcaster, NBC Sports invited multiple guests including Dale Earnhardt Jr, who joined the broadcast team.

Speaking about the opportunity, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said, (via IndyCar.com)

“I can’t wait. This is an event I have wanted to attend for as long as I can remember. To get this first Indy 500 experience in this capacity – as part of the broadcast team with NBC Sports – is a dream. That said, I fully understand the responsibility we have of bringing this race to television viewers across the country. There’s no better broadcast team to do it. I’m blessed to be a part of it.”

NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race - Source: Getty

Earnhardt Jr. concluded his stock car career at the end of the 2017 season and since then has been a part of the NBCSN. The 50-year-old joined NBCSN as a NASCAR analyst for the 2018 season. When the NASCAR legend was presented with the opportunity to join the broadcast team for the Indy 500, he agreed without any hesitation.

Along with Earnhardt Jr, former IndyCar and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick also joined the broadcast team. Leigh Diffey was the announcer alongside Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy as the analysts. The broadcast team also included Mike Tirico, Krista Voda, Rutledge Wood, Dillon Welch, Marty Snider, Kevin Lee, Jon Beekhuis, Kelli Stavast, and Robin Miller.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently revealed the experience of attending the Indy 500 for the first time on his podcast.

“There's nothing like it”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. on experiencing the Indy 500 for the first time

The dates for the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 usually collide as both races take place on the same day during the Memorial Day weekend. As a result, Earnhardt Jr. who was racing in NASCAR till the 2017 season had never gotten the opportunity to attend the Indy 500. After retiring, being part of the NBC Sports broadcast team granted him the first opportunity to attend the event.

Speaking about the Indy 500 experience, Dale Earnhardt Jr said (via his podcast Speed Street):

“I realized over the past couple of years, I've gotten the fortune, the good fortune, to be there (Indy 500). I'm a NASCAR fanboy through and through. I thought the Daytona 500 was the greatest thing ever. It's the most important race I'll ever have competed in.” (4:10 onwards)

“So I was very proud of it. But when I went to Indy and stood there on the grid, I saw the tradition. The pre-race and all of that. Yeah, there's nothing like it. There's nothing that compares to it that I've ever been to. Certainly a bucket list item for anybody who's a sports fan. Not just a motorsports fan but a sports fan. They should all have been to the Indy 500 at least once in their lives,” he added.

The NASCAR legend also revealed how he would watch the Indy 500 to calm his nerves while waiting for the start of the Coca-Cola 600.