The biggest name in NASCAR is on the move.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is leaving NBC for racing newcomers Amazon Prime Video and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, sources informed of his decision told The Athletic.
Earnhardt is expected to sit out this season and then resume his broadcast career in 2025 when WBD Sports and Amazon begin their coverage.
The move is intended to give WBD Sports and Amazon instant credibility as they begin their series. Each will run five races per season. WBD Sports races are broadcast on TNT, streamed on Max and feature a Bleacher Report component. NASCAR complements WBD Sports' extensive NBA, NCAA Tournament, MLB and NHL programming schedule.
GO DEEPER
NASCAR's new media deal explains: Why Amazon, who gets which races and more
Amazon Prime Video's subscription service already offers exclusive NFL games on Thursday nights and is a leading contender to join the NBA as the league finalizes its partners in its upcoming negotiations.
Earnhardt informed NBC of his decision last week, according to sources familiar with the discussions. While Earnhardt is expected to sit out the year, he has the flexibility to sign another deal with either broadcast partner, Fox and NBC. There are currently no substantive discussions with either of them.
“Dale Earnhardt Jr. is beloved in the NASCAR world and has made numerous contributions to NBC Sports, from his work as an analyst for our NASCAR coverage to his experiences as a correspondent at major events such as the Indianapolis 500, the Kentucky Derby and the Super Bowl and the Olympics,” an NBC Sports spokesperson told The Athletic. “We thank Dale and wish him all the best for the future.”
Earnhardt said on his podcast in early February that he hopes to stay at NBC, even though he admitted he doesn't have a contract for 2024.
“I definitely love being in the broadcast booth and I want to continue to do that,” Earnhardt said on his “Dale Jr. Download” podcast. “We’ve had some great conversations with all of NASCAR’s TV partners. My home and my love is with NBC and I would love to be with them again. So we’ll see where it goes.”
Earnhardt, 49, joined NBC in 2018 immediately after retiring from racing.
NASCAR moved to four partners in its most recent TV deals, sticking with established networks NBC and Fox, which will continue to air 14 races in 2025, along with WBD Sports and Amazon's total of 10. The total NASCAR deals are for seven years and an estimated value of $7.7 billion in total. The current season remains exclusive to Fox and NBC.
In 2025, Amazon and WBD Sports will join the coverage, each building around Earnhardt.
Required reading
(Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)