Indy 500 lead TV announcer sacked (Update)

Bestwick (R) with Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever at the Brickyard
Bestwick (R) with Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever at the Brickyard.

UPDATE Dr. Jerry Punch has also been sacked. Those that remain on the team (for now) are Cheever, fellow analyst Scott Goodyear, and pit reporters Rick DeBruhl and Jon Beekhuis. However, when you consider that Beekhuis is primarily employed by IndyCar and DeBruhl only works open-wheel races for ESPN/ABC, less of the team is secured at this point but one has to question whether ABC/ESPN is getting out of motorsports altogether.

04/29/17 Longtime NASCAR TV announcer, and later Indy 500 anchor for ABC, Allen Bestwick, has been giving his walking papers as part of the major layoff by ABC subsidiary ESPN.

He had been with the ESPN family of networks since 2007 and was the lap-by-lap broadcaster of ABC's coverage of the IndyCar Series, including the Indianapolis 500.

Bestwick is perhaps best known for his work covering NASCAR, which he did for many years for such organizations as ESPN, Motor Racing Network, NBC Sports, and Turner Sports.