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TV News: Dale Earnhardt Jr. leaving NBC – Rumor

Posted by AR1 staff

The Athletic is reporting that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will leave NBC to move to Amazon Prime Video and Warner Brothers Discovery Sports.  He is not expected to work for NBC this season.

According to The Athletic report, Earnhardt plans to sit out this season before joining Amazon and Warner Bros. Discovery when those two outlets begin racing coverage in 2025. Amazon Prime, which this past season broadcast the NFL on Thursday nights, and Warner Bros. Discovery (via TNT) are scheduled to broadcast five races each season, beginning in 2025.

“Dale Earnhardt Jr. is beloved in the NASCAR world and has made numerous contributions to NBC Sports, from his work as an analyst on our NASCAR coverage to his experiences as a correspondent at major events like the Indianapolis 500, the Kentucky Derby, the Super Bowl and the Olympics,” an NBC Sports spokesperson told The Athletic. “We thank Dale and we wish him the best going forward.”

The NBC and USA Network portion of the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series broadcast schedule does not begin until late June but Dale Earnhardt Jr. currently does not yet have a contract to return as an analyst.

Earnhardt very well could return this summer but that would be dependent on a new deal and he said on his podcast on Tuesday that he is working towards that in some shape or fashion.

“My contract with NBC is up,” Earnhardt said on the Dale Jr Download. “It was up at the end of last year. I’m currently working through what that looks like for me. I definitely love being in the broadcast booth and want to continue doing that.

“We’ve had some great conversations with all of NASCAR’s TV partners. My home and my love is at NBC and I’d love to be back with them so we’ll see where it goes. But right now, I really don’t have a job in terms of broadcasting.”

— Sportsnaut —