FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 16th, 2018

DALE EARNHARDT JR. TO MAKE NBC DEBUTS AT SUPER BOWL LII AND WINTER OLYMPICS

Earnhardt Jr. to Serve As Contributor for NBC’s Super Bowl Pre-Game Show

Motorsports Icon to Explore Culture, People, and Traditions in PyeongChang, and Experience Olympic Competition

STAMFORD, Conn. – January 16, 2018 – Motorsports icon and two-time Daytona 500 winning driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make his NBC debuts as a contributor for the network’s coverage of Super Bowl LII on Sunday, February 4, and the XXIII Olympic Winter Games, beginning Thursday, February 8.

Voted by fans as NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver for an unprecedented 15 consecutive years (2003-17), Earnhardt will make his first trip to the Super Bowl with NBC Sports, and participate in NBC’s Super Bowl Pre-Game Show leading up to the big game. While in Minneapolis, Earnhardt will experience the celebration surrounding this year’s winter weather Super Bowl, and share his great sense of adventure, as he takes part in some of the outdoor events and activities taking place in town leading up to kickoff.

Later in February, Earnhardt will travel to PyeongChang, where he will explore the culture, people, and traditions in South Korea, and experience Olympic competitions first hand. Earnhardt will visit the speed skating venue at Gangneung Ice Arena, and through the lens of a racer will view the speed, close contact, and tight turns on the short track speed skating oval, which so closely mirror Earnhardt’s racing days and nights at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Following a recent invite on social media from his new friends on the U.S. bobsled team, including U.S. bobsled team pilot Nick Cunningham, Earnhardt will also travel to Alpensia Sliding Center, where he will test the true speed of the bobsled track and live out his post-retirement dream of riding in an Olympic bobsled.

In July of 2017, Earnhardt and NBC Sports announced the 26-time NASCAR Cup Series winner would be joining NBCUniversal as an on-air analyst and contributor. In addition to serving as an analyst for NBC’s coverage of the 2018 NASCAR season, the agreement with NBCUniversal allows Earnhardt to participate in a wide range of opportunities in the company’s media businesses, including movies, television, podcasts, and other areas.

 

QUOTABLE

 

I’m excited to get to work with my new NBC family. Beginning with two huge events like the Super Bowl and Olympics, right out of the gate, should be quite the introduction. I’m looking forward to raising the profile of NASCAR, and all that we’re going to be doing during the 2018 season.” – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

 

“Dale is a star on the racetrack and off, and we are excited to have him join the NBC team. It will be fun to have him be a part of our coverage of the Super Bowl, and we are looking forward to watching him explore a new world with the Winter Olympics.” – Sam Flood, Executive Producer & President, Production, NBC & NBCSN

 

“We can’t wait to get Dale’s take on what is one of the most compelling aspects of the Winter Games – sports that offer a mix of speed with the prospect of danger, an equation that he knows very well. But instead of the turns at Daytona, it’s the downhill, the luge, and the short track oval. And I think he will have something unique to offer about the need for speed on snow and ice.” – Jim Bell, President, NBC Olympics Production and Programming

 

SNAP SHOTS – NBC OLYMPICS’ DALE EARNHARDT JR.

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

 

  • NBC Sports on-air debut to take place during Super Bowl LII Pre-Game Show
  • Making NBC Olympics debut in PyeongChang
  • Joining NBC Sports Group’s NASCAR on NBC coverage in 2018
  • NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver for an unprecedented 15 consecutive years (2003-17)
  • Third-generation driver with 26 career victories, including two Daytona 500s
  • Owner of JR Motorsports, which fields four full-time cars in the XFINITY Series

 

NBC’s live primetime coverage of The Winter Olympics begins February 8, 2018.

 

— PYEONGCHANG 2018 —