FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 4th, 2014
NBC SPORTS GROUP WELCOMES KYLE PETTY TO NASCAR BROADCAST TEAM
Popular and Experienced NASCAR Analyst Joins Krista Voda on Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series Pre- and Post-race Coverage on NBC and NBCSN
STAMFORD, Conn. — December 4, 2014 — NBC Sports Group welcomes one of the most-liked personalities in motorsports to its multiplatform NASCAR coverage as Kyle Petty joins its upcoming race day broadcast team on NBC and NBCSN. Petty will work alongside host Krista Voda as an analyst during pre- and post-race shows surrounding Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series race coverage, which launches this July. In addition, Petty will continue his role as a regular contributor to NASCAR AMERICA on NBCSN. The announcement was made today by Sam Flood, Executive Producer, NBC Sports and NBCSN.
“Kyle Petty brings a lifetime of experience to our team that is unmatched,” said Flood. “As a driver, team owner, philanthropist, and multigenerational observer of the sport, he has seen it all, and has great perspectives across NASCAR’s full spectrum.”
“I learned the history of this sport from my grandfather, I saw the history made by my father, and I was a competitor to some of the greatest drivers in the history of NASCAR,” said Petty. “I’m excited to be a part of NBC’s return to NASCAR. During this past year as a guest analyst on NASCAR AMERICA, I saw firsthand the commitment, energy and excitement that this team has for the sport that I love. I can’t wait for the fans to see the same.”
The appointment of Petty follows previous NBC Sports NASCAR on-air announcements for analysts Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, race announcer Rick Allen, pre- and post-race host Krista Voda, and reporters Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Mike Massaro and Dave Burns.
Petty is as much a product of racing as he is of his famous forebears: his grandfather, Lee Petty, and his father, Richard Petty, also known as “the King.” He grew up in Level Cross, N.C., and places like Daytona, Charlotte and Talladega. For more than three decades as a driver, owner and media commentator, Kyle Petty has earned a reputation as a classy competitor and one of the greatest philanthropists that NASCAR has ever known.
Inspired by the vision of his late son Adam, Kyle and the Petty family partnered with the NASCAR community and corporate sponsors to create Victory Junction, a camp where more than 20,000 children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses have found hope, laughter and relief. For more than 20 years, Petty has hosted hundreds of NASCAR fans, drivers and motorcycle enthusiasts on his annual Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America – raising more than $15 million for Victory Junction and children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses.
Over the course of a 30-year racing career, Petty amassed 173 Top-10 finishes. Throughout his racing years and since retirement in 2008, he has worked as an on-air commentator for several networks, including TNT, SPEED, ESPN, Turner, Fox Sports 1 and the Performance Racing Network.
On July 23, 2013, NASCAR and NBC Sports Group reached a comprehensive agreement that grants NBCUniversal exclusive rights to the final 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, final 19 NASCAR XFINITY Series events, select NASCAR Regional & Touring Series events and other live content, beginning in 2015.
With this partnership, NBC’s 20 Sprint Cup race schedule includes a designation as the exclusive home to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, when the elite national series races through its final 10 events of the season. The Chase culminates with the season-ending championship event, which returns to network television in 2015 for the first time since 2009. Of NBC Sports Group’s 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, seven will be carried on NBC annually, with 13 airing on NBCSN. Four of NBC Sports Group’s 19 NASCAR XFINITY Series races will air on NBC, with 15 airing on NBCSN.
NASCAR AMERICA premiered in February, following Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Daytona 500 victory and NBC Sports Group’s multi-platform coverage of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. The weekday 30-minute news and highlights program is hosted primarily by NASCAR on NBC lead race announcer Rick Allen and features regular appearances by NBC Sports NASCAR analysts Jeff Burton, Kyle Petty, reporters Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, as well as guest analysts such as Bobby Labonte, Wally Dallenbach and Frank Stoddard.
— NBC SPORTS GROUP —
