IndyCar: Dale Earnhardt Jr. to join NBC Sports for 2019 Indianapolis 500

Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been added to NBC Sports’ broadcast team for the Indianapolis 500 later this IndyCar season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is set to join NBC Sports’ broadcast team for the crown jewel race on the 17-race 2019 IndyCar schedule, the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500, this May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The 44-year-old Kannapolis, North Carolina native has never competed in an IndyCar race, much less in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”, but he is one of the most well-known drivers in all of motorsports after spending 18 seasons as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver and winning the Most Popular Driver Award after each and every one of his final 15 seasons in the sport.

Here is what Earnhardt Jr., who currently serves as an analyst for NASCAR on NBC, had to say about the opportunity to join NBC Sports’ broadcast team for this year’s running of the Indy 500, according to IndyCar.

"“I can’t wait. This is an event I have wanted to attend for as long as I can remember. To get this first Indy 500 experience in this capacity – as part of the broadcast team with NBC Sports – is a dream. That said, I fully understand the responsibility we have of bringing this race to television viewers across the country. There’s no better broadcast team to do it. I’m blessed to be a part of it.”"

Here is what executive producer and president of production for NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network Sam Flood had to say about the addition of Earnhardt Jr. to this broadcast team, according to IndyCar.

"“Dale Jr. is one of the most popular personalities in racing history, so adding Dale to our inaugural broadcast of ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ on NBC was a no-brainer. Dale has never been able to attend the 500, and now he will have the opportunity to experience every aspect of this massive event – from the party in the Snake Pit and the hundreds of thousands of fans in the grandstands, to the key strategic decisions and bold moves on track that will ultimately crown the 103rd Indy 500 champion.”"