DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – JANUARY 12: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, speaks to the Media during the NASCAR Next Gen Test at Daytona International Speedway on January 12, 2022 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
Recently, Dale Earnhardt Jr dropped a massive bombshell, that he will leave NBC Sports’ broadcast booth. What makes it worse for the fans is that his departure is effective immediately. He had been part of the broadcast booth since 2018, joining Rick Allen, Steve Letarte, and Jeff Burton. Now, after six years in the broadcast booth, Dale Jr is preparing for a new challenge.
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Looking at this, the former NASCAR driver, Kenny Wallace, could sympathize. He too was in the broadcast business, before he quit TV. In his words, the job was lonely, depressing, and the traveling was exhausting. The worst part was having to sit in commercial airports, spend lonely nights in hotels, or the rental car rides. It got to a stage where he could not take it anymore and he confessed that it would ‘grind a grown person down’.
What did Kenny Wallace say about being a NASCAR TV broadcaster?
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In one of his recent Twitter posts, he said “When I first started TV, I was a race car driver. That was always a joke inside the TV compound. People would start talking, ‘Hey man! You’re great on TV’. I’m like, ‘I’m not a TV guy, I’m a race car driver’. When I did Speed TV, I was still driving a race car. Boy, they were so nice to me. I’d get done running a Cup race in the Furniture Row car, and I’d jump on the NASCAR Victory Lane set. All was good. I usually ran between 15th and 25th in that car. We struggled a little bit. When I worked for Speed TV, which was owned by Fox, they were awesome. They treated me like a million dollars. However, when I was done racing and announce my retirement in 2015, it changed a lot. The honeymoon was over. My honeymoon with TV was over.”
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Wallace revealed that the late Cale Yarborough always told him that there were always bigger fish. However, telling them that they work for the broadcasters now is the wrong approach. Instead, the TV networks should be happy that a former driver has officially joined their team. So when NBC Sports hired Dale Earnhardt Jr, it was because he was one of the most famous racing drivers in America. In his early years with NBC, it was pretty much a honeymoon, because they figured that the ratings would skyrocket.
Dale Earnhardt Jr was compared to two NFL stars
Kenny Wallace also compared Dale Jr to ex-NFL presenters, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. The two of them used to be associated with Fox Sports. After their ‘honeymoon’ period, things went downhill and they eventually joined ESPN. Truthfully, there is no controversy about Dale Jr leaving NBC Sports. However, Wallace believes that the media giants fell out of love with Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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“Big L”: NBC Shamed by NASCAR Fans as Broadcasting Partner Lets Go of Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Talents
Now, Wallace believes that whoever employs Dale Earnhardt Jr next would see his value. The bottom line was that a person of Dale Jr’s caliber should not be treated like an average Joe. When that happens, that is the moment when the honeymoon ends and it is time to cut one’s losses.
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