Photo – NBC Sports Network Sports Group
When NASCAR returned to the NBC Sports Group this past season, it wasn’t too much of a hassle to fill the spots needed to analyze and call Sprint Cup Series races. NBC could have reached out to Adam Alexander or Allen Bestwick, since TNT and ESPN lost their rights. Alexander moved on to FOX and Bestwick stayed on at ESPN for other duties. Marty Reid could have been a near perfect fit, but he was let go by ESPN over two years ago for prematurely giving Ryan Blaney the win at the Kentucky 300 during the 2013 XFINITY Series race.
NBC instead decided to dig just a little deeper to find their new play caller. They dipped into FOX’s announcing line up and picked up Rick Allen. Allen has served as FOX’s play-by-play announcer for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series from 2003 to 2013, while Mike Joy continued to call Sprint Cup races since 2001. Allen had practically been the number two guy for NASCAR On FOX and was possibly next in line if Joy were to leave. What seemed overdue, NBC decided to pick up Allen to give him a shot.
Allen had never called a Sprint Cup race until last season when he joined Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte, both also serving their first year in the booth. It was awkward at first, not in a bad way, but after the first five races into their program, they began to gel. Although he might have looked a little stiff at first, he finally settled in his new place at the lead man for NBC Sports Network. Now it seems all is in place for year number two, when he and his crew are more ready and up to the task.
I’m sure that Allen was looking for his opportunity to call Sprint Cup races, whether he would eventually replace Joy or find an opening somewhere else. I’ve heard and read about how some thought the new cast was mediocre. Even with a new cast and brand new analysts with some veterans. But Allen is far from mediocre. The entire NBC Sports Network crew were all on point along with veterans Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett, not to forget Krista Voda. Allen now has a home with the NBC Sports Group to follow his true dream: being a NASCAR Sprint Cup announcer. It was well worth the wait.