Allen Bestwick
Encyclopedia
Allen Bestwick is the host of ESPN
's NASCAR
pre-race show NASCAR Countdown
and play-by-play announcer for the Sprint Cup Series races for the same company. He took over that position in 2011 after serving as the countdown to green host from 2008-2010 and a pit reporter for the network in 2007. Prior to that, Bestwick worked for NBC
, TNT
and TBS on their NASCAR coverage, serving as play-by-play man until 2005 and spending the last two seasons as the lead pit reporter. In addition, Bestwick also hosted Speed Channel
's NASCAR Inside Nextel Cup
from 1996 to September 12, 2005, when he was replaced by Dave Despain
. He also moderated the networks Inside the NASCAR Busch Series until that show was cancelled at the end of the 2004 season, and was one of the play-by-play commentators on NBC's coverage of the Arena Football League.
station (Coventry High school) located in Coventry, Rhode Island
. Bestwick began announcing auto racing at age 16, when he called the action at Seekonk Speedway
, where his father raced. His best known pre-television gig was working as an announcer for the Motor Racing Network
(MRN) radio network from 1986 to 2000. He does not hold an official position with MRN anymore, but will do some occasional fill-in duties for them when needed. Bestwick joined NBC and TNT in 1999.
since Dale Earnhardt's
death, by saying, "Here they come! Turn 4! Final lap of the Pepsi 400! Michael Waltrip in second, but it's going to be Dale Earnhardt Jr., using lessons learned from his father to go from 6th to 1st and score the victory in the Pepsi 400!" Bestwick also called the 2004 Daytona 500
, also won by Junior, saying, "The legacy continues. Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins the 46th Daytona 500."
On September 29, 2004, Bestwick broke his leg playing in a charity ice hockey
game (ice hockey is one of Bestwick's hobbies) near his Rhode Island
home. His injury (and the surgery that followed) caused him to be out of work for the next two races. Bill Weber
filled in for Bestwick. Bestwick returned in mid-October. In December 2004, rumors began swirling that Bestwick and Weber would switch places in 2005, with Weber taking Bestwick's lap-by-lap duties, and Bestwick taking Weber's position as pre-race host. On December 14, 2004, this switch was confirmed. Bestwick became the lead pit reporter, though he would occasionally resume the play-by-play position on stand-alone Nationwide races. Weber took Bestwick's Sprint Cup lap-by-lap duties.http://www.nascar.com/2004/news/headlines/cup/12/14/nbc.booth/index.html
In 2005, Bestwick made a cameo appearance
as himself playing as the lead announcer in the movie Herbie: Fully Loaded
.
hosting duties. In 2008, he was moved up to full-time race coverage host and hosts a weekly Monday roundtable edition of NASCAR Now. On July 20, 2011, it was announced that Bestwick would replace Marty Reid for the 17 Sprint Cup races hosted by ESPN alongside Dale Jarrett
and Andy Petree
. Nicole Briscoe would replace him as host of NASCAR Countdown alongside Rusty Wallace
and Brad Daugherty. Bestwick will replace Marty Reid
as play-by-play announcer for the Sprint Cup Series races starting at the Brickyard 400, returning him to the position since 2004.
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
pre-race show NASCAR Countdown
NASCAR Countdown
NASCAR Countdown is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series prerace show that debuted on February 17, 2007. It is a live on-site pre-race show for all Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC...
and play-by-play announcer for the Sprint Cup Series races for the same company. He took over that position in 2011 after serving as the countdown to green host from 2008-2010 and a pit reporter for the network in 2007. Prior to that, Bestwick worked for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
and TBS on their NASCAR coverage, serving as play-by-play man until 2005 and spending the last two seasons as the lead pit reporter. In addition, Bestwick also hosted Speed Channel
SPEED Channel
Speed , is a cable and satellite television network broadcast to various parts of North America, but primarily the United States...
's NASCAR Inside Nextel Cup
NASCAR Inside Nextel Cup
NASCAR Inside Nextel Cup is a show that aired Monday nights on Speed Channel during the NASCAR season. Inside Nextel Cup was hosted by Dave Despain. The show was taped every Monday morning at SPEED's studios in Charlotte, North Carolina about 11 a.m., unless a race is postponed to Monday, in which...
from 1996 to September 12, 2005, when he was replaced by Dave Despain
Dave Despain
Dave Despain is an American motor sports journalist. He is the host of WindTunnel with Dave Despain on Speed Channel, and formerly the host of Inside Nextel Cup, until the latter underwent a format change at the beginning of the 2008 NASCAR Season.-Early life and career:A native of Fairfield,...
. He also moderated the networks Inside the NASCAR Busch Series until that show was cancelled at the end of the 2004 season, and was one of the play-by-play commentators on NBC's coverage of the Arena Football League.
Early life and career
Bestwick's broadcasting career began at the age of 15, when he did on-air work for the high school radioHigh school radio
High school radio within the United States is almost as old as radio broadcasting itself. Simply defined as a radio station, with its studios located at a high school and usually operated by its students with faculty supervision, stations fitting this description existed in the mid-1920s...
station (Coventry High school) located in Coventry, Rhode Island
Coventry, Rhode Island
Coventry is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 35,014 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of . of it is land and of it is water...
. Bestwick began announcing auto racing at age 16, when he called the action at Seekonk Speedway
Seekonk Speedway
Seekonk Speedway is a semi-banked 1/3 mile paved oval located on U.S. Route 6 in Seekonk, Massachusetts.The track holds the distinction of being the longest continually operated race track in the United States, under the guidance of the Venditti family since it opened on May 30, 1946...
, where his father raced. His best known pre-television gig was working as an announcer for the Motor Racing Network
Motor Racing Network
The Motor Racing Network is the principal radio broadcasting operation of NASCAR, promoting themselves as "The Voice of NASCAR." It broadcasts coverage of most major NASCAR races at the top three levels of NASCAR at tracks owned by International Speedway Corporation as well as Dover International...
(MRN) radio network from 1986 to 2000. He does not hold an official position with MRN anymore, but will do some occasional fill-in duties for them when needed. Bestwick joined NBC and TNT in 1999.
NBC Sports and Turner Sports
Bestwick is perhaps best remembered for calling the 2001 Pepsi 400, the first race at DaytonaDaytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...
since Dale Earnhardt's
Dale Earnhardt
Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR...
death, by saying, "Here they come! Turn 4! Final lap of the Pepsi 400! Michael Waltrip in second, but it's going to be Dale Earnhardt Jr., using lessons learned from his father to go from 6th to 1st and score the victory in the Pepsi 400!" Bestwick also called the 2004 Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
, also won by Junior, saying, "The legacy continues. Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins the 46th Daytona 500."
On September 29, 2004, Bestwick broke his leg playing in a charity ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
game (ice hockey is one of Bestwick's hobbies) near his Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
home. His injury (and the surgery that followed) caused him to be out of work for the next two races. Bill Weber
Bill Weber
Bill Weber is a former television sports commentator, perhaps best known for his work on TNT and NBC NASCAR broadcasts. Weber was also the lead announcer for Champ Car World Series events and other auto racing series on NBC. He currently is working as an illusionist.-Early life and career:Weber...
filled in for Bestwick. Bestwick returned in mid-October. In December 2004, rumors began swirling that Bestwick and Weber would switch places in 2005, with Weber taking Bestwick's lap-by-lap duties, and Bestwick taking Weber's position as pre-race host. On December 14, 2004, this switch was confirmed. Bestwick became the lead pit reporter, though he would occasionally resume the play-by-play position on stand-alone Nationwide races. Weber took Bestwick's Sprint Cup lap-by-lap duties.http://www.nascar.com/2004/news/headlines/cup/12/14/nbc.booth/index.html
In 2005, Bestwick made a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
as himself playing as the lead announcer in the movie Herbie: Fully Loaded
Herbie: Fully Loaded
Herbie: Fully Loaded is a 2005 American comedy film directed by Angela Robinson and produced by Robert Simonds for Walt Disney Pictures. It stars Lindsay Lohan as the youngest member of an automobile-racing family, Michael Keaton as her father, Matt Dillon as a competing racer, Breckin Meyer as...
.
ESPN
For 2007, Bestwick joined the NASCAR on ESPN package as lead pit reporter, as well as occasionally being race coverage host on Nationwide Series races, and rare NASCAR NowNASCAR Now
NASCAR Now is a NASCAR news and analysis show that airs year round Monday through Friday as a thirty minute show at 5:00pm ET on ESPN2. NASCAR Now, that debuted on February 5, 2007, is broadcast in HD from Bristol, Connecticut and also has a daily segment on SportsCenter...
hosting duties. In 2008, he was moved up to full-time race coverage host and hosts a weekly Monday roundtable edition of NASCAR Now. On July 20, 2011, it was announced that Bestwick would replace Marty Reid for the 17 Sprint Cup races hosted by ESPN alongside Dale Jarrett
Dale Jarrett
Dale Arnold Jarrett is a former American race car driver and current sports commentator known for winning the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship...
and Andy Petree
Andy Petree
Andy Petree , is a long-time fixture in NASCAR. After racing for years at local short track , Andy became part owner of the #32 Busch Series car for Dale Jarrett. By the age of 28, Andy was already a NASCAR Winston Cup crew chief on the Leo Jackson racing team...
. Nicole Briscoe would replace him as host of NASCAR Countdown alongside Rusty Wallace
Rusty Wallace
Russell William Wallace, Jr. is a past NASCAR Winston Cup Champion, currently a broadcaster on ESPN, car owner in the Nationwide Series, and a co-host of NASCAR Angels.-Early racing career:...
and Brad Daugherty. Bestwick will replace Marty Reid
Marty Reid
Marty Reid is an American television sportscaster who has worked for ESPN since 1982.Reid is currently the lead television announcer for ESPN on ABC's coverage of the IndyCar Series, including the Indianapolis 500, and was the lead announcer for ESPN and ABC's NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage for the...
as play-by-play announcer for the Sprint Cup Series races starting at the Brickyard 400, returning him to the position since 2004.