Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join the NASCAR broadcast team over at NBC Sports upon his retirement in what could grow into a more expansive deal beyond just race car coverage.
Earnhardt, 42, announced in April that he is retiring at the end of the current NASCAR season, parking his No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports for good, according to NASCAR.com.
Now, Street & Smith's Sports Business Daily reports that there are hints that NBC plans to use Earnhardt across multiple platforms now that he's signed a multi-year on-air deal.
"It is notable that Earnhardt signed his deal with NBCUniversal, not just NBC Sports," Adam Stern and John Ourand, of Sports Business Daily, wrote. "NBCUniversal Broadcasting and Sports chair Mark Lazarus and NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood cut the deal for NBC."
"NBC has not decided how it will use Earnhardt in '18. The net's first NASCAR race is around a year away, and execs feel they have time to figure out the best way to insert him into its telecasts," Stern and Ourand continued.
Street & Smith stated that Earnhardt, a big Washington Redskins fan, could even pop up in NBC's NFL or Olympics coverage. Lazarus hinted at such an expanded role for Earnhardt in a statement released by NBC Sports Group Monday.
"We are excited to welcome Dale Jr. to our team — both on and off the track," Lazarus said in the statement. "As a company, NBCUniversal allows for talent to stretch themselves across not just their field of expertise, but across other areas of their interests in the media world."
Earnhardt said in the statement that he does not take the responsibility of broadcasting his thoughts to millions of NASCAR fans lightly.
"It is a tremendous honor not only to join NBC Sports next year but to begin a new career alongside people who love NASCAR as much as I do," the NASCAR legend said.
"To be reunited with Steve Letarte, to be able to call legends like Jeff Burton, Dale Jarrett, and Kyle Petty teammates rather than just friends, to be able to continue going to the track and connecting with race fans, it's a privilege I don't take lightly. I will devote my heart and soul to this broadcast team and pledge my very best to the millions who watch it," he continued.
NBC made its announcement in a Twitter post Monday morning.
The Sporting News reported that Earnhardt finished 36th at Sunday's Brickyard 400 after a multi-car accident, dropping him to 22nd place in the current NASCAR Cup standings.
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