Wednesday, May 9, 2012

NASCAR Star Carl Edwards to Join ESPN for Two Races


NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Carl Edwards will move from the cockpit of his race car to the broadcast booth as he becomes an analyst for ESPN on two upcoming telecasts of NASCAR Nationwide Series races.

Edwards will make his debut during ESPN2’s live telecast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Friday night, May 11, at 6:30 p.m. ET. Edwards also will serve as an analyst for the June 29 event at Kentucky Speedway.

For the Darlington race telecast, Edwards will join lap-by-lap announcer Allen Bestwick and analyst Andy Petree in the booth. While Edwards has never called a race, he has worked closely with ESPN the past two years during ESPN’s portion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule by doing post-race analysis for SportsCenter.

"I am humbled by this opportunity to broadcast for ESPN and be part of their team," said Edwards. "This Friday in Darlington, I will hop out of my Sprint Cup Car and trade my firesuit for a suit and tie to see the Nationwide race from a totally different perspective.

"I am honestly a little nervous as it will be my first time being part of the broadcast," he said. "ESPN has been a great partner for everyone in NASCAR and I hope I can add some insight for the fans."

Edwards, who drives for Roush Fenway Racing, stopped competing in NASCAR Nationwide Series races this season after racing fulltime in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series the past seven years. He was the Nationwide Series driving champion in 2007, and earned the 2011 series owner’s championship for Roush Fenway Racing, but decided to concentrate his efforts on the Sprint Cup Series this season.

"Having a past NASCAR Nationwide Series champion and active NASCAR Sprint Cup driver in the booth will certainly bring some unique perspective to our viewers," said Rich Feinberg, ESPN vice president, motorsports, production. "We have a very strong on-air team for NASCAR and this addition makes it even stronger."


- Roush Fenway Racing PR

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