Allen Bestwick

Allen Bestwick (born September 24, 1961) is an American sportscaster who is currently working for ESPN and ABC as a motorsports and college football broadcaster. He has been with the ESPN family of networks since 2007 and is the lap-by-lap broadcaster of ABC's coverage of the IndyCar Series, including the Indianapolis 500.

Bestwick is perhaps best known for his work covering NASCAR, which he did for many years for such organizations as ESPN, Motor Racing Network, NBC Sports, and Turner Sports.

Biography

Early life and career

Bestwick was born in Newport, Rhode Island. His broadcasting career began at the age of 15, when he did on-air work for the high school radio 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.

He then was hired by Charlie Roberts, founder of MotorNet (www.motorsportsreport.com) in New Jersey, to be the radio network's Director of Affiliates and Associate Producer.

In 1986 Bestwick joined Motor Racing Network (MRN) as a race reporter and eventually became co-lead announcer with Joe Moore and Barney Hall. While still employed at MRN, Bestwick took over for Ken Squier as TBS' lead NASCAR commentator for its abbreviated schedule.

NBC Sports and Turner Sports

Bestwick joined NBC in 1999 as its lap-by-lap commentator for its lone race, the Pennzoil 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. When NBC acquired rights to the second half of the NASCAR season, Bestwick was joined by Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach, Jr. as the network's full-time broadcast team. Bestwick also continued to work for Turner Sports, as TNT served as NBC's broadcast partner on cable.

In 2005, Bestwick and Bill Weber switched positions on the broadcast. Bestwick took Weber's position as lead pit reporter while Weber, who had substituted for Bestwick for two races in 2004 as he recuperated from a broken leg, moved to the booth.^[1]

In 2005, Bestwick made a cameo appearance as himself, being the lead announcer, in the movie Herbie: Fully Loaded. During his tenure at NBC, Bestwick also called Arena football games, as well as other minor duties.

After NBC lost rights to NASCAR following the 2006 season, Bestwick elected to not stay with TNT as part of its six-race summer broadcast package and moved to ESPN.

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 occasional NASCAR Now hosting duties. In 2008, he was moved up to full-time race coverage host and hosts a weekly Monday roundtable edition of NASCAR Now. As lead pit reporter, from 2008-2010, he also hosted NASCAR Countdown.

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.^[2] Bestwick replaced Marty Reid as play-by-play announcer for the Sprint Cup Series races starting at the Brickyard 400, returning him to the position for the first time since 2004. Bestwick also called the Nationwide Series for the remainder of the 2013 season after Reid was fired from ESPN.^[3]

With the end of ESPN's NASCAR coverage after the 2014 season, Bestwick became the lead announcer for ESPN's broadcasts of IndyCar races for ABC beginning in 2014, also replacing Reid. Bestwick also began to perform play-by-play duties for non-racing events, including college football.^[4][5]

Notable Calls

July 7, 2001- Bestwick called the 2001 Pepsi 400, the first race at Daytona since Dale Earnhardt's death, where Earnhardt's son Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won the race with teammate Michael Waltrip behind him. Bestwick on the call:

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!

February 15, 2004- Bestwick was the lap-by-lap announcer for the 2004 Daytona 500, where exactly 6 years after Dale Earnhardt won his only Daytona 500, his son Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won the race. Bestwick, who was with NBC at the time:

The legacy continues. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. wins the 46th Daytona 500!

July 2, 2010- Running a special paint scheme in the No. 3 car with a tribute to his father, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won the 2010 Subway Firecracker 250 in his only race in the 3 car that year. Bestwick, who was now a lap-by-lap announcer for ESPN:

An Earnhardt is going to drive a No. 3 car to victory lane once again! Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins!

February 23, 2013- Bestwick called the 2013 DRIVE4COPD 300, where Kyle Larson flipped into a catch fence, injuring 28.^[6]

Regan Smith, 7! Keselowski 22! Stewart 33! And contact! Smith turned around! Tony Stewart is going to win this race! And a terrible crash coming to the finish!

October 31, 2015- Bestwick called the Miami-Duke college football game, when Miami was down 27-24 with 6 seconds in the game, and scored on a kickoff return after lateraling the ball 8 times. Bestwick on the call:

Taken short... lateral... they practiced that on Wednesday. Time's going to expire on the game, so this either goes or this doesn't. Ball's still alive! It's got to be a backwards lateral! Get behind it... still alive. They've got blockers, they've got blockers! They've got a lane! 40 yard line! No black shirts between the goal line! CAN YOU BELIEVE WHAT YOU JUST SAW?!?!

References

External links

• Official Bio