Earnhardt Jr. to work for NBC in 2018
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join NBC Sports Group’s coverage of stock car racing next year — and there may be more options for NASCAR’s most popular driver once he retires.
The agreement with NBCUniversal will allow Earnhardt to pursue “a wide range of opportunities in the company’s media businesses, including movies, television, podcasts, and other areas.” The agreement was announced Monday by NBC Sports Chairman Mark Lazarus and NBC Sports Executive Producer and President of Production Sam Flood.
Earnhardt, 42, announced in April he would retire after this season, in part because of his injury history.
Kasey Kahne proved he’s still capable of winning races.
Now he must convince team owner Rick Hendrick he still belongs on one of NASCAR’s strongest teams.
Kahne overcame dangerous heat, painful muscle cramps and a grueling, crash-marred, six-hour marathon Cup race Sunday to earn his first win in almost three years. It might take an even bigger effort to keep his job.
Brickyard 400:
“Our plans are not set for the No. 5 car,” Hendrick said after Sunday’s Brickyard 400. “There’s nothing concrete or done and that hasn’t changed. We’ll see how things shake out at the end of the year.”
For weeks, there’s been speculation about Kahne’s future at Hendrick Motorsports. With only three top10 finishes in the first 19 races and his primary sponsor, Great Clips, already announcing it would not be back next season, many thought the 37-year-old Kahne was on his way out.
Kahne responded with maybe the gutsiest performance of his career. He avoided all the debris and chaos around him. He and Brad Keselowski escaped a three-wide race through the third turn with Jimmie Johnson’s car smoking. Kahne then held off Keselowski on the final restart, beat him to the overtime line. After kissing the bricks, one of the top trained athletes in NASCAR went to the infield medical center for intravenous fluids.
“All I want to do is win. All I want to do is perform,” he said.
The victory gives Kahne a ticket to the playoffs and more chances to impress his owner.