What Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s deal with TNT, Amazon means for the future of NASCAR broadcasting

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has officially signed his next broadcasting deal. 

After it was revealed that the 49-year-old would not call races for NBC Sports this year, many within the industry started wondering where, if anywhere, Jr. would call NASCAR races in the future. We finally have our answer. 

It was announced on Tuesday that Earnhardt would join both TNT and Amazon Prime on the call of 10 total Cup Series races, with both broadcast partners calling five races each during the summer stretch of the NASCAR season. 

While Earnhardt has blossomed into one of the top television talents in the sport, becoming renowned for calls such as the 2018 Chicagoland finish, he also has an invaluable trait to bring to both Amazon Prime and TNT — influence. 

Earnhardt is one of, if not the most powerful man in the sport. A NASCAR Hall of Famer and son of seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt Sr., he won NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver award 15 consecutive times from 2003 to his retirement in 2017. The host of the popular podcast “The Dale Jr. Download,” millions of fans hear his voice across social media every week during the NASCAR season, and his extremely loyal fanbase is always there to support him during his once-a-year appearances in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. 

As long as Earnhardt is still active in the sport, NASCAR should be thrilled, but both Amazon Prime and TNT are the big winners in this situation. NBC certainly has an abundance of talent on its broadcasting team, with or without Earnhardt, but bringing in the most popular driver in NASCAR history will gain you respect among fans no matter what. 

TNT re-enters NASCAR in 2025 for the first time since 2014, while Amazon Prime will jump headfirst into NASCAR broadcasting next season for the very first time. Earnhardt doesn’t just bring talent but expertise and experience, which will be especially helpful to Prime, who, despite broadcasting events such as Thursday Night Football, is still in a fledgling phase regarding sports broadcasting. 

Earnhardt’s switch from one booth to another won’t impact NASCAR’s on-track product, but it will certainly be considered one of the biggest free agency moves in the sport’s history for years.