Allen Bestwick is moving into the booth to replace Marty Reid as ESPN’s primary lap-by-lap announcer for the final 17 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Reid will continue to call NASCAR Nationwide Series race telecasts on ESPN as well as practice and qualifying telecasts.
Bestwick, who has filled a variety of positions since ESPN returned to live NASCAR event coverage in 2007, will be joined by analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree when ESPN starts its NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage with the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 31.
“We are blessed with a talented and versatile group of NASCAR commentators,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, production. “We believe this arrangement best plays to our individual and collective strengths.”
It’s also been announced that Nicole Briscoe, who has been a host and reporter for ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now since joining ESPN in 2008, and a fill-in host for the pre-race NASCAR Countdown show since 2010, will become the regular NASCAR Countdown host for all NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series telecasts on ESPN. Briscoe will work with analysts Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty in the ESPN Pit Studio at racetracks. Bestwick has been in the NASCAR Countdown host role since midway through the 2007 season.