ALLEN BESTWICK - 09/24/1961
an American sportscaster who is currently working for ESPN. He was the network's lead commentator for NASCAR races televised by ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC, a position he had held since 2011, as well as the lead commentator for ABC's coverage of the IndyCar Series which he took over in 2014. Bestwick had been with the network since 2007, serving as its lead pit reporter and then host of NASCAR Countdown from 2008-10. Prior to this, he was best known for being NBC's lead NASCAR voice as well as Turner Sports' lead voice. Bestwick's broadcasting career began at the age of 15, when he did on-air work for the high school radio station. 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. 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. 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. For 2007, Bestwick joined the NASCAR on ESPN package as lead pit reporter, as well as occasionally being race coverage host on Xfinity Series races, and rare NASCAR Now hosting duties. In 2008, he was moved up to full-time race coverage host and hosts a weekly Monday round table edition of NASCAR Now. On July 20, 2011, it was announced that Bestwick would replace Marty Reid for the 17 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. Bestwick replaced Marty Reid as play-by-play announcer for the Cup Series races starting at the Brickyard 400, returning him to the position for the first time since 2004. Bestwick also called the Xfinity Series for the remainder of the 2013 season after Reid was fired from ESPN. With the end of ESPN's NASCAR coverage after the 2014 season, Bestwick became the lead announcer for ESPN's broadcasts of Indy Car races for ABC beginning in 2014, also replacing Reid. Bestwick also branched out into other sports for ESPN, including college football. On April 28, 2017, Bestwick confirmed that he was being released by ESPN after the 2017 IndyCar double-header Detroit Grand Prix and would call his last Indy 500.
All Photos copyright and are property of their respective owners