STEVE LeTARTE - 05/14/1979
a former NASCAR crew chief. Born in Cornish, Maine, he is currently employed at NBC Sports as a color analyst on their telecasts for NASCAR. He left Hendrick Motorsports following the 2014 season after 20 years with the team. From September 2005 – November 2010 he was Jeff Gordon's crew chief after taking over the #24 Chevrolet from Robbie Loomis. From February 2011 – November 2014 he was Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s crew chief. Letarte began working for Hendrick Motorsports part-time in 1995. In 1996, at the age of 16, he joined the group full-time. From 1997 to 1999, he worked as a tire specialist for Jeff Gordon's #24 team. He then became a mechanic and finally car chief in 2002. In Letarte's sixth race as crew chief with Gordon, he visited victory lane for the first time in October 2005, winning the Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway. On January 9, 2014, it was announced that Letarte would leave Hendrick Motorsports after the 2014 season to become an analyst for NBC Sports. His first race was the 2015 Coke Zero 400 won by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Letarte joined fellow Analyst Jeff Burton announcer Rick Allen in the booth, calling the race action. The trio still are in the booth as 2018 approaches. At 36, he began the next phase of a career that keeps him in racing. "My last job my responsibility was so broad, man it never seemed to end," Letarte told USA TODAY Sports.
"Now, I can unplug pretty well. The great crew chiefs never turn off, that's the best and worst part of the job." Letarte is no stranger to a microphone, having done occasional radio and television work in addition to his crew chief's duties. NBC Executive Porducer Sam Flood said the idea of hiring Letarte as an analyst came from listening to the crew chief's guest spots on SiriusXM satellite radio, which "made me aware how important it was to try and add him to this group," “I’ve always been impressed with Steve Letarte’s interviews, and feel smarter after hearing him break down the crucial elements of each race,” said Flood. “It wasn’t long into our first meeting about this potential role on our broadcast team when I realized that Steve is going to be ‘Must See TV.’”
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