Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief Letarte quitting to become analyst
By Jeff Adcox
Current Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Steve Letarte, who once stood at the helm of Jeff Gordon’s famed No. 24 race team, and now leads the crew behind the ultra-popular No. 88 car driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr., has reached an agreement to join NBC’s multi-platform NASCAR coverage beginning in 2015. The announcement was made by Sam Flood, Executive Producer, NBC Sports and NBCSN.
“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.’”
Letarte will join fellow analyst Jeff Burton and race announcer Rick Allen across NBC Sports Group’s exclusive coverage of NASCAR’s Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series action on NBC and NBCSN, which includes races, pre- and post-race shows, qualifying, and studio programming.
“As soon as I met with Sam Flood and his team at NBC Sports it became obvious to me how excited they are to be covering NASCAR in 2015 and beyond. Their excitement, along with my love for racing, solidified my decision to move away from the pit box and into the broadcast booth,” said Letarte. “I want to thank Rick Hendrick and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports for the opportunities they have given me over the last 18 years, and I want to reaffirm my commitment to Dale Jr. and the entire 88 team to go win races and challenge for the championship in 2014.”