What will Dale Earnhardt Jr. bring to NBC next season?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. may be retiring from active NASCAR competition, but he’ll be on TV a bunch with NBC Sports and probably be a real asset right off the bat.

When you come right down to it, the announcement that Dale Earnhardt Jr. would join the NBC broadcast team in 2018 was one that made too much sense not to happen. Even since Fox and NBC started splitting each NASCAR season, there’s always been the impression that Fox had the better, more dynamic broadcast team.

It certainly had more high profile ex-racers, a situation that got more pronounced when Jeff Gordon signed on following his retirement. NBC’s group that includes Jeff Burton, Dale Jarrett, Kyle Petty and Steve Letarte certainly knows its stuff, but it’s missing that element of star power.

That won’t be a problem now that Earnhardt, the most popular driver in NASCAR for more than a decade, will be on hand. An NBC exec says that Junior “brings credibility, personality, and popularity” to the network’s coverage, but what else comes with him?

Comfort behind the mic

Has their been a NASCAR driver with a microphone in his face more often than Earnhardt Jr. in this century? We submit that there has not.

Junior has been interviewed more times than he can probably count, which is due to both his name and his talent. Even in the twilight of his career, there have been things to discuss: his concussion in 2016, his “last time to see Earnhardt Jr.” bit at each track in 2017.

Other drivers make quick transitions to the booth, but Earnhardt’s should take no time at all. It’s hard to imagine anyone who is better equipped to hit the ground running with NBC.

New media savvy

Honestly, NBC should just turn its Twitter feed during races over to Dale Jr. He’s a natural on Twitter, where he has more than 2 million followers.

NBC’s announcement also mentioned that Earnhardt would be afforded “a wide range of opportunities in the company’s media businesses, including movies, television, podcasts, and other areas.” This is smart; Earnhardt already has something of a mini podcast empire through his Dirty Mo Radio and knows how to punch up any efforts NBC would make in that area.

Fair or not, Fox just seems like it knows what it’s doing when it comes to new media more than NBC. Earnhardt could help turn that around quickly.

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Passion and a sense of humor

One of the things that came across back during Earnhardt’s retirement press conference is how much he cares about the sport of stock car racing. He legitimately wants to see it in a better place even after he’s done driving, and he’ll serve as an excellent ambassador for NASCAR even when he gives his honest opinion about things he doesn’t think are so great.

NBC could use some of that, as the Fox team (mostly thanks to Darrell Waltrip) just feels more excited week in and week out. At the same time, Junior doesn’t take himself or stock cars too seriously. He’s not above self-deprecating humor, and it’s already fun to think of what he and Rutledge Wood might come up with for pre-race segments.

It’s too early to say if Earnhardt Jr. and NBC Sports are a match made in heaven, but it’s definitely one that appears it will benefit everyone involved and make the two halves of the 2018 NASCAR season more even from a broadcasting perspective. It’s hard to imagine it won’t be a good marriage right from the start.