By HENRY FREDERICK
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR fans here in Daytona and across the country will see and hear Dale Earnhardt Jr at Talladega and Martinsville, but it will be in thew announcing booth as opposed to his No. 88 Chevrolet,as he remains sidelined from for the duration of the season recovering from an early-season concussion in a crash.
Junior will join NBC's broadcast team for parts of the network's coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway and Martinsville Speedway, NBC announced Wednesday on "NASCAR America."
Sunday will mark Earnhardt's first-ever NASCAR Sprint Cup broadcasting assignment.
Earnhardt, who has not raced since July, will reunite with his former crew chief, Steve Letarte. and work alongside race announcer Rick Allen and fellow analyst Jeff Burton on the telecasts.
"I'm excited to see these races from a different vantage point and hopefully offer some insight to the viewers," Earnhardt Jr. said in a written statement released by NBC. "I thoroughly enjoyed my opportunity to broadcast the XFINITY race at Michigan earlier this year, so I expect getting to spend time in the booth with the NBC team to be just as fun."
Dale Earnhardst Jr. is shown here the morning after winning the Daytona 500 in 2014, for the second time in 10 years.
Sunday will mark Earnhardt's first-ever NASCAR Sprint Cup broadcasting assignment. Earnhardt, who has not raced since July, will reunite with his former crew chief, Steve Letarte. and work alongside race announcer Rick Allen and fellow analyst Jeff Burton on the telecasts.
NBCSN presents the second elimination race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup from Talladega 2 p.m. ET Sunday. And he will be in the booth next weekend as NBCSN presents the first race in the playoff Round of 8, also known as The Chase, from Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 30, at 1 p.m. ET.
"With five races left in the Sprint Cup playoffs, we are thrilled to welcome Dale Earnhardt Jr. into our broadcast booth as we present two of the most unpredictable and exciting races in the Chase," Jeff Behnke, VP of NASCAR Production for the NBC Sports Group, said in a press release statement.
"Dale is incredibly respected and the viewers and fans will be treated to his perspective on two very different race tracks."