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With the new NASCAR media rights deal, 2025 has gained a new silly season. “Announcer Silly Season” has been a topic of conversation for fans and industry professionals since NASCAR signed its new rights deal.
A fan favorite yet easy option to rule out is Alan Bestwick.
Bestwick harnessed his craft by working with names like Barney Hall and Joe Moore at MRN in the 1990s. In the early 2000s, he called races for NBC and TNT with Benny Parsons. Bestwick moved to ESPN in 2007, and during this time, he alternated between play-by-play, hosting, and reporting.
As ESPN began to divulge its racing TV rights, first for NASCAR and then for Indy Car, Bestwick remained on as the network held onto the Indianapolis 500. This was until his release from the company in 2017.
After ESPN, Bestwick worked for CBS, covering the PBR and SRX, before returning to ESPN to call SRX races. Most recently, he worked as the play-by-play broadcaster for UConn Women’s Basketball and is the Public Address Announcer for Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
While the move would be popular, no sources have tied Bestwick to the Amazon, and TNT broadcast booth or any 2025 NASCAR broadcasting opportunities.
The first move that turned broadcaster silly season on its head was when NBC bumped longtime voice Rick Allen for the now-former Indy Car play-by-play announcer Leigh Diffey.
Allen, a now 20-year veteran of NASCAR broadcasting who climbed his way from the Truck Series, will be relegated to Xfinity Series broadcasts for the rest of the season after Diffey enters the NBC booth.
Notably, Allen will stay on for the CW Network when they take over Xfinity coverage on Sept. 20. That could be his home next year, but with an open door at Amazon and TNT, he might find Cup Series work next season.
When presented with the future of NASCAR broadcasting, Adam Alexander is one of the first names that comes to fans’ minds.
A top candidate for the job, Alexander made his name with MRN in the early 2000s. He is currently at Fox Sports, where he has been the play-by-play announcer for the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Trucks Series and occasionally hosted the former NASCAR show, NASCAR RaceHub.
Not only was Alexander the last announcer to do play-by-play for TNT, but Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal has tied him to conversations at Amazon and TNT for the role.
With Fox’s lack of Xfinity Series coverage in 2025, this could seem like a good fit for the veteran; however, reports from Marshall Pruett of RACER have pointed to Alexander for Fox’s 2025 Indy Car contract.
When the time comes, Alexander would have to make a tough decision. However, he makes a strong case for the microphone in 2025.
An unexpected but welcomed name to this list is Marty Smith. After a long career covering NASCAR, Smith remained with ESPN after the channel lost NASCAR media rights in 2014.
Since then, Smith has become a workhorse for ESPN, covering as many sports as possible. Most of his work is related to college football and the SEC. With co-host and NASCAR journalist Ryan McGee, he is part of the popular show Marty & McGee.
Though his work with the series concluded over ten years ago, Smith does not forget his roots. He recently appeared on NASCAR: Full Speed on Netflix earlier this year and the Dale Jr. Download.
His longtime friendship with Earnhardt Jr. is not the only thing tying him to Amazon and TNT. In the same report, Alexander and Adam Stern mentioned that Smith has spoken with both parties about participating in the 2025 broadcasts.
A well-respected voice in sports, Smith would be a hit with fans, but already the busy man he is, could he find the time to be in the booth for the ten-race schedule?
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