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NASCAR driver
Wally Dallenbach Jr. | |||||||
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Dallenbach in 2004 | |||||||
Born | Wallace Paul Dallenbach (1963-05-23) May 23, 1963 (age 61) Basalt, Colorado, U.S. | ||||||
Achievements | 1985, 1986 Trans-Am Series champion Four class wins at 24 Hours of Daytona Three class wins at 12 Hours of Sebring | ||||||
NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
226 races run over 11 years | |||||||
Best finish | 18th (1999) | ||||||
First race | 1991 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 (Atlanta) | ||||||
Last race | 2001 Pocono 500 (Pocono) | ||||||
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NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
16 races run over 4 years | |||||||
Best finish | 61st (2004) | ||||||
First race | 2002 Cabela's 250 (Michigan) | ||||||
Last race | 2005 Ameriquest 300 (California) | ||||||
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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career | |||||||
2 races run over 2 years | |||||||
Best finish | 68th (1995) | ||||||
First race | 1995 Subway 100 (Sonoma) | ||||||
Last race | 1996 Lund Look 225 (Topeka | ||||||
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Statistics current as of December 2, 2011. |
Wallace Paul Dallenbach (born May 23, 1963) is an American former racing driver. He competed in the NASCAR Cup Series, and is known for his prowess as a road racer. In addition to NASCAR, Dallenbach has raced in SCCA Trans-Am, IMSA Camel GT, CART, and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
Dallenbach is the son of Indy car driver and official Wallace Jacob Dallenbach. After the younger Dallenbach began a professional racing career during the middle 1980s, he came to be known by the retronym Dallenbach Jr.
Mostly retired from full-time driving, Dallenbach was a race commentator for NBC Sports and Turner Sports. His primary responsibilities are for TNT's NASCAR coverage, a position he had held since 2001, and NBC Sports Network's IndyCar Series coverage, which he has been a part of since NBC was bought by Comcast in 2010 until 2014. Dallenbach worked with Adam Alexander and Kyle Petty on TNT and with Leigh Diffey and Jon Beekhuis on NBC Sports Network. In 2015 Dallenbach joined Fox NASCAR on NASCAR Race Hub.
Racing career
Early career
Dallenbach was born in Basalt, Colorado. He grew up in Denver with his father Wally Dallenbach Sr. and mother. After graduating high school, Dallenbach left Colorado for North Carolina to start a racing career. He began his pro racing career in the SCCA Trans-Am Series. Immediately he won the Rookie-of-the Year title in 1984, and followed that up with two Trans-Am championships. The first one in 1985 driving for Jack Roush in a Mercury Capri. This made Dallenbach the youngest Trans-Am champion at the age of just 22 years. The following year Dallenbach joined the Protofab team and drove their Camaros to another championship. The success garnered him an invitation to race in the International Race of Champions in 1987. Dallenbach followed up those accomplishments by winning the 24 Hours of Daytona four times and the 12 Hours of Sebring three times. He later drove in the GTO class of the IMSA GT championship, finishing runner-up in the standings in 1988 (driving for Jack Roush) and 1989.
IndyCar
Initially, Dallenbach followed the steps of his father by pursuing an open-wheel career, taking part the inaugural round of the American Racing Series in 1986, on which he raced four more times over the following two seasons, finishing 3rd at Phoenix in 1988. One year before, he had made his CART Indy Car debut at Road America subbing for driver-owner Dick Simon, who had undergone an arm surgery after a fall off his motorbike. After qualifying 17th, Dallenbach went off the track late in the race and retired, though he was classified in the 12th and final points paying place. Three years later, in 1990, he took part in three road course races at the end of the season for the Leader Cards team, in place of the departing Pancho Carter, with an 11th place finish at Denver followed by engine failures at Mid-Ohio and Laguna Seca.
NASCAR
By 1991, Dallenbach was ready made the jump to the world of NASCAR, racing in the Winston Cup Series. He made eleven starts that year driving one of Junie Donlavey's Fords. In 1992, former boss Jack Roush called Dallenbach up to have him drive as a teammate to Mark Martin in the No. 16 Ford. He drove for Roush during the 1992 and 1993 seasons, finishing second at Watkins Glen 1993, fifth at the 1991 Watkins Glen race, seventh at 1996 Sonoma, and tenth at the 1993 Daytona 500 and 1993 Talladega 500.
In 1994, Richard Petty put Dallenbach in the famous No. 43 Pontiac. He was the second driver other than Petty to drive the No. 43. Dallenbach finished fourth at Sonoma, eighth at Talladega and tenth at Dover, but was released part way through the season. 1995 was an up-and-down year for Dallenbach, as he did not have a full-time ride. However, a one race deal with Bill Davis in the No. 22 Pontiac almost got Dallenbach his first Cup win at Watkins Glen, but he fell in the closing laps to finish in second.
The following years saw Dallenbach jumping around to different rides. He was considered one of the better road course drivers and was often recruited to drive at such tracks as Sonoma and Watkins Glen, as many drivers struggled on these more demanding tracks. In 1996 he drove the No. 15 Ford for Bud Moore Engineering, finishing sixth at the Daytona 500, third at Sonoma and tenth at Watkins Glen. Then he drove the No. 46 First Union-sponsored Chevrolet for Felix Sabates from 1997 through part of 1998, claiming a tenth-place finish at the 1997 Watkins Glen race.
Later in 1998, Dallenbach stepped in to sub for Ricky Craven in the No. 50 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. The combination worked out well, earning three top 10s, and Dallenbach signed on to drive the No. 25 Chevrolet for 1999. It resulted in his best position in the standings of eighteenth with six top tens.
In 2000, Dallenbach joined the new Galaxy Motorsports and drove the No. 75 Ford. It was a difficult season, with a best result of ninth at Watkins Glen. In addition, promised sponsor opportunities fell through, leaving Dallenbach without a ride right before the 2001 season was to begin. In fact, Dallenbach was listed in several season preview media sources, despite never attempting a single race that season. Dallenbach would also sub for Joe Nemechek in the Pocono event in 2001.
2021
Dallenbach made his return to racing in 2021 in the Trans-Am TAH subcategory of the TA class with the Ultimate Headers Racing Team under the ownership of John & Debbie Cloud.
Broadcasting career
Without a ride, Dallenbach took up TV commentating in 2001, covering the NASCAR races for NBC and TNT alongside Allen Bestwick (later Bill Weber, then Adam Alexander) and Benny Parsons (later Kyle Petty). In doing so, he became known for his pre-race "Wally's World" segment, where he takes celebrities for a ride around the track. The commentating also allowed Dallenbach to drive in a few Busch Series races and do some live commentary from the car. Dallenbach and Weber also teamed up to commentate several Championship Off-Road Racing events, with Dallenbach pre-running the track in a Pro-4 truck. With the NBC and TNT partnership splitting at the end of the 2006 season, Dallenbach stayed with TNT's new six-race package, and also reunited with Weber during NBC Champ Car broadcasts.
He has since run Daytona Prototypes with his brother Paul at the 24 Hours of Daytona and in 2006, won the open wheel division at the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb with Paul finishing right behind in 2nd. On September 22, 2014, Dallenbach announced he would return to Trans-Am for the season finale at Daytona in the TA2 class, stating the "broadcasting phase of my life is over".
Personal life
Dallenbach was married to Robin Dallenbach, until 2016. Robin is the daughter of drag racing driver, engine builder, and team owner Bob McCall. Their daughter Kate Dallenbach was a member of Richard Childress Racing's driver development program.
Awards and honors
- Pikes Peak Hill Climb Museum Hall of Fame (2022)
Motorsports career results
American open–wheel results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
Complete CART Indy Car results
Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Rank | Points | Ref |
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1987 | Dick Simon Racing | LBC | PHX | INDY | MIL | POR | MEA | CLE | TOR | MIS | POC | ROA 12 |
MDO | NAZ | LAG | MIA | 37th | 1 | ||
1990 | Leader Card Racing | PHX | LBG | INDY | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | MEA | TOR | MIS | DEN 11 |
VAN | MDO 18 |
ROA | NAZ | LAG 25 |
27th | 2 |
NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Winston Cup Series
Daytona 500 results
Year | Team | Manufacturer | Start | Finish |
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1992 | Roush Racing | Ford | 37 | 15 |
1993 | 22 | 10 | ||
1994 | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 18 | 17 |
1996 | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 9 | 6 |
1997 | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 26 | 42 |
1998 | DNQ | |||
1999 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 34 | 12 |
2000 | Galaxy Motorsports | Ford | 34 | 40 |
Busch Series
NASCAR Busch Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | NBSC | Pts | Ref |
2002 | Tommy Baldwin Racing | 6 | Dodge | DAY | CAR | LVS | DAR | BRI | TEX | NSH | TAL | CAL | RCH | NHA | NZH | CLT | DOV | NSH | KEN | MLW | DAY | CHI | GTY | PPR | IRP | MCH 14 |
BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | KAN | CLT 7 |
MEM | ATL | CAR | PHO 9 |
HOM | 62nd | 405 | ||
2003 | Reiser Enterprises | 17 | Ford | DAY | CAR | LVS | DAR | BRI | TEX | TAL | NSH | CAL | RCH | GTY | NZH | CLT | DOV | NSH | KEN 12 |
MLW | DAY | CHI | NHA | PPR | IRP | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | 73rd | 434 | |||||||||
89 | KAN 17 |
CLT | MEM | ATL 36 |
PHO 37 |
CAR | HOM 25 |
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2004 | NEMCO Motorsports | 88 | Pontiac | DAY 42 |
CAR | LVS | DAR | BRI | TEX | NSH | TAL | CAL | GTY | RCH | NZH | CLT | DOV | NSH | KEN | MLW | DAY | CHI | NHA | PPR | IRP | MCH | BRI | 61st | 484 | ||||||||||||
Team Rensi Motorsports | 35 | Ford | CAL 20 |
RCH | DOV | KAN 10 |
CLT 40 |
MEM | ATL | PHO 24 |
DAR | HOM 29 |
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2005 | Kevin Harvick Inc. | 83 | Chevy | DAY | CAL | MXC | LVS | ATL | NSH | BRI | TEX | PHO | TAL | DAR | RCH | CLT | DOV | NSH | KEN | MLW | DAY | CHI | NHA | PPR | GTY | IRP | GLN 34 |
MCH | BRI | CAL 30 |
RCH | DOV | KAN | CLT | MEM | TEX | PHO | HOM | 100th | 134 |
Craftsman Truck Series
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | NCTSC | Pts | Ref | ||||||||||||||
1995 | Roehrig Motorsports | 18 | Chevy | PHO | TUS | SGS | MMR | POR | EVG | I70 | LVL | BRI | MLW | CNS | HPT | IRP | FLM | RCH | MAR | NWS | SON 2 |
MMR | PHO | 68th | 170 | |||||||||||||||||||
1996 | Chesrown Racing | 66 | Chevy | HOM | PHO | POR | EVG | TUS | CNS | HPT 25 |
BRI | NZH | MLW | LVL | I70 | IRP | FLM | GLN | NSV | RCH | NHA | MAR | NWS | SON | MMR | PHO | LVS | 112th | 88 |
Notes
- The no. 43 car was temporarily renumbered as no. 44 during the 1993 season
References
- DiZinno, Tony (September 22, 2014). "Wally Dallenbach Jr. is coming back to Trans-Am". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
- Lawrence, Andrew (May 6, 2016). "Robin Dallenbach's NASCAR legacy rolls on with daughter Kate". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- "RCR adds two female teenagers to driver development program". Foxsports.com. January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
- "Hall of Fame". Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 1987 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 1990 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 2002 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 2003 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 2004 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 2005 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 1995 NASCAR SuperTruck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- "Wally Dallenbach Jr. – 1996 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
External links
- Wally Dallenbach Jr. driver statistics at Racing-Reference
Sporting positions | ||
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Preceded byTom Gloy | Trans-Am Series Champion 1985, 1986 |
Succeeded byScott Pruett |
Kevin Harvick Incorporated | |||||||
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KHI Management clients |
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Super Late Model |
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eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series |
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Tommy Baldwin Racing | |||||
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Headquarters: Mooresville, North Carolina | |||||
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Petty Enterprises | |
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Years active | 1949–2008 |
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Former drivers |
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NASCAR Hall of Fame | |
NASCAR Cup Series Championships | |
Daytona 500 wins | |
Winston 500 wins | |
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Andy Petree Racing | |||||
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NASCAR Hall of Fame | |||||
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Southern 500 wins | |||||
Winston 500 wins | |||||
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Hendrick Motorsports | |||||
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Headquarters: Concord, North Carolina | |||||
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NASCAR Cup Series |
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NASCAR Xfinity Series |
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NASCAR Hall of Fame | |||||
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NASCAR Truck Series Championships | |||||
Daytona 500 wins | |||||
Brickyard 400 wins | |||||
Coca-Cola 600 wins | |||||
Southern 500 wins | |||||
Jack Link's 500 wins | |||||
All-Star Race wins | |||||
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ISM Racing | |||||
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Years active | 1997–1999 | ||||
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NASCAR Hall of Fame | |||||
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Chip Ganassi Racing | |||||||||
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Headquarters: Indianapolis, Indiana | |||||||||
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IndyCar Series |
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IMSA SportsCar Championship |
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Indianapolis 500 wins | |||||||||
National Championships (IndyCar) | |||||||||
NASCAR Hall of Fame | |||||||||
Daytona 500 wins | |||||||||
Brickyard 400 wins | |||||||||
All-Star Race wins | |||||||||
24 Hours of Le Mans wins | |||||||||
24 Hours of Daytona wins | |||||||||
Predecessor teams | |||||||||
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Bud Moore Engineering | |
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Years active | 1961–2001 |
Personnel | |
NASCAR Hall of Fame | |
Former drivers |
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Grand National Series Championships | |
Daytona 500 wins | |
Southern 500 wins | |
Winston 500 wins | |
Busch Clash wins |
Bill Davis Racing | |
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Years active | 1989–2008 |
Personnel | |
Former drivers |
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NASCAR Hall of Fame | |
NASCAR Truck Series Championships | |
Daytona 500 wins | |
Southern 500 wins | |
Partnerships and affiliations | |
Buyouts and mergers |
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RFK Racing | |||||||
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Headquarters: Concord, North Carolina | |||||||
Personnel |
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NASCAR Cup Series |
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eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series |
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NASCAR Hall of Fame | |||||||
Notable former drivers |
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NASCAR Xfinity Series Championships | |||||||
NASCAR Truck Series Championships | |||||||
NASCAR iRacing Series Championships |
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Daytona 500 wins | |||||||
Coca-Cola 600 wins | |||||||
Southern 500 wins | |||||||
Jack Link's 500 wins | |||||||
All-Star Race wins | |||||||
Busch Light Clash wins | |||||||
Partnerships and affiliations | |||||||
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Formerly known as Roush Racing and Roush Fenway Racing |
Donlavey Racing | |
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NASCAR Hall of Fame | |
Former drivers |
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IndyCar Series on NBC | |||||||||||
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Networks | |||||||||||
Indianapolis 500 | |||||||||||
Commentators |
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Other top races (1979–1991) |
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Website: NBC Sports |
- 1963 births
- American color commentators
- American television sports announcers
- Champ Car drivers
- Hendrick Motorsports drivers
- Indy Lights drivers
- International Race of Champions drivers
- Living people
- Motorsport announcers
- NASCAR drivers
- People from Basalt, Colorado
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- Trans-Am Series drivers