Following the announcement that Steve Letarte, former crew chief for Jeff Gordon and current NASCAR analyst at NBC, would be joining TNT Sports, rumors swirled about a possible departure from NBC similar to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s. However, recent updates clarify that once Fox Sports’ broadcasting season concludes, Letarte will be providing his race analysis for both the TNT Sports and NBC schedules.
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Addressing a fan’s curiosity on the matter, Bob Pockrass took to Twitter to shed light on Letarte’s plans, tweeting, “Letarte often says he has two kids in college and needs the work (and he likes to work) so would expect him to be back at NBC as well — the news release announcing the TNT booth states that Letarte will remain as part of NBC’s NASCAR team.”
Earlier when Letarte used to be a crew chief, he managed to win 10 races with Gordon and also celebrated a win at the 2014 Daytona 500 during his stint with Dale Jr. from 2010 to 2014. Following these successes, he decided to transition to being a sports commentator with NBC Sports.
Letarte often says he has two kids in college and needs the work (and he likes to work) so would expect him to be back at NBC as well — the news release announcing the TNT booth states that Letarte will remain as part of NBC's NASCAR team. https://t.co/4Oupx8yOj2
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) November 18, 2024
In November 2023, TNT Sports and the promotion finalized a seven-year multimedia deal for broadcasting within the United States. The latter half of the season will see NASCAR Cup Series practices and qualifying sessions simultaneously aired on truTV and Max. This marks NASCAR’s return to TNT, where the sport was previously broadcast from 2001 to 2014.
Dale Jr. is set to reunite with Letarte on the broadcasting team.
After stepping away from NBC, Dale Jr. will join forces with Adam Alexander and Letarte at TNT Sports this year, diving into analysis for five races, alongside the segment on Amazon Prime. Letarte expressed his enthusiasm, stating,
“I am looking forward to joining the team at TNT Sports and working alongside Dale Jr. again in the booth. TNT has a long history of covering NASCAR and I am excited to contribute to that history next season when the green flag waves on TNT’s coverage in June.”
Dale Jr. shared a sense of nostalgia about TNT Sports resuming its role as a broadcasting partner. He reminisced, “I enjoyed watching their coverage back in the day. I’m looking forward to being a part of the team and working with Adam (Alexander) and (Steve) Letarte.”
For Alexander, who boasts over 30 years in motorsports broadcasting, the engagement marks a homecoming, as he previously called NASCAR on TNT races from 2010 to 2014, during its last tenure with the broadcast rights.
