Longtime NASCAR broadcaster Darrell Waltrip is retiring. Also: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is joining NBC’s Indy 500 coverage, the BIG3 has a new TV deal, and the AAF has suspended operations.
Waltrip retiring at end of season
Fox Sports announced Thursday that NASCAR analyst Darrell Waltrip is retiring at the end of the Fox portion of the season. His final race will be Sonoma in June. The news was first reported by The Tennesseean on Tuesday; Sports Business Daily previously reported last week that he was considering retirement.
Waltrip has spent his entire broadcasting career with Fox Sports, and has been part of NASCAR on FOX for its entire run. When he was hired in 2000, he was in his final year as a driver and Fox was still months away from airing its first race. [Fox Sports]
Dale Jr. to work Indy 500
NBC Sports NASCAR analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be part of NBC’s Indianapolis 500 coverage, it was announced this week. Earnhardt Jr. will serve as a roving reporter prior, during and after the race, working alongside Rutledge Wood. He will also be a part of on-site coverage during the week leading up to the event. [NBC Sports PR 4.3]
BIG3 joins CBS
The BIG3 basketball league has reached a media rights deal with CBS Sports, it was announced Thursday. Under the deal, CBS and CBS Sports Network will carry games on Saturdays and Sundays, including the season opener and championship game on CBS. BIG3 games previously aired on FOX and FS1. [CBS Sports]
AAF suspends operations
The Alliance of American Football suspended operations this week, bringing an abrupt halt to the new league’s first season. The announcement came just days before what was to be the league’s second CBS broadcast, a game this Saturday leading into the Final Four. [ESPN.com 4.3]
