After a season that made the NBA on ABC look like the NBA on NBC, ESPN is shaking up its NASCAR coverage.
Rusty Wallace, generally disliked in the booth, has been demoted to the studio for the upcoming season. He will be replaced by Dale Jarrett, who will join incumbents Dr. Jerry Punch and Andy Petree on races.
Wallace will be joined in the booth by Allan Bestwick. Bestwick is moving from pit reporting to become the primary host of NASCAR Countdown on ESPN. The press release was not clear as to whether Bestwick would host NASCAR Countdown on ABC as well. Bestwick, Wallace and Brad Daugherty will make up ESPN’s studio coverage.
Additionally, Nicole Manske, host of The Speed Report on Speed Channel, will replace Erik Kuselias as the host of NASCAR Now.
The moves seem to reflect an edict by NASCAR CEO Brian France to focus on longtime fans. Last season, many hardcore NASCAR fans complained that the sport was straying too much from its roots, and many were not pleased by the litany of NASCAR newcomers on ESPN/ABC.
With that in mind, dropping personalities like Kuselias — and potentially dropping Brent Musburger and Suzy Kolber as well — could go a long way in helping ESPN/ABC get the fans who stopped watching races last year to return.
