Feb 22, 2018; Gangneung, South Korea; NASCAR former driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. speaks with bobsled athletes visits the Alpensia Sliding Centre during the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the biggest star in NASCAR for a very long time. He’s also thoughtful, witty, and funny, so it makes sense that NBC would add him to their NASCAR booth. Earnhardt Jr.’s NBC NASCAR debut will come a bit earlier than NBC’s first race in July, though. He’ll be an analyst on Monday’s episode of NASCAR America on NBC Sports Network.

This comes in the wake of Earnhardt Jr.’s work on NBC’s Super Bowl coverage and his time in PyeongChang covering the Winter Olympics, which was very well-received.

Via NBC’s release:

NBC’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes his debut as an analyst on NASCAR America, NBCSN’s daily motorsport show, this Monday, March 12 at 6 p.m. ET. Following his recent assignments as a contributor for NBC Sports Group’s pre-game coverage of Super Bowl LII, and NBC Olympics’ coverage of the 2018 PyeongChang Games, Earnhardt will begin his role as a NASCAR on NBC analyst and provide in-depth expertise and insight to Monday and Tuesday’s 60-minute episodes of NASCAR America, live from NBC Sports Group’s headquarters in Stamford, Conn.

Earnhardt will reunite with his former crew chief and fellow NASCAR on NBC analyst Steve Letarte to provide a complete breakdown and examination of Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway, in Phoenix, Ariz.

This is a rare example of a personality that might truly be a draw as an analyst, even for shows like NASCAR America, which isn’t exactly a ratings behemoth. Dale Jr. is very much an attraction; he served as a connection to the sport for many fans and now that he’s no longer on the track, it’s an opportunity for people to still keep that connection to NASCAR through him.

That he’s also likely to be very good in the role is certainly a nice bonus for NBC, as well.

About Jay Rigdon

Jay is a columnist at Awful Announcing. He is not a strong swimmer. He is probably talking to a dog in a silly voice at this very moment.