Dale Earnhardt Jr. leaves NBC for Amazon, Warner Bros. Discovery

The biggest name in NASCAR is on the move.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. leaves NBC and starts racing with newcomers Amazon Prime Video and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, according to sources briefed on his decision. The Athletics.

Earnhardt is expected to take this season off and then resume his broadcasting career in 2025, when WBD Sports and Amazon begin their coverage.

The numbers give WBD Sports and Amazon immediate credibility as they begin their series. Each will have five races per season. WBD Sports’ races are broadcast on TNT, streamed on Max and have a Bleacher Report component. NASCAR complements WBD Sports’ robust NBA, NCAA Tournament, MLB and NHL schedule.

Amazon Prime Video’s subscription service already offers exclusive NFL games on Thursday nights and is one of the leading candidates to add the NBA as the league determines its partners in upcoming negotiations.

Earnhardt informed NBC of his decision last week, according to sources familiar with the conversations. Although Earnhardt is expected to take a year off, he does have the flexibility to make another deal with either of the two broadcast partners, Fox and NBC. There are currently no substantive discussions with either of them.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is beloved throughout the NASCAR world and has made numerous contributions to NBC Sports, from his work as an analyst on our NASCAR coverage to his experiences as a correspondent on major events such as the Indianapolis 500, the Kentucky Derby, the Super Bowl and the Olympic Games ,” a spokesperson for NBC Sports said The Athletics. “We thank Dale and wish him the best for the future.”

Earnhardt said on his podcast in early February that he hoped to stay with NBC, even as he acknowledged he does not have a contract until 2024.

“I absolutely love being in the broadcast booth and want to continue doing that,” Earnhardt says said on his podcast, “Dale Jr. Download.” “We’ve had great conversations with all of NASCAR’s TV partners. My home and my love are at NBC, and I would love to be with them again. So we’ll see where it goes.”

Earnhardt, 49, joined NBC in 2018, immediately after retiring from racing.

NASCAR has moved to four partners in its latest TV deals, sticking with incumbents NBC and Fox, which will continue to broadcast 14 races in 2025, along with 10 from WBD Sports and Amazon. The total NASCAR deals are for seven years and are estimated at $7.7. billion dollars in total. The current season remains exclusive to Fox and NBC.

In 2025, Amazon and WBD Sports join the coverage, each building around Earnhardt.

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(Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)