NASCAR on NBC podcast, Episode XXVII: Rick Allen

Rick Allen, the lead announcer for NBC Sports’ NASCAR Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series race coverage, joined the NASCAR on NBC podcast to discuss his circuitous route to becoming one of the sport’s most recognizable voices.

While competing as a decathlete who once was ranked in the top 10 in the world and trained for the 1992 Olympics with bronze medalist Dave Johnson, Allen discovered his calling for PA announcing. After a stint as the PA announcer for the University of Nebraska, Allen moved into NASCAR broadcasting and joined NBC Sports in 2014.

He explains how he handles the serious and uncertain moments of racing (such as Austin Dillon‘s crash at the end of last year’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway), but he embraces its chaos.

“I’ve always felt comfortable,” he said. “I think under pressure situations, I think clearer. I feel like when the intensity is really high, I think I have better focus.

“The very first race we have on NBC goes rain delayed for almost eight hours, and the way it ends, we think that someone dies. That chaos, I knew I’m not going to say the wrong thing. That’s in me. I know the situation and the magnitude and how to convey that. I have a lot of confidence that I believe I’m in the right job.”

You can listen to the podcast by clicking below or download and subscribe to it on iTunes by clicking here. The free subscription will provide automatic downloads of new episodes to your smartphone. It also is available on Stitcher

Stay tuned for time cues to provide easy referencing while listening to the episode.

Reed Sorenson sponsored by Royal Teak Collection at Daytona

Premium Motorsports has announced that the No. 55 Chevrolet driven by 12-year Sprint Cup veteran Reed Sorenson will be sponsored by RoyalTeakCollection.com for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

Royal Teak Collection is a manufacturer of patio/casual furniture that offers Solid Teak and All-Weather Wicker collections.

Sorenson is in his second season with Premium Motorsports and is a veteran of 243 Sprint Cup starts. The native of Peachtree City, Georgia, has started in nine races this season while failing to qualify for the Daytona 500. If he starts the Coke Zero 400, it will be his first start at Daytona since the 2015 Daytona 500.

“Claus and Julia Villebro through their company Royal Teak Collection.com has been a partner of our race team since 2012,” said team owner Jay Robinson in a press release. “The team has enjoyed many great runs with Royal Teak Collection.com and expects to continue with great results in Daytona.”

Sorenson’s first start this year came at Martinsville Speedway. His best finish through his nine starts was 28th at Pocono Raceway.

“I am always excited to go to Daytona, it provides our team with a great opportunity to run competitive the entire race and come away with a great finish,” said Sorenson in a press release. Sorenson’s best finish at Daytona in 12 starts is fifth in the 2008 Daytona 500.

NASCAR America: Dissecting Stewart’s win at Sonoma

Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton and Kyle Petty breakdown Tony Stewart‘s dramatic last-lap win at Sonoma Sunday, his first Sprint Cup win in three years.

NASCAR America: The state of Stewart-Haas Racing

The NASCAR America team talks about the state of Stewart-Haas Racing after Tony Stewart‘s surprising victory at Sonoma.

Gatorade | Beat the Heat | Jimmie Johnson Rides Watkins Glen

As part of the Gatorade Beat the Heat program, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson gives a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into a race weekend for him and the Hendrick Motorsports 48 pit crew team on-site at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in Watkins Glen, New York. The sport of NASCAR has evolved over the years; now, drivers and the crew members make fitness, nutrition and hydration a big part of their preparation and routine to gain an edge on their competition.

NASCAR executive on Townley-Gallagher fight: ‘Certainly not our best moment’

A NASCAR executive stated Monday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that “there will be repercussions” for the incident between John Wes Townley and Spencer Gallagher during Saturday night’s Camping World Truck Series race at Gateway Motorsports Park.

Townley and Gallagher had contact during the race that caused Townley’s truck to hit the wall. They both wrecked in the final laps. After exiting their vehicles, they soon began scuffling, tumbling to the track and throwing a few punches.

“We’ll look at the all the video feeds we have, we certainly talked to both drivers postrace,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “We’ll have our discussions. We’ll kind of have an evaluation and talk to everyone about where we stand from that. Certainly not our best moment, for sure, two passionate drivers. That’s part of things sometimes when emotions run high, but certainly don’t like to see that to occur when they’re especially on the racetrack.”

O’Donnell told “The Morning Drive” that a key issue is what led to the final accident between them.

“We certainly like to see drivers who are going to express their emotions be outside of a race car, that’s where we really, really jump in and react when it’s drivers using their race cars beyond what is normal for a race,” O’Donnell said. “We’re going to react heavily when we have to. There will still be repercussions for sure. We want to make sure drivers, if they’re going to do anything, are outside of their car but certainly don’t encourage what happened at Gateway.”

Tony Stewart, who won Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Sonoma Raceway, said he was looking forward to how NASCAR will react to the Townley-Gallagher incident.

“I can’t wait for (the penalty announcement) because I told Mike Helton I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time to see how much you get fined for a fight,” Stewart said, referring to the NASCAR vice chairman. “He laughed at me. I said, ‘Well, look at it this way, I’ve got a lot of scores to settle with people and I’ve only got six months to do it.’ I’ve just got to figure out if it’s economically feasible to do it, so I’m waiting to see what ‑‑ I’ll be the one by 5 p.m. on Tuesday reading every social media thing out there.

“But I’m going to go to (Townley’s sponsor) Zaxby’s and eat chicken all week just in support of John Wes. Hey, I’m all for it. I’m glad to see somebody had some emotion and actually did something with it. I’m going to live my life through him for this week.”

Denny Hamlin on losing to Tony Stewart: ‘It’s not like I gave him one by any means’

Denny Hamlin did everything he could to hold off a last-lap charge by Tony Stewart, but he just couldn’t hang on.

Stewart got by Hamlin on the final turn of Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway to earn his first win since 2013 – and left Hamlin to ponder how this one got away.

“I shouldn’t have given him that opportunity (on the last lap),” Hamlin said over his team radio.

In a postrace interview on Fox Sports 1, he expanded on that.

“I got in there, didn’t wheel-hop or anything, just slid up a little bit in the middle and allowed him to get a real good run on me,” Hamlin said. “Once (Stewart) had inside position; we weren’t going to drag-race at that point.

“I knew he was going to put me in the wall. He’s doing what he has to do, and we’re trying to do what we have to do. All’s fair in love and war.”

Hamlin finished 0.625 seconds behind Stewart.

“We had a really good car,” Hamlin said in a postrace media session. “Obviously the best road course car I’ve had.”

Hamlin leaves Sonoma still looking for his first career Sprint Cup road course win. His career best at Watkins Glen International also is a second (in 2007).

Hamlin took the lead on the last lap, passing Stewart in Turn 7 after the latter made a mistake by overdriving the turn.

“I thought with two or three (laps) to go, he pretty much had it, but he made a couple mistakes and allowed us to get pretty close,” Hamlin said. “We just both wheel-hopped into 7, and I just let off my wheel-hop a little bit so I could get to his rear bumper and get him out of the groove just a touch.

“It was perfectly executed, but … I didn’t run a low enough line in Turn 11 from wheel-hopping in Turn 7. I got the rears hot, wheel hopped it a little bit again, got out of line, and obviously gave him the inside line. … We definitely had a car that should have won, but we were on the bad end of the deal.”

Hamlin admitted he was worried that if Stewart could get to his back bumper heading into the 11th and final turn of the last lap, that his rival might try to turn him.

“I didn’t know if he would physically spin us out,” Hamlin said. “I thought there was a very good chance of it because that’s his opportunity to get in the Chase ultimately.”

Hamlin then said with a laugh, “I mean, how many more chances is he going to have? I think this is by far the best he’s run all year, and he’s in his final season, so his give a (expletive) factor is probably really low to be honest with you.”

Still, though disappointed at his runner-up finish, Hamlin was philosophical about it, coupled with the relationship he’s had with Stewart – a former teammate, as well – over the years.

“Tony has been ultra fair to me quite a bit,” Hamlin said. “He’s treated me really well my entire career. It’s not like I gave him one by any means. He gave us an opportunity to move him, we did, and then we got it back. It’s just part of the deal.”

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