ESPN star returning to NASCAR roots as Grand – Sports News
ESPN star Marty Smith will return to his NASCAR roots this weekend as Grand Marshal for Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Sonoma Raceway.
The 49-year-old began his profession as a contributor for NASCAR.com in 1999. Smith constructed a revered fame in motorsport earlier than becoming a member of ESPN in 2006 as the community’s NASCAR reporter. He usually contributed to SportsMiddle, NASCAR Countdown, and NASCAR Now.
He now co-hosts the favored ESPN show ‘Marty & McGee’ and is a common on SportsMiddle, College GameDay, and ESPN.com. Despite not actively reporting on NASCAR as a lot now, Smith will return to his roots following a chaotic, wreck-filled weekend of racing in Chicago dominated by road and highway King Shane van Gisbergen.
Smith shall be NASCAR’s Grand Marshal for Saturday’s Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race. “My relationship with my friends at Pit Boss goes back many years, through my work with college football and NASCAR and the best places to grill at tailgates,” stated Smith.
“When they called me on this, I wasn’t sure I should do it. But in this season of my life I want to seek out unique opportunity that challenges me not to settle, some of which that might make me uncomfortable.
“I’ve all the time thought it would be cool to give the command, and to do it at Sonoma, a place with so many particular recollections for me, is even more particular. So right here we’re. Let’s uncork ’em. I simply hope I bear in mind the phrases.”
“We are honored to welcome Marty Smith as our Grand Marshal,” added Sonoma Raceway Executive Vice President and General Manager Brian Flynn. “Marty’s love for the game and his genuine reference to followers make him the right individual to kick off what guarantees to be an action-packed day on the observe.”
Smith has all the time saved a watchful eye on NASCAR, and he re-entered the stock car world strongly forward of the 2025 season, teaming up with seven-time champion Jimmy Johnson for his or her new “Never Settle” podcast. The pair put together a weekly podcast that covers a wide range of sports.
DON’T MISS…
“Jimmie and I’ve had so many great conversations by the years about life on the observe and off it, and we’re thrilled to staff up with SiriusXM to create a podcast that may invite listeners into these conversations with us,” Smith said. “From racing to fatherhood to business and more, we’re excited to get into all of it, and hopefully we’ll enlighten and encourage some people alongside the best way.”
The pair built a strong relationship that has lasted over two decades, and their podcast project pays testament to that. “It’s loopy that this podcast has lastly come to life,” Johnson said. “Marty and I’ve identified one another for 20-plus years and he’s one of the all-time best storytellers on the market.
“He’s also hilarious and the two of us have had a lot of fun together throughout the years. We’re excited to work with SiriusXM and we can’t wait to share some entertaining stories with listeners and have some great guests in their 2.0 version of life on the show with us. It’s going to be wild.”
Stay forward of the sport with the most recent developments within the sports activities world! Our web site is your final vacation spot for sports activities information, delivering complete updates, in-depth analyses, and knowledgeable insights into the fast-evolving realm of athletics. We convey you each day protection on the whole lot from breakthrough coaching techniques and rising staff methods to main bulletins which are setting the tempo within the sports activities industry.
Discover how these trends are redefining the aggressive panorama! Visit us usually for partaking and informative content material by clicking right here. Our meticulously curated articles cowl game-changing techniques, investment alternatives in sports activities, and key milestones in immediately’s dynamic athletic area.
