Bill Weber

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Bill Weber (born 1957 in Middletown, New Jersey) is now TNT's lap-by-lap announcer for their NASCAR Sprint Cup Series coverage, and a former lap-by-lap announcer for NBC's NASCAR coverage. Weber is still a part of NBC Sports as he is the lead announcer for Champ Car World Series events and other racing series that are shown on the network.

Weber's career began at WISH-TV in Indianapolis as a sports reporter while a student at Butler University. After graduating in 1979 with a bachelor of science degree in radio and television and a minor in journalism, Weber served as sports director at stations in Terre Haute and Evansville.

In 1987, Weber left television to work on the Miller Brewing Company's Unlimited Hydroplane Racing program as a media relations consultant. He then returned to Evansville and radio. In 1990, he relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina to work for a Sunbelt Video, a production company, which has since been purchased by NASCAR and is known as NASCAR Images.

Weber spent time working for TNN as part of the Inside Winston Cup show in the early '90s.

Weber signed on with the ESPN and ESPN2 cable networks (and later with ABC) in 1994 as a motorsport commentator, and reported on RPM 2Night from 1996 until 2000. In 2001, Weber was tapped as pre-race host and pit reporter for NBC and TNT's coverage of NASCAR. For part of the 2004 season, Weber replaced Allen Bestwick as lap-by-lap announcer when the latter broke his leg during a charity ice hockey game in Rhode Island. On December 14, 2004, this switch was made permanent after weeks of rumors.

Contrary to some NASCAR fans' beliefs, Weber actually has play-by-play experience. He is one of NBC's play-by-play announcers for its regional coverage of the Arena Football League. Despite this previous experience, he is very prone to making mistakes on the microphone. Numerous times during a race he has incorrectly identified the driver of a car. At the 2006 Chevy Rock and Roll 400 at Richmond, Weber referred to the track as "Bristol" twice. He also stated that the moon was a planet. On July 30, 2006, it was announced that Bill Weber would continue as voice of NASCAR on TNT even after contracts with NBC come to an end at the conclusion of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season. (Beginning in 2007, TNT will go alone for a six-race package from the first Pocono race to the Joliet race, for eight years.)

The NBC and TNT partnership will continue with Weber hosting coverage of the North American International Auto Show for NBC, and both Weber and Dallenbach will be assigned to NBC's Champ Car World Series events in April 2007. The pair may also call NBC's American LeMans Series races.

Weber also made an appearance as himself in the 2006 Will Ferrell NASCAR comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Weber acted as an NBC commentator for one of the races in the movie.

[edit] Weberisms

  • "Baseball has Fenway Park, Tennis has Wimbledon, football has Lambeau Field and NASCAR has Darlington"-- Weber when at Darlington Raceway near Florence for the Southern 500.
  • "You don't have to look it up because we already did"
  • "(Driver's Name Here) must have a really good piece today"--when a car is leading many laps.
  • "Cue the duck"--(2001-2006) Aflac trivia queestion whose company's mascot is a white duck. The phrase was retired after Benny Parsons' death.
  • "Benny we wish you were here"--Weber reminiscing over his late colleague.
  • "Glad to have you in for the race"--Bill Weber at the beginning of NASCAR telecasts.
  • "And now it's my pleasure to throw it up to the guys who know their way around the racetrack Allen, Wally, and Benny"--From 2001-2004, when Weber turned the race coverage over to the broadcasting team of Allen Bestwick, Wally Dallenbach, Jr., and Benny Parsons.
  • "The Countdown's at zero, it's time to go racing"--Weber signifying the end of the Countdown to Green (commonly followed "You don't have to look it up...").
  • "Caution flag is out, the race is over. (Name of race leader at the time) wins at (name of track)."--Weber signifying a caution coming out with 1 to go or during a green white checkerd finish....