Rick Allen (sportscaster)

Rick Allen Schwieger, known professionally as Rick Allen, is a television personality, play-by-play announcer, and voice-over artist. He currently works for NBC Sports as the play-by-play announcer for NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series and Xfinity Series. He previously had done play-by-play broadcasting for Fox Sports's coverage of NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series and voice-over work for Goodyear, Sears, Alltel, and Toyota among many others.^[1]

Biography

Allen grew up in Grand Island, Nebraska, and was a walk on for the University of Nebraska Track and Field team, where he was a letter winner all four seasons, a three-time All-American in the sport, winning two Big Eight Conference decathlon titles (1991–92). He received his bachelor's degree of communications from the university. After graduation, he worked as a public address announcer for the athletic department, and later at local dirt tracks, where Fox Sports found him.

From 2003–2014, he worked for Fox Sports, where his main duty was calling the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series; however he also did limited work with both the Nationwide Series and ARCA.^[2]

On December 4, 2013, it was announced that Allen will become the lead announcer for NASCAR on NBC starting in 2015.^[3] In early 2014, he began his NBC duties as host of their daily studio program NASCAR America, while still working for Fox.

During the Truck Series Eldora race on July 23, 2014, he announced that it would be his last race at Fox Sports, as he was now bound only to NBC. As most of his work was with the Truck Series, he received a standing ovation at the Truck Series drivers' meeting before the race. Allen was set to be replaced by Steve Byrnes until Byrnes died from head and neck cancer. Mike Joy, Adam Alexander, Vince Welch, Ralph Sheheen and Brian Till now serve as the lead broadcasters.

References