TNT Sports is set to premiere a new show titled NASCAR Inside the Playoffs on Thursday at 7 p.m. EST, adding to its slate of original sports programming on truTV revealed earlier in the year. Before the start of new seven-year media rights deals with Warner Bros. Discovery, FOX Corporation, Comcast, Nexstar and Amazon reportedly worth more than a collective $7 billion, TNT Sports is adding this new program produced by NASCAR Studios, hosted by Shannon Spake, before it makes its return to NASCAR broadcasting in 2025.
Jordan Bianchi, motorsports reporter for The Athletic, revealed the news on the latest edition of The Teardown NASCAR podcast with co-host Jeff Gluck on the Dirty Mo Media platform co-founded by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Once the new media deals commence, Earnhardt Jr. will be part of broadcast coverage for both TNT Sports and Amazon following the expiration of his contract with NBC Sports last year.
For parts of the last eight years, Spake has been a NASCAR studio host and NFL reporter for FOX Sports. During her time with the network, she co-hosted NASCAR Race Hub on FS1 alongside Adam Alexander, along with handling hosting obligations for races within the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. Amid the NFL season, she worked as a reporter alongside play-by-play announcer Kenny Albert and analyst Jonathan Vilma. Spake is a former reporter and host at ESPN where she contributed across its coverage of NASCAR, college football and college basketball, and she also previously worked at SPEED in a similar role.
Spake and Bianchi will be on the air with analysts Mamba Smith and Steve Letarte, along with a rotating cast of drivers. Bianchi recalled that if he had been told correctly, Kyle Bush was going to be part of the first few episodes. It remains unknown if Spake will be a part of the network’s forthcoming NASCAR racing coverage or if she will contribute across its other sports properties as well.
In addition to the NASCAR playoffs show, Spake is hosting the NASCAR Daily podcast, making its debut across podcasting platforms on Monday, Sept. 9. Spake will bring her perspective on the races and bringing in guests such as drivers, industry personalities and other contributors. Episodes of the show will run for approximately 10 minutes on weekday mornings and include a weekly sports betting segment with analyst Erica Renee Davis.
“This is going to be so much fun,” Spake said in a statement. “I get to talk about the sport I have been a part of for 20 years in two totally different settings, alongside some of my greatest friends and most respected peers in the industry. The fans have been so good to me over the years, and I’m excited to take them further inside the action of the postseason while staying up to speed on some of the fun and entertaining things unfolding away from the track.”
“TNT Sports is putting this together, and they have the Inside the NBA show, they have the [NHL studio] show they do,” Bianchi explained on the podcast. “It’s going to be in that same kind of vein of a fun, roundtable kind of show, banter, that kind of thing.”
“Checking items off the bucket list left and right,” replied Gluck. “Guy wanted to interview Michael Jordan – check. Guy wanted to be on TV – check. He’s nailing it folks.”
Lots of NASCAR coming her way with the sport’s in-house media outlet and also TNT Sports – Maybe Amazon Prime host too.
Since Dale Jr is gonna be there for both Amazon & TNT and Steve Letarte as well for multiple networks across NBC, TNT and CW, looks like we will see this driver/crew chief reunion after all next year.