Jenkins To Be Grand Marshal Of The Thursday August USAC Midget Week Date At Union County Speedway

Bob Jenkins (born September 4, 1947 in Liberty, Indiana) He currently teaches announcing at Anderson University (Indiana).

Announcing career

Jenkins was one of the original cornerstone anchors on ESPN when it debuted in 1979, working there as one of the most senior members of the network until 2003. From 1979-1998, Jenkins worked on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, holding various positions including the backstrech, turn four, and chief announcer from 1990-1998. Jenkins was the television announcer of the Brickyard 400 (now Allstate 400 at the Brickyard) from 1994-2000, and the television announcer of the Indianapolis 500 from 1999-2001.

After being released from ABC/ESPN in 2003, Jenkins joined the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in various roles (track announcer and host of many public relations events, including the Victory Banquet held after the race), had a short stint as an announcer on the Champ Car World Series before being fired by the production company. He then joined Speed Channel; he was one of the anchors of Speed News for a year. Jenkins has also been a contributor to WIBC, Indianapolis sports broadcasts.

In June 2006, Jenkins was released from his contract by Speed Channel. According to Jayski's Silly Season Site, in early 2006 Jenkins became the communications director for the Premier Racing Association [1].

In July 2006, he was head announcer of the IMS Radio Network for the United States Grand Prix.

For 2008, he will be the announcer of Indy Pro Series broadcasts on ESPN2. In addition, he will be a member of the PA team during the month of May and will report from Turn 2 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the IMS Radio Network's coverage of the 2008 Indianapolis 500, and anchored the IMS coverage of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, his first NASCAR race call since November 2000.


Movie credits

Jenkins also has two movie credits, both from his positions. In order to be realistic, the race announcers in Days of Thunder were the actual ESPN crew, which meant Jenkins was the announcer, as in real-life, and while at Speed Channel in 2005, he was the Speed anchor in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (released August 4, 2006).

His voice was used in the EA Sports NASCAR video game series, from NASCAR 98 to NASCAR 2001.

His most recent work can be heard in the trailer for the independent film Trifocals which is being released in March of 2007.

Jenkins is a cancer survivor and lives in the Indianapolis area with his wife Pam.

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With the new lights, grandstands and surface this is going to be a must see

IIRC, Bob's home town is Liberty.

Who says you can't go home again?

I planning on going.

This will be awesome. Professor Bob is a great guy too.
10 years ago Bob and some IRL drivers came to Whiteland Raceway for a celebrity function. My little purple plate driver was shaking in his shoes to meet Bob Jenkins and he finally got the nerve to say hello. Bob spoke with him for a bit and asked "So, do you want to be a race car driver when you grow up?' and everyone chuckled when little Jake replied "Nope, I wanna be a ESPN announcer like you!" That all came full circle at South Georgia Motorsports Park when Bob unknowingly introduced himself to the driver of the #07 PRA Big Car once again, this time Jake picked race car driver though.:O:

Very Cool to hear about Bob being a Grand Marshall of the race at Liberty. As an announcer myself, I very much have always looked up to Bob Jenkins, and I still consider him the best play-play man that has ever done Nascar in my opinion. I even recall growing up hearing him anounce some of the Thursday/Saturday night Thunder events that ESPN used to broadcast from IRP.

I look forward to making the trip up there to shake Bob's hand and say thanks for being such an important role model in my life.

One interesting fact. Jenkins told me that Union County..Then known as Whitewater Speedway, was featured on an ESPN Thursday Night Thunder race in the 1980's.

Union County Speedway is located south west of Richmond, Indiana, just a few miles west of the intersection of State Route 27 in Liberty, on Route 44. The website map is located here:

http://www.unioncountyspeedway.com/trackinfo-page.html