Bob Jenkins | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Jenkins at the1985 Indianapolis 500 | |
| Born | Robert Francis Jenkins (1947-09-04)September 4, 1947 Richmond, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | August 9, 2021(2021-08-09) (aged 73) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Education | Indiana University Bloomington |
| Occupation | Announcer |
| Known for | CallingNASCAR andIndyCar races onABC andESPN |
Robert Francis Jenkins (September 4, 1947 – August 9, 2021) was an American television and radio sports announcer,[1][2] primarily callingIndy car andNASCAR telecasts forESPN/ABC and later Versus/NBCSN. Jenkins was the radio "Voice of theIndianapolis 500" on theIMS Radio Network from 1990 to 1998, then held the same role onABC Sports television from 1999 to 2001.
His last position was the lead commentator forNBCSN coverage of theIndyCar Series. He retired from broadcasting after the 2012 IndyCar season finale to care for his wife Pam who was battling brain cancer. After his wife's death that offseason, Jenkins came out of retirement for occasional reserve roles on television, radio, and public address primarily at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway.[3][4]
Bob Jenkins was born inRichmond, Indiana, and grew up in the nearby town ofLiberty. He graduated from Short High School in 1965 andIndiana University Bloomington in 1969. A music aficionado, Jenkins wanted to be aradio disc jockey, but instead found work as a radio news reporter. During this timeframe, Jenkins befriendedPaul Page, who worked at1070 WIBC-AM. Page helped Jenkins get his start in motorsports broadcasting, inviting him to serve as a pit reporter for Indy car races on the radio, as well as on television.[5]
For several years, Jenkins was co-anchor for nationally syndicated farm news show,AgDay.
Jenkins was one of the first anchors onESPN when it debuted in 1979,[3][6] working there as one of the most senior members of the network until 2003. Despite his status, he rarely, if ever, visited theBristol, Connecticut studios. Nearly all of his work with the network was at the race track, or at satellite studios in Indianapolis or Charlotte.
His primary duty was anchoringNASCAR on ESPN from 1979 to 2000. His first booth partner wasLarry Nuber. Later, he was teamed withNed Jarrett andBenny Parsons.[5] The trio was one of the most popular announcing crews inNASCAR. By the early 1990s, the crew (sansJarrett, who was contracted withCBS) would also cover races onABC Sports, including theBrickyard 400 from 1994 to 2000.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Jenkins also calledChampionship Auto Racing Teams (CART) Indy car races,International Motor Sports Association (IMSA),Formula One,drag racing, and various other motorsports events on ESPN and ABC. By the late 1980s,Paul Page took over as anchor for Indy car racing on ABC/ESPN, with Jenkins focusing primarily on NASCAR. Jenkins hosted the weekly racing magazine showSpeedWeek during most of his tenure at ESPN.
Concurrent to his work on ESPN & ABC, from 1979 to 1998, Jenkins worked on theIMS Radio Network.[3] He reported various positions, including the backstretch, turn four, and served as chief announcer of the Indianapolis 500 from 1990 to 1998. In the 1990s, Jenkins also narrated the annual Indianapolis 500 official highlight films. There would be NASCAR races Jenkins would miss, the1990 Checker 500 was due to Jenkins had the flu, Jenkins missed three races in 1994 due to a back injury he had at Indianapolis. Jenkins would miss the1995 GM Goodwrench 400 due to a death in the family and would miss the1997 Food City 500 as he was recovering from the back operation he had three weeks earlier. Due to IRL/NASCAR Conflicts which aired on the same network in 1999 and 2000 which Jenkins as lead announcer, he would be sent to cover IRL races.
By 1999, Jenkins quit the radio crew to focus on television full-time. The ongoingIndy Racing League/CART "Split" brought changes in the announcing crews at ESPN/ABC. In addition, ESPN/ABC lost NASCAR rights at the end of the 2000 season.Paul Page was assigned to theCART broadcasts, and Jenkins was moved exclusively to the chief announcing position of theIRL andIndianapolis 500 broadcasts. The arrangement would continue through 2001.
For 2002, with CART floundering,Page was moved back to theIndy Racing League, and Jenkins was shifted to the lesser host position. The arrangement created a "crowded" booth with two veteran announcers. In 2003, during the closing minutes of Indy 500 Bump Day coverage on ESPN, Jenkins made animpassioned commentary, defending the event from media detractors.[7] Many were ridiculing the race and the Indy Racing League for struggling to fill the field to the traditional 33 cars.
At the end of the 2003 season, Jenkins was released from ABC/ESPN.
After being released from ABC/ESPN in 2003, Jenkins joined theIndianapolis Motor Speedway staff in various roles including public address announcer and designatedemcee of various events and press gatherings (such as the Victory Banquet, Last Row Party, and press conferences). The 2003 Brickyard 400 was his first foray as part of the P.A. team. In 2004, he had a short stint as an announcer forChamp Car onSpike TV[8] but was soon fired by the production company. He joinedSPEED and was an anchor forSpeed News for a little over one year. Jenkins has also been a contributor toWIBC radio in Indianapolis, and the communications director for the Premier Racing Association.[9] In 2006, Jenkins was the chief announcer of theIMS Radio Network for theU.S. Grand Prix, and in 2007, calledIndy Pro Series broadcasts onESPN2. He anchored the 2007Brickyard 400 on the radio, his first NASCAR race call since November 2000. For 2007–2008, he returned to theIMS Radio Network for the Indy 500, reporting from the turn two position.
In 2008, Jenkins returned to the ESPN booth for two IndyCar races, theEdmonton Indy and theGold Coast Indy 300 atSurfers Paradise. Regular play-by-play announcerMarty Reid was unable to broadcast due to scheduling conflicts.
In 2009, the IndyCar Series started a new television contract withVersus. Jenkins was signed as the chief announcer, and returned to Indy car racing full-time for the first time since 2001. He opted out of reprising his turn two role on the radio network, but recorded segments for air on the radio broadcast, as all three living "Voices of the 500" (Page, Jenkins, andKing) participated in the broadcast. Jenkins worked for Versus in 2009 and 2010.
In 2011, Versus was bought byNBC Sports Group, becomingNBCSN. NBC inherited the IndyCar rights and hired Jenkins to continue as lead announcer for IndyCar on NBC. During the month of May, and on race day at the Indianapolis 500 (which ESPN/ABC still had the rights to), he continued his part-time work on the public address announcing team. Jenkins was involved in NBCSN's practice and qualifying coverage at Indy. In 2012, he announced he would retire at the end of the season, in part due to his wife Pam, who had terminal cancer. She died shortly after the season ended.[5]
For 2013, he worked on the public address system for both the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and theUSAC Silver Crown Series. Jenkins made a one-time return to NBCSN in a substitute role during Indy 500 Carb Day coverage, as primary announcerLeigh Diffey was covering theMonaco Grand Prix for NBC.
Jenkins, still at the Speedway for the public address system, also narrated some vignettes for NBC's NASCAR coverage on both weekday programs and race weekends.
In 2019, Jenkins andDan Wheldon were inducted into theIndianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame.
Jenkins also had three movie credits, one of which was an on-camera appearance. In order to be realistic, the race announcers in the movieDays of Thunder were the actual ESPN crew of the time, which meant Jenkins was the announcer in several voice-over scenes. While at Speed Channel in 2005, he was the Speed anchor inTalladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. He also did voice over work in the movieKart Racer.
His voice was used in theEA SportsNASCAR video game series, fromNASCAR 98 toNASCAR 2001, theCodemasters video gamesIndyCar Series andIndyCar Series 2005 as well as theDestineer video gameIndianapolis 500 Evolution. He also appeared in the video gameAndretti Racing on the PS1.
His most recent work can be heard in the trailer for the independent filmTrifocals(March 2007).
Jenkins was acolon cancer survivor[6][10] and resided in theIndianapolis area. His wife Pam died from complications of Primary peritoneal cancer inCarmel, Indiana on October 25, 2012.[11] Jenkins revealed on February 16, 2021, that he himself had been diagnosed with brain cancer following a suspected stroke he suffered on December 25, 2020. In the interview, Jenkins stated "I had colon cancer in 1983 and I survived that, and with God's help and my beloved race fans, I'm gonna make it."[12] Jenkins died of brain cancer on August 9, 2021, aged 73.[13]
Jenkins was an aficionado and collector of 1950s and 1960s music, with a collection of over 10,00045 rpmvinyl records.[5]
Jenkins claimed to have attended every Indianapolis 500 from 1960 to 2021 - missing only twice (sixty races). He did not go in 1961; in 1965 he was instead on a high school senior trip (though he listened to the race on the radio). The2020 race was his final race as public address announcer, one of a very small number of non-participants in attendance as the race was heldbehind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His final "500" was in2021, attending only as a spectator, less than three months before his death.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Radio voice of the Indianapolis 500 1990–1998 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Television voice of the Indianapolis 500 1999–2001 | Succeeded by |