Dave Despain | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1946-05-20)20 May 1946 (age 79) Fairfield, Iowa, U.S. |
| Occupation | Motorsports journalist |
| Known for | Host ofWindTunnel with Dave Despain andNASCAR Inside Nextel CupandMotoworld |
Dave Despain (born 20 May 1946) is an Americanmotorsports journalist. He was the host ofWindTunnel with Dave Despain onSpeed Channel, andNASCAR Inside Nextel Cup, until the former was cancelled during the demise of Speed and the latter underwent a format change at the beginning of the 2008 NASCAR Season. On 14 December 2013 Despain announced onTwitter that he would be moving toMAVTV in 2014[1] to provide color commentary during races held on the channel and host a show calledThe Dave Despain Show.
A native ofFairfield, Iowa,[2] Despain worked for a time at KMCD-AM, the local radio station. His earliest work included a program called "Dave Despain's Record-Go-Round". Eventually he worked in all phases of KMCD's programming, and became known for a unique broadcasting style in which he vigorously nodded and bobbed his head while speaking. Despain, a former motorcycle racer, later joined theAmerican Motorcycle Association in the public-relations department. One day in the 1970s, producers ofABC's Wide World of Sports asked him to appear on camera for its coverage of a prestigious bike race atDaytona International Speedway. Despain agreed, and a new career was launched. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Despain was a pit reporter for both motorcycle and NASCAR races onWTBS andCBS, including the1982 World Speedway Final at theLA Coliseum, the only time the World Final was held in the United States.[3]
He then moved toESPN as host of its prerace show,NASCAR 2Day. His final appearance on 12 November 2000. After that race, ESPN stopped carrying NASCAR races after being outbid for a new contract (although ESPN returned to NASCAR in 2007). Despain also hostedMotorWeek Illustrated (not to be confused withthe PBS program) andMotoWorld, filled in forBob Jenkins onSpeedWeek and hosted some programs featuring drivers walking away from spectacular crashes.
Despain joined Speed Channel in 2000 (then known as Speedvision). For some time Despain was one of several anchors ofSpeed News, Speed's racing newscast broadcast every weekend. In 2003,WindTunnel with Dave Despain debuted, in which Despain presided over an hour racing-centric call-in show. Wind Tunnel ran from 2003 until 2013, when it was cancelled during Speed Channel's transition toFox Sports 1.
Despain became host ofNASCAR Inside Nextel Cup in 2005, replacing the panel show's longtime hostAllen Bestwick. Despain hosted the series until its cancellation in 2008, when it was replaced byThis Week in NASCAR.
Dave Despain hosts a series of specials calledDave Despain On Assignment that has documented the history of the Daytona Beach course andDaytona International Speedway, and theTalladega Superspeedway.[4] The episodes have appeared on the weekends of theDaytona 500 and thePepsi 400, and the fallAMP Energy 500.
On 1 December 2013 Despain announced on Twitter that he would be moving toMAVTV in 2014. His first event with the network was to be the Chili Bowl on 18 January.[5] Despain was to provide color commentary during races held on the channel and host a show calledThe Dave Despain Show.