Bob Jenkins

Bob Jenkins
Jenkins at the 1985 Indianapolis 500
Born	(1947-09-04) September 4, 1947 (age 69) Richmond, Indiana
Nationality	American
Education	Indiana University
Occupation	Announcer
Known for	Calling NASCAR and IndyCar races on ABC and ESPN

Bob Jenkins (born November 4, 1947) is a television and radio sports announcer with NBC Sports Network, also known for his work at ABC and ESPN primarily calling IndyCar and NASCAR telecasts. His most recent position was the lead commentator for the IndyCar Series on NBC Sports Network. 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, it was announced by Indycar and NBC officials that he would come out of retirement for Indianapolis 500 final practice coverage in 2013, and would be available in a reserve role.

Bob Jenkins was born in Richmond, Indiana, and grew up in the nearby town of Liberty. He graduated from Short High School in 1965 and Indiana University in 1969. He 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. His primary duty was anchoring NASCAR on ESPN from 1979 to 2000 with Ned Jarrett and Benny Parsons. The trio was one of the most popular announcing crews in NASCAR. By the early 1990s, the crew (sans Jarrett, who was contracted with CBS) would also cover races on ABC Sports. During the 1980s, Jenkins also occasionally called CART races on ESPN, prior to the arrival of veteran Paul Page.

Jenkins hosted the weekly racing magazine show SpeedWeek during most of his tenure at ESPN. Jenkins was the television announcer of the Brickyard 400 on ABC from 1994 to 2000.