Basketball fans know Brad Daugherty as an accomplished and well-known NBA and college basketball star, but few may know of Daughertys lifelong passion of NASCAR racing. Daughertys racing interests date back to his childhood when he met Richard Petty at the Daytona International Speedway in 1977. Daugherty would later choose to wear Pettys number 43 throughout his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now, Daughterty has joined the ESPN and ABC team of hosts, analysts and pit reporters in 2007 to provide what he describes as the fans perspective in the networks comprehensive, multimedia coverage devoted to NASCAR. Im just really excited about being able to get involved on this level, said Daugherty. I have a little bit of technical and ownership experience, but mostly, I am a fan. In his second year in the NBA, Daugherty took a serious interest in racing and in 1987, co-founded a late-model stock race team with driver Robert Pressley in Asheville, N.C. The team raced in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the NASCAR Racing Series, winning the regional championship in 1987 and 1988. In 1989, they joined the NASCAR Busch Series and earned the teams first major victory at the Orange County Speedway in North Carolina. While continuing to play pro hoops, Daugherty supported and mentored several up-and-coming drivers as an owner in the NASCAR Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series, explaining that he wanted to nurture their talents and see their careers grow. Drivers included the late Kenny Irwin Jr., Wayne Anderson and Kevin Harvick. Irwin won two Craftsman Truck Series races driving for Daugherty in 1997, the first at Homestead-Miami Speedway in March and the second at Texas Motor Speedway in June. “I hope to draw in a new audience, he added. NASCAR is a sport that business-wise, has to continue to grow and go international. It needs to broaden horizons and I hope my presence gives fans even more reason to turn it on and watch.
A long-time fan of the sport, Daugherty will sit alongside fellow commentators on two new shows — NASCAR Countdown and NASCAR Now. NASCAR Countdown will immediately precede all Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series races televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, while NASCAR Now, the networks first-ever daily program solely dedicated to NASCAR, will deliver the most up-to-date news and information each weekday. NASCAR Now will debut on ESPN2 on Feb. 5, 2007. Its like taking a fan out of the stands and into the booth, said Daugherty. Im as interested in the stories and sagas as the competition. I know those little pieces that nobody talks about. Daugherty previously served as a college basketball game sideline reporter and analyst for ESPN and ABC (1999-2001), covering the ACC conference telecasts. Before ESPN, Daugherty served as a game analyst for the NBAs Cleveland Cavaliers from 1996-1998 on the Hometown 43/Cavaliers Television Network and in those same years did limited work as an analyst for the San Antonio Spurs.(ESPN PR)(12-7-2006)
