“People Accuse Us…”- Marty & McGee Star Dissects “Weird” Bill Elliott Aspect That Got Him His Big ESPN Break

We all love to watch our favorite racers in action on the track. But It is the veteran insiders who bring out the best stories, which we all have now come to love. With that said, Ryan McGee is perhaps one of the most influential NASCAR insiders, even blessing the community with the script for the “Dale” documentary. However, despite McGee’s level of insight, some fans have made fun of his Southern accent from the start. But as it turns out, it was this very accent that got McGee his big break at ESPN, and the rest is history.

How McGee’s mocked accent launched him to fame

The renowned show co-hosted by Ryan McGee and Marty Smith has gained widespread popularity for its authenticity and connection to college football and NASCAR drivers. However, their very southern origins were what put off a lot of fans. While the accent fit in just fine natively, that was not the case everywhere.

He shared in Dale Earnhardt Jr’s podcast, “It’s the weirdest phenomenon. The first thing is them telling you how to dress, “I can’t believe you wore that tie, you need a haircut.” I’m like, really? But then the other part is, people think that Marty and I are faking out accents.” McGee went on to enact how thick and heavy his southern accent would sound, but hailing from Rockingham, the insider felt he really couldn’t have helped it!

While his new colleagues would find his accent hard to digest, it’s what ultimately helped him in the long run. McGee added, “That’s what got me my break at ESPN was, I could play interpreter for when they were feeding interview with Bill Elliott. I remember because I was the only Southerner in ESPN in the mid-90s when I first started out of college.”

Sharing how most of the ESPN workforce hailed from the North Eastern corridor, McGee found his southern accent to be his USP. He shared how his ability to understand the thick accents of some of the top racers at the time helped him move up the ladder. McGee reflected on the time a veteran ESPN insider came looking for his expertise, “Matty says, ‘Where’s the southern guy? Don’t we have a Southern guy? Yeah, he’s coming here! I don’t know what the hell this guy is talking about!’

Just when Ryan McGee thought his southern accent would prove to be an obstacle instead of an opportunity, the tides turned in his favor. Similarly, McGee also shared his hilarious yet anxious first interview with the sport’s greatest driver, Dale Earnhardt.

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McGee couldn’t have had a more iconic first encounter with The Intimidator!

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During the 90s, McGee was working in a column of the top 10 NASCAR drivers of the 20th century and had gotten the opportunity to sit down with Earnhardt for the same. He shared with the podcast hosts, “We go up to DEI which is brand new. It’s 99. It’s the Garage Mahal and all that stuff. And Dale has agreed to do an interview. They set us up in the executive lunch room, like this really really nice dining hall. And there’s an executive chef and all that stuff. We get there an hour and a half early, we’re getting set up, and all of a sudden the door flies open. He goes, “What the hell are y’all doing?”

Dale Earnhardt walked in with an intensity that McGee wasn’t prepared for, as he tried explaining to the Intimidator that they needed over an hour and a half to get things going – “No, you don’t. You got like 5 minutes. I’ll be back in 5 minutes, ya’ll better be ready.” Senior was not heeding any of McGee’s requests, slamming the door as he left instead.

This prompted the team to jump into action and get the set ready at all costs. The ESPN insider detailed the situation’s intensity, “So now we’re hauling gear and sandbags and hanging lights and all that stuff and this is the 90s’ right. So ya’ll got these fancy led lights. These were like old-school, hot as hell, 500 pounds, we’re setting up all this stuff. It was me, the photographers and we’re scrambling.”

Eventually, the crew got just about ready in time for Earnhardt Senior’s arrival, feeling the pressure building before the interview had even started. But now that it was ready, Earnhardt Senior revealed his true intentions. McGee concluded, “So we get it ready, I’m sweating and everything. And he comes in and goes, “Good job ya’ll! Now let’s eat.” And they brought in lunch! So we all sat there and had lunch, and I am rattled!”

Just like that, Ryan McGee found out just why Dale Earnhardt was known as the Intimidator, and had it not been for such an encounter, perhaps we may not have gotten the Dale documentary with the script that we did.

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