From being recruited to work in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 team as a teenager to using the mike for an enthralling Cup Series commentary, Steve Letarte has come a long way. The NASCAR veteran has been a long-term fixture in the sport and continues to be with new opportunities coming his way. For example, Letarte will reunite with Dale Earnhardt Jr after their driver-crew chief duties over a decade ago. This time, they will dominate the broadcasting booth for new media giants Amazon Prime and TNT for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Who is Steve Letarte?

Currently, he works alongside race announcer Rick Allen and fellow analyst Jeff Burton in the NBC Sports broadcast booth. All three use their stentorian voices during NBC Sports’ live coverage of NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series races. Before joining NBC, Steve Letarte worked as a crew chief in the Hendrick Motorsports team. Most notably, he led the No. 88 team driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. from 2011 to 2014. Before that, Letarte stood at the helm of Jeff Gordon’s famed No. 24 race team for six seasons.

Hailing from Cornish, Maine, Steve Letarte lives in North California with his wife Tricia and their two children. According to 2024 reports, Letarte’s children are in college and he is juggling three jobs to pay their fees. Besides his responsibilities as a broadcaster in front of the camera, Letarte also works as a consultant for Spire Motorsports.

How did Steve Letarte foray into the world of racing?

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Every racing legend has a special story of their own, and so does Steve Letarte. In 1996, after graduating from high school early, Letarte joined the No. 24 race team as a full-time mechanic and tire specialist. His impressive work ethic shot him up the ranks, becoming a car chief in 2002. Then he assumed the crew chief role for 4-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, and they achieved 10 wins and 76 top-five finishes together. In 2011, Letarte took the helm of Hendrick’s No. 88 team driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Besides clinching 15 wins, the duo most notably won the 2014 Daytona 500.

Back in 2017, when Rick Hendrick was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Letarte reflected on how his recruitment changed his life forever. “Without a doubt, at 16 I had no idea what the opportunity was. But very quickly it became clear to me what kind of opportunity he and the company had given me. When you look back on it now at 37, who knew 21 years ago, that opportunity to be the cleanup kid for the No. 24 car basically shaped the entire future of my career.”

Letarte’s stint with NASCAR broadcasting and the latest recruit of TNT and Amazon Prime 

After a glorious journey with Hendrick Motorsports, Steve Letarte shifted to broadcasting for the 2015 season. The 45-year-old lent his immense racing knowledge, evident in 25 Cup Series victories, to the broadcasting booth. Now as NASCAR inducts new media giants into its fold, even they demand Letarte’s presence. TNT Sports and Amazon Prime announced Monday that Adam Alexander and Steve Letarte will join Dale Earnhardt Jr. for their NASCAR Cup Series broadcasts in 2025.

Alexander will lead play-by-play duties for both networks and Letarte will serve as an analyst. Prime Video, a newcomer to the list of NASCAR broadcast networks, and returning partner TNT will each air five Cup Series races mid-season. Amazon’s coverage includes the May 25 Coca-Cola 600 and the Cup Series’ first event in Mexico City on June 15. TNT’s coverage will begin June 28 in Atlanta and will feature the circuit’s first in-season tournament, with a $1 million prize to the winner.

Will Steve Letarte continue as an analyst with NBC after the new broadcasting deal?

Taking up these new responsibilities with giants like Amazon and TNT is no mean feat. But veteran Steve Letarte knows the assignment and is prepared to take up multiple roles. While being reunited with Earnhardt Jr. in the Prime and TNT booth, he will continue to be an analyst with NBC Sports. The prospect of working with the new broadcasting companies looks bright after NASCAR signed a $7.7 Billion media rights package deal last year. Letarte shared his eagerness to work: “TNT has a long history of covering NASCAR. I am excited to contribute to that history next season when the green flag waves on TNT’s coverage in June.”