NBC's Mike Wells Directs Final NASCAR Race At Talladega

NBC Sports NASCAR Dir Mike Wells conducted his final race broadcast yesterday for the net after a 37-year run, and NBC pulled off multiple tributes to salute him. During yesterday’s broadcast from Talladega, NBC had an in-car camera that, instead of having a sponsor shown on screen when the camera came up, had an image that said, “Thanks Mikey.” Pit road reporter Marty Snider also delivered a speech thanking Wells and informing viewers of his tenure just before yesterday’s race. Wells started directing Cup Series broadcasts in ’81 and will now go on to directing NBC’s coverage of the Indianapolis 500 and other select IndyCar Series races beginning in '19 (Adam Stern, THE DAILY). THE ATHLETIC's Richard Deitsch notes Wells "directed more than 1,000 NASCAR race broadcasts" during his career. He was part of several "memorable NASCAR productions," including Richard Petty's final race in '92 and Dale Earnhardt's last win in '00 (THEATHLETIC.com, 10/15).