Bob Jenkins
Hired, when ESPN, the all sports cable network went on the air in September of 1979. Through the years Jenkins served as host and play-by-play announcer for the Indy Racing League telecasts including the Indianapolis 500, and from 1982 to 2000, he anchored ESPN and ABC's coverage of NASCAR Winston Cup telecasts, which received 17 Sports Emmy Awards during that time.
From 1983 to 1997, he served as host of ESPN'S SpeedWeek, a weekly program of racing news, results, previews and features. He also worked as a co-anchor on Speed News, which airs on Speed TV.
In 1990 Bob was nominated for an ACE (Award for Cable Excellence) Award in the Sports Host Category. From 1979 to 1999 and 2006-2007, he served as a member of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, serving as the "Radio Voice of the 500" from 1990-1999.
Jenkins has received many honors including induction into the National Auto Racing Fan Club Hall Of Fame in May of 2006, and the "Tony Hulman Award" given by the same organization for unselfish devotion to motor sports, the Roger McCluskey Award from the United States Auto Club in recognition of his standards of excellence in the sport of auto racing, and the Henry T. McLemore Motorsports Press Award which recognizes outstanding motorsports journalism in the field of writing, broadcasting or photography. A permanent plaque with his likeness is in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, Alabama.
He was awarded a "Sagamore of the Wabash", the highest civilian award given by the state of Indiana, in recognition of his work in many civic and charitable efforts.
Bob, who grew up in eastern Indiana, fulfilled a lifetime dream when he began anchoring the ABC telecast of the Indianapolis 500. He is the only announcer who has anchored coverage of the three events held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - the Indianapolis 500, NASCAR'S Brickyard 400, and the US Grand Prix Formula One race. He now serves on the tracks public address staff.