When you talk about NASCAR, it’s not just the roar of the engines or the battles on the track that stick with you; it’s also the voices that bring it all to life. Some commentators have become just as iconic as the drivers, because they were the soundtrack to NASCAR’s biggest moments. They turn a high-speed duel into something you feel in your gut, making you lean closer to the screen as the checkered flag waves.

Take Ken Squier, for example. He’s the guy who gave us the phrase “The Great American Race” when he first called the Daytona 500 on live TV in 1979. That broadcast, with Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, and Cale Yarborough all duking it out, is often credited with putting NASCAR on the national map.

Then there’s Bob Jenkins, who became a household name with ESPN and later NBC.

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