It started with a Thanksgiving turkey and ended with a game of Pictionary. During the hours between, the inconceivable became tangible, attainable.
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Marty Smith
Marty Smith, a former senior writer for NASCAR.com, became an analyst for ESPN and ABC's coverage of NASCAR in 2007. Smith had been a regular contributor on ESPNEWS, "Cold Pizza" and SPEED News, offering energetic and vibrant commentary, since 2005. In a short career, Smith has become one of the most well-respected writers in the field, and his contacts in the NASCAR garage have led to many breaking stories.
As an Insider, Smith reports on the latest news and information behind the scenes and breaking stories on teams, drivers, owners and crew chiefs. He serves several of ESPN's multimedia platforms, reporting for "NASCAR Now," "NASCAR Countdown," ESPN Radio, ESPNEWS and "SportsCenter," as well as providing weekly content on ESPN.com.
Before joining ESPN, Smith was a NASCAR analyst on Fox Sports Net, providing insight into the industry's hottest topics on programs "Around the Track" and "Around the South" from 2005 to 2006. In those same years, Smith hosted Speed Channel's "Back Seat Drivers" and was a guest analyst on "NASCAR Nation."
A 1998 Radford University media studies graduate, Smith joined The Roanoke (Va.) Times newsroom during his senior year at RU, where he covered a variety of sporting events. Later that year, he moved to The (Lynchburg, Va.) News & Advance, where he conducted an interview with Lynchburg native Paul Brooks, vice president of NASCAR, that ultimately changed the course of Smith's career. Shortly after, Brooks hired Smith for NASCAR's public relations team in Charlotte, where he provided online content for the NASCAR-owned league Web site from 1999 to 2000.