The NBC/TNT broadcast booth will get a facelift in 2005 when Bill Weber and Allen Bestwick essentially switch jobs.


Bill Weber Credit: Turner Sports

Weber will move from lead pit reporter to play-by-play announcer, joining analysts Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach.

Bestwick, who had served as play-by-play man for the NBC/TNT broadcasts, will become lead pit reporter. Bestwick also will handle play-by-play for selected Busch Series races.

NBC officials had no comment on the personnel moves.

Weber filled in for Bestwick for two broadcasts in early October while Bestwick was recovering from a broken leg suffered while he was playing in a hockey game near his hometown of Coventry, R.I.

Weber's career in racing began in 1990 when he served as a producer/reporter for Sunbelt Video, a television production company, where he produced, hosted and served as a reporter on a variety of motorsports programming, mostly aired on what was TNN (now Spike TV).


Allen Bestwick Credit: NBC Sports

He moved to ESPN in 1994 where he served primarily as a pit reporter for the network's NASCAR broadcasts. He also served as a reporter on ESPN's RPM2Night on ESPN2.

Weber last did full-time play-by-play in 1989 at WIKY-FM in Evansville, Ind. where he handled college and high school sports and hosted a call-in talk show.

Before joining NBC in early 1999, Bestwick was best known as the play-by-play voice of NASCAR on the MRN radio network, a title he held since 1988.

Bestwick was first introduced to auto racing at a young age when his father built and raced stock cars at a local track. He began his broadcasting career at the age of 15.