After a distinguished 36-year career in NASCAR broadcasting, Performance Racing Network (PRN) President and Lead Anchor, Doug Rice, will bid farewell to the broadcast booth after the 2024 PRN race season.
For more than three decades, Rice’s voice has been synonymous with racing on the radio. A native of Asheville, North Carolina, Rice developed a love for radio as a young man listening to the Atlanta Braves.
Rice got his first taste of a career in radio when he started working weekends for WSTP/WRDX in Salisbury, North Carolina, mostly engineering ball games and races. During that time, he was also working at the campus radio station for his alma mater, Appalachian State University.
In 1988, Rice joined Speedway Motorsports as Program and Affiliate Director for PRN. In 1992, he moved into the booth as anchor, and has since called play-by-play on 210 NASCAR Cup Series races. His distinctive, on-air presence and delightful blend of approachability and wit has informed and inspired NASCAR fans from all over the world, winning him multiple awards in the process including:
- Three-time National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Broadcaster of the Year (2007, 2022 and 2023)
- 2022 NMPA Joe Littlejohn Award for service to the NMPA
- 2020 North Carolina Motorsports Association Jim Hunter Memorial Media Award
- 2017 Horace Billings Lifetime Achievement Award and Salisbury-Rowan Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
Rice has made a career of sharing amazing race action and transporting listeners from where they are to the race track. His personal highlights include calling:
- Jeff Gordon’s first win in the 1994 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
- Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s first wins in the Xfinity and Cup Series’ at Texas Motor Speedway
- Tony Stewart’s first win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 2005 Brickyard 400
- Ryan Blaney’s thrilling win the inaugural Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
- Adam Petty’s ARCA win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1998 was especially special to Rice, a life-long Petty fan
Rice’s impact at PRN, however, extends far beyond his memorable on-air calls.
- The only broadcaster to date to call both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Dubbed the “Doug Double,” in partnership with the Indianapolis Radio Network, Rice reported from pit road during the 2015 Indianapolis 500 and then, with logistical support from Shell Oil Company, flew back to North Carolina to anchor the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
- Covered more than 13 different series of racing from grassroots to NASCAR’s top level, including ASA, All PRO Series, Hooters Pro Cup, Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Racing Series, World of Outlaws, ARCA, IROC, NHRA, IndyCar, Indy Lights and all three of NASCAR top national series.
- Served as lead on more than 1,000 PRN “Fast Talk” shows, providing in-depth coverage, driver interviews and memorable stories from countless motorsports personalities
- Oversaw a booming period of growth in the number of events PRN broadcast starting with two Cup events in 1988 to 14 in 2024
- Hosted hundreds of notable press conferences including driver and team announcements, industry event news conferences and sponsorship media availabilities
- Helped launch PRN’s digital studio, which now provides state-of-the-art audio and video feeds for a variety of PRN and affiliate needs.
- To kick off the 2024 season, Rice has been invited to join the Motor Racing Network broadcast crew for this year’s Daytona 500, a bucket list opportunity for the esteemed motorsports voice. Doug’s Last Lap will continue with the 2024 PRN season, starting with the Feb. 24-25 Ambetter Health 400 weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, followed by 13 additional Cup Series events at Speedway Motorsports facilities and the co-produced Brickyard 400 with the Indianapolis Radio Network. 95.5FM, WSMG is a PRN affiliate and will broadcast the PRN schedule of races this year.
