Michael Jordan asked NASCAR broadcaster why he wasn't calling races anymore

Over the last two decades, Rick Allen has become a staple of NASCAR broadcasting. 

The 55-year-old from Grand Island, Nebraska, began his career as a NASCAR play-by-play announcer in 2003 as the lead for the SPEED Channel's coverage of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. In 2015, Allen was tapped by NBC to be the play-by-play announcer for the network's coverage of the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Cup Series, which NBC was covering for the first time since 2006. 

Over the next 10 seasons, Allen's voice became synonymous with NASCAR. His calls of moments such as Jeff Gordon's final win, Jimmie Johnson's record-tying seventh championship and Ross Chastain's 'Hail Melon' at Martinsville will live on forever. But in 2024, it was announced that veteran IndyCar and Formula 1 broadcaster Leigh Diffey would replace Allen as the play-by-play announcer for NBC's Cup Series coverage at Daytona. Allen finished out the year calling Xfinity Series races, but his tenure as NBC's Cup Series play-by-play announcer had ended. The FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan on Aug. 19 was his final Cup Series broadcast. 

Allen was the guest on "The Dale Jr. Download" on Wednesday and discussed the move, including the comment he received from NBA legend and NASCAR team owner Michael Jordan. 

"I was crushed," Allen told host Dale Earnhardt Jr. "That was a crushing blow." 

Allen then recounted a memory of a round of golf with Jordan, co-owner of 23XI Racing, where the six-time NBA champion asked about the circumstances regarding his departure.