Longtime NASCAR Broadcaster Eli Gold Resigns From MRN Radio

Johnny Mallonee
@johnny-mallonee
8 years ago
3,259 posts
MADISON, Ill. Longtime NASCAR broadcaster Eli Gold has resigned from the Motor Racing Network, the companys president David Hyatt confirmed to CATCHFENCE.com. Golds nearly 40-year tenure
  • network took away Golds microphone and suspended him due to an incident that allegedly took place in April, while the Sprint Cup Series was in Richmond, Va. for the Toyota Owners 400. He worked the race at Talladega Superspeedway a week later, but was not in the MRN booth for the race the following weekend at Kansas Speedway.
    MRN turn announcer and SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Radio host Mike Bagley said at the opening of NASCAR Live the following Tuesday after Kansas that Gold was away from the network working on some non-MRN related personal projects.
    Golds biography was recently taken down from the MRN website, confirming the Alabamian and famed radio network had parted ways.
    No official replacement has been named for NASCAR Live, which has been through a rotation of hosts since Golds absence.
    Gold did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding his resignation.
    Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.

updated by @johnny-mallonee: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM
Johnny Mallonee
@johnny-mallonee
8 years ago
3,259 posts

Ok Im gonna say that this may or may not be true. As it stands now it might be a rumor or a true fact but ??????????????

Johnny Mallonee
@johnny-mallonee
8 years ago
3,259 posts

According to NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace who also broadcasts NASCAR themed shows on Speed Channel and St. Louis radio station KMOX-AM , Gold "is one of the most recognizable voices in NASCAR and in all of sports broadcasting." [3] As of June 2016, Eli Gold is no longer listed on the Motor Racing Network's website as an announcer.

Dennis  Garrett
@dennis-garrett
8 years ago
560 posts

ELI GOLD DID AN NICE CALIFORNIA RACE HISTORY STORY BEFORE SUNDAY RACE ?

FS1 OR NASCAR DIDN'T CAN IT ?

MAYBE HE IS GOING TO TV AS NBC-TV RACE ANNOUNCER?

Jay Coker
@jay-coker
8 years ago
177 posts

MRN without Ken Squier, Barney Hall, Eli Gold, Mike Joy, and Dick Brooks anymore is almost unthinkable. It's like comparing the CBS and ESPN booths of the 1980s with today's Fox coverage of NASCAR- it DOESN'T compare because one is light years ahead of the other. Now I understand that not everyone is the sharpest knife in the drawer that happens to call in to a racing show, but I don't ever remember Eli Gold talking condescendingly to a caller like Dave Moody likes to do to his audience on SIrius/XM Channel 90. The guy is a borderline tool with his antics!

Dave Fulton
@dave-fulton
8 years ago
9,137 posts

The Gold family has lent more than their voices to NASCAR races. For many years Eli's wife, Claudette helped staff track credentials offices on weekends, although few knew who it was signing them in.




--
"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"
danny quick2
@danny-quick2
8 years ago
15 posts

i had read that eli lost the job because he said that when a cup driver wins a race he does not race as hart and is just waiting for the last 12 races to start to race and nascar did not like that statement so they let him go.

TMC Chase
@tmc-chase
8 years ago
4,073 posts

I'm not a big Moody fan either. (Interestingly, he is technically a member here at RR though he hasn't posted in several years). His SXM show is a painful listen. BUT that entire station is dreadful by and large. I'm on my 2nd trial subscription - the system can be gamed. Ha - but the whole premise of the channel seems to be to invite the biggest collective of morons to call.

I'm unsure if the subscribe base is so limited that they'll take ANYONE that calls - or if the producers/screeners intentionally want the nutjobs to call so all can mock them.

Eli had his share of clueless wonders on NASCAR LIve over the years. But to your point, he generally handled them with more class and discretion.




--
Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
TMC Chase
@tmc-chase
8 years ago
4,073 posts

I'm not going to pretend to know what happened that led to Eli and MRN parting ways. But I would have to believe the issues were deeper than a singular comment. I know NASCAR brass can be thin skinned. But after 40 years of broadcasting with MRN and being passionate about NASCAR, I'd sure hate to think NASCAR dumped the guy after a 1x comment - even if it was one they obviously would vehemently disagree with publicly.

And to be clear, the official line is Eli resigned vs being fired. Perhaps they parked him after for a while after such a comment. Kind of a "double secret probation" deal. Maybe he thought his 40 years afforded him more leeway for editorial type comments. When it didn't, perhaps he decided he'd simply walk away.




--
Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
Jim Streeter
@jim-streeter
8 years ago
242 posts

I had breakfast with him before the Carolina/Alabama game about 15 years ago. A truly nice person and a gentleman .

Wally Bell
@wally-bell
8 years ago
83 posts

Great announcer........