Bob Jenkins, Longtime Indy 500 Radio And TV Broadcaster, Dies At 73

Jenkins in 1980 (Photo: IMS Museum Hall of Fame)

BOB JENKINS, the former radio voice of the INDIANAPOLIS 500 and a longtime radio and television motorsports broadcaster, died MONDAY (8/9) of brain cancer at 73.

JENKINS got his start in radio news in FORT WAYNE and served as News Dir. At WAKE-A-F/VALPARAISO, IN, then hosted the radio version of the syndicated "AGDAY" at WIRE-A/INDIANAPOLIS, where he served as Farm Director for several years. He was hired by another Indy Car broadcasting legend, PAUL PAGE, to join the INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY's IMS RADIO NETWORK in 1979, ascending to Chief Announcer for the INDIANAPOLIS 500 in 1990-98. He then called INDY 500 coverage on ABC television in 1999-2003 and served as P.A. announcer for the race in 2004-06 and 2011-12, and returned to IMS RADIO NETWORK as a reporter and analyst in 2007-2011. JENKINS, one of the first anchors on ESPN, called NASCAR for the network and ABC in 1979-2000 and many other races for ESPN, SPEED CHANNEL, VERSUS/NBC SPORTS NETWORK, and SPIKE TV.

After the 2021 racing season, JENKINS retired to be with his wife PAM, who was suffering from terminal cancer; he revealed his own diagnosis of tumors on his brain earlier this year. JENKINS was inducted into the INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY MUSEUM Hall of Fame in 2019.

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