6 NASCAR Star Drivers to Make TV Cameos for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series

The CW broadcasts of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series are introducing new names into the fold. The announcer’s booth will feature one-off driver-announcers over six upcoming races. The new names join past stars of the booth, including Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Austin Cindric. The following are the next 6 feature drivers on the call:

NASCAR Drivers Join Broadcast

The CW has done a fantastic job of upping its viewership. The series commonly has risen 10-30% in its year-over-year ratings. From television show cameos to a new deal with ESPN, The CW is now upping its game by adding driver-announcers to the call for six select races.

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Hamlin is perhaps the most exciting name for the broadcast, and surely the most star-studded. He had recently done a broadcast with The CW for the 2025 Dover race. Hamlin has only been on previous calls, including the 2022 Daytona race.

Wallace, Busch, and Chastain are all repeat race-callers. Busch and Chastain both announced races in 2025, while Wallace will call his first since 2021. Clearly, NASCAR and The CW took to the bigger names in the sport, as Wallace, Busch, and Chastain fit that mold.

Zilisch will make his television debut at 19. It will be interesting to see how the young rookie does on television. He is widely respected for his great media interviews, clearly well PR-trained.

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The broadcast also fits in with the drivers at tracks they know well. Allmendinger is acclaimed for his road-course dominance, and thus, he will announce the road course at Sonoma. Zilisch will get an easier, short track in Nashville. Wallace then gets Indianapolis, where he won the NASCAR Cup Series return to its oval form in 2024.

Former drivers Jamie McMurray and Parker Kligerman do the week-by-week broadcasts as is. In that, they do a fantastic job as arguably the best broadcast of the three NASCAR Series. Having a driver’s perspective on the race is a big bonus for viewers, as it reveals things they would otherwise never know.

The CW announced this week that it would be broadcasting O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races on the ESPN Unlimited Subscription, Which Is coming this summer. No start date has been confirmed, but this announcement may hint at when it could begin. The first of these driver cameo’s will be on May 23, Memorial Day Weekend.

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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.