Jack Arute

Auto Racing and College Football Commentator

Jack Arute has been part of ABC and ESPN’s auto racing coverage since 1984 when he joined ABC for a live telecast of sprint car racing on the Wide World of Sports. The award-winning commentator now works as a pit reporter for ESPN and ABC’s IndyCar Series coverage, including the Indianapolis 500.

In addition to his auto racing duties, Arute works as a sideline reporter for college football on ESPN and ABC.

A four-time recipient of the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association Award for Television, including the AARWBA 2001 award for Best Radio and Television Presentation, Arute also has been honored by the National Motorsports Press Association with its 1988 Broadcaster of the Year award.

Arute began his professional association with auto racing in 1972 as public address announcer at Daytona, Talladega and Pocono. That same year he began a nine-year assignment as a radio commentator for MRN Radio, and from 1975-80 he was co-host and executive producer for MRN.

He was a vice president at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1980 and then Senior Manager of Public Relations and Promotions for Pepsi Cola from 1981-84, during which time he worked with driver Darrell Waltrip and team owner Junior Johnson as they won back-to-back NASCAR Winston Cup championships in 1981-82. He formed his own motorsports consulting company in 1984 and currently owns a TV production company. He is also President of Stafford Motor Speedway, a half-mile NASCAR-sanctioned track in his home state of Connecticut.

Arute’s assignments with ESPN and ABC have also included NASCAR, Formula One and motorcross, along with cycling, tennis and soccer in the Pan American Games, the Luge World Championships from Germany, Summer and Winter X Games, the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Great Outdoor Games. He has also hosted a variety of programs on ESPN Radio and currently covers the NFL and college sports for Sirius Satellite Radio.

Arute is a graduate of the University of Vermont with a degree in psychology and communications.

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