CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ In the 1990s and early 2000s, Ato Boldon was one of the world's fastest men. He won Olympic medals in both the 100- and 200-meter sprints, collecting three bronzes and a silver over his illustrious career. He competed against track legends Maurice Green and Frankie Fredericks, and he came out ahead sometimes. He is, by all measures, one of the sport's most accomplished sprinters.
So what is he doing in the broadcast booth for this Sunday's NASCAR race in Charlotte?
Boldon's track expertise led him to broadcasting when he hung up his cleats in 2004, and since then, he's become NBC's lead Olympic analyst for the sport. He's watched as Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin, men even faster than he once was, have shredded records with their speed.
"I take pride in knowing everything there is to know in track and field," Boldon said Tuesday. "So the network said, 'OK, Mr. Know-It-All, let's trade you out and put you in something new."
Back in June, NBC announced it was moving Boldon to select NASCAR races to serve as a guest announcer. He has only been to two races so far (Daytona and Bristol), and after Charlotte his next one is Texas, then the season finale at Homestead. But even in that short time, Boldon said he's come to appreciate the sport _ that, and the opportunity he has a visible minority to potentially help shift NASCAR's demographics.
"A year ago, if someone had told me, 'Hey, you're going to doing some NASCAR races,' " Boldon said, "and by the way, you're going to really, really enjoy it, and you're going to start consuming the sport like a fan, I'd have said, 'Get out of here. No way.'
"But I've definitely come to enjoy it, and that's been surprising for everyone who knows me, but also for me."
