ESPN Re-Signs Reporter and Host Marty Smith

ESPN has re-signed reporter and host Marty Smith to a multi-year contract extension. Smith, one of ESPN’s most popular and recognized on-air personalities, will continue his work on a variety of sports and properties, including college football and basketball, a multitude of professional sports, the NFL Draft, motorsports and more.

“Marty is versatility personified,” said Lee Fitting, ESPN senior vice president of production. “He can flip a switch to cover any event, story or subject, but his ability to build relationships and get to the heart of the story are part of what truly makes him a great journalist. He’s a fantastic teammate and we look forward to Marty’s signature brand of storytelling across our networks for years to come.”

Marty Smith

Smith is a storytelling fixture in the golf and horseracing worlds as well, working prestigious events such as the Masters and all three Triple Crown races – Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. Next week, he will work his first PGA Championship assignment at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, S.C. The Virginia native also hosts the Marty Smith’s America podcast and co-hosts SEC Network’s and ESPN Radio’s Marty & McGee alongside his close friend Ryan McGee, while contributing across high-profile studio programming, including College GameDay, SportsCenter, SEC Nation, and more.

“I am indescribably grateful that so many mentors and colleagues at ESPN believe in me,” Smith said. “Every single assignment that I have, I write those folks and tell them that. To be able to continue my journey at ESPN for years to come is a blessing beyond what I can articulate.”

Smith started with ESPN in 2006, and from 2007-2014, the Radford University alum was ESPN’s lead NASCAR reporter for both SportsCenter and the former NASCAR Now program. In addition to reporting for SportsCenter and writing news and features for ESPN.com, Smith also contributed to ESPN’s NASCAR event television coverage, which concluded in 2014, with numerous unique features and extensive, in-depth and revealing interviews with nearly every top driver in the sport.

Prior to joining ESPN, Smith was a senior writer for NASCAR.com, an analyst and host on the former SPEED Channel and a NASCAR analyst on Fox Sports Net. Smith covered sports for daily newspapers in Roanoke and Lynchburg, Va., before joining NASCAR.com.