NASCAR’s airwaves have long been shaped by legendary voices that brought the sport’s heart-pounding action to life. Ken Squier, often called the “voice of NASCAR on television,” coined “The Great American Race” for the Daytona 500. His poetic style turned the 1979 flag-to-flag broadcast, complete with Cale Yarborough’s last-lap crash and brawl, into the moment NASCAR went national.

Barney Hall, the steady hand of Motor Racing Network (MRN) for over 50 years, painted vivid race pictures with a friend-in-the-booth warmth that set the radio standard. And now, another icon, Performance Racing Network’s Mark Garrow, announced Thursday on Facebook that he’s retiring after the 2025 season, closing a 40-year career. His decision to step away marks the end of an era, especially as NASCAR’s broadcast landscape shifts.

Garrow’s farewell to the booth

For more than 40 years, Mark Garrow’s voice has been an integral part of motorsports’ airwaves, but now the Vermont native has decided it’s time to step away from the raceday grind. At the end of the 2025 season, Garrow will retire from his race-day duties with Performance Racing Network.

“To think I’ve been broadcasting Cup Series races for more than 40 years, that I was on the air when Richard Petty won his 200th race, that I have done close to 10,000 daily radio shows, and that I have worked with so many great people along the way has been a great blessing,” he said.

From calling races with MRN to anchoring PRN’s Garage Pass and helping build Jayski.com, Garrow’s career is a tapestry of NASCAR’s growth, starting from his childhood at short tracks where his dad waved the flag and his mom kept score.

Garrow’s journey is packed with highlights: public relations at Dover Downs, helping Chuck Bown’s 1990 Busch Series title team, founding Winston Cup Today with Capitol Sports Network, and earning the first Barney Hall Award plus six National Motorsports Press Association Broadcaster of the Year honors. “I’ve always appreciated Mike Joy and John McMullin opening the door for me to work at MRN and the folks at Capitol Sports for allowing me to build a radio network from the ground up,” he said.

His work with PRN, from turn announcer to booth partner with Doug Rice, cemented his legacy. “I look back on my career starting as a short-track promoter and all of the things that have happened in between, it’s been an amazing ride,” Garrow added, hinting at future projects to stay tied to the sport he’s lived since age one.

Garrow’s retirement news hits even harder against the backdrop of Rick Allen’s abrupt exit from NBC Sports in early 2024, a move that left fans stunned and craving closure. But that wasn’t enough to back him down.

Stopped by NASCAR, not by the spotlight

After nearly a decade calling NASCAR’s biggest moments, Allen learned his contract wouldn’t be renewed just before hosting the NASCAR Hall of Fame ceremony, with orders to keep it quiet for months. No on-air farewell, no NBC statement, just Leigh Diffey stepping into the booth that summer.

The silence stung, but Allen’s not staying down. In August, he shared a new gig on Instagram, “A little over 30 yrs ago I started my broadcasting career in Memorial Stadium as the PA announcer for the @huskers. Tonight I begin a new chapter as the entertainment PA announcer for the @panthers in @bofastadium #keeppounding.” Now, he’s bringing his electric voice to the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, a full-circle return to stadium announcing from his Nebraska Cornhuskers days.

Allen’s pivot mirrors Garrow’s reflective exit; both are legends moving on after shaping NASCAR’s soundscape. While Garrow chose his departure, Allen’s was forced, sparking fan outcry for a proper send-off. Both broadcasters, though, share a passion for connecting with fans, whether through Garrow’s 10,000 radio shows or Allen’s high-energy Cup calls.