INDIANAPOLIS – Bob Jenkins, the longtime voice of IndyCar and NASCAR on ESPN, ABC, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, Versus, NBCSN and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway public address system, is the 2021 winner of the Robin Miller Award.
The award is given to a long-time contributor to auto racing who brings unbridled passion and unrelenting work ethic to enrich the sport. It is named after veteran IndyCar journalist, Robin Miller.
The 73-year-old Jenkins is recovering from brain cancer. The announcer from Liberty, Ind., who now lives in Crawfordsville, Ind., lost his wife to brain cancer in 2012.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Roger Penske, along with Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles and racing legends Mario Andretti and Al Unser, attended the ceremony held at the speedway Friday.
“This award is an idea that was brought to us in 2019 and the criteria is somebody who has had a lifetime passion for IndyCar and has been here a long time,” Miles said. “To give it to Robin Miller as the first person in 2019 and now to give it to Bob Jenkins is appropriate.
“I have gotten to know Bob Jenkins’ humility, his passion for the sport and he is the sweetest guy.”
Jenkins retired from television in 2012. After that, he worked on the IMS PA team. Fellow PA announcer Dave Calabro presented an item from the 1982 Indianapolis 500 that was signed by the field of 33 and autographed by every driver that tried to qualify totaling more than 100 signatures.
The Robin Miller Award was given to Jenkins by the namesake of the award, who is also battling cancer.
“The first time I heard Bob Jenkins voice, he was giving the Farm Market Update on radio station WIRE at 12 noon,” Miller recalled. “He had a very distinctive voice, but I didn’t care about the hog prices, so I went on. Paul Page and Terry Lingner were two of the biggest people in Bob’s life. Paul knew Bob’s passion for racing, so he tried to get him a job as a backstretch reporter on the IMS Radio Network.
“That was the first time I heard Bob’s voice on the radio as a racing guy.
“In 1980, I was still trying to kill myself driving USAC Midgets and we went to Whitewater Speedway. Larry Rice and I were unloading my car. Here comes Bob and Larry Nuber and a guy that had a camera that said ESPN on it.
“He said, ‘There’s this new network that started up and they are going to start doing some USAC Midgets and Sprint Car races and things like that. “I don’t know if this will ever air, but at least we’ll have something in the can.’
“We’re driving home that night and Rice askes me, what do you think of that channel? I said, ‘Are you kidding me, that channel doesn’t have a shot. A 24-hour sports channel, c’mon.’”
Miller missed the mark on that one, but also told of how Jenkins along with Benny Parsons became the face of NASCAR in ESPN’s glory days and NASCAR’s success skyrocketed. Later, on ESPN’s SpeedWeek, Jenkins’ credibility continued to rise.
“As time progressed, he got more and more comfortable and he knew IndyCar was his favorite and he did the best at it,” Miller said. “I don’t know that there is anybody that has more respect than Bob Jenkins.
“When you put the talent together and combine it that he is so humble, so personable and so likeable, it should probably be the Bob Jenkins Award.”
After IndyCar VP of Communications Dave Furst read the inscription on the award, Jenkins was presented with the award. He is currently confined to a wheelchair.
“As a side effect to this brain cancer, I don’t hear well and I don’t speak well,” Jenkins said. “I get confused very quickly. But this is an incredible award, and I am so happy that I have received this in the name of Robin Miller.
“Yes, I am a race fan. I got lucky because there were jobs in radio and TV available and I took them, but I’m just a race fan and always will be,” Jenkins said. “There are several of these awards in my room and they are all, very, very special.”