Racing Enthusiast Lindsay Czarniak Wants To See Motorsports Grow

Lindsay Czarniak loves racing and just about everything having to do with cars. So it wasn’t surprising that when I spoke to her earlier this month that our Zoom took place while she was driving—albeit safely, she assured me.

“I love racing and I love racing fans. They’re so loyal, and the sport is like their religion,” Czarniak said. “So it’s great for me to be able to tell these stories about racing, both to the fans and others outside the main fanbase.”

After spending her early years as a sports reporter on the east coast, Czarniak became best known as a broadcaster for ESPN, where she worked for eight years on all angles of sports, as a sideline reporter and co-host on SportsCenter. Yet since leaving ESPN in 2017, Czarniak has also been plenty busy.

Czarniak signed on in 2018 with NASCAR mega team Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) to produce digital content during the organization’s continuing success in NASCAR’s Cup Series and for the annual season kickoff, the Daytona 500. Since 2000, Joe Gibbs’ drivers have won five Cup Series titles, with well-known names that include Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch and Bobby Labonte.

After her stint inside the oval, Czarniak joined FOX Sports as a studio host for NASCAR races, while doubling as a sideline reporter for the network’s Sunday NFL coverage. But eventually, race cars kept calling on Czarniak.

Last year, Czarniak joined CBS as a member of the broadcast team for the Camping World Superstar Racing Experience (SRX). For 2022, Czarniak spent the season as series host. From early June to late July, SRX ran six short-track races that aired primetime on Saturday nights this summer on the CBS Television Network while also streaming on Paramount+.

The opportunity to work on a new venture with Stewart, who was inducted into NASCAR’s Hall of Fame in 2020, sweetened the deal.

“My relationships in racing go back a long time,” Czarniak said. “But when Tony Stewart partnered with Ray Evernham and George Pyne to get this off the ground—there’s a lot of legitimacy there from a racing standpoint. But it was the concept of SRX too.”

Czarniak mentions Camping World SRX’s similarity in spirit to IROC, the International Race of Champions. During the 1970s and ‘80s IROC brought, as Czarniak describes it, “racers from different genres,” in which drivers of open-wheel Indy cars, NASCAR-style stock cars and touring and sprint cars would compete in televised races.

SRX features a mix of newer drivers and racing legends, which include such famous NASCAR names as Michael Waltrip, Greg Biffle, plus Hall of Fame drivers Bill Elliott and Tony Stewart himself. Also in the mix are top names who are currently in NASCAR’s Cup Series and Truck Series, such as Ryan Blaney, 2020 Cup Series champ Chase Elliott and rising superstar Hailie Deegan. The most recent Camping World SRX series began in June.

“The experiments that CBS has done with racing,” Czarniak added, “and to see how they are committed to the sport—it’s been a cool opportunity.”

Czarniak is married to NBC television personality and Today Show host Craig Melvin, with whom she has two young children.

Czarniak and I spoke at length about her career in sports broadcasting, why she loves racing so much, and the future of motorsports.

Andy Frye: You’ve covered racing for a while now. What’s it like to be on board now with CBS and Camping World SRX? And working closely with driver legends like Tony Stewart?

Lindsay Czarniak: Tony Stewart is super buttoned-up in terms of the business side of (racing). When he was first going out and building his own team (Stewart-Haas Racing), I had a chance to talk to Tony. And it dawned on me, “this guy is much more than a racer.”

I think you know, from talking with him, his personality is totally in it—and his personality can be so polarizing that it’s great for the sport and makes it really fun to cover. But the fact that he is really a good, strong businessman is important.

But he’s also racing in our series. And a few weeks ago he got mad at one of the rookie drivers in our series. I was six feet away—and it was the same old Tony. But you get to look at it through a different lens, and yet know that he can drive anything.

AF: Some women, such as Hailie Deegan, are making strides in race cars. How much do you think they are changing the landscape of racing?

Czarniak: I hope the landscape starts to change more, and sooner. And I’m really glad to see Hailie racing. She’s finding her success with sponsors because of her racing and also because of her social media.

I think, as a woman—and she would never say this, because she’s a go-getter—but, how much more can the girl do? When she’s not racing, she is out there creating content (about racing). But she’s out there on social media, doing YouTube videos not just to be popular, but to get sponsors for her racing. Anyone who does all that knows how exhausting that is.

Hailie’s young, and she is on an upward trajectory but you can see she knows the opportunity ahead of her, and she is very driven. I really want to see her do well. So, it was great to see her take the podium at Knoxville last year.

AF: What athletes are the most interesting for you to talk to? Both as a reporter and someone who values sports and storytelling?

Czarniak: Some of the best ones are athletes, especially Olympians, who compete and then come out of the gate to broadcast. One is Lolo Jones. She’s a rock star, and I admire people who have overcome adversity and are still trying to figure their stufft out. I think that’s what we’re all doing. I remember getting to know her while she was trying to qualify for Olympic bobsled and she was working on the show called “On Her Turf.” It was awesome to hear her experience, all that went into it, but also the letdowns and how she got over them.

Also, Danica Patrick is very complex, misunderstood sometimes. But now she’s really honed in on her work and exactly who she wants to be, and her brand. But I have a ton of others.

AF: As a mom who’s a sports reporter, do you talk sports with your kids? Or share the experience together?

Czarniak: I’ve shared this experience with others in sports. And they say that the hardest day is when you’re ready too hit the road and you have to leave them. But the best day is the day you know you get to go home.

I’ve been able to take them along sometimes to see a race and my daughter was so excited when she got to meet Hailie Deegan.

AF: Your bio says that you’re a connoisseur of “mom jokes.” What’s one of your favorites?

Czarniak: Yeah, my kids and I tell jokes as part of our regular thing. One is, “Why was 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 ate 9.”