Mom-to-be Howe getting plenty of support in NHRA pits

ESPN NHRA pit reporter Jamie Howe interviews race team owner Don Schumacher at the recent NHRA event in Seattle. (photo courtesy of Jamie Howe)
ESPN NHRA pit reporter Jamie Howe interviews race team owner Don Schumacher at the recent NHRA event in Seattle. (Photo courtesy of Jamie Howe)

Jamie Howe is in her fourth season as a pit reporter on ESPN’s coverage of NHRA drag racing but for the past few months TV viewers might have noticed the Georgia native has been carrying something extra.

Howe and her husband, Tudor United SportsCar Championship driver Bryan Sellers, are expecting their first child in November. Howe has been able to continue her ESPN assignments but some modifications to the equipment she uses during live telecasts have been made to aid in her comfort while at the racetrack.

(Photo credit: Dan Boyd)
(Photo credit: Dan Boyd)

Howe and the rest of ESPN’s drag racing team will be on the air for 12 hours of coverage of the NHRA’s biggest event, the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, on Sunday, Aug. 31, and Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1 (ESPN2, times and commentators found here.)

When on the air from the NHRA pits, Howe normally wears a belt pack with RF equipment that powers her headset and microphone, but she worked with BSI, a supplier for ESPN, to develop a backpack.

“The bag puts all the weight on my shoulders instead of my lower back,” she said.

“They customized it to have foam up against my back and I don’t feel any of the components inside of the backpack,” she said. “But it holds everything and redistributes the weight. It’s comfortable and I could wear it all day without any problems.”

Howe, who will miss the final four events of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series while on maternity leave, said she has received plenty of kindness from people at NHRA events.

“Just walking through the pits, everybody asks me if I need to sit down, if I need some water, if I need to stand in front of a fan,” she said. “Everybody is super considerate, from the team owners to the drivers to the crew guys. It’s been really nice.”

Sunday and Monday at the U.S. Nationals are long days on the air but with help from the racers and her co-workers, Howe is ready.

“The support from the crews and teams and everybody in the pits has been matched and then some by everybody on the TV crew,” she said. “I’ve actually done some interviews sitting down the last couple of weeks. They’ve been really, really supportive.”

Back to top button