He may be stepping into the broadcast booth at Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) for the final time this Saturday to call the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, but his name will forever be a permanent part of radio broadcasting at The Last Great Colosseum.

BMS officials honored Performance Racing Network’s (PRN) President and Lead Anchor Doug Rice’s 36-year award-winning career in NASCAR broadcasting by dedicating its radio room in the race control tower as the “Doug Rice Radio Broadcast Booth.”

Rice also was presented with an official BMS Gladiator Sword, commonly known as a “gladius,” with an imposing 19-inch hand-forged stainless-steel blade, black leather scabbard and brass-plated sheath and handle. The gladius is something that would certainly be carried by gladiators who were frequently in battle inside the Roman Colosseum, and it has proved to be the perfect fit as a symbol of earning a victory at Bristol’s Last Great Colosseum since its debut at BMS in 2014.

“Doug Rice has been the voice of PRN Radio for many years and he has been such a great friend to Bristol Motor Speedway during that time,” said Bristol Motor Speedway President and General Manager Jerry Caldwell. “We have two presentations to honor and thank Doug today. First, we have a traditional BMS Gladiator sword for Doug because he has been such a warrior for Bristol over the years, helping us with many announcements and press conferences. Secondly, we are thrilled to announce today that we are renaming our radio room in the race control tower the ‘Doug Rice Broadcast Radio Booth at Bristol Motor Speedway’. Thank you Doug for everything you have done for Bristol. We are going to miss you, but we hope you enjoy your retirement.”

Rice’s final season in the broadcast booth, dubbed “Doug’s Last Lap,” has been marked with celebrations, special opportunities and gifts for Rice at other Speedway Motorsports facilities:

  • Served as Grand Marshal for the NASCAR Cup Series race and gave the command to start engines at Atlanta Motor Speedway
  • Served as the Honorary Starter for the Food City 500 Cup race and waved the green flag
  • Received an official Commendation from State of New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
  • Presented with a commemorative plaque that was added to the Wall of Fame at Sonoma Raceway
  • Inducted into Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame® at Texas Motor Speedway

For more than three decades, Rice’s voice has been synonymous with racing on the radio. The Asheville, N.C. native first developed a love for radio as a young man listening to the Atlanta Braves. Rice’s first foray into motorsports broadcasting was with the Capitol Radio Network calling Busch Series races at South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Va. In 1988, Rice joined Speedway Motorsports as Program and Affiliate Director for PRN. In 1992, he moved into the booth as anchor and has since called play-by-play on 210 NCS races.