Reporter Marty Smith has been one of the rising stars at ESPN over the last several years. Originally joining as a NASCAR reporter, it could have been expected that Smith would depart Bristol for either Fox or NBC once ESPN lost the rights back in 2014.

However, instead of letting Smith go to another network, ESPN kept Smith on board. And they not only continued to use him to report on NASCAR, but also expanded his role into a roving national reporter and storyteller covering a number of different sports. Smith has taken hold of the opportunity and seen his presence to continue to grow over a number of ESPN platforms.

And that will continue for the next few years as Smith has signed a new contract with ESPN. Via the Roanoke Times:

Smith has grown into one of the best storytellers and interviews for ESPN ever since expanding his role beyond NASCAR. What’s even more interesting about Smith is he’s not like most others on ESPN airwaves because of his southern accent. Bristol deserves credit for being a much more diverse place recently in terms of their on-air presentation and while something like Marty & McGee might not fall into that category at first glance, it’s been a refreshing addition to the ESPN lineup. And sure enough, Smith actually credits his accent for helping him to stand out from the pack.

[Roanoke Times]