Indianapolis Motor Speedway released a statement saying that Bob Jenkins, an ex-radio voice for the Indianapolis 500, has died at the age 73.Jenkins announced in February that he was diagnosed with brain cancer. He planned to reduce his speedway work while he undergoes radiation and chemotherapy.Jenkins, who was a survivor of colon cancer in 1980s, retired as a broadcaster at the conclusion of 2012 IndyCar season. He did so to take care his wife Pam, who was diagnosed with brain cancer. After his wife's death, Jenkins briefly returned to the TV booth in 2013. He had previously been the primary public address announcer at the Speedway.Jenkins joined IMS Radio Network 1979. He quickly gained popularity with his clear, baritone voice as well as his easygoing style.He also called IndyCar and NASCAR races for other networks, including ABC, ESPN and NBC Sports Network. He was the anchor of "NASCAR on ESPN" between 1979 and 2000, and was a key figure in ESPN's coverage of racing.Jenkins was also featured in "Talladega Nights - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby", and provided voice talent for many video games, including EA Sports popular "NASCAR".He is perhaps best known in Indianapolis for his tenure as the radio voice to the 500 from 1990-1998. This tenure included Al Unser Jr. calling the first 500 win in 1992, when he only beat Scott Goodyear.Jenkins declared, "The checkered flag has been raised, Goodyear makes a move and Little Al wins by just one tenth of a second. This is perhaps the closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history." The race's closest finish, 0.043 seconds, is still the winner in its 104-year history.Jenkins was raised in rural Indiana, and he attended the Indianapolis 500 for the first time in 1960. He said that he has missed two races since then -- 1961 when he couldn’t get anyone to take Jenkins and 1965 when he was on a senior trip.This report was contributed by The Associated Press.
