Back in March, ESPN announced that they’d hired famed director Artie Kempner from Fox to boost their Monday Night Football presentation. That move comes ahead of ABC’s first Super Bowl in decades in 2027, and Kempner is one of the very few living people to direct Super Bowls, doing that for Fox in 2005 and 2008.
But Kempner has also been a key figure for Fox since the network’s 1994 launch on many fronts. That includes working on their NASCAR coverage since they gained those rights in 2001. Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500 Cup Series race at Talledega marks the last race Kempner will be directing for Fox before his departure for ESPN and ABC, and Fox provided a nice salute for him on the broadcast ahead of the race:
In that tribute video, Kempner’s seen talking to members of the race broadcasting team. Chris Myers wishes him well in his new work, and Kempner says “This is the best team in sports. I’m lucky to have played on this team. You guys just keep it rolling; I know you will.” He also says “I love this sport, and that’s what I’ve done what I’ve been doing for 25 years, and 31 years at Fox. Nobody’s had it better, and I’ve been the luckiest guy on the face of the earth for a long time. …There’s no better team than the Fox Sports NASCAR team and my NFL team, so I’m going to bring a little bit of that love and that family to my next job.”
Kempner was also honored at the pre-race drivers’ meeting Sunday:
Many from the media world and beyond added tributes to Kempner’s motorsports work as well. Here are a few of those:
After bringing in Kempner this March, ESPN president of content Burke Magnus told Puck’s John Ourand the company would look to the new hire to enhance their football broadcasting ahead of that 2027 Super Bowl. “We want to put our best foot forward in every conceivable way in what, with no exaggeration, could be the biggest moment in the history of ESPN by the time Feb. 14, 2027 rolls around. Here is a guy who can elevate our game presentation.” We’ll see how Kempner shakes up ESPN’s NFL coverage, and how Fox adapts their racing coverage following his departure.