New Voice at Knoxville!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
New Voice at Knoxville!
by Eric Arnold
There will be a new voice echoing in the famed aluminum bleachers of Knoxville Raceway in 2009. 19-year-old Blake Anderson will replace Justin Zoch behind the microphone as Justin decided at the end of the 2008 season to step away and focus on other business ventures. While Justin will be missed it’s a great opportunity for the young Anderson.
Blake Anderson is a Newton, IA native, graduate of Newton High School, and is currently in his first year of college. Blake’s parents Steve and Shelly are from Boone originally and have always been fans of racing, particularly at their home track Boone Speedway. Blake began going to races all over Iowa with his parents from a young age. In 2005 at the age of 15, Blake filled in as an announcer at Boone Speedway for a few weeks at the end of the season and became a full time announcer there in 2006. In 2007 Blake also announced at the Des Moines State Fair Speedway races on Friday nights, and picked up announcing once in a while at Stuart and Britt.
Anderson is currently a college student at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) in Boone where he intends to transfer to a bigger school in a couple of years to major in Broadcast Journalism. His ultimate goal is making it to TV on SPEED or ESPN. It’s a lofty goal, but a man named Dave Rieff blazed this trail in the mid 90’s. Rieff is as Iowa State Journalism major, did local track announcing including Knoxville Raceway, covered racing and sports on local TV, and is now covering NHRA drag racing for ESPN.
While Anderson’s past experience is mostly at tracks that feature dirt modified and stock car racing, Blake is no stranger to sprint cars. With the talent to know hundreds of different drivers across five or six classes of cars, Anderson should adapt to sprint cars quickly. His partner in the announcing booth at Knoxville, Tony Bokhoven, has been coaching him the past few months to prepare him for the transition to sprint cars. “I always enjoyed listening to Tony when I made it to Knoxville and looked up to him,” said Anderson. “I’m excited to work with him. We talk pretty much every day and I have learned a lot from him already.”
“When I started announcing I wanted to end up at Knoxville someday because I saw it as a great next step in my career. I never imagined that Knoxville would come looking for me, especially at the age of 19. I can’t put into words how excited I am to get to Knoxville and see what sprint car racing is all about.”
Anderson’s biggest influences are former Boone announcers Toby Kruse and Denny Grabenbauer. Toby is now a promoter at Marshalltown Speedway and has announced at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Nascar events. Denny now handles the announcing at Marshalltown. “I’ve looked up to Denny and Toby ever since I was little and never would have imagined that I would get the chance to learn and announce with them. They are great and are always there when I need advice on anything from racing, to life in general. I wouldn’t be where I am now without their influence and guidance.”
Blake is a racing fanatic, making it to four races per week is not uncommon as he loves all varieties of the sport. His life revolves around racing, Iowa Hawkeye football, the Boston Red Sox, school, playing golf, and his family. “My family means a lot to me. They have always supported me to go after my goals. They have hauled me all over the place to chase them.”
Other interesting things about Blake;
Favorite Movies: Hoosiers, Rudy, Gone In 60 Seconds, National Treasure.
Favorite TV Shows: The Office, Sound Off, Sports Center, Baseball Tonight.
Favorite Music: Lil Wayne and Dropkick Murphys.
Favorite Drink: Cool Blue Gatorade.
Favorite racetrack food item: Chicken Bites.
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