By MATT MARKEY (THE TOLEDO BLADE) -

BROOKLYN, Mich. - In the Buckeye State, all things of stature and significance seem to have some sort of connection to Ohio State football. prescription drugs It is mandated somewhere in the state’s charter.

So it should offer little surprise that Ray Dunlap’s circuitous career path from night club manager to wedding reception deejay to amateur race car driver to cable access channel raconteur to a full-time gig with ESPN needed an assist from the Buckeyes.

Dunlap, an Ohio native who is now considered the definitive voice of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on the racing cable channel SPEED, had Ohio State’s indirect help in putting the most recent entries on his resume.

After majoring in communications at Bowling Green State University, Dunlap had managed Main Street, a popular college bar, and then ran a couple of pubs in Columbus. He had also operated a thriving entertainment business that worked “a thousand” receptions. The public access channel gave Dunlap an outlet to cultivate his love of racing with his At the Speedway program.

“I knew auto racing was where I wanted to be, so I started chasing that dream with the access channel and a Wayne’s World type show that focused on racing,” he said. “It was just a chance to get on TV.”

Dunlap met fellow Ohioan and open-wheel racing legend Bobby Rahal at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and Rahal was familiar with Dunlap’s cable show and was anxious to help promote the program. A lengthy sit-down interview with Rahal got frequent play on cable in the Columbus area, and that’s where the link with the Buckeyes took place.

“One of the ESPN bosses was in town for an Ohio State football game, and he saw my program from the hotel and liked it, so they gave me a call and asked me what I wanted to do with my life,” Dunlap said.

He had done some work for the ARCA RE/MAX Series and met a few ESPN production people along the way, and when Dunlap joined the network it was not an entry-level job.

“When I started, the first race I worked I was doing play-by-play for a touring division of NASCAR. I was originally scheduled to do 30 races, and by the end of the year I had done 85,” Dunlap said. “I thought this was pretty cool, getting paid to go to the races.”

Dunlap, who had fed his racing passion by running in events at Toledo, Sandusky and Flat Rock speedways, moved up through the ESPN ranks and eventually did about seven years covering what was then called the Winston Cup Series, the top tier in stock car racing.

“I traveled to every race, and although that might be a young person’s dream, it just wears on you,” Dunlap said. “It was a lot of fun, but I just couldn’t take all the travel any more, so I asked for the opportunity to cover the trucks, and it was there.”

When ESPN lost the rights to the Cup broadcasts, Dunlap moved over to SPEED. Dunlap then found his ultimate comfort zone with the Truck Series, which races 25 events instead of 36 like Cup, and mostly on Fridays or Saturdays.

“I have been a huge fan of the Truck Series since its inception,” said Dunlap, who has worked as a play-by-play announcer and pit reporter for the Sprint Cup Series, the NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series, the ARCA RE/MAX Series and the Hooters Pro Cup.

“I am just a big fan of the way the whole thing operates in the Truck Series. It’s a lot better racing, the races are shorter, and they are more entertaining. When they say fire the engines, and those trucks roll off pit road, I still get that adrenaline rush.”

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