Jamie Little has had offers to switch gears in her broadcasting career.
“I love stick and ball sports,” Little said. “I love football, but my passion has always been racing. I’ve always been true to that. I’ve done that for 20 years.”
The Carmel resident became the first woman to be a play-by-play announcer for a national racing series when she began calling ARCA, a stock car series from Automobile Racing Club of America, on Fox Sports in 2021.
“Anytime you can be the first at something, it’s awesome,” she said. “I’m very competitive myself. I don’t set out to be the first at things. It’s just I want to be the best and I want to be known for my work ethic and the things that I did.”
Little, 45, said she sees it as her responsibility to set an example for others who want to do what she does.
“When I got the opportunity to do play-by-play, there were a lot of eyes on me and a lot of pressure,” Little said. “I questioned myself and thought ‘Why am I doing this?’ I’ve been established in my career. Why am I risking my reputation that I could be bad at this job? Obviously, I wasn’t terrible. I didn’t fall flat. So, I’m still here and I’m doing play-by-play for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series as well (on Fox Sports 1) this year. So that’s a big deal. No woman has ever done play-by-play for any NASCAR race, let alone a national racing series before. The feedback has been incredible with young women and men coming up and saying ‘I’ve thought about doing it but I never thought it was for me. I just didn’t think I would ever get that opportunity.’ My whole thought is to have those people say, ‘Hey, she can do it. I can do it.’”
Little’s first interest in the field was Supercross motorcycle racing.
“When I was 14 years, I was introduced to the sport,” she said. “I was a tomboy, so I just gravitated to it. I loved riding dirt bikes, and I loved hanging out with the boys. I realized I had to figure out what to do with my life and make money. I figured there weren’t other women on TV that represented fans like me. I started at 18 and then got in with ESPN by knocking down doors and proving myself. Then I started doing the X Games, and then my bosses at X Games said, ‘What do you think about IndyCar?’”
So in 2004, Little began reporting on IndyCar races for ABC/ESPN. She covered her first Daytona 500 in 2015 for Fox Sports when she switched to NASCAR.
“I covered 11 Indy 500s from 2004 to 2014 and I would spend the whole month of May here every year,” Little said. “Then my husband, Cody (Selman), and I were getting ready to have our second child. We lived in Las Vegas, and he’s from Zionsville. My brother-in-law (Chase Selman) runs Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and my father-in-law (Wayne Selman) works in racing with the same team. I just came home one day and said, ‘What do you think about moving to Indy?’ He was like, ‘Don’t say it twice, let’s go.’ We just thought it was a better place to raise kids and to have a family around. It’s been an amazing experience.”
Little and her husband, who also helps on the Dreyer & Reinbold pit crew, own three Nothing Bundt Cakes shops, two on the northside of Indianapolis and one in Whitestown.
“It started in Las Vegas, so we were very fond of the brand. When we were getting ready to move here, Nothing Bundt Cakes wasn’t here yet,” Little said. “We captured the Carmel market (with the first store at 8505 Keystone Crossing in Indianapolis) and the rest is history.”
Along with her family, broadcasting career and business, Little is passionate about finding homes for rescue dogs.
“Time management is everything,” said Little, who has two children. “It’s the key to success. My four rescue dogs keep me grounded. I have a great husband. We’re partners in everything, and he carries on the business aspect. I volunteer at the Humane Society for Hamilton County. When I have time, I go out and walk dogs and help them as much as possible.”
Assisting Lucas Oil
During the summer, Jamie Little became a brand ambassador for Indianapolis-based Lucas Oil Products.
“Obviously, everybody knows what Lucas Oil has meant to racing across the board in all fashions, forms and drivers,” Little said. “They’ve been incredible in what they’ve done.”
Little said they were looking for someone to focus on what the company is doing on different social media platforms.
“I said, ‘I’m your girl. I’ve been in motorsports for 20 years,’” Little said.
Little said she is the media person that brings Lucas Oil and their partnerships and drivers to the people with interviews and features.
“I explore who they are and what Lucas Oil is doing,” she said. “I’m such a believer in people that love and give back to motorsports, so I think it’s a perfect partnership.
Brandon Bernstein, director of partnership marketing at Lucas Oil Products, said it’s definitely a plus for the company.
“Jamie has been entrenched in motorsports her entire life and brings a unique perspective to the Lucas Oil brand,” Bernstein said. “She understands our commitment to excellence and we know her dynamic personality and respect in the sports broadcasting world will help elevate the Lucas Oil brand to new audiences.”
Little’s work is featured on Lucas Oil’s Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages.
