Kevin Harvick, Mike Joy, and Clint Bowyer Slammed for “Ridiculous Coverage” of the NASCAR All-Star Race

NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (5) makes a pit stop during NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

The NASCAR All-Star Race at the North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday was the last chance for FOX Sports to redeem itself and silence the criticism over the quality of its coverage. But the men in the booth — Kevin Harvick, Mike Joy, and Clint Bowyer — were inept once again, invoking further ire from the fans.

The race action progressed with Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson driving steadily from the beginning to enter the top 10 after starting from the rear. When a caution fell with 75 laps to go, Larson’s chief, Cliff Daniels, called him in for a two-tire change, and he restarted at the front before slipping down to third place.

At this point, most of the field had an advantage over Larson after changing all four tires. As he was negotiating this tricky phase, Larson slammed into the wall with 36 laps to go, right when the promoter’s caution was triggered. It was at this juncture that the FOX Sports trio made a grave error.

Instead of narrating the race and the gravity of the moment, they focused on Michael Waltrip mistakenly dropping the caution flag on the track. The crash indeed was a pivotal moment in the race, as it caused Larson to finish in 21st place.

This glaring miss irked the fanbase, and they took to social media to lash out at the network. One fan said, “Broadcast more focused on Waltrip dropping a yellow flag than Larson breaking his car.” Another commented, “Ridiculous coverage.” 

Focusing on Larson would have been the logical thing to do, but then FOX Sports seems to be more habituated to committing blunders, pointed out a NASCAR fan. “That would be the smart thing to do, but they don’t do that at Fox.” 

The network is officially off the air for the next stretch of this season’s races. Viewers would be breathing a sigh of relief.

Prime Video will pick up the baton at the Charlotte Motor Speedway next Sunday, covering the races till June 22. “Now we can get some serious coverage for the rest of the season,” a fan wrote.

The frustrations from the fans are justified. There have been several moments this year when FOX Sports messed up.

The race at the Circuit of the Americas, for one, received widespread criticism after the network failed to cover an important battle between Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain. In Texas, the men in the booth failed to provide useful context as Denny Hamlin made a fiery exit from his car following an engine failure.

All these disappointments are now in the past, and fans are hopeful that Prime Video will do a better job.

Post Edited By: Karthik Raman
Clint Bowyer Kevin Harvick Kyle Larson Mike Joy

About the author

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Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham is a NASCAR journalist at The SportsRush. Though his affinity for racing stems from Formula 1, he found himself drawn to NASCAR's unparalleled excitement over the years. As a result he has shared his insights and observations by authoring over 3000 articles on the sport. An avid fiction writer, you can find him lost in imaginary worlds when he is not immersed in racing. He hopes to continue savoring the thrill of every lap and race together with his readers for as long as he can.

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