FOX Sports received some heavy criticism for its lifeless coverage of last season’s NASCAR Cup Series races. Fans were far from happy with how commentators delivered information or narrated action, making the races disengaging to watch. Fox has unveiled its broadcast booth for the upcoming season, and much to everyone’s dismay, no changes have been made.
Advertisement
Mike Joy, who has been the play-by-play announcer for FOX since 2001, will continue his role alongside Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick. Bowyer will mark his sixth year with the broadcast giant, and Harvick, his third. Larry McReynolds is returning as an analyst. Jamie Little and Regan Smith will be the pit reporters.
While the crew received much ire last season, the biggest complaint that the fandom had was with Joy. Now that FOX has retained him in the booth, fans were quick to remind the network that they are not happy.
“Mike Joy is a legend, but kind of like Al Michaels his time should be coming to an end soon,” wrote a fan on X. Another added, “Mike Joy… in the nicest way possible. I think it’s time to retire, my man. Last year was rough.”
This season will be Joy’s 26th year in Fox NASCAR’s broadcast booth. His words seem to have lost the magic that kept fans glued back in the day. But he alone isn’t the reason for all the bad reviews.
One fan placed a sincere request to the top brass at FOX, pointing out how there is no real vision and excitement in the booth anymore.
Start your engines! @NASCARonFOX jump starts its 26th NASCAR season next week with stars and short-track action in the @NASCARClash at Bowman Gray Stadium! https://t.co/hlWjkZLG39
Buckle up! pic.twitter.com/RgAz6rhX7u
— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) January 22, 2026
“It’s just Mike Joy, who sounds like he’s asleep, Clint Bowyer, who can’t decide if he’s hyper or sleepy himself, and Kevin Harvick, whose back must hurt from carrying the team,” wrote the fan. Another complained, “You guys don’t listen to the fans… this booth is a mess and no chemistry.”
Fans were waiting for FOX Sports’ part of the season’s coverage to end in 2025. They were that disappointed. Even the newcomers to the sport, networks such as Amazon Prime and TNT, did a far better job than FOX if the consensus online is to be believed.
Hopefully, the broadcast team will realize what it has been doing wrong and make amends. FOX’s season opens with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 1.
