NASCAR fans witnessed a thrilling race in Phoenix last Sunday, with Christopher Bell reaching the checkered flag 0.049 seconds ahead of Denny Hamlin. Everything about the event was perfect except for the terrible job done by Fox Sports in the broadcast booth. Fans on social media have been calling out the channel for its lackluster reporting.
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A fan wrote on X, “It cannot be overstated how fucking terrible this booth is. Clint [Bowyer] was particularly bad all day.” The Fox Sports broadcast consists of Clint Bowyer, Mike Joy, and Kevin Harvick. Another fan added, “I’ve been watching NASCAR my whole Life. Most of it Fox has covered the first half of the season.”
“I can’t say I’ve ever thought they are elite in terms of generating the excitement of having good analysis, but it’s been particularly off this year.” 2025 is the first year of NASCAR’s new TV contract with broadcasters. It is a mystery as to why it isn’t able to please fans at the very beginning of an exciting period ahead.
One more fan said, “Clint and I hate to say it, Mike Joy gotta go. That was an insane finish, and you woulda thought we were watching BJ McLeod qualifying.” The race was a highly engaging one, with NASCAR providing teams with tire options for the first time this season. It is rather unfortunate that Fox Sports couldn’t take advantage of the situation.
The discontent led to some fans wanting NBC Sports and Leigh Diffey to take up the mic already. A comment sent a prayer up to the heavens, “Dear God. Can we get to the NBC part of the schedule so we get Leigh diffey back.” Another followed, “We were robbed of a GENERATIONAL Leigh Diffey call.”
Why fans were angry with Fox Sports after the COTA race
In the opening lap of the road course race at COTA, Ross Chastain dive-bombed Chase Elliott and put a huge dent in his chances of winning the race. Many laps later, in the final stage, Elliott came up behind him, intending to return the favor. However, Chastain wisely submitted himself and let the Hendrick Motorsports driver pass.
This sequence ended up being one of the biggest talking points of the weekend. And Fox Sports entirely missed covering it. Elliott had raced from 22nd place to finish in fourth place, and the channel did not emphasize the performance enough either. This led to fans heavily criticizing the broadcaster on social media.
Fox Sports’ coverage of the season will end with the All-Star Race in North Wilkesboro in May. Hopefully, it will get on the good side of fans before then.
