NASCAR on FOX is preparing for a milestone weekend to kick off the 2026 NASCAR season. For the 23rd year, FOX will bring the Daytona 500 to race fans across the country.
Each season, there have been three consistencies. Mike Joy continues as the play-by-play commentator, with Larry McReynolds as the crew chief analyst, and Chris Myers as the pre-race host.
“What started out as a grand American celebration of NASCARâs most important race ended with tragedy and the loss of Dale Earnhardt the sportâs biggest star ⦠the extreme range of emotion still stirs inside me today,” Myers recalled.
NASCAR on FOX’s 23rd Daytona 500 will set a record this Sunday, as it will eclipse CBS’ 22.
Of course, no one can forget what happened in the 2001 Daytona 500, the first for NASCAR on FOX.
“Iâll be very honest, NASCAR broadcasts keep trying different broadcast teams, but I say
with confidence, they will never duplicate what Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and I had in the
booth together for 15 years (2001-2015),” McReynolds said. “In the 500 on Sunday, we were on the verge of having one of the best 500âs we had seen in many years with so many storylines, hereâs Michael Waltrip about to win his first Cup race and in his first race for DEI and hereâs his brother Darrell in the booth calling the race and then that final corner of that final lap, the wreck that killed Dale Earnhardt, thank goodness Darrell and I had Mike to guide us through this tough situation.”
NASCAR on FOX’s Rare Continuity
Few broadcast booths in sports can maintain the camaraderie that one witnesses when watching a NASCAR race on FOX. Part of that is due to the dedication of Joy, McReynolds and Myers. However, adding former NASCAR drivers Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer to the booth has enabled fans to relate to the booth just like in 2001.
NASCAR on FOX is entering its 26th overall season (NBC carried the Daytona 500 for three of them). Throughout this stretch, there have not only been changes inside of NASCAR, including numerous playoff formats, driver and team changes, lawsuits and much more. But there have also been adaptations to broadcast television, specifically in sports, that continue to shock the original trio.
“The original tilting and panning in-car camera weighed over 60 pounds â plus batteries,” Joy said. “Iâm amazed at how small and light the cameras have become.”
McReynolds concurs, saying, “I am blown away how many tools we have at our disposal that has
come about over the years â the camera shots, the data we have that teams have that we can compare one driver to another as far as steering, throttle, brake, RPM â so many things that tell us why one driver is faster than the other in the race.”
The continuity is not just important for the average fan, but also for the broadcast itself to ensure that everything runs smoothly week-in and week-out.
“Itâs important to be a part of this for so long because I enjoy the people around me and the people in the sport ⦠thereâs a kind of traveling family circus connection that you look forward to year after year, and a part of you never wants it to come to an end,” Myers, who works with FOX on a number of other sports, said.
David Hill, the chairman of FOX Sports in 2001, told the original booth three things, as McReynolds remembers.
“You have to tell the story,” Hill told the original team. “You have to tell the viewer why. And most importantly, which our group has never had a problem with, you must have fun. If youâre not having fun, you canât expect the viewer to be having fun.”
NASCAR On FOX’s Future
NASCAR on FOX’s booth may change slightly in the future, with an occassional swap of driver analysts. However, Joy is not retiring (for now).
“Every year, we start out with the goal of ‘How can we do this better?’” Joy explained. “For 2026, itâs great to have all our key players – talent, producer, director â all pulling in the same direction and listening to each other.”
NASCAR on FOX began to have some fewer races last year, when NASCAR signed a mega-TV package with Warner Bros. Discovery, NBC, and Amazon. The beginning part of the year, however, will not change as NASCAR on FOX will continue with its coverage, as well as the entire NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
No matter what happens in the future, however, the team is grateful for the memories and is looking forward to providing more to fans in 2026 and beyond.
Myers concluded: “Weather delays, while frustrating because youâre not racing, were fun because of live interaction with drivers from our original remote studio, the Hollywood Hotel, to standing
directly on the track or in the pits.”
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