Mike Joy will be surrounded by a pair of former Stewart-Haas Racing drivers in the FOX Sports commentary booth when the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season begins. FOX announced Saturday that three-time champion and SHR co-owner Tony Stewart will become an analyst for the network at the Busch Light Clash on 6 February and the season-opening Daytona 500 on 20 February.
Stewart will join Joy, the play-by-play announcer since FOX gained broadcast rights in 2001, and Clint Bowyer, who previously raced for SHR before retiring to become a colour commentator in 2021. Bowyer had replaced Stewart in the SHR #14 after the latter’s retirement in 2016.
“Tony brings Hall of Fame credentials and one of the most informative and entertaining voices in motorsports,” FOX Sports Executive Producer Brad Zager stated. “There is an obvious chemistry between Smoke and Clint, and there is no one better than Mike at bringing a broadcast all together.”
A 2020 inductee into the NASCAR Hall of Fame and proprietor of the Superstar Racing Experience, Stewart is one of the most decorated names in American motorsport with success across disciplines including stock cars, open-wheel, and dirt. While his media work is nowhere near as extensive as his driving resume, he is certainly no stranger to television duties: in the late 1990s, he was an analyst for TNN covering what is now the Xfinity Series; in 2021, he served in the same position alongside Bowyer and Adam Alexander for FOX in the Xfinity season opener at Daytona.
The Busch Light Clash will be the first NASCAR race held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. To prepare the Next Gen car for its racing début at the exhibition event, Stewart tested it with Bowyer and NBC’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Bowman Gray Stadium in October.
“To call the very first Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum and the Daytona 500 is an opportunity you don’t pass up,” commented Stewart. “The size and scope of both these races is massive, and it’s an honor to be a part of them with FOX. Anytime you get to talk racing with Clint and Mike, you’re going to have a good time.”
Stewart replaces Jeff Gordon, who departed FOX after six seasons to focus on running Hendrick Motorsports as Vice Chairman. The network intends to have the third slot filled by multiple names throughout the 2022 season, with many expecting the likes of Larry McReynolds and Michael Waltrip to be candidates. McReynolds was previously in the booth until Gordon’s arrival in 2016, while is a colour commentator for Camping World Truck Series races.
