You never have to prod NASCAR fans about their feelings.
That’s because they’ll always tell you their thoughts on anything and everything, from who won the race to how the broadcasting sounded throughout the event. And after the latest race of the NASCAR Cup Series – the Circuit of the Americas – which took place in Austin, Texas, fans voiced their displeasure with FOX’s broadcast.
For example, with only 6 laps to go and Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, William Byron and Tyler Reddick fighting for the lead, NASCAR switched to a questionable camera angle that showed… the back of a grandstand rather than the high-stakes driving that was basically helping to decide the winner of the race:
Breaking this down. Even the booth was fed up with FOX's producer and director today.
– You can hear Clint scoff as the camera shows the grandstand.
– That's followed by 15 seconds of dead air while a battle for the lead is happening.
– Someone turned their mic off and back on. pic.twitter.com/n8WrhkjLFW— BrakeHard (@BrakeHardBlog) March 3, 2025
Absolutely brutal… you can even hear Clint sigh in the booth when you can’t see the action anymore.
That right there is obviously enough to get NASCAR fans up in arms, but the outrage didn’t stop there. Eventually, the race was decided in the final lap, as Bell held onto a lead as Byron and Reddick did their best to maneuver to the front of the pack. It was as exciting of a last lap as you could ask for, yet NASCAR play-by-play announcer Mike Joy apparently couldn’t care less.
That’s at least how the broadcast sounded.
Christopher Bell ended up holding on to win the Circuit of the Americas race, and though it was an eventful last few laps, NASCAR fans were left with a sour taste in their mouths. Not only did the FOX broadcast evidently fail to provide proper coverage in some of the race’s biggest spots, but Mike Joy ironically didn’t bring the joy and enthusiasm for the electric final lap.
Check it out:
BACK-TO-BACK. Christopher Bell holds off William Byron to WIN at Circuit of the Americas! #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/oq0Dd2hHCu
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 3, 2025
So NASCAR faithful got on social media and eviscerated the 75-year-old commentator, with some saying calling for the broadcast booth to be revamped:
Mike joy is the worst announcer in NASCAR history and hes just constantly getting things wrong.
— Your boy blue (@Hal994423) March 3, 2025
Why TF can’t Mike Joy just talk like a normal person with a normal cadence. Why does he have to pretend he’s broadcasting the nightly news? My god It’s so off-putting for a fucking car race. If fox broadcast golf he’d be perfect. #nascar
— anonymous_participant (@an_participant) March 2, 2025
Horrible coverage. Mike Joy is unbearable. And how did Joey lose 10 spots in one lap at the end of the race
— KennDogg (@kenndogg_2023) March 3, 2025
Go away Mike joy! How many days until this bullshit broadcast is over? #nascar
— Jeff Wieland (@RealWieland) March 1, 2025
The announcing is a snorefest. Joy and McMurray have no chemistry and both are boring. Some folks dont care for Bowyer, i get it, but honestly with the other two id rather him just take over. The Announcing and camera work needs to be revamped and maybe look to learn from F1
— LaughableDog (@laughableDog) March 3, 2025
And to be fair, this conversation has been going on for the past few years, but so far, Mike hasn’t shown any inclination that he’s going to hang it up anytime soon.
We’ll see…
If this piqued your interest to tune into the remaining NASCAR races this year (announcing aside the actual races have been pretty good) get a free trial of Fubo. They’ve got over 200 live channels and all the major sporting events, so why not see if it’s worth it for you?
This post contains links from our Affiliate Partners program. If you use these links to make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
