As NASCAR prepares to crown its national series champions this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, FOX NASCAR already has begun preparations for the 2016 season, announcing its full broadcaster lineup for next year, including a new NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team featuring veteran play-by-play announcer Mike Joy and analysts Darrell Waltrip, together for their 16th season, and newcomer and four-time champion Jeff Gordon, plus new NASCAR Camping World Truck Series play-by-play announcer Vince Welch.
Waltrip, a NASCAR Hall of Famer, and Gordon, currently campaigning for his fifth title in 2015, combine for seven Cup Series championships and 177 series wins, while Joy marks his 30th year as a NASCAR broadcaster. The FOX NASCAR deck is stacked well beyond the booth, though, with veteran crew chief Larry McReynolds returning for his 16th year with the network, providing in-race analysis during each event armed with 40 years in the sport.
“In 2016, we have the unique opportunity to take a four-time champion, Jeff Gordon, directly from the Chase to the booth, pairing him with Darrell Waltrip to offer fans seven championships’ worth of expertise,” said Eric Shanks, President and COO, Executive Producer, FOX Sports. “Led by Mike Joy, one of the sport’s most talented play-by-play announcers ever, there is a ton of enthusiasm building around our 2016 talent lineup.”
The team is joined on pit road by reporters Jamie Little, Chris Neville, Welch and Matt Yocum. FOX broadcasts 10 of FOX Sports’ 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, while FS1 telecasts six. Chris Myers hosts “FOX NASCAR Sunday,” the network’s fast-paced prerace show from the traveling Hollywood Hotel, alongside Gordon and brothers Darrell and Michael Waltrip.
The NASCAR XFINITY Series returns to FOX Sports for the second consecutive season in 2016, with Adam Alexander once again handling fulltime play-by-play duties alongside analyst Michael Waltrip and a rotation of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers. In 2015, FOX Sports featured five Cup Series drivers in the XFINITY booth throughout the season, offering fans a variety of knowledgeable viewpoints. Neville, Hermie Sadler, Little, Welch and Yocum alternate to cover pit road.
For the 14th consecutive year, FS1 offers exclusive coverage of the entire NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. Welch, longtime pit reporter covering the Cup and XFINITY Series, moves into the Truck Series play-by-play role fulltime in 2016 with veteran analysts Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip. Welch, who also calls play-by-play for select FOX Sports college basketball games this season, pitched in to call Truck Series races on FS1 in 2015, as well as select NASCAR XFINITY Series races prior to joining FOX. Sadler leads pit road reporting with Yocum and Kaitlyn Vincie. FS1 telecasts 22 of the series’ 23 races live in 2016, while FOX broadcasts the October Talladega race.
NASCAR RaceDay, FS1’s popular prerace show, continues to deliver the excitement behind-the-scenes and up-to-the-minute reports from the garage prior to the start of each Sprint Cup race. Myers, Danielle Trotta and John Roberts share hosting duties, while the entire FOX NASCAR on-air team joins analysts Kenny Wallace, Jeff Hammond and Wally Dallenbach and reporters Alan Cavanna, Andrew Doud and Vincie.
In addition, FOX Sports offers a dedicated 30-minute prerace show immediately prior to each NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Trotta returns to host “NASCAR RaceDay-XFINITY” with McReynolds and Wallace providing analysis. Roberts has the honors for “NCWTS Setup” leading into all Truck Series races with insight from two-time series champion Todd Bodine and feature reports from Ray Dunlap.
“NASCAR Race Hub,” the sport’s most watched news and information program, continues live at 6 p.m. ET every Monday through Thursday on FS1. Alexander, Trotta and Roberts co-host the hour-long program with analysts McReynolds, Hammond and Dallenbach, who are joined by a rotating team of active drivers and crew chiefs. The trio of Cavanna, Doud and Vincie are back with daily reports from NASCAR race shops, while Dunlap delivers Truck Series feature reports and analysis.
“NASCAR Race Hub Weekend Edition” once again is a Friday and Saturday fixture on FS1, delivering at-track updates and news as it breaks throughout the course of the race weekend, while “NASCAR Victory Lane” recaps each Sprint Cup Series race with highlights and analysis.
