For those who were hoping FOX would announce a third member of their NASCAR race broadcasts for the 2022 season, after Jeff Gordon announced he would be leaving the booth following the 2021 season, are in for a treat when the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season gets kicked off.
Tony Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion, will slide into the booth to call the action for the Busch Light Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum as well as the season-opening Daytona 500.
The announcement was made during the third quarter of the NFL Playoffs game between the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers, a game where the 49ers won to advance to the next round of the Playoffs.
This is going to be fun! @TonyStewart. @ClintBowyer. @MikeJoy500.
Retweet if you're ready for Smoke to join us for The Clash and the 2022 #DAYTONA500 on FOX! pic.twitter.com/TGrT3CyCds
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) January 23, 2022
Following the live announcement on the NFL on FOX broadcast, FOX Sports tweeted a video of Stewart talking about his new two-race broadcasting gig with FOX Sports.
“Hey, everyone super excited to be joining FOX, not only for the Clash at the LA Coliseum, but also at Daytona for the Daytona 500,” Stewart said in the video. “It’s going to be awesome working with my buddy Clint Bowyer, and poor Mike Joy, he has to babysit both of us. So, excited. We’ll see you soon.”
NASCAR Hall of Famer @TonyStewart will join @MikeJoy500 and @ClintBowyer in the @NASCARONFOX booth as a guest analyst for first two races of the season — the Feb. 6 Clash at the Coliseum and the Feb. 20 #DAYTONA500, both on FOX. » https://t.co/KgqK4cKSEp pic.twitter.com/EPjMwYyENs
— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) January 23, 2022
Stewart will bring a unique perspective to the broadcasts, as he is a 49-time winner in NASCAR Cup Series competition as a driver. But also, Stewart is co-owner of the Stewart-Haas Racing NASCAR team. Stewart will be able to provide first-hand knowledge of what owners are going through in the opening couple races of the year, as teams are transitioning to the new Next Gen race cars.
The Busch Light Clash will take place on February 6th and FOX will provide television coverage of the event beginning at 6:00 PM ET.
The Daytona 500 will take place on Sunday, February 20th. FOX will be live for that broadcast at 2:30 PM ET.