| NASCAR on Fox | |
|---|---|
 Logo used since February 19, 2017 | |
| Also known as | Fox NASCAR |
| Genre | Auto racing telecasts |
| Directed by | TBA |
| Presented by | See "current commentators" section |
| Theme music composer | Scott Schreer |
| Opening theme |
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| Ending theme | Same as opening theme |
| Composer | Scott Schreer |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Michael Hughes |
| Production locations |
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| Editors |
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| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | Varies, but typically 4.5 hours (ranges from 4 to 5 hours) or until race ends |
| Production company | |
| Original release | |
| Network |
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| Release | February 11, 2001 (2001-02-11) – present |
| Related | |
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NASCAR on Fox, also known asFox NASCAR, is the branding used for broadcasts ofNASCAR races produced byFox Sports and have aired on theFox television network in the United States since 2001.Speed, a motorsports-focused cable channel owned by Fox, began broadcasting NASCAR-related events in February 2002, with its successorFox Sports 1 taking over Fox Sports' cable event coverage rights when that network replaced Speed in August 2013. Throughout its run, Fox's coverage of NASCAR has won thirteenEmmy Awards.[1]
On November 11, 1999 after announcing that NASCAR television contracts would be centralized ending an era where race tracks struck individual agreements with networks to broadcast races, NASCAR signed a contract that awarded the U.S. television rights to its races to four networks (two that would hold the broadcast television rights and two that would hold thecable television rights), split between Fox and sister cable channelFX, andNBC andTBS (whose rights were later assumed byTNT) starting with the 2001 season.[2] Fox and FX would alternate coverage of all races held during the first half of the season, while NBC and TNT would air all races held during the second half.
Beginning in 2001,[3] Fox alternated coverage of the first and most preeminent race of the season, theDaytona 500, with Fox televising the race in odd-numbered years and NBC airing it in even-numbered years through 2006. For balance, the network that did not air the 500 in a given year during the contract would air Daytona's summer night race, thePepsi 400. Valued at $2.4 billion, Fox/FX held the rights to this particular contract for eight years (through 2008) and NBC/TNT having the rights for six years (through 2006).[4]Fox Sports Net covered the2001Gatorade Twin 125's at Daytona International Speedway, the only time it ever covered a race. Further on the cable side, in October 2002,Speed Channel – which was owned by the Fox broadcast network's parent subsidiaryFox Entertainment Group – obtained the rights to televise all of the races in theCraftsman Truck Series, a contract it bought out fromESPN.
During the first half of the season, FX served as the primary broadcaster of theBusch Series, airing all but the most prestigious races, which were instead shown on Fox. FX was also home to most of the NASCAR Cup Series night races,The Winston/All-Star Race, and the June race atDover International Speedway.
In those years, if a Fox-scheduled race was rained out on the scheduled race day and rescheduled to resume the following Monday (or Sunday in the case of a Saturday night race), FX would air the race and selected Fox stations would pick it up if syndicators permitted it. (Rained out races now air in their entirety on the network it originally was scheduled for (example: a race scheduled for Fox on Sunday would remain on Fox on the rescheduled day), unlike NBC, which moves its rained out races to other NBCUniversal properties such asCNBC (if on a weekend) orUSA Network.)
On December 7, 2005, NASCAR signed a new eight-year broadcast deal effective with the 2007 season, and valued at $4.48 billion,[5] with Fox and Speed Channel, which would also share event rights withDisney-ownedABC, ESPN andESPN2, as well as TNT. The rights would be divided as follows:
In October 2012, NASCAR extended its contract with Fox Sports through 2022, which allowed Fox the online streaming rights for its event telecasts; the Fox Sports contract also retains coverage of the first 13 races of the NASCAR Cup Series and exclusive coverage of the Daytona 500.[7] On August 1, 2013, Fox Sports extended its contract by two additional years through 2024, due to NASCAR's contract with NBC Sports running through that same time, and acquired the rights to the first 16 races of the NASCAR Cup Series season, as well as the first 14 Xfinity (formerly Nationwide) Series events.[8] As a result, Fox will broadcast the races it already covers, as well as all of the events held in June, which include the events at Pocono and Michigan with coverage ending with theToyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma. Fox had previously held rights to these three races under its initial 2001–06 contract.
Under the deal:
In November 2023, Fox extended its contract through 2031. Fox will significantly decrease the amount of races aired compared to the previous contract.[10]
Under the deal:[11]
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From 2001 to 2018, Fox used a portable studio called theHollywood Hotel for pre-race coverage. For the 2001 to 2007 races held atDaytona International Speedway, the building next to Gatorade Victory Lane was used instead.
If the race was delayed to a Monday, the Hollywood Hotel studio would usually not be used, with the exception of the2012 Daytona 500, which was delayed by one day. This was because Myers also hosted a talk-show forFox Sports Radio, resulting in him having to return toLos Angeles to begin the following week's shows.John Roberts filled in for Myers for this particular race, and had also filled in for Myers the previous week for the Budweiser Shootout, as Myers was on bereavement leave.
However, if a Saturday night race was rained out to Sunday, then the studio would be in use for the delayed coverage. Prior to 2015, if the hotel was no longer available,Jeff Hammond could be shifted to substitute for a pit reporter or analyst if necessary. For instance, Hammond did this in 2002 for theDodge/Save Mart 350 atSonoma Raceway to replaceSteve Byrnes, as Byrnes was unable to make it due to the birth of his son Bryson. During the2004Dodge/Save Mart 350, the studio was not used and Myers and Hammond were located on the hillside on outdoor chairs; no explanation was given for this.
In2011,Pizza Hut became the presenting sponsor of the pre-race show. In addition, the first segment of the telecast was moved from the hotel to a tented facility either trackside or in the infield, depending on the venue. The idea was to build a crowd around the production of the segment; this had similarities toFox's own NFL pregame show in2006, as well as theCollege GameDayfootball andbasketball shows on ESPN.
In2012,John Roberts filled in for Chris Myers as host for theBudweiser Shootout and theDaytona 500, as Myers was on bereavement leave following his son's death in a motorcycle accident. For the2014 Sprint Unlimited,Michael Waltrip filled in for Darrell, who was undergoing gallbladder surgery; for Daytona 500 Practice and Pole Qualifying, the position was filled byPhil Parsons.Darrell Waltrip returned for the Budweiser Duels. In 2016,Jeff Gordon replaced McReynolds in the booth while McReynolds was reassigned as the rules and technical analyst, replacingAndy Petree.
In 2017,Dale Earnhardt Jr. joined the Fox booth as a guest color commentator for theClash after deciding not to compete in the race as a driver.[12] He would become a permanent color commentator forNBC in 2018 after he retired from driving full-time. With NBC's permission, Jr. returned to Fox as a guest color commentator for theGEICO 500 at Talladega in April 2022.
On June 10, 2017, the Xfinity Series race atPocono Raceway was presented by current drivers in the Cup Series, the first time that a national sporting event was covered by currently active athletes. The presenters provided coverage from all three perspectives during the race (Hollywood Hotel studio, lap-by-lap commentary and pit road coverage). The driver commentators wereKevin Harvick (lap-by-lap),Joey Logano,Clint Bowyer (color analysts),Erik Jones,Ryan Blaney,Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (pit road),Danica Patrick andDenny Hamlin (Hollywood Hotel).[13]
On April 28, 2018, theSparks Energy 300, the Xfinity race atTalladega Superspeedway, was an all-drivers broadcast, the second time that a national sporting event was covered entirely by active athletes, the first being the aforementioned Pocono race. The presenters provided coverage from all three perspectives during the race (Hollywood Hotel studio, lap-by-lap commentary and pit road coverage). The booth team of Harvick, Logano and Bowyer was retained, whileRicky Stenhouse Jr. was moved to the Hollywood Hotel alongsideBrad Keselowski, withBubba Wallace replacing Stenhouse as a pit road reporter.
The studio was retired following the 2018 season due to the Charlotte studios getting redone in order to host more shows. In 2019, Fox often cut to the Charlotte studio during the race and talked to Jamie McMurray, who was new to theNASCAR on Fox team; also in 2019, Shannon Spake replaced Chris Myers as host due to Myers being moved to Fox'sPremier Boxing Champions coverage, although Myers appeared on site for the Daytona 500, while Adam Alexander served as on site host for the rest of the season.
On May 25, 2019, theAlsco 300, the Xfinity race atCharlotte Motor Speedway, was an all-drivers broadcast, the third time that a national sporting event was covered entirely by active athletes, the first being the aforementioned Pocono race. The presenters provided coverage from all three perspectives during the race (Hollywood Hotel studio, lap-by-lap commentary and pit road coverage). The booth team of Harvick, Logano and Bowyer was retained,Erik Jones,Ryan Blaney,Bubba Wallace (pit road) was also retained.Brad Keselowski,Ricky Stenhouse Jr., andChad Knaus hosted from the Charlotte studios.
In 2020, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, Fox started using their Charlotte Studio to the maximum extent possible to avoid travel, ensure social distancing, and limit the number of staff onsite at races. The only on-air talent onsite was at most two pit reporters per race; all other talent was stationed at the Fox Studios in Charlotte.
In 2021, Myers returned to hosting the at-track portions of pre-race alongsideJeff Gordon andClint Bowyer. Spake, McReynolds, and McMurray would host pre-race coverage from the Charlotte studios.
After the 2021 season, Gordon left Fox to work forHendrick Motorsports full-time as the team's Vice Chairman. (He had previously worked with the team during the second half of the Cup Series season when NBC was broadcasting the races, after spending his entire full-time career with them).[14] Fox did not replace him with one permanent color commentator and instead filled his spot with rotating guest commentators as they do in the Xfinity, Truck and ARCA Series. Retired Cup Series driverTony Stewart was the first guest color commentator and was in the booth for the Clash, the Daytona 500 and the race at COTA.
Source:[15]Booth announcers
Race Strategy, Technical and Rules analyst
Pit reporters
Pre-race show (at track)
Source:[15]
SeeList of NASCAR on Fox broadcasters
The original theme music[16] forNASCAR on Fox broadcasts was in the same style as other Fox Sports properties (such as for NFL andMajor League Baseball coverage) and was originally used from 2001 to 2008. In 2008, Fox introduced a new theme for its NASCAR telecasts titledNASCAR Love,[17] performed by folk rock singer-songwriterToby Lightman (an instrumental version was used for the opening segment).However in 2009, Lightman stopped singing the song and was replaced byThe Maine andNASCAR Love was phased out and replaced by a reworked version of their hit song, "Everything I Ask For" with newly-written lyrics referencing NASCAR – which was played during the introduction of the pre-race show.From the2011 Budweiser Shootout to 2015, Fox used theNFL on FOX theme song[18] in NASCAR telecasts. In addition, country superstarDierks Bentley unveiled a reworked version of his hit song "Sideways,” also with newly-written lyrics referencing NASCAR – which was played during the introduction of the pre-race show.[19] "Sideways" was phased out entirely with the2013 Sprint Unlimited telecast, with theFox NFL theme music being used full-time. In addition, a new CGI introduction sequence, produced byBlur Studio, made its debut.
In 2015, the introduction sequence was eliminated in favor of intros unique to each track.
In 2016, Fox and FS1 (Cup Series only) reintroduced the original theme used between 2001 and 2008.[20] FS1 continues to use their old theme for Xfinity Series and Truck Series.
Fox is known for being the first network to show a scoring banner across the top of the screen with scrolling text during NASCAR telecasts. In previous years when ESPN, CBS, and others owned the broadcasting rights, scoring had been displayed in a box on the top left corner. Fox was also the first network to use the unique font/styling for each car number (such as Dale Earnhardt's number 3, Jeff Gordon's 24, the Petty 43) for their on-screen graphics, as opposed to a generic font (however the banner continued to use just text). Other networks would adopt this innovation and is now commonplace for most American motorsport broadcasts.
From its debut until 2013, Fox initially used a scrollingticker to display the current running order of drivers and other information (such as intervals and other statistics, shown on an occasionally displayed secondary line), instead of the boxes that were used by previous NASCAR broadcasters. Fox would eventually deploy the banner design across all of its sports properties, while its conventions would be adopted by fellow NASCAR broadcasters, including NBC, TNT, and later ESPN.
For the 2014 season, alongside a new corporate style, Fox replaced the scrolling ticker with a leaderboard-style sidebar occupying the right-side portion of the screen, with one section displaying the top three drivers, and a scrolling section displaying the remainder of the field of drivers. While Fox Sports president Eric Shanks justified the changes, noting that it would allow more of the field to be displayed at once and more frequently than the relatively longer ticker, the leaderboard was criticized by viewers during events leading up to the Daytona 500 (such as the Sprint Unlimited, Daytona 500 qualifying, and theARCA seriesLucas Oil 200) for obstructing too much of the screen.[21]
In response to the criticism, Shanks stated that the layout of the leaderboard would be revised in time for theDaytona 500.[21] The vertical leaderboard was reconfigured into a horizontal version with three columns of 3 drivers each, which could be resized into 2 longer columns of three drivers each to display intervals or other statistics (a version that was later used as the main graphic).
In the 2018 NASCAR season, NASCAR coverage adopted a new flat graphics package previously introduced during the previous NFL season. This package reintroduced a vertical leaderboard, although this time it initially occupied an opaque sidebar spanning the entire left side of the screen. The design was once-again criticized by viewers during events leading up to the Daytona 500, as the opaque sidebar reduced the amount of screen space devoted to race footage to a roughly4:3 window, the ticker fell withinoverscan on some televisions, while some camera shots were not correctlyframed to suit the new layout. By the Daytona 500, the graphic had been revised to remove the opaque sidebar, and make the leaderboard slightly translucent.[22][23]
In 2019, during Daytona 500 qualifying, Fox introduced a newaugmented reality "GhostCar," allowing for a live visualization of a previous driver's qualifying lap (such as the leader or driver on the bubble) to be overlaid into live footage of another driver's qualifying attempt. NBC had introduced the system in 2018, but only during replays. The GhostCar feature was re-introduced later in the season, when NASCAR ended its multi-car qualifying format in favor of the previous single-car format.[24]
In 2022, Fox introduced a revamp of its on-air presentation for NASCAR (as part of a move towards dedicated graphics packages for each of Fox Sports' major properties, rather than a standard look shared by all telecasts), the package was built upon visual elements from the then-currentNFL on Fox branding, including the use of stylized "comic book" illustrations of drivers.[25][26][27]
NASCAR on Fox has won 13Emmy Awards for its coverage, including three for Outstanding Sports Series (2001, 2005, 2007), six for Outstanding Live Event Audio Sound (2002, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013), one for Outstanding Graphic Design (2001), five for Outstanding Technical Team Remote (2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007) and one for Promotional Announcement Episodic (2008).[1]
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After limited usage in 2007, the network introduced the "Gopher Cam" full-time in 2008, a camera angle from the bottom banking of a track's turn. Fox implied that it invented the technology.[28] However, it was quickly brought to light that Terry Lingner of ESPN, along with engineer James Fishman, had developed the technology 15 years earlier under the name "Tread Cam.” However, it should be known that the devices are completely different.
"Digger," a CGI-animatedgopher character that was voiced byEric Bauza, began as a symbol of the corner camera and was later adopted as an unofficial mascot for Fox's NASCAR coverage. Beginning with the2009 Daytona 500, Digger was extended into a series of shortcartoons that aired during the pre-race show,country music superstarKeith Urban recorded thetheme song for these shorts. Storylines revolved around Digger and his life beneath the infield of a fictional racetrack. Other characters include his girlfriend Annie and the track's security chief, Lumpy Wheels (respectively named after the daughter of Fox Sports presidentDavid Hill, and former track promoterHumpy Wheeler). Digger's souvenir trailer at the tracks attracted sizeable crowds of families with young children. However, the cartoon segment drew wide opposition from regular viewers of the broadcasts.
After a NASCAR town hall-style meeting at the end of May 2009, Fox Sports chair David Hill reported receiving an email from a high-ranking NASCAR official whose identity he chose to conceal, stating that Digger could have been the cause of ratings declines for Fox's NASCAR coverage.[29] Hill said "It was because of Digger that people were turning off in droves because they couldn't stand it, I said, I'm so sorry. If I'd known, I never would have created him. I didn't realize how insidious he was. It's the biggest crock of shit I've ever heard."
Among the reasons of criticism is the purpose of the character's usage. Though it was at one time commonplace for networks to create mascots for sports coverage to incorporate an educational and entertaining element into their coverage, which was the case withPeter Puck, Digger was created purely to add entertainment to the broadcast and reach out to a younger audience. Some NASCAR fans accused Fox ofdumbing down andfluffing its coverage in order to gain revenue from Digger merchandise sales.
Despite continuous outrage from the NASCAR fan community, as well as talk from the NASCAR community that the Fan Council was not pleased with the situation, Fox did not announce any plans to drop the usage of the characters, and even had posted pictures of holiday-themed versions of the Digger die-cast in 2009 and 2010. In response to the comments, in 2010, the Digger cartoon was not shown during pre-race shows and Digger appeared less often at the bottom of the screen. Throughout the 2011 season as well as the2012 Budweiser Shootout andDaytona 500, Digger appeared very sparingly, usually only during commercial bumpers. As of the2012 Subway Fresh Fit 500, all appearances and references to Digger were dropped entirely from Fox's NASCAR broadcasts. However, nods to it occasionally came up (for example, at the Talladega race in 2014, whenCarl Edwards showed debris on his firesuit, Mike Joy commented that he hoped that nothing had happened to Digger, to which Darrell Waltrip responded, "Digger's retired").
Digger made a cameo appearance in the 200920th Century Fox filmAlvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. He also made an appearance in theFox NFL Sunday introduction during the December 20, 2009 broadcast, in which the Chipmunks also made an appearance (20th Century Fox was then a corporate sister to the Fox network throughNews Corporation, 20th Century Fox was sold to theWalt Disney Company in 2019).
In the starting grid for the2001 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway (which used 3D representations of the cars), Fox showed only the logos on the hoods of cars that had paid the network to advertise during the race. For instance, theBudweiser logo on the No. 8 car ofDale Earnhardt Jr. andThe Home Depot logo on the No. 20 car ofTony Stewart were shown, butMiller Lite on the No. 2 car ofRusty Wallace was not. After outcry from some of the excluded companies, full logo graphics were restored to all cars four days later for theGatorade Twin 125s telecast.
The computer-generated cars used initially on the starting grid and top-five standings when going to commercial break were phased out from main broadcast use, and were discontinued entirely in 2005 with the exception of the Daytona 500 starting grid (which featured the computer generated cars).
In 2012, Fox aired "In The Rear View Mirror" segments during the pre-race, showing computer-generated re-enactments of events during the 2012 season (most notablyJuan Pablo Montoya's crash into a jet dryer at theDaytona 500), the intro sequence introduced in 2013 also incorporates CGI cars.
In the late 2010s and early 2020s, FOX was criticized by fans for heavily using crash footage for their ads. For example,Ryan Newman's massive accident from theprevious years' Daytona 500 was used in many ads in 2021, and some fans interpreted this as a cash-grab from FOX attempting to make crashes the selling point of the events and not the racing itself.
The2001 Daytona 500, which was the first NASCAR points race ever telecast by Fox, also brought an unrelated controversy. At the end of that race, Fox concluded coverage shortly afterDale Earnhardt, who was fatally injured in a crash on the last lap of the race, was admitted toHalifax Health Medical Center inDaytona Beach, Florida. The network provided no updates on his condition at the time of the 5:15 p.m.Eastern Time sign-off (although no information was available at that time), and continued airing regular programming (with theanimated seriesFuturama) at the momentEarnhardt's death was confirmed at a press conference held at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. NASCAR's other broadcast network partner,NBC, delayed a commercial break during anNBA telecast andESPN (which aired the Craftsman Truck Series at the time) had coverage of Earnhardt's death and the aftermath that was both earlier and much more extensive.Fox News Channel andFox Sports Net, however, did break into programming to announce the seven-time champion's passing, with Chris Myers providing reports on FSN programs.
Shortly after the race, Hill explained to theAssociated Press that the network had gone over its allotted time – as the result ofan 18-car pileup on the back straightaway on lap 173 that led to the race being red-flagged for lengthy cleanup – and that continuing to cover the story would be too morbid. Producer Neil Goldberg also said Fox Sports staffers were not allowed near the crash scene.[citation needed]
When ESPN presented a tribute feature in remembrance of the ten-year anniversary of Earnhardt's death in 2011, it showed footage of the crash and aftermath, that looked like part of the live telecast. However, it was stamped with "WFTV,” the calls of theCox-ownedABC affiliate inOrlando, Florida (Orlando and Daytona Beach share the same media market, and ABC's corporate parent The Walt Disney Company owns 80% of ESPN). How footage from Fox's NASCAR coverage got credited to the local affiliate of another network has not been made public, though it was likely that since none of the footage is similar to that of Fox's, the last lap was filmed by WFTV for their ownlocal newscasts, intended originally asB-roll to add "color" to their post-race coverage of the Daytona 500.
Source:[30]
| Rank | Date | Race | Viewers (millions) | TV Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 1, 2015 | QuikTrip 500 | 9.5 | 5.6 |
| 2 | February 23, 2014 | Daytona 500 | 9.3 | 5.6 |
| 3 | February 18, 2018 | Daytona 500 | 9.3 | 5.3 |
| 4 | March 4, 2012 | Subway Fresh Fit 500 | 9.2 | 5.6 |
| 5 | February 17, 2019 | Daytona 500 | 9.2 | 5.3 |
| 6 | March 3, 2013 | Subway Fresh Fit 500 | 9.1 | 5.3 |
| 7 | April 17, 2011 | Aaron's 499 | 9.0 | 5.2 |
| 8 | March 2, 2014 | The Profit on CNBC 500 | 8.8 | 5.3 |
| 9 | March 11, 2012 | Kobalt Tools 400 | 8.5 | 5.2 |
| 10 | May 6, 2012 | Aaron's 499 | 8.4 | 5.1 |
From2007 to2014, Fox Sports only covered the first 13 races of theCup Series, plus theShootout, along with selectTruck Series races from 2007 to2009. All races aired exclusively onFox. In August 2013,Speed was rebranded asFox Sports 1. From the start of 2013 on Speed and continuing with branding for NASCAR events on the new channel (theDuels, theAll-Star Race, andTruck Series races) falling under theNASCAR on Fox banner.
| Preceded by | Daytona 500 television broadcaster 2001–present (until at least 2031) (shared withNBC from2001–2006; Fox aired race in 2001, 2003, and 2005) | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| NASCAR pay television carrier in the United States 2001–present (shared with NBC from 2001–2006, 2015–present;TNT from 2001–2014, 2025–present; andESPN from 2007–2014; andPrime Video since 2025) |
