NASCAR’s New Media Deal
For the first time in many years, NASCAR has signed a brand new media rights deal. Since 2015, all races have been broadcast on FOX/FS1 and NBC/NBCSN/USA Network. They have each included two broadcast teams to call the 36 race season. With NASCAR’s brand new, very expensive(7.8 billion dollars) media rights deal they will now have 4 broadcast partners for their premier series. Those companies are the returning FOX and NBC, as well as new additions in Amazon Prime and TNT/MAX. With two new broadcast companies throwing their hat in the ring, they’ll need to put together a solid broadcast booth. Here are my predictions for NASCAR’s broadcast booths starting in 2025.
FOX Sports(14 Races)- Mike Joy, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer
FOX has had trouble keeping a stable booth since the original trio of Mike Joy, Darrel Waltrip, and Larry McReynolds parted ways. Then they threw Jeff Gordon in the mix, and when DW finally retired, after a year of just Mike and Jeff, Clint Bowyer stepped in. That trio lasted a year after Jeff Gordon announced he would be stepping down from his role in the booth.
Since then, FOX has rotated their third broadcaster, using former drivers such as Tony Stewart and Danica Patrick to former crew chiefs in Chad Knaus. Unfortunately, it was difficult for the booth to find chemistry with a rotating third man every week. However, it was announced in 2023 that Kevin Harvick would head into the booth permanently alongside Mike and Clint after he retired from driving.
I fully expect FOX to feel a bit of pressure to try and keep this trio together and I fully expect this trio to stay together for as long as Mike Joy is still willing to call races. The only thing that would throw this broadcast booth on its head, is a Mike Joy retirement announcement.
Amazon Prime(5 Races)- Allen Bestwick, Tony Stewart, and Cole Pearn
Yes, I know this is quite a stretch. However, Amazon did all they could to pull NBC’s Al Michaels over for their Thursday Night Football coverage. I fully expect them to take a big swing with their booth.
The biggest thing here is Amazon’s quantity of races. With Amazon only getting five races, all three of these guys could easily be interested in calling races. Bestwick called NASCAR races for years during the 2000s and early 2010s. Not only would he bring some nostalgia to the booth, but he’d also be a great announcer to lead the charge for a new broadcast company entering the NASCAR fold. Bestwick has done a brilliant job calling SRX races for CBS, I’d expect more of the same here.
Next, you add in Tony Stewart and Cole Pearn. For Tony, with his racing schedule, he’s not looking for a long-term commitment in the booth. Tony did a lot of races with FOX during their broadcast rotation, and I think five races is the perfect amount to draw him in. Then there’s Cole Pearn, who’s stepped away from racing almost entirely, However, with a big enough check, it’s not far-fetched that one of the best Crew Chiefs of the 2010s would come call some races in 2025.
TNT/MAX(5 Races)- Adam Alexander, Kurt Busch, and Wally Dallenbach
Back when TNT broadcasted NASCAR in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Adam Alexander led the broadcast team. With TNT returning once again, I expect they bring Alexander back on. At FOX, Alexander has been the lead anchor for their Xfinity series coverage for nearly the last decade. However, with the Xfinity series headed to the CW for the full season, Alexander will need a new role. Returning to TNT for 5 races a season is the perfect spot for him.
Kurt Busch has found his way into the booth many times across NASCAR’s top 3 series. Busch did a great job in his few races with FOX last season and it wouldn’t be surprising if he wants to take on a full-time role. Fortunately for him, he’s done several Xfinity races for FOX over the last few seasons, so the chemistry with Adam Alexander has already been built. Kurt would provide great insight into the Next-Gen car while also having fun, the perfect balance the NASCAR broadcasts tend to lack these days.
Lastly, Wally Dallenbach also commentated for TNT back in the day and would provide a great deal of nostalgia for fans. Dallenbach has stated in the past he does not intend to return to the booth, but like some others on this list, the short schedule could be quite appealing. Not to mention the opportunity to work with Adam Alexander once again. I think if Alexander signs on the chances of Dallenbach following increase immensely. I think this trio of Adam Alexander, Kurt Busch, and Wally Dallenbach would have the most chemistry of the newly formed broadcast teams.
NBC Sports(12 Races)- Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte
The NBC booth has been the most consistent in the sport over the last decade, and I don’t expect that to change in any capacity. These four have great chemistry with one another and each provides great expertise in multiple different areas. I think this crew does a great job of making races feel important, especially coming towards the end. The energy they provide only adds excitement to big moments on the track.
If NBC were to make any changes, it would be to take Steve Letarte out of the booth and insert him into more of a Larry McReynolds role. However, if NBC is smart, they’ll recognize that once Larry left the booth for FOX, it’s never been the same. NBC would have the same issue, especially considering Steve Letarte is one of the best analysts the sport currently has. These four guys need to stay together through this next TV deal.
The Dream Teams
Ideally, these would be my picks for the commentary booths going forward. Unfortunately, this isn’t a perfect world, and these predictions may be completely wrong. That being said, I have confidence in each one of these picks and I ultimately believe they would each help elevate the sport in a way it desperately needs. Here’s to hoping NASCAR and the media teams take my advice on their new commentary booths.
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