Long After ‘Keyboard Warriors’ Dig, NASCAR Fans Unite to Defend Mike Joy Opening Up on Online Backlash

Mike Joy has truly been ‘the voice of NASCAR on FOX’ for fans throughout the 2000s. And he will remain so till the conclusion of next season. Only recently, the often-misjudged 74-YO broadcast booth sweetheart confirmed to major sources that he will return to screens worldwide alongside Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer in 2025.

His presence is a blessing for FOX’s coverage. After all, Mike has been around and about the confines of the Daytona 500, part of its live broadcast crew a staggering 47 times. His experience is invaluable and so are his insights. But more frequently than not, Mike faces a lot of flak online from the critics he once called “keyboard warriors” targeting his ‘mistakes’ in trying to perfect every call on NASCAR’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it action. 

If driving those V8 beasts around at speeds of 190 mph against 35+ other cars pursuing glory feels inhuman, announcing it all to the masses “play-by-play” is not much different. And in light of FOX wrapping up its fractious 2024 broadcast stint at Sonoma, his ‘keyboard warriors’ have returned. This time, however, the tide has turned in Mike Joy’s favor. It appears they’re cheering for the voice of NASCAR.

Why Mike Joy is still the ‘voice of NASCAR’ (even at 74)

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Michael Kinsley Joy got his first-ever job in motorsports as a part-time PA announcer at the now-lost Riverside Park Speedway in Massachusetts in 1970. Soon after, a certain broadcaster, also the co-founder of Motor Racing Network (MRN), who went by the name of Ken Squier noticed Joy’s prowess and hired him for MRN. About a decade and a year since his first gig as a PA announcer, Joy held the honors of becoming the lead voice for ESPN’s first live NASCAR telecast in the 1981 Atlanta Journal 500.

Joy proceeded to work for CBS as a pit reporter starting in 1983. Around this time the internet, as we know it now, was steadily shaping up to be the primary means of “World Wide” global communications. Joy noticed the power early and embraced it well, evidenced by his well-known back-and-forth with fans on social media to this day, over the next great raging issue plaguing the NASCAR community. Add to that the common blunders, presented by FOX’s sub-par coverage in recent years, and Joy often has to defend his employers in front of younger fans over social media.

Regardless, 1998 would be a true milestone year for Mike Joy. After 15 years on pit lane, CBS finally paired up Joy and Squier in the broadcast booth. But if that was not all, this was the year “the voice of NASCAR” dipped his toes with FOX as the lead announcer of its F1 coverage on Fox Sports Net. In three years the broadcast giants switched Joy to the NASCAR package, alongside Larry McReynolds & Darrell Waltrip. And for the next fifteen seasons, the trio made history as the longest-serving three-man announcing team in US network sports television history.

Through it all, Mike has won plenty of accolades, so many so, that criticisms of his coverage can only be disregarded as bitterness stemming from the grandstands for reasons unknown. However, FOX’s below-average camera work and cluttered graphics often leave the fans tearing at the seams. Although the trio of Joy, Kevin Harvick & Clint Bowyer do their best to make up for the relative mistakes seemingly made by the production crews, the booth ends up having to face fan fury in forums online.

Some claim that the booth is not ‘enthusiastic enough’ on the final laps, compared to their NBC counterparts. In all fairness, they have always energized Rick Allen. Nevertheless, Joy talked about these grievances in a recent discussion with Jeff Gluck of The Athletic when he said, “There’s now a common thread of people saying that I’ve lost my fastball. And you know, maybe so. I can’t argue that… There are a number of announcers on TV that sound more exciting, perhaps. But I’ve taken a lot of my cues from (former NASCAR broadcasters) Ken Squier and Barney Hall as I grew up in this business…”

Much like Squier did back in the ’70s, Joy is now the elder statesman of the FOX booth and is more concerned about helping accommodate Harvick & Bowyer perfectly in their relatively new shoes as broadcasters. He explained, “My job is to have people say at the end of the day, “Boy, Kevin Harvick really gave me everything I needed to know about this race, and Clint Bowyer really entertained me.” And if we can do that, then I feel it’s been successful.”

Agreed that the new booth needs time to establish chemistry, and with a new broadcast deal looming soon, they may have much less time than one would normally warrant. But it looks like Joy’s disclosures are winning the critics over, at least for the trio put under constant scrutiny due to reasons not in their hands.

Did FOX drop its ball on NASCAR coverage? Fans say yes

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Last week at FOX’s 2024 farewell coverage tour at Sonoma, there were some notable instances of these aforementioned ‘reasons.’ Will Brown’s repeat electrical failure on the#33 Richard Childress Chevy not being stressed enough is only one of them, as he kept facing issues with his car, even after the stalling incident on Turn 11. Some due consideration must be given to the chaotic nature of the 2024 Toyota/Save Mart 350 which saw 8 total cautions – one less than the track record.

But should that be an excuse for a $ 15B net-worth media organization? With Joy’s conversations making the rounds of the NASCAR subreddit, one fan had a scathing comment on all the recent speculations, surprisingly defending the former in the process: “Mike Joy isn’t the one who needs to read and face criticism. The director and production staff need to see it and make wholesale changes. The direction and production have been bottom of the barrel.”

This fan took those sentiments one step further in the current regard talking about another one of those ‘reasons,’ “So much happened on the last lap yesterday, and we saw basically none of it. It’s ridiculous. I was so confused to see Chase Elliott finish 4th. Like how did that happen?” On the final laps, the majority of camera focus was pointed toward Kyle Larson’s P1 defense on runners-up Michael McDowell.

Another diehard, understandably frustrated by the lack of NASCAR action in contrast to the increased commercial breaks on TV, explained, “I mean it’s a lot more than that. Why go to a f**king commercial break with less than 10 to go? Why not focus on the field with less than 10 to go…”

Some noticed the unbelievable enthusiasm Joy holds for his job, and this comment narrated that best as it read, “I think for 74 years old, Mike still does a pretty damn good job on the mike. When he decides to hang it up, the voice of Nascar will definitely be missed.”

Beginning at Iowa Speedway next week, FOX’s NASCAR broadcast counterpart NBC will take on the difficult duties of bringing stock car racing’s premier viewership experience to the fans worldwide. This fan expressed both frustration and excitement at that fact by writing, “I’m so sick of it and I’m so excited for NBC next week.”

Now, considering FOX will still broadcast all the Truck Series races, will NBC do a better job than FOX at upholding the premier tier of the NASCAR Cup Series? Let us know your feelings in the comments below.