Toyota / Save Mart 350 will be last for analyst in FOX Sprint Cup booth
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When the FOX NASCAR Sprint Cup Series broadcast season ends after the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, PRN, SiriusXM), it will be the end of a 15-year partnership between Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip. McReynolds discussed his emotions heading into the weekend on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
“There’s no question, I’m a human being, and Sunday is going to be very tough on me because I do know that this will be the last time to stand in a broadcast booth — that I have done for 15 years — with Darrell and Mike,” McReynolds said. “And it’s going to be very, very tough on me. I’d be kidding people if I said, ‘Aw, I’m good to go. I’m good.'”
McReynolds, who joined Joy and Waltrip when FOX began broadcasting in 2001, will move to another role on the FOX and FOX Sports 1 broadcasts in 2016. Last month, the network announced that four-time premier series champion Jeff Gordon will take over analysis on Sprint Cup practices, qualifying sessions and races.
“I’m looking forward to my next role whenever we kind of get our arms around what that’s going to be with FOX, but it’s probably going to be very tough the next three days,” McReynolds said. “But especially when that producer comes in our ear on Sunday and says, ‘The booth is clear.’ “
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A two-time winner of the Daytona 500 as a crew chief, McReynolds also served as an analyst for TNT broadcasts, and he noted that he will continue to be seen the rest of the season on FOX Sports 1 before and after races on “NASCAR RaceDay” and “NASCAR Victory Lane,” alongside host John Roberts and analyst Kenny Wallace. But the end of a race broadcast season is always emotional.
“No matter whether it’s here at Sonoma or as it’s been the last eight years where we’ve ended at Dover every year, it’s always bittersweet because one thing that has made our FOX deal work so well the last 15 years is we are a family,” McReynolds said. “We all care about each other. And it’s just like Mike, Darrell and I, we are best friends. I feel like I could call Mike up or Darrell up any given time of the day or night if I had a problem — even if it was a personal problem — and I could share it with them, and they would be there for me.
“That part always definitely makes it bittersweet when we have our last race of the year because we all still stay in contact, but we all still kind of go off and do our own things.”
On Thursday in San Francisco at a media luncheon held by the track, Joy discussed some new features and at least one surprise for the 16th and final FOX points race of the season and first at the California road course since 2006.
“We’ve got some new toys to roll out for the final FOX race of the season that we’ve been saving — some interesting camera views in the cars that we’re going to have for the race and a few other surprise things,” Joy said. “… Have you seen online the YouTube video of Darrell Waltrip’s ride at Bathurst in Australia in the Australian V8 SuperCars where Jason Bright took him for three laps and scared the driving suit right off him? Well, we’re going to kind of re-enact that Saturday with a player to be named later who doesn’t know it’s coming. We’re going to have some fun. This is a great, fun race for us and we’re just thrilled to be back.”
McReynolds is optimistic that the transition from the booth to another location during FOX NASCAR broadcasts in 2016 may lead to a new and better opportunity.
“The betting window that I’m standing in… we’re all scared of change,” McReynolds said. “We’re humans, and we’re creatures of habit. When things are going good, you don’t want to see anything change.
“But I’ve also come to the realization in my 56 years of living that change sometimes can surprise us and actually lead to even better things than we have now.”