Michael Joy (born November 25, 1949) is an American TV sports announcer and who currently serves as the lap-by-lap voice of

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the Fo ...

' coverage of

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

. His color analyst is

Clint Bowyer Clinton Edward Bowyer (born May 30, 1979) is an American former professional stock car racing driver and commentator for ''NASCAR on Fox''. He competed in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2005 to 2020, driving for Richard Childress Racing for eight yea ...

. Counting 2022, Joy has been part of the live broadcast of 43

Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...

s (7 for MRN Radio, 17 for CBS and 19 for FOX). He also serves as expert analyst for A&E Networks

History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...

and FYI live TV coverage of collector car auctions.

Biography

Early life and career

Joy was born November 25, 1949 in Chicago, Illinois to M. Verne Joy and Jean Peters Joy, the oldest of their four children. He was raised in

Windsor, Connecticut Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartford. The population of Windsor was 29,492 at the 2020 census. Po ...

, and graduated from

West Hartford, Connecticut West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census. The town's popular downtown area is colloquially known as "West Hartford Center," or simply "The C ...

's Conard High School. His career began as a public address announcer at Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, Mass. in 1970 while attending the

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and it ...

and later

Emerson College Emerson College is a private college with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts. It also maintains campuses in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California and Well, Limburg, Netherlands ( Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a ...

. He added

Thompson Speedway Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP), formerly Thompson Speedway and Thompson International Speedway, is a motorsports park in Thompson, Connecticut, featuring a asphalt oval racetrack and a road racing course. Once known as the "Indianapo ...

in 1972 and in 1975 began working at

Stafford Motor Speedway Stafford Motor Speedway is a semi-banked 1/2 mile paved oval located in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. Stafford Speedway holds weekly racing every Friday night May through September. This track is known as the home of the SK Modifieds and driv ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, joining Jack Arute, Jr., the son of the track owner, establishing the track as a hotbed for announcers. Announcing five nights per week, he was noticed by

Motor Racing Network Motor Racing Network (MRN) is a U.S. radio network that syndicates broadcasts of auto racing events, particularly NASCAR. MRN was founded in 1970 by NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. and broadcaster Ken Squier, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of N ...

(MRN) co-founder

Ken Squier Kenley Dean Squier (born April 10, 1935) is an American sportscaster and motorsports editor from Waterbury, Vermont. From 1979 to 1997, he served as the lap-by-lap commentator for ''NASCAR on CBS'', and was also a lap-by-lap commentator for T ...

. MRN hired him as a freelancer in 1975, then full-time in late 1978, working weekdays in marketing for

Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NA ...

. He rose to co-anchor, general manager and executive producer of MRN in January 1980. In 1981, he was the lead broadcaster for

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

's first live

telecast in that November's

Atlanta Journal 500 The Ambetter Health 400 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. William Byron is the defending race winner. This race was originally Atlanta's second race of the season and was run as a late- ...

Atlanta International Raceway Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly known Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.54-mile entertainment facility in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series s ...

CBS Sports and The Nashville Network (1983–2000)

In June 1983, Joy became a pit reporter for

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

' coverage, working with

and

Ned Jarrett Ned Jarrett (born October 12, 1932) is an American retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR Grand National Series champion. Because of his calm demeanor, he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett". He is the father of former drivers Glenn J ...

. Since CBS didn't broadcast many races, he also continued to broadcast for MRN radio. Joy also launched

The Nashville Network The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, game shows, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows. On September ...

's NASCAR coverage in 1991, as lap-by-lap announcer, continuing through 1995, and also participated in live NASCAR coverage on TBS. When NASCAR went to Indy, Joy anchored the IMS Radio Network live coverage from the first Brickyard 400 in 1994 through 1998. Joy was one of the first announcers to embrace the Internet. In 1997, he encouraged Usenet and

Jayski Jayski's Silly Season Site is a web site focusing primarily on NASCAR news and rumors. The website was founded by Jay "Jayski" Adamczyk in 1996 after he had difficulty finding news regarding the Melling Racing team, and subsequently worked to ge ...

readers to e-mail TV coverage suggestions that he could present in a CBS seminar. A member of many Usenet newsgroups, he read them for preparation for broadcasts. In 1998, after 15 years on pit road,

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W 5 ...

made Joy their lap-by-lap announcer with

becoming the studio host, where the pair worked until the end of 2000, when CBS lost the rights to televise NASCAR racing. Joy's CBS career included most major forms of American motorsports for television:

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

CART A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people. It is different from the flatbed tr ...

IRL IRL may refer to: Places * Republic of Ireland (ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code) * Irlam railway station (National Rail station code IRL), England Organizations * International Rugby League, the governing body for the sport of rugby league * I ...

, and drag racing, as well as coverage of college football, the

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

, the

Sun Bowl The Sun Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played since 1935 in the southwestern United States at El Paso, Texas. Along with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, it is the second-oldest bowl game in the country, behind the Rose Bowl. ...

, harness racing's Hambletonian, Pro Beach Volleyball and World Cup Skiing, plus

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

championship events in

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

, gymnastics,

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

and

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), a ...

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

, and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

Fox Sports (1998–present)

Joy joined

in 1998 to become the lead announcer of

coverage on

Fox Sports Net Fox Sports Networks (FSN), formerly known as Fox Sports Net, was the collective name for a group of regional sports channels in the United States. Formed in 1996 by News Corporation, the networks were acquired by The Walt Disney Company on Mar ...

, with Derek Bell as expert analyst. For the 2001 season, he moved full-time to

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

with the

TV package. Joy teamed with Hall of Fame driver Darrell Waltrip and former crew chief

Larry McReynolds Lawrence Joseph McReynolds III (born January 10, 1959) is a current NASCAR crew chief and current racing analyst on Fox Sports as well as a columnist on Foxsports.com. In the past, he has served as an advisor to Petty Enterprises, and as a mi ...

to form the network's broadcast team. The

2022 Daytona 500 The 2022 Daytona 500 was the first stock car race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series and the 64th running of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 20, 2022, in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a asphalt superspeedwa ...

was his 22nd as lead TV race announcer, and the 46th Daytona Speedweeks in which he has been part of live broadcast coverage. Joy, Waltrip, and McReynolds completed 15 years together in 2015, the longest tenure of any three-man announcing booth in US network sports television history. Four-time NASCAR champion

Jeff Gordon Jeffery Michael Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, who is the Vice Chairman for Hendrick Motorsports. He raced full-time from 1993 to 2015, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick M ...

joined Joy and Waltrip in the FOX-TV booth beginning 2016, with McReynolds moving to a new role as race strategist and

rules analyst A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and the ...

. Waltrip retired after 2019. FOX added NASCAR Cup driver

to the booth in 2021. At season's end, Gordon returned to Hendrick Motorsports full-time as vice-chairman. For 2022, Joy and Bowyer were joined by a different guest analyst each week, including

Tony Stewart Anthony Wayne Stewart (born May 20, 1971), nicknamed Smoke, is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, current NASCAR team co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, and current co-owner of the Superstar Racing Experience. He is a ...

Richard Petty Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King", is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notabl ...

, and

Dale Earnhardt Jr Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (born October 10, 1974) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, team owner, author, and an analyst for ''NASCAR on NBC''. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving ...

. Fox broadcasts the Daytona 500 and the first 16 NASCAR Cup races each season, plus two all-star events. Joy also anchors NASCAR Cup coverage on Fox-owned cable network

Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 1 (FS1) is an American pay television channel owned by the Fox Sports Media Group, a unit of Fox Corporation. FS1 replaced the motorsports network Speed on August 17, 2013, at the same time that its companion channel Fox Sports 2 ...

(FS1), formerly

Speed In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quanti ...

. Four weeks every year, Joy brings his extensive knowledge of collector cars to the Barrett-Jackson auction block as lead analyst for the live TV auction coverage. His unscripted commentary mixes detailed knowledge of the cars and their specs with first-hand recall of how cars of the 1950s to 1970s were viewed back in their day. When the TV rights moved to Velocity/Discovery beginning in 2015, Joy was the first talent Discovery hired to lead their broadcast team in the same role on loan from

. Beginning in 2020, the Barrett-Jackson TV rights moved to A&E Networks, with Joy continuing in the lead expert role. In September 2008,

sent Joy to call a

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

Major League Baseball game, in which the Rays clinched their first-ever playoff appearance. Joy is very active on social media; his Twitter handle is @mikejoy500. He engages in many automotive web forums, from El Caminos to MGs to Ford GTs, usually using the screen name "200mph".

Honors

Joy is a charter member of the prestigious

NASCAR Hall of Fame The NASCAR Hall of Fame, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, honors drivers who have shown expert skill at NASCAR driving, all-time great crew chiefs and owners, broadcasters and other major contributors to competition within the sanctioning ...

Voting Panel, and in December 2013, was named sole media representative to the Hall's exclusive nominating process. In 2000, Joy was inducted into the Riverside Park Speedway Hall of Fame. In March 2014, a

Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

poll named Joy first among network television's 15 NASCAR announcers and analysts with a 93% approval rating. Joy was voted the 2011 recipient of the Henry T. McLemore Award, (now the "American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence"). Presented since 1969, this award celebrates career excellence in motorsports journalism and is voted on solely by past winners. The Motorsports Hall of Fame at

displays a wall of plaques honoring the winners, with smaller displays in several track media centers. In 2019, he was named to the voting panel for the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United State ...

Hall of Fame, and on November 10 of that year, he was inducted into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame. He is a member, and past vice-president, of the National Motorsports Press Association.

Notable calls

February 15, 1998 – Joy was the lap-by-lap announcer for

' coverage of the Daytona 500, where he called Dale Earnhardt's win after his 20th attempt to win the Great American Race.

"20 years of trying, 20 years of frustration. Dale Earnhardt will come to the caution flag to win the Daytona 500! Finally, the most anticipated moment in racing! If
John Elway John Albert Elway Jr. (born June 28, 1960) is an American professional football executive and former quarterback who is the president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). Elway played college f ...
can win the Super Bowl, Dale Earnhardt said he can win the Daytona 500, and if he comes around under caution to complete this final lap, the taste of long awaited victory will be his. Checkered flag! Dale Earnhardt finally is a champion of the Daytona 500!"

March 16, 2003 – Joy was the lap-by-lap announcer for

's coverage of the

2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 The 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 was the fifth stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. It was held on March 16, 2003, before a crowd of 55,000, in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway. The 293-lap race, the 100th ...

, where Ricky Craven edged out

Kurt Busch Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978) is an American professional auto racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. He is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion and the ...

in the closest finish in NASCAR history at 0.002 seconds.

Analyst Darrell Waltrip: Watch this! Here he
raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
goes! Craven gets pthat high right next to that wall watch!
Analyst
Larry McReynolds Lawrence Joseph McReynolds III (born January 10, 1959) is a current NASCAR crew chief and current racing analyst on Fox Sports as well as a columnist on Foxsports.com. In the past, he has served as an advisor to Petty Enterprises, and as a mi ...
: Right there! Right in the middle!
Waltrip:
raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
Cuts down! He is gonna make it dow– Is he gonna get down under him?! That's not the way to do it I don't know! Come on baby! Come on!
McReynolds Side by side, 2 laps to go! Someone's gotta give getting into turn 1!
Joy: Nobody! Into the wall goes Busch!
Waltrip: That's not– That was not a very good idea!
McReynolds
usch Usch is a municipality in the Bitburg-Prüm, district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany. References
Bitburg-Prüm {{BitburgPrüm-geo-stub ...
Put the crossover move he got into him!
Joy: And here comes aveBlaney! Blaney is now the best car on the track!
Waltrip: Oh ho! Oh! Oh baby! I'm telling you Kurt Busch is not gonna give up the win!
McReynolds: No he's not! They'll be coming to the white flag this time Ricky Craven is not gonna give up either!
Waltrip: Come on Ricky!
McReynolds: He gets that run on the high side right there Kurt Busch has already used up everything with his race car!
Waltrip: Come on baby! Here he comes! Here we go again! He's going to wait on this! He's going to put the crossover on him! He realized that was not a good move that last time!
Joy: White flag!
Waltrip: Here he goes! He's gonna try to slide under him here come on baby!
Joy: And Blaney's coming!
McReynolds: Both these cars are driving terrible right now! Half a lap to go!
Waltrip: Nah! Nah, they're driving good! Come on baby you can do it at this end of the speedway come off of 4, and get up alongside of him!
Joy: Half a mile to go! (Craven looks to the inside of Busch)
Waltrip (over Joy): Here he comes! Here he comes!
McReynolds: Who gets off the corner better?!
Waltrip (over McReynolds): Here he comes! Here he comes he's got him this time!
McReynolds: It's going to be a drag race! (Both cars turn into each other)
Joy and Waltrip: WOW!
McReynolds: THEY TOUCH! THEY TOUCH! (cars cross the finish line)
Joy: CRAVEN!
McReyonalds: OH WOW!
Waltrip: CRAVEN! HE GOT HIM!
Waltrip: CRAVEN GOT HIM!
McReynalds: CRAVEN GOT HIM!
Joy: And–
Waltrip (interrupts Joy): CRAVEN! ALRIGHT! WHAT A FINISH!
Joy: HAVE YOU EVER?!
Waltrip: NO I'VE NEVER!
Joy: WOW!

February 18, 2007 – Joy was the lap-by-lap announcer for

's coverage of the 2007 Daytona 500, where

Kevin Harvick Kevin Michael Harvick (born December 8, 1975) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick is the 2014 Cup Series champio ...

made a last lap pass on

Mark Martin Mark Anthony Martin (born January 9, 1959) is a retired American stock car racing driver. He has the second most wins all time in what is now the Xfinity Series with 49. He scored 40 Cup Series wins. He finished second in the NASCAR Cup Series st ...

to win by 0.02 seconds in a photo finish. Joy's call of the final lap:

Joy: White flag, one lap to go!
Analyst
Larry McReynolds Lawrence Joseph McReynolds III (born January 10, 1959) is a current NASCAR crew chief and current racing analyst on Fox Sports as well as a columnist on Foxsports.com. In the past, he has served as an advisor to Petty Enterprises, and as a mi ...
: Front four ars single file.
Analyst Darrell Waltrip: Here they come, they got to go – they got to get Mark
artin Artin may refer to: * Artin (name), a surname and given name, including a list of people with the name ** Artin, a variant of Harutyun, an Armenian given name * 15378 Artin, a main-belt asteroid See also
{{disambiguation, surname ...
moved. They got to move him somehow.
McReynolds: He gets back to that yellow line right around the bottom, all the way through turns 1 and 2.
Waltrip:
Mark Martin Mark Anthony Martin (born January 9, 1959) is a retired American stock car racing driver. He has the second most wins all time in what is now the Xfinity Series with 49. He scored 40 Cup Series wins. He finished second in the NASCAR Cup Series st ...
is driving the race of his life. And there's nobody that's better at holding people off at Daytona.
Joy:
Kyle Busch Kyle Thomas Busch (born May 2, 1985) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing and part-t ...
lying back a little bit. Is he gonna get help? Is he gonna come? Is he looking? Almost- he almost squeezed Harvick into the wall, and here comes Harvick, the 29 arwith
Matt Kenseth Matthew Roy Kenseth (born March 10, 1972) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He drives the No. 8 car in the Superstar Racing Experience. (SRX) Kenseth started racing on several short tracks in Wisconsin and won track cha ...
!
Waltrip: Oh, Mark got loose. Mark got loose.
McReynolds: And Harvick's getting a run off turn 4! It's gonna be a drag race all the way back to the start-finish line! (
Kyle Busch Kyle Thomas Busch (born May 2, 1985) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing and part-t ...
spins off turn 4, causing multi-car wreck) No caution! They're side by side right to the line!
Joy: Big crash, here they come. Checkered flag. HARVICK!
McReynolds and Waltrip (over Joy): HARVICK!
Joy:
Kevin Harvick Kevin Michael Harvick (born December 8, 1975) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick is the 2014 Cup Series champio ...
wins the Daytona 500!
McReynolds: We got one car on his ROOF coming across the start-finish line, hat's
Clint Bowyer Clinton Edward Bowyer (born May 30, 1979) is an American former professional stock car racing driver and commentator for ''NASCAR on Fox''. He competed in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2005 to 2020, driving for Richard Childress Racing for eight yea ...
!
Waltrip (over McReynolds): They're still wrecking. They're still wrecking. They're wrecking everywhere. Bowyer's on fire.
Jeff Gordon Jeffery Michael Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, who is the Vice Chairman for Hendrick Motorsports. He raced full-time from 1993 to 2015, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick M ...
's wrecked.
McReynolds: And they are still wrecking.
Joy: Montoya, Stremme, Kenseth, Biffle,
Marlin Marlins are fish from the family Istiophoridae, which includes about 10 species. A marlin has an elongated body, a spear-like snout or bill, and a long, rigid dorsal fin which extends forward to form a crest. Its common name is thought to deri ...
,
Carl Edwards Carl Michael Edwards II (born August 15, 1979) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. Prior to that, he drove the No. 9 ...
,
Casey Mears Casey James Mears (born March 12, 1978) is an American professional off-road and stock car racing driver. He has raced in IndyCar, NASCAR's three national series including 15 seasons in the Cup Series, SCORE International, and the Stadium Super T ...
all crashed on the final lap. **pauses** Have you ever?!
Waltrip: Well, a couple of times.
McReynolds: I'ma repeat what I heard a few years ago, no I have never!

September 20, 2008 – Joy was the play-by-play announcer for Fox Sports's coverage of the game between the

and the

, where the Rays clinched the team's first playoff berth in franchise history. Joy's call of the final out:

"Fly ball, left field... CAUGHT! Bottom fishers no more! The Rays are going to the playoffs!"

February 20, 2011 – Joy was the lap-by-lap announcer for

's coverage of the 2011 Daytona 500, where

Trevor Bayne Trevor Mitchell Bayne (born February 19, 1991) is an American professional stock car racing driver, dirt racing driver, team owner, and businessman. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 18 Toyota Supra for Joe ...

pulled off an upset to score his first and only Cup victory of his career in his second Cup Series start.

Joy: They'll face the white flag when they come around to decide the 53rd Daytona 500! Rookie Trevor Bayne in his second Sprint Cup start will lead them to the white flag with
Bobby Labonte Robert Allen Labonte (born May 8, 1964) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver and current analyst for ''NASCAR on Fox''. He also currently competes full-time in the Superstar Racing Experience, driving the No. 18 car. ...
! Here comes
Kurt Busch Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978) is an American professional auto racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. He is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion and the ...
and Juan abloMontoya,
Carl Edwards Carl Michael Edwards II (born August 15, 1979) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. Prior to that, he drove the No. 9 ...
in 5th!
McReynolds: And we know that Kurt Busch and Montoya is going to make a move, DW when will they make it?!
Waltrip: I don't think they're gonna make it until turn 4 I mean we keep hearing about I'm a sitting duck when I'm leading this thing so I guess that's what makes the 21 ara sitting duck right now but... we'll see here that 22 arknows how to win from that position that's where he won the Bud Shootout from!
Joy: Edwards and Gilliland down to the inside trying to–
Waltrip (interrupts Joy): WHERE DID THAT 34 arCOME FROM?!
McReynolds: That's David Gilliland!
Joy: dwards and Gillilandtrying to spoil the party!
Waltrip: Oh my gosh!
McReynolds (over Waltrip): And he spoiled the party for Kurt Busch and Montoya and here they come through turn 4!
Joy: Gilliand, former pole-sitter of the 500! Edwards has room underneath! And now he pushes Trevor Bayne!
Waltrip: IT'S OVER!
Joy: CINDERELLA STORY!
Waltrip: BAYNE IS GOING TO WIN THE DAYTONA 500!
McReynalds: HE DID IT!
Joy: BAYNE WINS IT! UNBELIEVEABLE!
Waltrip: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TREVOR BAYNE 20 YEARS OLD! AHHH HA HAAA!

April 17, 2011 – Joy was the lap-by-lap announcer for

's coverage of the

2011 Aaron's 499 The 2011 Aaron's 499 was the eighth race of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season out of thirty six total races. The race was held on April 17 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. Jeff Gordon won his 70th pole position, leading ...

, where

Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American professional auto racing driver. A seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, he competes part-time in the series driving for Petty GMS Motorsports. Johnson's seven Cup championships, ...

beat

and

in a three-wide finish and in a tie for the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history at 0.002 seconds.

Joy: But they (Clint Bowyer and
Kevin Harvick Kevin Michael Harvick (born December 8, 1975) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick is the 2014 Cup Series champio ...
) can't clear the Fords (
Carl Edwards Carl Michael Edwards II (born August 15, 1979) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. Prior to that, he drove the No. 9 ...
and
Greg Biffle Gregory Jack Biffle (born December 23, 1969) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 44 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for NY Racing Team and full-time in the ...
) and protect the bottom because Edwards comes storming back on the inside!
Waltrip: Well, what else it does it opens the door for these two cats (Jeff Gordon and
Mark Martin Mark Anthony Martin (born January 9, 1959) is a retired American stock car racing driver. He has the second most wins all time in what is now the Xfinity Series with 49. He scored 40 Cup Series wins. He finished second in the NASCAR Cup Series st ...
) right here who have timed it out pretty darn good coming to the white flag!
McReynolds: And here comes their teammates as well, Johnson and Earnhardt Jr.! White flag this time!
Waltrip: Those have been the two best cars right ormost of this race they're just now showing it!
Joy: The last lap has waived as they started up front and leads it orJeff Gordon!
Waltrip: But here comes the next two pair (Bowyer and Harvick) that these two cats right here may have timed it out too! Lets see what happens down the back!
Joy: Now they will get a draft off Mark Martin! And here's the slingshot to the outside!
Waltrip: 'Stay together' that's what their saying 'stay together! Push push push!' It's going to get tight down here in turn three!
Joy: And don't forget Jimmie Johnson and Dale Jr. fifth and sixth they are there! Which group will they go with and will it help any of those cars or will it help to get Jeff Gordon to victory lane?!
Waltrip (over Joy): Here they come!
McReynolds: All bets are off sthey get to the middle of the tri-oval! (Johnson and Earnhardt Jr. look inside)
Waltrip: Watch out down low! They got a run!
Joy (over Waltrip): Way down comes Johnson!
Waltrip: Good run boys!
Joy: HE'S GOT ROOM! THEY'RE THREE-WIDE! THREE BY THREE TO THE LINE! (cars cross the finish line)
Waltrip: JOHNSON!
Joy: MAYBE JIMMIE JOHNSON!
Waltrip: I believe he got him by an inch!
McReynolds: TWO ONE THOUSANDS OF A SECOND! HE BEAT BOWYER!
Waltrip: Okay a sixteenth of an inch!
Joy: Have you ever?!
Waltrip: Oh man!
Joy: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
Waltrip: Oh man!
McReyonlds: No we have never!
Waltrip: I have never seen anything like that!

May 5, 2013 – Joy was the lap-by-lap announcer for

's coverage of the

Aaron's 499 The GEICO 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. The race is usually held in April or May. The 1997 event stands as the fastest NASCAR race to date ever run with an average speed of ...

, where

David Ragan David Lee Ragan (born December 24, 1985) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 15 Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing, and is also an analyst for NASCAR on Fox ...

pulled off to win on a last lap pass. Joy's call of the final lap:

Joy: (Jimmie) Johnson looked high, (Matt) Kenseth to draft with Edwards. Johnson to the bottom, (Aric) Almirola to the top!
Waltrip: Man, Matt got shuffled out again!
Joy: Jimmie Johnson with
Carl Edwards Carl Michael Edwards II (born August 15, 1979) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. Prior to that, he drove the No. 9 ...
, but Kenseth up the middle coming back! Help from David Ragan! Up to the bumper of Carl Edwards! Ragan in the middle, his teammate (David) Gilliland is the pusher. They're right on the bumper of Edwards... is there anywhere to go? Ragan to the bottom, Gilliland with him!
Waltrip (over Joy): Look at Ragan!
Joy: David Ragan, July winner at Daytona couple of years ago, Gilliland with him! Edwards up top! Michael Waltrip to help, and here they come off turn 4!
Waltrip: Push boys, push! Push hard!
Joy: Edwards high, Ragan comes up, covers the spot.
Waltrip (over Joy): Gilliland! Gilliland has got him! He's got him!
Joy: Ragan and Gilliland! Front Row Racing is going to victory lane at Talladega! Ragan first, Gilliland second! How about that!

June 26, 2016 – Joy was the lap-by-lap announcer for

's coverage of the 2016 Toyota/Save Mart 350, where

won his final career race in a tight last lap against

Denny Hamlin James Dennis Alan Hamlin (born November 18, 1980) is an American professional stock car racing driver and NASCAR team owner. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 11 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. He co-owns and ope ...

Joy: And the white flag waves! One apto go sponsored by
Credit One Bank Credit One Bank, N.A. is an American bank and financial services company specializing in credit cards, particularly for borrowers with low credit scores. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Credit One Financial, incorporated in Nevada. Credit ...
.
Analyst
Jeff Gordon Jeffery Michael Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, who is the Vice Chairman for Hendrick Motorsports. He raced full-time from 1993 to 2015, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick M ...
: Well this is the closest Hamlin's been in a few laps.
Waltrip: I tell you I think Hamlin's going to– He's going to pounce if he's got anything! Tony better not do what he did into
urn An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape or ...
seven this time or he's in trouble. **pauses** He's working him.
Joy: Not close enough.
Waltrip: Nope. Tony is right where he needs to be man.
Gordon: Let's see if he can make a gain. It's all about getting off this corner. He gets in there good. Oh! He missed a little bit. He is trying to make a run. (Hamlin looks inside of Tony) Uh oh. Oh! He wheel hopped and he's gonna get there!
Waltrip: Hamlin is there!
Gordon: He hit him! (Hamlin passes Stewart)
Waltrip: Ahh he got him!
Joy: Oh no!
Waltrip: Oh no! No!
Joy: It's not over!
Gordon: Denny got in there and wheel hopped. I don't think he meant for that to happen but Denny made contact with Tony. I think Tony was also loose getting in there.
Waltrip: Well that is what happened to Tony the lap before you know when he got loose getting into seven and that allowed Hamlin to close up.
Gordon: Hey, this thing's not over guys! Watch what happens into turn 11 in this heavy braking zone!
Joy: Two more corners! Hamlin trying to pull away!
Gordon: Let's see if he's close enough!
Waltrip: I think Tony used up his stuff. I mean we knew he was having issues with the car.
Joy: Here we go! (Stewart looks to the inside of Hamlin)
Gordon: Oh! Oh! Oh! Look at this! Oh!
Joy: Stewart inside! HE IS THERE! HE GETS HAMLIN! THEY HIT! (Stewart passes Hamlin)
Gordon: WOAH!
Joy: AND STEWART COMES OFF TURN 11!
Waltrip: LOOK AT THIS! WOOOOO HO HO HO!
Joy: AND HE'S COMING TO THE FLAG! TONY STEWART WINS!
Gordon: HOW DID HE DO THAT?!
Waltrip: HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! HA HA HAAA!
Gordon: Oh my goodness!

Terminology

Silly Season: Joy brought the term to NASCAR during his MRN radio days. " Henry N. Manney used the term frequently in ''

Road & Track ''Road & Track'' (stylized as ''R&T'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. It is owned by Hearst Magazines and is published 6 times per year. The editorial offices are located in New York, New York. History ''Road & Track'' (often ab ...

'' to describe the early fall, when there is rampant rumor and speculation about driver/team pairings for the following Formula 1 season. I borrowed it for our broadcasts," Joy said. As the radio feed was carried in each track's press box, writers quickly adopted the term. Vortex Theory: Joy's unproven theory whereby a large group of high-powered race cars circulating an oval track create a rising column of hot air, which repels rain-producing cloud formations. Though debunked repeatedly by meteorologists and scientists, anecdotal evidence abounds where rain would begin just after a race ended or was slowed by a caution flag. Joy first promoted this "theory" on race telecasts in the 1990s. When he aired it on

FOX Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

in 2001, broadcast partner Darrell Waltrip championed its cause. Waltrip popularized Vortex Theory on air to the extent that many drivers and fans think DW invented it. Though still scientifically unproven, evidence to support it continues to build.

Personal life

Joy resides near Winston-Salem,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

with his wife Gaye. They have a son and daughter in college. He restores vintage MGs, and retains his New England roots as CEO and equity partner in New England Racing Fuel Inc., distributor of

Sunoco Sunoco LP is an American master limited partnership organized under Delaware state laws and headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that is a wholesale distributor of motor fuels. It distributes fuel to more than 5,500 Sunoco-branded gas stations, ...

Race Fuels. Joy is an accomplished sports car racer, winning races at Lime Rock, Pocono, Watkins Glen, and New Hampshire, and has competed in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, America's premier endurance race. Joy is well known as TV host of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. In August 2012, his drive in Historic Trans-Am at Laguna Seca was awarded the Bonham's Cup, and in September 2013, he won an Historic Trans-Am race at Lime Rock. He previously developed special events advertising for GM's Pontiac Motor Division, including auto racing and a

Hall & Oates Daryl Hall and John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, are an American pop rock duo formed in Philadelphia in 1970. Daryl Hall is generally the lead vocalist; John Oates primarily plays electric guitar and provides backing vocals. The two ...

rock tour, and managed and promoted a major auto racing facility,

Lime Rock Park Lime Rock Park is a natural-terrain motorsport road racing venue located in Lakeville, Connecticut, United States, a hamlet in the town of Salisbury, in the state's northwest corner. Built in 1956, it is the nation's third oldest continuously ope ...

. Joy was elected to four two-year terms on the

town council, where his committee was responsible for health, public safety and environmental issues for Windsor's 28,000 residents.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joy, Mike 1949 births American television reporters and correspondents Emerson College alumni Living people University of Hartford alumni Motorsport announcers People from Chicago Olympic Games broadcasters College basketball announcers in the United States College football announcers Major League Baseball broadcasters IMSA GT Championship drivers 24 Hours of Daytona drivers Sportspeople from Hartford, Connecticut NASCAR people Racing drivers from Connecticut American radio sports announcers American television sports announcers Connecticut city council members