Fox Sports has set its broadcast lineup for the first event of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.
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According to a press release, the booth will remain unchanged in 2026. Mike Joy will return to play-by-play duties as he kicks off his 26th year with Fox Sports. Clint Bowyer will return for his sixth season as an analyst while Kevin Harvick will return for his third season in the booth.
Former Daytona 500 champion crew chief Larry McReynolds, the rules and strategy analyst, will also be back to kick off his 26th season.
The pit reporter lineup will feature two veteran figures providing updates. Jamie Little will continue to roam pit road as she starts her 12th season with the network. Former Southern 500 winner Regan Smith will also be back on pit road to start his ninth season with the network.
The Fox Sports pre-race show will once again feature veteran broadcaster Chris Myers. Former Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray will join him. The pre-race show will also have Little, Harvick, Bowyer, and Smith.
Tony Rivera will lead play-by-play coverage for the Spanish-language broadcast on Fox Deportes. Emmy Award winner Jessi Losada will join as an analyst for the exhibition event.
The NASCAR Cup Series season unofficially begins on Feb. 1 with the Clash. It then officially begins two weeks later with Speedweeks and the Daytona 500 (Feb. 15 at 2:30 p.m. ET on Fox).
No big changes for the Clash this season. Five cars from each heat race, two from the Last Chance Qualifier, and the highest points finisher from 2025 who doesn’t have a spot in the main event. pic.twitter.com/mPqHoFJZAE
— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) January 21, 2026
This exhibition event at Bowman Gray Stadium is a warm-up for Cup Series teams and drivers as they get back into racing mode. It holds a similar role for the Fox Sports crew members, who will provide coverage of multiple on-track sessions at the North Carolina short track.
The weekend's broadcast will start on Saturday, Jan. 31, with Cup Series qualifying at 6 p.m. ET (FS1). It will continue at 8:30 p.m. with the four, 25-lap heat races (FS1).
The schedule continues on Sunday, Feb. 1, with the Last Chance Qualifying race at 6 p.m. ET (Fox). This will determine the final drivers who will move on to the main event. The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium will then begin at 8 p.m. on Fox and Fox Deportes.
