NASCAR: Mike Joy’s ‘Kurt Haas’ blunder sets Twitter ablaze
By Asher Fair
FOX NASCAR Cup Series race broadcaster Mike Joy mistakenly referred to Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kurt Busch as Kurt Haas, setting Twitter ablaze.
As 19-year NASCAR Cup Series veteran Kurt Busch, 38, held a lead of over one second in the 2018 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia this past Sunday, Mike Joy, the lap-by-lap voice of FOX’s NASCAR coverage, made a blunder that set Twitter ablaze.
Busch was just about to complete the 184th lap of the 325-lap race, the second race of the 2018 season, around the four-turn, 1.54-mile D-shaped oval near the beginning of the third and final stage of the race.
It was at that moment when Joy made the call that got people talking.
Joy essentially combined Kurt Busch’s name with Busch’s team’s name, which is Stewart-Haas Racing, as Busch made his way down the front stretch in his #41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.
"“Kurt Haas has now led more laps today than in the last 20 races on all mile and a half tracks combined!”"
Mike Joy on Fox changed @KurtBusch name to Kurt Haas. pic.twitter.com/p05hjwTSQR
— Scott Crawford (@ScottCrawfordKS) February 25, 2018
Here are some of the comments tweeted by NASCAR fans as a result of Joy referring to Kurt Busch as Kurt Haas.
Who or what is "Kurt Haas" ?
— Jim Utter (@jim_utter) February 25, 2018
Kurt Haas? Really, @mikejoy500?
— Justin (@ncraiderfan147) February 25, 2018
I mean, to be fair, he's only been in the Cup Series since 2000
— Justin (@ncraiderfan147) February 25, 2018
Apparently Gene Haas just went ahead and adopted Kurt Busch because Mike Joy just changed his name to Kurt Haas.
— Richard Allen/MotorsportsReport (@RichardAllenMSR) February 25, 2018
So Alex Bowman is apparently a rookie and the driver of the #41 is now Kurt Haas.
— Josh Shinn (@SlicedSmoke14) February 25, 2018
Kurt Haas is the Ryan Truex Jr. of Atlanta.
— Lori MacKellar 🌴 (@lorimackellar) February 25, 2018
This is Kurt Haas pic.twitter.com/rrqAAuYr0u
— Brendan 🇺🇸🏁 (@BrendanKeeler19) February 25, 2018
#NASCAR Kurt Haas. No relation to Moose Haas or Mule Haas or Jay Haas or Bill Haas.
— Monte Dutton (@MonteDutton) February 25, 2018
I didn't know Gene Haas had a son named Kurt. Did you? #NASCAR #FoHQT500
— Kobe Lambeth (@KobeLambeth) February 25, 2018
Did Mike Joy really just call the driver of the 41 car "Kurt Haas?" #NASCAR #FoHQT500
— Tucker White (@TuckerWhite94) February 25, 2018
Wow!!!!!!!! Mike Joy just called Kurt Busch Kurt Haas😂😂😂😂😂😂
— Christian Carver (@cc49ers) February 25, 2018
This Facebook meme also made the rounds on social media.
Posted by Nascar Most Wanted Memes on Sunday, February 25, 2018
Joy, however, took no offense to these remarks and was rather friendly about his blunder after the fact.
When you're in 3 conversations at once, boothmates/production/viewers slip-ups occasionally happen.
— Mike Joy (@mikejoy500) February 26, 2018
“@ncraiderfan17: Kurt Haas? Really?”
Thanks for the kind thought, but you were right the first time. https://t.co/tok1kKwKtx
— Mike Joy (@mikejoy500) February 26, 2018
Please… don’t light up @ncraiderfan17 for pointing out my mashup of @KurtBusch /Gene Haas. #NoOffenseTaken. Like Connie wrote… https://t.co/iStJvyZwYA
— Mike Joy (@mikejoy500) February 26, 2018
Joy made an attempt to correct his blunder several laps later during the race. However, in an attempt to reference Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Gene Haas, he accidentally referenced the late Carl Haas, which made things worse and also drew lots of attention on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/BrendanKeeler78/status/967907734652727297
That Carl Haas car was fast!
— Jack Didinger (@JackDidinger) February 26, 2018
Then he called him Carl Haas! pic.twitter.com/W0j7Q4SCKi
— Matt Frederick (@racedayeveryday) February 26, 2018
Update, Carl Haas now.
— Joe Selby (@nascarfan999) February 25, 2018
BLAME CARL HAAS!!!! #nascarfoxsports
— Samurai Batman (@batmaaaannnn) February 25, 2018
"Carl Haas, not Kurt Haas"
— Dark Side of the Mearn (@mearn) February 25, 2018
However, again, Joy took no offense to these remarks.
So did we… he owned an Indy car team with Paul Newman.
— Mike Joy (@mikejoy500) February 26, 2018
“@BrendanKeeler78: funny story, I actively know a gentleman named Carl Haas 😂”
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Kurt Busch ended up leading 52 of the race’s 325 laps en route to a season-high 8th place finish. Mike Joy and the rest of the FOX NASCAR broadcast crew, including Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon, Michael Waltrip and Larry McReynolds, are set to be back in action this Sunday, March 4th with the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada.
That race, which is the third race of 36 races on the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season schedule and the third race of 16 that are set to be broadcast on either FOX or Fox Sports 1, is set to be broadcast live at 3:30 pm ET. It is scheduled for 267 laps around the 1.5-mile tri-oval.
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FOX and Fox Sports 1’s coverage of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season is set to run through the 16th of the season’s 36 races at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, June 24th before NBC and NBC Sports take over the broadcasting duties of the sport for the race of the season.