NASCAR: Who is replacing Tony Stewart?

Tony Stewart returned to the Fox booth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas. Who is replacing him this weekend?

It didn’t take long for three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart to find himself back in the Fox NASCAR booth alongside lead announcer Mike Joy and analyst Clint Bowyer.

Stewart was the first individual to fill the third seat, which was vacated by four-time champion Jeff Gordon after the 2021 season, this year, and he did so for two races.

Stewart served as an analyst alongside Joy and Bowyer for the unofficial season-opening Busch Light Clash exhibition race at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum back in early February, and he returned two weeks later for the official season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

For the following race at Auto Club Speedway, it was 2003 champion Matt Kenseth in the booth. For the next two races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway, it was Danica Patrick.

Then at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Gordon, who left his full-time role in the booth after six seasons once Fox wrapped up their portion of last year’s schedule, returned for a race.

But Stewart was back for this past Sunday’s race at Circuit of the Americas.

This time, however, his stint lasted only for one race. Who will be replacing him for this coming Sunday’s race at Richmond Raceway?

Seven-time champion crew chief Chad Knaus, who now serves as the Vice President of Competition at Hendrick Motorsports, is set to join Joy and Bowyer in the booth for Sunday afternoon’s Toyota Owners 400, which is set to be broadcast live on Fox from Richmond Raceway beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET.

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And Knaus hasn’t been confirmed in the booth for just one race. He is also set to join the full-time duo for the following weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway. This race, the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500, is set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 9.

Knaus is set to become the fifth individual to join Joy and Bowyer in the booth this season in what is the fourth straight season with a different looking booth.

After 2019, three-time champion Darrell Waltrip retired, leaving just Joy and Gordon for 2020. Bowyer joined the duo in 2021 before Gordon’s departure.