NASCAR: Surprise Tony Stewart replacement confirmed

Following Tony Stewart’s fourth appearance of the year, Kurt Busch is set to join the Fox Sports broadcast booth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas, and he is set to be joined with Guenther Steiner.

It’s not often you have a Formula 1 driver competing in a NASCAR Cup Series race, but it did happen a few times during the 2022 season, and it is set to happen again on Sunday at Circuit of the Americas.

Even less often, there are multiple Formula 1 drivers competing in a NASCAR Cup Series race. That also happened during the 2022 season, and it is also set to happen again on Sunday at Circuit of the Americas, with Kimi Raikkonen driving for Trackhouse Racing Team and Jenson Button making his Cup Series debut with Rick Ware Racing.

But how often do you have a Formula 1 team principal in the Fox Sports broadcast booth calling a NASCAR Cup Series race?

That is also set to take place on Sunday at Circuit of the Americas.

Both 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kurt Busch and Haas Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner are set to join the booth for this race.

Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix marks the first time that Fox have brought in two guest analysts, not just one, to join the full-time duo of lead announcer Mike Joy and analyst Clint Bowyer this year. Additionally, Chase Elliott is set to join remotely, as he is currently sidelined from competition with a fractured left tibia.

Tony Stewart has been in the booth four times this year, including for the Busch Light Clash preseason exhibition race at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, while Danica Patrick has joined the pair for two.

Stewart was in the booth this past Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway following appearances by Patrick at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway. He also opened up the season in the booth for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and then for the following race at Auto Club Speedway.

Nobody has been announced by Fox yet for next Sunday afternoon’s race at Richmond Raceway, though it likely won’t be Stewart, as he is already signed up for three more races after that.

Stewart is set to return for the dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Easter Sunday, April 9, the race at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, April 23 and the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 28.

Beginning next year, Fox is set to go back to having three full-time announcers, with Kevin Harvick having confirmed his plans to join the team after retiring from full-time Cup Series competition at the end of the 2023 season.

They haven’t had three full-time announcers since 2021, which was Jeff Gordon’s sixth and final year before he left to focus on his then-new role as Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports.

The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix is set to be broadcast live on Fox from Circuit of the Americas beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, March 26. Start a free trial of FuboTV today and don’t miss it!