NASCAR: Who is the new Daytona 500 announcer for 2024?

The last time the Fox Sports broadcast booth had three full-time announcers was during their portion of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series broadcast schedule, after Clint Bowyer retired from driving and joined lead announcer Mike Joy and analyst Jeff Gordon.

But Gordon left after the 2021 season to focus on his new role as Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, leaving Fox Sports with just Joy and Bowyer in 2022.

While they could have opted to roll with just two announcers, just as they did in 2020 following Darrell Waltrip's retirement, they instead kept the third spot open for a rotating cast of individuals, many of whom former drivers.

When they opted to take the same approach for 2023, it became clear that their ultimate goal was to land Kevin Harvick. Harvick had long been linked to a broadcasting career following his legendary driving career, and Fox refraining from committing to a third full-time announcer kept that door open.

Harvick did indeed decide to retire after the 2023 season, bringing an end to an illustrious 23-year career which saw him win 60 races (10th most all-time) and a championship, and he was subsequently confirmed as the third member of the Fox Sports broadcast booth for 2024 and beyond.

This Sunday afternoon's Daytona 500 is set to mark Kevin Harvick's first NASCAR Cup Series points race as a Fox Sports announcer.

For the fans who tuned into the Busch Light Clash preseason exhibition race at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum two weekends ago, this isn't a change, as Harvick technically made his Fox Sports debut with Joy and Bowyer during that race.

But now the real season is set to get underway with the "Great American Race" at what is a once again sold-out Daytona International Speedway this Sunday afternoon.

While they do have three full-time announcers again for the first time in three years, Fox have not ruled out bringing in special guests to the booth from time to time throughout their portion of this year's broadcast schedule, which runs from now until the race at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, June 9 before NBC takes over in what is the final season of the current media rights deal.

Tune in to Fox at 2:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, February 18 for the live broadcast of the 66th annual Daytona 500 from Daytona International Speedway, though do keep an eye out for a potential schedule change due to weather. If you have not yet started a free trial of FuboTV, do so today!