Fox Sports will be looking to give racing fans another reason to watch NASCAR Xfinity Series races this year – a rotation of top Sprint Cup drivers as a guest analyst in the broadcast booth. We’ve seen several drivers work the odd Saturday race here and there over the years, but this represents a dedicated effort from Fox. The list of drivers includes current series champion Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer, the retiring Jeff Gordon, and in a bit of history – Danica Patrick.
According to NASCAR.com, Patrick will be the first woman to call a NASCAR race on television from the booth as a race analyst when she calls the Xfinity race at Michigan in June:
Danica Patrick will be an analyst on the FOX Sports 1 telecast of the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, June 13.
According to FOX, Patrick is believed to be the first woman to announce a NASCAR race from the broadcast booth.
Patrick joins fellow Stewart-Haas Racing teammate and defending Sprint Cup Series champion, Kevin Harvick, as well as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski as analysts on XFINITY races this season alongside play-by-play announcer Adam Alexander and analyst Michael Waltrip.
FOX and FOX Sports 1 will televise the first 14 races of the XFINITY season in the first season of a new 10-year agreement to cover the series “Where Names Are Made.”
This is a very smart move by Fox in their first year covering the Xfinity series. After several years as an ESPN exclusive property, the series will follow the Cup schedule and split time between Fox and NBC. NASCAR’s “B” series can use every bell and whistle possible to draw viewers and although Patrick hasn’t produced much on the track, she’s still a ratings draw. And for all these drivers, it’s beneficial to step into the broadcast booth if there’s any interest on pursuing announcing as a second career.
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