Clint Bowyer has always had a knack for broadcasting. Fox would have Bowyer on commentary in select races and he would be informative and have the ability to insert some humor throughout a broadcast. Many figured when Darrell Waltrip retired last year, Bowyer would be on the top of Fox’s list to complete the three-man booth with Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon but Bowyer was still driving and wasn’t yet ready to have a post-racing career.
It turned out that day has come as Bowyer announced he is going to retire from full-time racing to go into the Fox NASCAR booth. In a statement posted on his Twitter page, Bowyer thanked everyone who helped him throughout his racing career as he trades in his helmet for a headset for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.
— Clint Bowyer (@ClintBowyer) October 8, 2020
Bowyer began his NASCAR career in 2004 driving for Richard Childress. Entering full-time Cup competition two years later, Bowyer put together a very solid career, scoring 10 wins and a career-best second place points finish in 2012. Currently driving for Stewart-Haas Racing since 2017, Bowyer will step aside for what will likely be Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas’ Xfinity Series driver who is one of the favorites to win this year’s championship.
The transition from driver to broadcaster should be rather seamless for Bowyer. One great thing Fox does is their annual “Drivers Only” broadcast where the Fox on-air crew coaches current NASCAR drivers as they take control of an Xfinity race broadcast. Obviously, that couldn’t be done this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic but it’s a learning experience for drivers to gain a better perspective of what the media encounters and gives them something to consider if they want to go into broadcasting after they retire. Bowyer was a fixture both there and on Fox’s iRacing broadcasts earlier this year and was a popular figure on the broadcast when he took part. Now, as Bowyer’s racing career winds down, fans will miss him being on the track but will be glad he’ll be in the booth for the first half of the season.
[Photo: Stewart-Haas Racing]
About Phillip Bupp
Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.
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