Last year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn’t hold back. After leaving the NBC broadcast booth, he was watching the Ambetter Health 400 from home. While the on-track action was pretty intense, something held off his excitement, and he jumped on X with frustration. “The camera shots are too tight. Can’t see everything,” he posted. He grew tired of FOX’s tunnel vision during broadcasts, as the cameras ignored the action and focused only on the leaders. Daniel Suarez had just edged out Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch by inches, but fans missed half of it. Earnhardt wasn’t the only one upset.
Richard Petty, the King himself, echoed similar concerns. At Darlington, Petty joined the FOX booth during Stage 2. He didn’t sugarcoat his thoughts. “It’s been interesting watching y’all try to operate up here. The big deal is, when I’m sitting here and see what I see on the TV and the race is really back about 15th or 20th. Them guys, they drive their fanny off every lap. I mean, they’re really racing back there, but you know, if you’re here you can see that. You can’t see it on TV,” he said sharply. It wasn’t the first time he had called FOX out. The previous year, he slammed them: “I don’t know what race you guys are watching.” Petty emphasized how the real racing often happens mid-pack, around 15th to 20th. FOX just wasn’t showing it. Fans agreed. Social media lit up with complaints, year after year.
Now, fast forward to this weekend. As Dale Earnhardt Jr. returned to the booth for the CARS Tour at North Wilkesboro Speedway, something special happened. Fans took notice immediately. The chemistry was real. The cameras captured the action with sharper precision. The energy surged. Junior returned to the booth—this time flanked by Kevin Harvick and Eric Brennan, and the broadcast didn’t just improve; it soared. Dale Jr. and his team delivered the performance Fox should have been producing all along, and fans took notice.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s return to the broadcast booth lit a fire under NASCAR coverage. Alongside Kevin Harvick and play-by-play pro Eric Brennan, Junior brought sharp insight, real-time energy, and a refreshing honesty that fans craved. The booth wasn’t just analysing, it was alive. On Friday night at North Wilkesboro, fans witnessed what a real racing broadcast should feel like. Junior caught incidents the camera missed. When Donovan Strauss got into the wall, he pushed the crew to follow the story unfolding in the back.
He said, “Oh, we got a car in the wall… He’s on the wall again off of Turn 4… and he’s gonna spin around here on the front straightaway.” The cameras took 20 full seconds to respond. That gap told a bigger story. Dale Jr. knew how to call the action, even when the production team lagged behind. One fan summed it up best on social media, writing, “I’ll throw in that I love the focus on battles all through the pack. Not just focused on stars and the front.”
Had a blast last night with @KevinHarvick and @Ebrennan45 calling the @CARSTour Pro Lates on @FloRacing
We get to do it all over again tonight for the Late Model Stocks. A massive field. Highly competitive. All on @FloRacing OR @FS1 tonight. https://t.co/XMI2IRVHkP
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) May 16, 2025
The CARS Tour coverage zoomed in on underdog fights, middle-pack scrambles, and late-race surges. The broadcast showed viewers exactly what happened—no one was left wondering. And that fan wasn’t alone. Dozens echoed similar thoughts online. Compared to typical Sunday Cup broadcasts, this felt more connected to the race and more connected to the fans. Statistically, the broadcast ticked every box fan had been begging for: fewer commercial interruptions during green-flag runs, cameras following action outside the top ten, and announcers actually calling the race instead of cracking jokes.
Notably, Dale Earnhardt Jr and Harvick weren’t just there to analyze. They were having fun. The two Cup legends go way back. Now, they share ownership of the CARS Tour and a passion for bringing short-track racing back into the spotlight. After the race, they shared smiles and gratitude. After Thursday’s show, Dale Jr said, “Had a blast last night with Kevin Harvick and @Ebrennan45 calling the @CARSTour Pro Late on @FloRacing. We get to do it all over again tonight for the Late Model Stocks. A massive field. Highly competitive.”
Meanwhile, for Harvick, it was also personal. He got to call his son Keelan’s debut race, who finished 3rd at the iconic venue. And for Dale Jr., it was a welcome warm-up before his return to the national scene with Amazon and TNT later this year. Fans will see a lot more of Earnhardt in the booth soon. After a break from NBC, he’ll cover 10 NASCAR races in 2025 for Amazon Prime and TNT. But based on this weekend’s show, Junior isn’t rusty at all. He’s sharper than ever. He said on his podcast, “I’ve missed it. I’ve missed it a lot.” That love for the sport shows every time he’s on the mic. He’s back, and he’s only just getting started.
Fans brace themselves for Dale Earnhardt Jr’s broadcast return!
NASCAR fans are not shy when something isn’t right. But when something is right, they’ll tell you loud and clear, and this weekend’s CARS Tour broadcast was a hit. One fan called out a standout performer: “Eric Brennan has got to be the future of the NASCAR on FOX broadcast. You could pull him into the truck broadcast tomorrow, and every issue would be fixed.” That says a lot. Fans still respect Mike Joy, but Brennan brought a new energy, more clarity, more flow, and no fluff. The buzz now? Some want Brennan to be the next face of NASCAR commentary.
Harvick and Junior made a big impact, too. “Harvick working with Junior instead of Bowyer is a massive upgrade,” one fan said. It’s true. Their chemistry felt real. No forced jokes. No awkward moments. Just two veterans talking racing like fans want to hear it. More importantly, for this fan, Bowyer’s moment of confusion between Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch was too significant to ignore. And the CARS Tour cars? They put on a show, better than recent Cup short track races. The biggest celebration for fans was no commercials during the green flag runs. “The ads never happened in green flag conditions, which was by far the best part,” a user posted.
That’s huge. FOX has a habit of cutting to commercial mid-action. Here, fans got full laps, full stories, and full context. That attention to detail makes a huge difference. In short, fans want more. “Great booth. Plus, the broadcast showed battles throughout the field,” another viewer posted. This wasn’t just a race, it was a reminder. With the right people in place, NASCAR broadcasting can still be exciting, smart, and fan-first. Dale Jr. didn’t just return; he raised the bar.
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