- FOX NASCAR lead announcer Mike Joy will serve as honorary starter for Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway.
- Despite 57 years in motorsports, Joy has never previously waved the green flag for a NASCAR Cup Series race.
DOVER, Del. (May 12, 2026) — Legendary FOX Sports broadcaster Mike Joy will add another milestone to his celebrated motorsports career this weekend at Dover Motor Speedway, serving as the honorary starter by waving the green flag for Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at The Monster Mile.
The moment carries special meaning for Joy, who grew up in the Northeast and has spent decades calling races at many of the region’s most historic tracks. Despite more than five decades in motorsports broadcasting, Joy has never before served as the honorary starter for a NASCAR Cup Series race.
“It’s hard to imagine someone more connected to the history and growth of NASCAR broadcasting than Mike Joy,” said Mike Tatoian, president and general manager of Dover Motor Speedway. “For him to wave the green flag for the first time at Dover, while also calling the race for FOX Sports, makes this an incredibly fitting and memorable moment for both Mike and our fans.”
Joy is in his 26th consecutive season as lead race announcer for FOX NASCAR and has served as the network’s lead play-by-play voice since FOX became a NASCAR broadcast partner in 2001. Across a broadcasting career spanning 57 years, Joy has covered nearly every major form of American motorsports on television and radio, including 47 Daytona 500s.
Born in Chicago and raised in Connecticut, Joy’s roots in the Northeast helped shape a lifelong passion for racing. His career began in 1970 as a public address announcer at Riverside Park Speedway in Massachusetts while attending college in New England.
In addition to his broadcasting accomplishments, Joy is a recipient of numerous industry honors, including the National Motorsports Press Association’s Myers Brothers Award, the Henry T. McLemore Motorsports Journalism Award and the Jim Hunter Memorial Media Award. He was inducted into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame in 2019.
Joy will continue his normal role as FOX Sports’ play-by-play announcer during Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race broadcast after waving the green flag to officially start the event.
The NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway is scheduled for Sunday, May 17. Coverage begins at 1 p.m. on FS1.
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