Danica Patrick Sets Date for Next NASCAR Appearance

Danica Patrick

Getty Danica Patrick will join the FOX booth for two races.

The FOX booth will have a former Daytona 500 pole-winner as a special guest for two NASCAR Cup Series races. Danica Patrick will join forces with Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer for the final two races of the west coast swing.

FOX Sports broke the news during the Daytona 500 pre-race show, with Chris Myers confirming that Patrick will serve as a special guest analyst for two races. The former Stewart-Haas Racing driver will first head to the FOX booth for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 6. She will make her return the following week for the Ruoff Mortgage 500 at Phoenix Raceway on March 13.

The two-race schedule will serve as a reunion between Patrick and Bowyer. They previously worked together as teammates at SHR during the 2017 Cup Series season, but now they will join forces to help provide analysis as the top drivers battle for the victory at the two-mile track.

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Patrick and Bowyer have also showcased their on-air chemistry in the past, albeit in a different format. The former driver of the No. 14 SHR Ford Mustang appeared on Patrick’s “Pretty Intense Podcast” on December 23, 2021, so they could discuss their respective careers and their time together. Bowyer used the opportunity to talk about how he appreciated Patrick’s level of competitiveness and how she used to get “supersonic pissed off” during races.


Patrick Has Extensive Experience Working as an Analyst

Danica Patrick

GettyDanica Patrick (right) has extensive experience covering motorsports events.

The former IndyCar and NASCAR driver has a considerable amount of experience working as an analyst during high-profile races. Her run includes work with both NBC Sports and FOX Sports.

Patrick made her NASCAR in-booth debut while she was still competing. She served as a guest analyst for an Xfinity Series race at Michigan International Speedway in 2015, following Kevin Harvick who worked the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway. Patrick has also served as an analyst for Xfinity Series races at Pocono Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway.

Along with her NASCAR coverage, Patrick served as a studio analyst for multiple Indy 500s. She joined NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico and previewed the “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” for two consecutive years.


Patrick Will Follow 2 Other Special Guests

FOX Sports had the opportunity to find a permanent replacement for Jeff Gordon when he moved over to Hendrick Motorsports on a full-time basis after the 2021 season. However, the broadcaster opted to take a unique approach and focus on special guests.

The first two races — the Busch Light Clash and the Daytona 500 — featured Hall of Famer Tony Stewart as the extra man in the booth. Smoke used his experience as both a driver and team owner to provide an impressive amount of information while working with Joy and Bowyer.

Matt Kenseth, the 2003 Cup Series champion, will be the guest analyst for the Wise Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway on February 27 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX). He will join Joy and Bowyer in the booth while discussing the action at a track where he made three trips to Victory Lane and posted nine total top-five finishes.

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