FOX Sports’ Controversial Decision Kicks off NASCAR’s Return to Rockingham
What’s Happening? While NASCAR fans were excited about the sport’s return to Rockingham, the weekend kicked off with an odd decision…
It felt like everyone was a winner in NASCAR’s return to Rockingham Speedway. Whether you were there as a fan, driver, or for the track, we all walked away with a warm feeling in our hearts. But that doesn’t mean everyone who walked away was a winner. Here are five losers from NASCAR’s return to Rockingham.
Katherine Legge’s NASCAR Cup Series debut at Phoenix earlier this season sparked controversy about NASCAR’s inconsistent approval system. At the time, aside from a few comments, most accepted that Legge was unintentionally set up to fail in that lone start. This past weekend, her first Xfinity Series race of 2025 did not go smoothly either.
Throughout this storyline, most seem to forget that Legge was okay in JD Motorsports equipment in limited starts in 2018. The driver pieced together decent outings at road courses and on an oval at Richmond. However, in her return to oval action at Rockingham, Legge seemed lost to the banks of the track, failing to qualify in decent equipment from Jordan Anderson, buying out a ride from J.J. Yeley, and finding herself involved in an accident (that we will get to) that ended her day.
While we are sure Legge will silence a large portion of the doubters in her road course races, for those already opposed to her, she did not do much to help her reputation this weekend.
The wreck in question that took Legge out of her backup ride was caused by William Sawalich. While there was a debate here, most find it open and shut that Sawalich ended Legge’s day. Hey, even Mark Martin seems to have sided with those supporting Legge.
But, under a microscope, Sawalich may be on an all-time cold streak for a driver in a Joe Gibbs Racing car. Once a dominant force in the ARCA Menards series, Sawalich currently finds himself last in Xfinity Series rookie standings, 143 points behind first place Carson Kvapil and 74 behind the next closest driver, Nick Sanchez.
Now, Sawalich is a two-time nominee for our Biggest Loser Award, as he sullies the great name of the JGR No. 18 Xfinity Series car. For reference, through ten races in the same car last season, Sheldon Creed averaged a 13.7 finish with four top-fives and six top-tens. Sawalich, who legitimately could take off any weekend, sits with two top tens and an average finish of 24.2.
Speaking of taking a dominant ride to new lows, it’s time to talk about Corey Day. Yes, he is just learning how to race on asphalt. Yes, he does have speed. But, boy, he just cannot have a good race.
This past weekend, Day finished 22nd in the Spire Motorsports No. 7, while not his worst of the season, notably, as many, oh so many members of the online NASCAR community pointed out, this was behind rookie Toni Breidinger, who, entering this weekend, had a miserable start to her season.
Every top-tier dirt racer—like J.J. Yeley or Kenny Irwin—can make the leap to this level, but having endorsements from names like Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon, and Kyle Larson brings an entirely different kind of pressure to Day’s NASCAR journey.
Let’s just be honest; the kid has a long way to go, but if he’s anything like he’s advertised to be, Day could turn into a great driver someday.
Entering this weekend, the narrative surrounding the Rock was something like, “Let’s see if it can earn a Cup Series date.” Now the narrative has flipped, with most fans asking the Cup Series to earn a Rockingham date.
Even at its lowest, the Rock produced some of the best racing for a recently repaved track in some time. This, compounded with the sour taste the Cup Series at Bristol left in fans’ mouths, turned this weekend into one of reflection. Fans got to see what is missing from the Cup Series Next Gen Era: cars that are loose, beating and banging for a win, some almost sideways at times, you know, NASCAR.
While it would be fun to see the Cup Series at the Rock, it should only be under the right circumstances. A better short-track product and a proper open race weekend. After all, you do not want the problems of one series to negatively affect multiple tracks.
This one was pretty cut and dry this weekend. FOX Sports dropped the ball from the start. Hands down, the most hyped race weekend of the year, your series, the Truck Series, is playing second fiddle to Xfinity with no sign of the Cup Series, and you blew it.
First, you have a remote broadcast for a track that is so close to your home base of operations that media members literally took a train to the track and had time to get ready. Second, Jamie Little, who is extremely skilled as a pit reporter, fumbled at the end of the race, a race that broke one of the longest losing streaks in the Truck Series.
From end to end, A to Z, FOX Sports gave fans something to see during what was a special weekend for the fans, the track, and ultimately, Tyler Ankrum. For every step forward the CW and NBC take, FOX takes a big step back. For such a talented group of broadcasters, it is truly a shame.
What’s Happening? While NASCAR fans were excited about the sport’s return to Rockingham, the weekend kicked off with an odd decision…
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
As the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season gets underway, The Daily Downforce is once again tracking how fans feel about race broadcasts throughout the year, just as we did last year. This ratings tracker exists to capture fan feedback in a clear, consistent way across the entire season for each TV partner.
After each Cup Series race weekend, we will post a fan poll asking one simple question: “How would you rate this weekend’s Cup Series broadcast?” And fans can vote and comment based on their overall viewing experience. This article will be updated weekly with the most recent race’s numbers added to the tracker.
Participation is quick and open to everyone.
| Week | Network | Race | Votes | Good | Average | Bad | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FOX | Bowman Gray Clash | 368 | 16% | 43% | 42% | Check the Poll HERE |
| 2 | FOX | Daytona 500 | 989 | 42% | 46% | 12% | Check the Poll HERE |
Remember to follow The Daily Downforce on X to catch each weekly poll, share your thoughts, and be part of the conversation.
A new trailer revealed that NASCAR will be a part of The Crew Motorfest’s upcoming free season 9 update.
Will you be playing The Crew for this new update? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Denny Hamlin defends Riley Herbst, Brad Keselowski is furious, and Kyle Busch leaves everyone debating what it means to truly compete for a Daytona 500. The final lap at Daytona International Speedway sparked multiple completely different controversies that say a lot about modern superspeedway racing.
At superspeedways, instinct rules everything. Herbst reacted late, Keselowski paid the price, and Hamlin backed his guy. Meanwhile, Busch lifted from 25th, avoided the wreck, and gained ten spots, a move that looks smart in hindsight but could have backfired badly. In a new points-heavy format, are drivers thinking differently? We break down both moments, what they really mean, and whether everyone involved might actually have a point. Plus, early Cup Series power rankings to wrap it up.
Watch Also