Fox’s 2024 NASCAR coverage is going to look a bit different in 2024 with Kevin Harvick joining the booth alongside Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer. However, Larry McReynolds will still be there in 2024, and Adam Alexander told Larry McReynolds and Mike Joy during a special edition of NASCAR Race Hub that Joy and McReynolds would, “Join Kevin and Clint booth side in 2024”. Now, McReynolds essentially acted as an auxiliary booth member in 2023, so, this quote may mean nothing. However, it does open up an interesting conversation about whether or not McReynolds should join the Fox booth in person in 2024.
When Larry McReynolds first joined Fox in 2001, it was as a traditional color commentator. He was the crew chief analyst for 15 years until his role changed some in 2016. Jeff Gordon joined the Fox booth at that point, and McReynolds was back in the studio.
At that point, his role shifted to being a studio analyst, and, eventually, a unique crew chief analyst off-site. He became like a team member in the War Room of a typical NASCAR team with data in front of them and unique analysis.
Now, McReynolds has spent plenty of time in both roles. On top of that, the four-man-booth has become NBC’s standard broadcast with Rick Allen, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Steve Letarte, and Jeff Burton. With this becoming more common and Fox being heavily criticized in 2023, would another change be McReynolds returning to the in-person booth for 2024?
Having a broadcaster on-site has plenty of benefits to it. First off, a broadcaster can feed off of the energy and the atmosphere of the race happening in front of them. Secondly, it allows the broadcaster to have the entire race in front of them right in their lap instead of whatever is on a TV feed.
On top of that, working together with the different broadcasters in person helps to build chemistry with different broadcasters. Instead of just showing up at a studio and seeing fellow broadcasters there for production meetings, you are on site with them, preparing with them, able to bounce prep ideas and thoughts off of them at a moment’s notice.
Chemistry is very important when broadcasting, and it is easier to build when a broadcaster is on-site with their counterparts. It’s tough to quantify with exact numbers or exact science, but, anyone who has broadcasted before understands that being on-site can make the job a lot easier. However, McReynolds’ role is very unique.
Larry McReynolds is a crew chief analyst, and, what his current role allows him to do is channel what information a current crew chief has. He currently broadcasts the races within his current “War Room” which has all of the information that a race team would typically have at the shop on race day. This allows McReynolds to see what crew chiefs are seeing at the moment, and it allows him to give a more informed analysis.
His job is not to describe the action going on on track or see what a driver is trying to do. His job is to get into the mind of a modern NASCAR crew chief and try to predict what they will try to do. That is something McReynolds is very good at.
While it sacrifices some of the benefits of being there in person, it adds a new perspective to the broadcast that people do not always think about. It’s different, and it allows McReynolds to stay on the broadcast while not enduring the mammoth travel schedule that following the NASCAR circuit requires. It’s understandable then why McReynolds may like this setup himself.
There are plenty of benefits to both sides of this argument. Will and should McReynolds return to the booth in person in 2024?
Where do all the drivers stand after the first official points race in the standings table?
After winning the opening points race of the season at Daytona by leading one lap, Tyler Reddick made it to the top of the standings. Under the new rules, he managed to pull up 58 points. He pocketed 55 for the win and added three more by finishing Stage 2 in P8. He may have squeezed out at least one more had he landed inside the top 10 in Stage 1, but after getting swept into a Lap 5 crash, Reddick limped the Stage 1 in P20, giving him no extra points.
Rounding out the top 10 are Brad Keselowski with 39 points in sixth despite a P5 finish, followed by his driver, Chris Buescher, in seventh with 39, Bubba Wallace in eighth with 37, Carson Hocevar in ninth with 36, and Ryan Blaney in 10th with 36.
Atlanta could be a springboard for Elliott, who owns an average finish of 11.4 across 14 starts there, with two wins, including one in last year’s fall race, plus three top fives and nine top 10s. The track could also pull Kyle Busch back into contention. Having already shown his speed at Daytona by winning the pole, he may potentially pull it off at the 1.54-mile track. The RCR driver sits P14 in the standings, but with an average finish of 8.8 at Atlanta since 2023 across six starts, the place might finally snap his 94-race drought.
Then again, Connor Zilisch has only one start at the track and came home P11 last year when he made his third Cup start there, making Atlanta a stage where he could stamp his mark.
Ryan Blaney will also have a better chance than anyone else to climb through a win or even points alone at Atlanta. The No. 12 Team Penske driver has one win there from 2021, but consistency has been his strong suit, with seven top fives and nine top 10s in 15 starts. And that puts him in a position to move the needle when the field rumbles into Atlanta.
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The Daytona 500 and Speedweeks may be over, but that doesn’t mean the chaos will cool off for the stars of NASCAR’s three National Series, as they roll into Hampton, Georgia, to the high banks of EchoPark Speedway for one of the schedule’s most unique race weekends.
Note: This article will be updated as more information about the weekend comes out.
One race weekend is in the books, and a 36-week march back to Florida is underway for the three NASCAR National Series. Whether you are going to be at the track or home, what does the forecast look like for the race weekend in Hampton, Georgia?
Before the Races (10:00 AM – 2:00 PM)
During the Truck Race (2:00 PM – 5:00 PM)
During the OAP Series Race (5:00 PM – 8:00 PM)
After the Race (8:00 PM – 11:00 PM)
Before the Race (11:00 AM – 3:00 PM)
During the Race (3:00 PM – 7:00 PM)
After the Race (7:00 PM – 10:00 PM)
NASCAR got lucky at EchoPark in 2025, and, as a matter of fact, everywhere else, but that doesn’t mean weather hasn’t affected the track’s races in the past with spot showers and major showers taking on race weekends. Take the summer of 2023, when the race took on a large rain shower that resulted in the race ending after just 185 laps, with race winner William Byron the leader at the time of caution.
Note: This article will be updated with a more accurate and detailed forecast as the race weekend nears.
