1. How has FOX’s NASCAR coverage improved so far in 2026, and what does it still need to do better?
Christopher Hansen: For starters, the overall look of the FOX broadcasts has vastly improved over the last year. Getting rid of the cartoon graphics of the drivers and instead using real photos in their place carries a more serious tone. Occasionally, there have been times where one of the cameras is zoomed out and seems out of position when it’s taken on air.
Thomas Dunn: FOX’s NASCAR coverage has improved by going back to basics. The graphics are consistent and not full of foolishness, and the direction has been a lot less erratic in terms of cutaways and empty space. I’d say more than anything, the broadcast has been a lot higher in terms of its floor. Clint Bowyer needs to settle back in; he’s had some moments this year where you have to sit and process what he actually says, and not in a good way. Townsend Bell was great in keeping things linear this past couple of weekends, so when I take a look at how the broadcasters can contextualize why things are happening, it’s something that is small but helps a broadcast so much.
Michael Bellifemini: I love that FOX ditched the cartoon graphics and made the package better, but it still struggles in other areas. It needs to be better with replays. It has missed angles of crashes multiple times this season already, and it zooms in too much at times on the cars. Commercials are annoying too, but it’s all a part of TV, and at least it is going side-by-side more often. The booth is all right but not the best. Mike Joy is solid after all these years as FOX’s lead commentator. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Jamie Little is a different story.
Ben Lloyd: The obvious answer here is commercials. I will happily take more side-by-side commercial breaks if it means we don’t miss any green-flag racing. It’s almost like FOX or its advertisers realized when the broadcast goes to a full-screen commercial, people are quick to pick up their phone and miss ads entirely. The most disappointing thing to me is the blatant use of AI for promos. Last week, Kyle Larson had a five-lug-nut Next Gen car in the Phoenix Raceway promo. This week, Tyler Reddick is driving a Gen 7 car with a Car of Tomorrow wing. I was genuinely curious about the SPEED podcast with Kevin Harvick and Will Buxton, but the 45-second full-AI intro where the cat is morphing mid-burnout turned me off.
Phoenix Brings Lots of Crossover Talk To FS1
2. How much did the change to 750 horsepower help the racing product at Phoenix last weekend? Will it help the racing at other short tracks?
Bellifemini: The racing product was better with the extra horsepower. It looked like drivers could make passes easier, and it made them try to make their tires last over a long run. Higher horsepower should help the racing elsewhere, but I don’t want to jump the gun since Phoenix has unique dimensions and the better racing might not translate over to other short tracks.
Hansen: The 750-hp changes the racing for the better at Phoenix. In the first few seasons with the Next Gen car, passing on short tracks was hard to come by. Fast forward to last weekend and there were comers and goers all afternoon as tire management came into effect in the late stages of the race. In the long term, the 750-hp package will definitely help improve racing on short tracks as the season progresses.
Lloyd: The 750-hp package will be most obvious at Martinsville Speedway. The increased horsepower created a longer braking zone, which rewards drivers who are willing and able to be a bit more daring. Drivers have to be smarter now about saving their stuff and can’t just run qualifying laps for an entire stint anymore. Goodyear has also really stepped up in creating a more aggressive tire with really nice falloff. I am curious to see how Bristol Motor Speedway will be, especially if it happens to be 65 degrees and cloudy again.
Dunn: The 750-hp package was a welcome change, especially for Phoenix. I am not fan of Phoenix, so I was ready for anything to change relative to the schedule and racing after last year. It may have been more of a function of TV coverage, but I thought there was ample passing and action throughout mid-pack. Tires mattered, there were comers and goers and more so than anything, one mistake didn’t relegate anyone to 30th place for the rest of the day. It’s hard to say if it will help at Martinsville or Bristol with the lack of space, but I was just proven wrong about Phoenix.
3. If Alex Bowman is out of the No. 48 for an extended period of time, who else would you like to see behind the wheel besides Anthony Alfredo and Justin Allgaier?
Lloyd: Rajah Caruth sticks out as a guy that would be cool, but it’s too early for him in the NASCAR Cup Series. He has developed very nicely by staying in Trucks for a few years, and I anticipate that same path for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. If Bowman is out for a while and the No. 48 team is essentially forced to punt the season away, it may not be awful to get him a look at a drafting track and let him dip his toes into the Cup waters.
Bellifemini: It would be cool to see a young O’Reilly prospect get a crack at a one-off Cup start in a Hendrick car. I doubt Hendrick would tap Corey Day this early, but maybe it would go with a JR Motorsports driver like Caruth or Carson Kvapil. A clear-cut best choice among Chevy prospects would be Jesse Love since he’s already had Next Gen experience, but I’m not sure if Richard Childress Racing would let Love drive a Hendrick Cup car.
Dunn: There aren’t a ton of drivers that scream out to me here. I’d maybe like to get Caruth a start at a track like Kansas Speedway, but there aren’t a ton of Chevrolet guys at the O’Reilly and Truck series level who have earned the opportunity in relief like this. My one outlandish request would be Austin Green at Sonoma Raceway or another road course if Bowman can’t go.
Hansen: Even though he’s not a Chevrolet driver, why not give Corey Heim the chance to truly show what he’s got behind the wheel of a quality Cup ride? With Heim only running select races for 23XI Racing this season, why not give him an opportunity to drive for Hendrick on race weekends when he’s not scheduled to compete? Matt DiBenedetto would be another good option to potentially replace Bowman if he misses an extended period of time. DiBenedetto doesn’t have any previous experience driving the Next Gen car, but he proved to be a solid driver when he last raced in the NOAPS for Viking Motorsports before his release toward the end of 2025.
Is Justin Allgaier the Right Choice to Drive the No. 48 This Weekend?
4. Where does Justin Allgaier rank among the all-time greats in O’Reilly history?
Dunn: He’s for sure top five. You have to put him ahead of Elliott Sadler because of that championship, and the longer he goes, the closer he can inch toward third behind Kyle Busch and Sam Ard. Busch is the exception of the Buschwhacking era just because he’s been so good, which is why I don’t necessarily put any of the other late-2000s Cup drivers alongside Allgaier in this discussion.
Hansen: Ard and Jack Ingram are two of the best drivers to ever compete in NOAPS, with the duo winning the first four titles in series history. Since returning to NOAPS full time in 2016, Allgaier has done a lot of winning for JRM in that time. Along with his championship win in 2024, Allgaier is one of the most decorated drivers in the series. With his victory last weekend at Phoenix, Allgaier has won a race in 10 straight seasons. That’s something that Busch, the all-time wins leader in the series, failed to achieve. Allgaier has shown no signs of slowing down, which spells trouble for his competitors.
Lloyd: He’s one of the best to never have a long Cup career. If you look at the all-time NOAPS wins list, it’s littered with guys like Harvick, Busch, Carl Edwards, etc., from the Buschwhacking era. Allgaier is the best ever to not have a winning career in Cup.
Bellifemini: Allgaier is firmly in the top five to 10 range since he is eighth all time in wins now with 29. Most of the top 10 were drivers that had or are currently having successful Cup careers, so Allgaier might be the greatest driver in the series who never broke out in Cup. He could finish his career with around 40 wins, which would put him fourth on the all-time wins list.
Bubba Pollard?
Didn’t Artie Kempner retire last year, so its a new Fox TV producer this year? That would explain the changes.
Is Alex Bowman out again this week? I didn’t hear.
Remember Justin Allgaier doesn’t want a Cup career because he wants his Sundays free for family time, and likes the more relaxed atmosphere of the lower series. Driving for Jr also gives him a built-in fan base.