If you’ve listened to or watched a NASCAR race in the past 50 years, there’s a voice that is synonymous with some of the sport’s biggest moments. Legendary broadcaster Mike Joy joins Dale Earnhardt Jr. and co-host Mike Davis to fill listeners in on his career, as well as talk shop about the broadcasting craft.

After a meteoric rise from the PA booth of New England’s finest short tracks, Joy has gone on to work for almost every major broadcasting network in motorsports over the past five decades. 

Growing up in Windsor, Connecticut, Joy enrolled at the University of Hartford pursuing a degree in engineering. It was here that he got his first on-air experience after taking a position at the university’s radio station as a play-by-play commentator for sporting events. It was also during these years that he became involved in the world of motorsports. He had developed a love for sports cars as a teenager, thanks to an extensive collection of auto magazines and his father’s acquisition of a two-seater that the two worked on. His admiration for the road racing experts of the day, such as Dan Gurney and Mark Donohue sparked an interest to join the driving ranks himself. But without proper funding or opportunity, he settled into the sport of autocross where competitors could use their street vehicles. 

His autocross club brought him to Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, Massachusetts – a small pavement oval located in an amusement park. Thanks to his broadcasting experience, he was asked to hop on the microphone during an autocross meet one Sunday to help inform any park attendees who may have wandered into the track exactly what was happening in the competition. Before long, park owner Ed Carroll noticed that a few hundred people had gathered in the grandstands to watch a single car weaving around barrels, and invited Joy on board to become a fill-in PA announcer. Although he initially turned down the offer, citing a disinterest in the crude jalopies of the oval racing circuit, he attended a Saturday night show at the recommendation of the track’s public relations specialist. After witnessing a mad dash to the finish between two drivers and the effect it had on the audience, Joy thought “I need to be a part of this.”

Joy fills Dale and Mike in on how taking the position at Riverside introduced him to the legendary Ken Squier, and how that guided him to joining the Motor Racing Network. He talks about an opportunity he received to call some of the 1975 IROC race at Daytona, and how that moment made him realize that he could have a career in broadcasting. 

The conversation also dives into the art of commentating, and how different platforms require different approaches. Joy recounts a hilarious story of sneaking into the 1976 Daytona 500 and joining in on the Wood Brothers’ victory lane celebration. He also shares the details of his final conversation with Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Although known for his contributions to the sport from inside the broadcaster’s booth, Joy still managed to have a career in road racing, and shares the details of his 1973 IMSA debut, as well as his experiences in the 1993 24 Hours of Daytona.

In 2022, Joy celebrated his 22nd consecutive year as lead commentator for the Daytona 500. It also marked his 46th year of involvement with Daytona Speedweeks, a record that may never be eclipsed. 

DIRTY AIR presented by Filtertime

Before Mike Joy joins the show, Dale, Mike and Matthew get real about:

ASKJR presented by Xfinity

Alex Timms brings fan questions to Dale about: