Mike Joy

Mike Joy (born November 25, 1949 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American TV sports announcer, who currently serves as the lap-by-lap voice of FOX Sports' NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage. His color analysts are Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds. Joy has broadcast more than 30 Daytona 500s, NASCAR's biggest event. He also serves as Speed TV's expert analyst for their coverage of collector car auctions and vintage auto racing events.^[1]

Biography

Early life and career

Joy was raised in Windsor, Connecticut and graduated from West Hartford, Connecticut's Conard High School. While attending University of Hartford and later Emerson College, Joy began his public address work at Riverside Park Speedway in Massachusetts in 1970.^[2]

He added Thompson Speedway in 1972 and in 1975 began working at Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut, joining Jack Arute, Jr., the son of the track owner, establishing the track as a hotbed for announcers. Announcing five nights per week, he was noticed by Motor Racing Network (MRN) co-founder Ken Squier.^[2] MRN hired him as a freelancer in 1976, full-time in 1978, and he rose to co-anchor, general manager and executive producer in January 1980. In 1981, he was the lead broadcaster for ESPN's first live NASCAR telecast in that November's Atlanta Journal 500 at Atlanta International Raceway.^{[3] [2]} On weekdays, he worked in marketing for Daytona International Speedway.^[2]

1984-2000

In 1984, Joy became a pit reporter for CBS' TV coverage of the 1984 Daytona 500, working with Ken Squier and Ned Jarrett.^[2] Since CBS didn't broadcast many races, he continued to broadcast for MRN.^[2]

Joy also launched The Nashville Network's NASCAR coverage in 1991, as lap-by-lap announcer,^[2] continuing through 1995, and also participated in NASCAR coverage on TBS.

In 1994, Joy was named as chief announcer of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network inaugural broadcast of the Brickyard 400, holding the position through 1999.

Joy was one of the first announcers to embrace the Internet. In 1997, he encouraged Usenet and Jayski readers to e-mail TV coverage suggestions that he could present in a CBS seminar. A member of many Usenet newsgroups, he reads them for preparation for broadcasts.

In 1998, CBS made Joy their lap-by-lap announcer with Ken Squier moving to studio host, where the pair worked until the end of 2000, when CBS lost the rights to televise NASCAR racing.

Joy's CBS career also included Formula One, CART, IRL, as well as coverage of the Winter Olympics, the Sun Bowl, harness racing's Hambletonian, pro beach volleyball and World Cup Skiing, plus NCAA championship events in soccer, swimming and diving, track and field, and wrestling. FOX Sports

He joined FOX Sports for three years of Formula One coverage in 1998 with Derek Bell, and moved full-time to FOX with the NASCAR TV package starting the 2001 season.^[2]

In September 2008, Fox sent Joy to call a Minnesota Twins/Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball game. In that game, the Rays clinched their first-ever playoff appearance.

Personal life

Joy resides on Lake Norman, in North Carolina with his wife Gaye and their two children, Scott and Kaitlyn. He restores vintage MG's, and retains his New England roots as CEO and equity partner in New England Racing Fuel, Inc., distributor of Sunoco Race Fuels.

An avid SCCA amateur race driver, he has won events at Lime Rock, Watkins Glen, Pocono and New Hampshire, and raced professionally in IMSA, including the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1993. He has tested in NASCAR stock cars and race trucks, and raced vintage TransAm cars and sports cars.

He previously had developed special events advertising for a Detroit auto manufacturer, managed and promoted a major auto racing facility, Lime Rock Park, and served four elected terms to the Windsor, Connecticut town council.

Notable Calls

"Earnhardt uses the lapped car of Rick Mast to them... as a pick. 20 years of trying, 20 years of frustration; Dale Earnhardt will come to the caution flag to win the Daytona 500! Finally! The most anticipated moment in racing! (Later) Checkered flag! Dale Earnhardt... finally, is a champion of the Daytona 500." -calling Dale Earnhardt winning his first Daytona 500 in his 20th try, February 15, 1998.

"Here comes Earnhardt! He's all the way to the bottom! Almost in the grass! He slides up the racetrack and Jeff Gordon will win it for the second time!" -calling Jeff Gordon beating Dale Earnhardt to the finish line to win his 2nd Daytona 500, February 14, 1999.

"What can be more fitting,What can be more special?" -calling Kevin Harvick beating Jeff Gordon to the finish line at Atlanta, three weeks after the death of Dale Earnhardt.

"Big crash, here they come, checkered flag...Harvick! Kevin Harvick wins the Daytona 500!" -calling Harvick's photo finish win in the 2007 Daytona 500. February 18th, 2007.

"Six cars have a chance to win it, Jeff Gordon's gonna lead them into turn four, they're one mile from home, Jeff Gordon is gonna win his 3rd Daytona 500" -calling Jeff Gordon's 3rd Daytona victory on February 20th,2005.

References

1. ^ "VIDEO: Mike Joy At Barrett-Jackson - Scottsdale". Speed. January 20, 2010. http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/video-mike-joy-at-barrett-jackson-scottsdale/. Retrieved 29 April 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Lauer, Cheryl (February 16, 2007). "Behind the Microphone with Mike Joy, NASCAR on Fox". Speed Couch. http://www.speedcouch.com/behindthemic/MikeJoy.html. Retrieved 29 April 2010. 
3. ^ 1981 Atlanta Journal 500 clip

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Name	Joy, Mike
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Date of birth	November 25, 1949
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