Clint Bowyer is retiring from NASCAR, hanging up his firesuit to join the FOX broadcast

NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer announced Thursday evening that he is transitioning from full-time NASCAR racing to join the FOX broadcast team for Sunday Cup races next season.

“I have the opportunity to do what’s next in my life,” Bowyer wrote in a letter he shared on Twitter. “In 2021 my suit will no longer be fireproof.”

Bowyer, 41, has driven the No. 14 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing since 2017 and is in his 15th year of Cup Series driving. The driver has ten wins and more than 500 starts in NASCAR’s top series. Although Bowyer has been winless since 2018, he remains in playoff contention in the Round of 12 this season. He sits 38 points below the eight-driver cutoff for the next round heading into the road course race at Charlotte this weekend.

Bowyer’s best season was in 2012 driving the No. 15 Toyota for now-defunct Michael Waltrip Racing. Bowyer, the 2008 Xfinity Series champion, finished in second place in the final standings that year.

“I want to thank every owner who has paid a bill on my behalf, every crew member who has turned a bolt on my ars and every media member who has covered my racing career,” Bowyer’s post said. “Thank you to every sponsor that has invested in me and thank you to every fan who has cheered me along the way!”

Bowyer has previous media experience as a co-host of a NASCAR podcast in partnership with Barstool Sports. He also was an analyst for FOX Sports when the channel aired iRacing events at the start of the pandemic shutdown in the spring.

“Just like my driving career, I will be part of a great team and organization with great teammates,” Bowyer wrote. “To say I’m excited would be an understatement.”

Bowyer’s contract with SHR was set to expire at the end of the 2020 season, and he dodged questions earlier in the day about his plans for next year. The No. 14 seat remains vacant for 2021, but SHR’s Xfinity driver Chase Briscoe is the suspected top candidate for the ride. Briscoe has eight wins in the Xfinity Series and is locked in to advance to the Round of 8 in the Xfinity playoffs.

Briscoe told The Observer Thursday morning that his plans were still undecided for next season, but that he wanted the opportunity to move up to the Cup Series. He said the contingency was that he wanted to race in competitive equipment. Stewart-Haas could now provide that in the No. 14 with Bowyer’s absence next year.

Bowyer will have a new opportunity of his own.

“ … FOX here I come!” Bowyer’s post ended.

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