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The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season got underway last week in the exhibition Clash at the Coliseum in LA with Martin Truex Jr. grabbing the win. The on-track action was aggressive and considerably different from the inaugural race last year when parts were in short supply and drivers and teams were unsure about the durability of the Next Gen car, and approached the racing much more conservatively. Unfortunately, Fox's race coverage was the same as years past, littered with the same avoidable blunders fans have grown accustomed to seeing in recent years with mistimed shots and cutting away to commercial breaks at inopportune times. With multiple mistakes, two of the most notable turned out to be glaring because they happened when Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson each spent time in the broadcast booth. It wasn't a good look for the network and it doesn't bode well for fans watching at home in the 2023 season. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Photo Credits: Getty Images

Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson made headlines late in 2022 when the two were involved in an on-track incident at Las Vegas that quickly escalated into an altercation. But that was last season. One race into the 2023 season and the pair are again raising eyebrows not for their on-track actions, but what they had to say after the exhibition Clash at the Coliseum held this past weekend in LA. And if NASCAR stands by what it has said in the past, the sanctioning body will act immediately. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports CupScene.com Audio Credits: Actions Detrimental Podcast Photo Credits: Getty Images

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season kicked off on Sunday with the exhibition Clash at the Coliseum in LA. It was your typical short-track race, which featured a lot of beating, banging, and upset drivers. In the end, Martin Truex Jr. triumphed, holding off the Richard Childress Racing duo of Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch. To end the night on an appropriate note, William Byron wrecked Denny Hamlin after the checkered flag. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports Photo Credits: Getty Images

Ty Gibbs made his debut as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver in the No. 54 car on Saturday in LA at practice for the Clash at the Coliseum. It didn't go well and got downright scary when smoke and fire filled the cockpit and forced the driver to scramble for safety. Video Credits: NASCAR on Fox

Chase Elliott has proven in his young career to be one of the best Cup Series drivers, earning 18 wins, including the 2020 championship. In addition to his on-track achievements, he's been voted the sport's most popular driver for the last five years. But not everyone is a fan of the No. 9 driver. During a recent appearance on the Rubbin Is Racing podcast with Jeff Gordon promoting the 2023 season, the 27-year-old driver talked about a variety of topics, ranging from his thoughts on the upcoming season to how he addresses conflict. During that latter discussion the Hendrick Motorsports pilot candidly called out those fans who have given him a hard time in the past for being boring, especially during confrontational moments, revealed why he does it, and admitted he has no plans to change anytime soon. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Rubbin Is Racing Podcast Photo Credits: Getty Images

Christopher Bell didn't try and sugarcoat his feelings during a podcast appearance this week, calling out Joe Gibbs for rejecting something that his late son Coy had previously approved of the driver doing just last season. Video Credits: FloRacing David Gravel YouTube Channel Photo Credit: Getty Images

Kevin Harvick is heading into his 23rd and final season in the NASCAR Cup Series. He's recorded some impressive numbers along the way, including 60 wins and the 2014 championship. However, it hasn't come without controversy. Happy has found himself in more than a few conflicts in his career. Greg Biffle. Kyle Busch. Chase Elliott. There have been others. And Harvick readily admits that he's relished all the chaos. So what can fans expect from the Stewart-Haas Racing driver in 2023 when he has nothing to lose? According to one Fox NASCAR analyst, Chase Elliott and other drivers who have been in Harvick's crosshairs in the past might keep one eye on the mirror whenever the No. 4 approaches. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Stacking Pennies Podcast Photo Credits: Getty Images

With Jimmie Johnson returning to race in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2023, some have questioned whether he should remain eligible for induction in 2024 as expected. There should be absolutely no debate on the topic because there's one website that provides the official answer. Video Credits: NBC Sports Fox Sports NASCAR Photo Credit: Getty Images

Denny Hamlin has a reputation as a driver who doesn't shy away from conflict. Joey "Ah That's Short Track Racing" Logano, Chase Elliott, and Alex Bowman are just a few drivers he's had run-ins with in the past. Last season, a lengthy feud with Ross Chastain developed. There was no such friction between Hamlin and seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson during their racing days together. Sure, the pair had a few incidents, which is bound to happen with both cars regularly running up front and vying for wins, but it never lasted. So it was somewhat surprising this past week to hear the Joe Gibbs Racing driver during a short but spicy clip promoting his new podcast take such a hard stance, harshly criticizing Johnson's return and suggesting it's not going to end well but instead will likely taint his legacy. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Actions Detrimental Podcast Photo Credits: Getty Images

Jimmie Johnson's career numbers in the NASCAR Cup Series are staggering. In 19 seasons, he amassed 83 victories, or just over four per year. The most significant number he recorded is seven. That's how many season championships he won, tying him with two of the greatest of all time, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty. All of his on-track achievements undoubtedly equal a first-ballot Hall of Famer. After Johnson hung up his helmet a final time following the 2020 season, the clock began ticking on his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He would become eligible after two seasons, which would mean a ceremony in 2024. The nomination process for that class will begin next month in Daytona. However, Johnson's return to the Cup Series, as exciting as it is for fans, has also cast doubt on his eligibility for induction. This week during an appearance on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio, a two-time NASCAR champ sounded off on 7-Time's situation and bluntly suggested once Johnson sits behind that wheel, the clock for his induction starts all over again. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Photo Credits: Getty Images

Jeff Gordon is an influential voice in NASCAR as the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports. The Hall of Famer visited with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio this week, where he talked about the upcoming season and was asked about the last-minute change for the award ceremony at the exhibition Clash at the Coliseum, which instead of awarding a single trophy to the winner, the top three drivers will stand on a podium and receive medals, in the spirit of the Olympics. Unsurprisingly, a contingent of fans didn't like the idea of the podium, suggesting NASCAR is just copying F1. Some fans were OK with it if it was just limited to the Clash, which is the plan. Then there were others who want to adopt podium finishes as the norm for Cup Series races going forward. Gordon is in that group. The four-time champion offered a simple reason why he thinks NASCAR should go to podiums while acknowledging that his HMS drivers wouldn't like the idea and he completely understands how, if implemented, the change would likely backfire in his face. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Photo Credits: Getty Images

Frankie Muniz is known for playing the starring role of the popular television show Malcolm in the Middle. While he's made a name for himself in acting, he's always been passionate about racing. In February 2001, his celebrity earned him an invite to the Daytona 500. Yes, that one. The teen actor met numerous drivers, including Dale Earnhardt before the race. He rode in the pace car. He stood atop the rooftop of Daytona International Speedway several hours later and witnessed tragic history. Now, the 37-year-old, who has raced in the past in lower open-wheeled series with dreams of one day racing IndyCar, will be making his NASCAR debut in the ARCA Series next month on that same track. And as fate would have it, he'll be driving a car that has an unbelievable direct connection to that tragedy 22 years ago. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports Fox NBC Sports MTV Photo Credits: Getty Images

This week Kyle Busch made his second trip to Circuit of the Americas in as many months as part of a Goodyear tire test on the 3.41-mile road course with fellow NASCAR Cup Series drivers Tyler Reddick and Austin Cindric. After making his first-ever laps in the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing car, the future Hall of Famer visited with reporters and touched on a variety of topics. Two in particular stood out, including Busch detailing his plans for playing the villain role in 2023, and the biggest surprise of the media session, surprisingly revealing the specific age that he wants to step away from Cup Series racing. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Photo Credits: Getty Images Speedway Motorsports Check out NASCAR Shop for the latest merchandise of your favorite driver and special memorabilia for the 75th anniversary. https://nascar.evyy.net/7m4dMd #ad

Kyle Busch talks about Kevin Harvick’s retirement and what he expects out of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing driver in 2023.

Thanks to Rocket Money for their support and sponsoring this ad. https://www.rocketmoney.com/checkeredflag. Even Kyle Busch would admit the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season wasn't his finest hour. His on-track performance with a single win on the Bristol Dirt, in which he backed into courtesy of Chase Briscoe, was well-below his high standard of being a two-time champion. Unfortunately, his lackluster results weren't the only thing making headlines, but his surprisingly uncertain future at Joe Gibbs Racing. As we all know now, Busch departed JGR for Richard Childress Racing and begins the 2023 season next month in Daytona in the No. 8 car. Ahead of the season, the NASCAR on Fox crew gathered together for a Race Hub 2023 Season Preview Show, where they talked about last year, including the moves made, and what to expect in the upcoming year. While discussing Busch's situation, a fired-up Larry McReynolds dropped a few truth bombs when he highlighted some of the driver's struggles in recent years and said it didn't matter what team he raced for in 2023, he was going to be feeling pressure to perform. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports USA Network Photo Credits: Getty Images

Kevin Harvick has a Cup Series championship and 60 wins to his credit, including the 2007 Daytona 500. He's a first-ballot NASCAR Hall of Famer whenever he retires. And that's the pressing question — when will the 47-year-old hang up the helmet for the last time? This past season, team co-owner Gene Haas indicated Harvick would not return beyond 2023. This offseason, the 2014 champ said he hadn't made a decision but would do so before the 2023 Daytona 500. The Great American Race is just over a month away and it appears fans of Happy won't have to wait that long to get their answer. That's because this week a photo was leaked on social media that revealed a special part on his fire suit suggesting that 2023 could be a farewell tour. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Noah Lewis Photo Credits: Getty Images

Clint Bowyer likes to have fun and joke around during the NASCAR broadcasts on Fox. That less-than-serious side can sometimes rub fans the wrong way and is often the reason many of his broadcasting colleagues relentlessly tease him on the air. In June, no one was thinking about mocking the former Stewart-Haas Racing driver or his fun-loving personality. Instead, everyone was understandably concerned about his mental well-being after he was involved in a tragic auto-pedestrian accident that killed a woman. He missed Fox's final race broadcast of 2022 at Sonoma. This past week, the 43-year-old returned to the Fox airwaves for the first time since that tragic day as part of the NASCAR Race Hub 2023 season preview show. The crew welcomed him back with open arms and it quickly became apparent that it was just like old times as he was the target of numerous insults, including one within the first minute of the broadcast. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Photo Credits: Getty Images

Larry McReynolds is paid by Fox to share his opinion on things happening in and around NASCAR. On Monday, Reynolds, like many fans, tuned into the Rose Bowl parade with eager anticipation in seeing the NASCAR 75th Anniversary float, featuring "The King" Richard Petty and up-and-coming Truck Series driver Rajah Caruth. Unfortunately, in the two-hour broadcast, NBC never showed the float. Upon the parade's conclusion, America's Crew Chief was not happy and spoke up for the frustrated NASCAR fans on his SiriusXM NASCAR Radio show. Video Credits: NASCAR Fox NBC Kim Griffith Photo Credits: Rett Griffith

The 2022 NASCAR season was a memorable one across all three series. Zane Smith finally capturing a Trucks title, Ty Gibbs winning and the emotional loss that followed, and Joey Logano becoming a two-time champion were the big headlines for the year. All of those stories began developing early in the year when Fox oversaw the coverage. It's during that portion of the season that fans regularly see Vince Welch as a pit reporter during Cup Series races, in addition to his work up in the broadcast booth as the play-by-play guy for the Truck Series throughout the year. Welch has committed a number of glaring blunders during his time in the booth and has received harsh feedback about it from fans on social media. Those critics and everyone else shockingly learned on the last day of 2022 that Welch won't be a part of the upcoming Fox NASCAR broadcasts in 2023 as he's no longer an employee at the network. The veteran reporter made the announcement on Twitter. Unsurprisingly, it received a large response from those in the industry, including driver Chase Elliott. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Photo Credits: Getty Images

Kevin Harvick fans were thrilled this year to see the No. 4 car snap its 65-race winless streak with an impressive pair of back-to-back victories at Michigan and Richmond. While followers of the Stewart-Haas Racing driver will remember those wins, the larger NASCAR audience will remember Harvick for something considerably more important — his voice. He was outspoken throughout the year on the Next Gen car and safety concerns. The 47-year-old showed his veteran leadership and did what he believed was best for the health of the drivers and the sport. The 2014 Cup champion recently revealed that he has that same level of passion for racing at the grassroots level in a recent appearance on the Youth Inc. podcast, hosted by former NFL player and Fox NFL commentator Greg Olsen. It was during that lengthy conversation that the future first-ballot Hall of Famer made some shocking admissions about youth racing and how dangerous it can be for those unfamiliar with navigating the shark-infested waters. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Keelan Harvick YouTube Channel Youth Inc. Podcast Photo Credits: Getty Images

It's really hard to believe but it was a year ago today that we shared our first video. We created that first one with two goals in mind — have fun and provide unique quality content. Based on what you've told us, we're heading in the right direction. Your feedback – both good and bad – has been influential and instrumental in guiding the direction of the channel, including what stories to cover and more administrative-kind of things like what type of equipment we needed to improve the sound. We changed our audio based on feedback. We hear your comments loud and clear. Please keep those comments coming and sharing your thoughts. That's critical to our success and our continued mission of producing content that is: 1) accurate and 2) entertaining. To celebrate our first year of ATCF, we're giving away a pair of tickets for the Cup Series race at COTA in March to one lucky winner. To enter, sign up for our upcoming email newsletter on our website at: https://afterthecheckeredflag.com/newsletter. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com NBC Sports Fox Sports Photo Credits: Getty

Hailie Deegan has struggled in her first two seasons in the NASCAR Truck Series, recording just three top-10 finishes in 46 races. Last week, the driver excited her millions of followers when she announced that she would be joining ThorSport Racing in 2023, which should dramatically improve her chances at success based on the organization's winning history. This week her new crew chief Rich Lushes, who guided Ben Rhodes to the Trucks title in 2021 and a runner-up finish this past season, appeared on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio and talked about his new driver. When asked if he thought Deegan would no longer get pushed around by other drivers like she's insisted has consistently happened in the past, the veteran crew chief didn't back down and fired a warning shot at the competition. While Rhodes is her competition, he's also her ThorSport teammate. He candidly talked about how he didn't like losing his crew chief to his new teammate, and why he thinks now is Deegan's best chance at making her mark on the sport. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Hailie Deegan YouTube Channel Photo Credits: Getty Images

This week Hailie Deegan announced that she's headed to ThorSport Racing and driving the No. 13 in 2023, her third full-time season in the NASCAR Truck Series. The 21-year-old was excited about the opportunity, knowing her new home is an organization that wins races and championships. America's Crew Chief Larry McReynolds talked about Deegan joining one of the top truck teams on his SiriusXM NASCAR Radio talk show. It was during that conversation, the two-time Daytona 500-winning crew chief didn't sugarcoat his thoughts, and suggested the driver's race results better matter more to her in 2023 than her social media followers. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Hailie Deegan YouTube Channel Photo Credits: Getty Images

Thanks to Candy for the NASCAR digital trading card packs. https://tinyurl.com/5bzxm77n This video is very different from anything we've ever done in the past. It's actually a blast from the past and reminds us of growing up and collecting different trading cards as a kid. However, this time around, instead of opening up a pack of cards and eating the stick of bubble game, we're opening NASCAR's first official three-card digital trading card pack, "Start Your Engines." In this fun little video, we show you a brief glimpse of the anticipation and excitement found in the world of digital trading card collectibles. What drivers did we get? In addition, we're giving away another pack to one fan. To sign up, visit our website at: https://afterthecheckeredflag.com/newsletter. This will sign you up for our upcoming newsletter that we will send out weekly, beginning in 2023, and will feature the same kind of stories found on our channel. Photo Credit: Getty Images

Joe Gibbs Racing has been warmly embraced by the NASCAR community for the last month following the shocking death of team co-owner Coy Gibbs, who died unexpectedly just hours after his son, Ty, won the 2022 Xfinity Series championship. Last week, JGR got everyone's attention for a very different reason when it shared a video on social media that included a warning, before showing the painful moment Christopher Bell's jackman had his finger crushed in the wheel on the team's final pit stop at Phoenix. This week, the organization, got another big reaction from fans — a large portion of them negative —when it shared a video that included a controversial and very divisive topic that Dale Earnhardt Jr. spoke out against earlier this year. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports I Am Athlete Podcast Dale Jr. Download Photo Credits: Getty Images