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Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer Don't Hide Feelings About NASCAR Removing Longtime Tradition

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kyle Dalton | Last updated Feb 1, 2025 10:43 PM ET

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season officially kicked off on Saturday night under the lights at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Madhouse fans turned out on a chilly night and watched the drivers early on searching for their lines at the quarter-mile track.

During one of the early practice sessions, Fox’s Mike Joy talked about the on-track action and brought up one of the surprising changes in 2025 — rookies will no longer feature the “rookie stripe” on their cars.

“Look at what's missing on the back of that car,” Joy said while the broadcast showed Cup rookie Shane van Gisbergen’s No. 88 turning laps. “There is no yellow bumper anymore for rookie drivers in the top levels of NASCAR.”

“I don't like it,” Fox analyst Clint Bowyer bluntly admitted.

“Without explanation or attribution, they have made that change,” the veteran broadcaster continued. “The yellow bumper is gone. We pulled Kevin's yellow tape off of his microphone here before we got started. I don't know. It's a tradition.”

@mikejoy500 and @ClintBowyer shared what they thought of @NASCAR removing the tradition of the rookie stripe. pic.twitter.com/g9cLQxuPle
— Kyle Dalton (@kdsportswriter) February 2, 2025

Joy and Bowyer aren't alone. Their position was one taken by many fans when the change was originally announced on Jan. 21. Interestingly, the sport’s biggest name and ambassador, Dale Earnhardt Jr., shared a similar opinion.

“I will miss them,” the Hall of Famer responded to a post on X by “The Athletic’s” Jeff Gluck that featured NASCAR’s explanation for removing the stripes - "there’s no need to signify a rookie driver given these are the highest levels of stock car racing."