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Mike Joy names iconic Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart wins among his favorite NASCAR races

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones11/21/25brianjones_93
Tony Stewart Carl Edwards
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Mike Joy loved watching Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart earn memorable wins while they were competing in the NASCAR Cup Series. Earlier this year, the longtime NASCAR announcer appeared on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour and spoke to Kevin Harvick about his favorite NASCAR races.

“Carl Edwards getting his first win in Atlanta, and the way he did it, the way he had to commit and ride the wall and beat Jimmie [Johnson],” Mike Joy said. “Tony Stewart against Denny Hamlin at Sonoma, which I think was Tony’s final win. That was unbelievable.”

Joy then talked about one big thing he likes about calling races. “People don’t understand that we’re not cheering for one driver,” he said. “We’re always pulling for the second-place driver to catch the runaway first-place driver to make a race out of it. Doesn’t matter who’s where, we’re racing for what position. We’re race fans, and that’s what we want to see.”

More on Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart

Carl Edwards’ first NASCAR Cup Series race win came at the Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta in 2005. He would go on to win 27 more races, including the 2015 Coca-Cola 600 and 2015 Southern 500. Edwards came close to winning the 2011 Cup Series title, but lost to Tony Stewart via a tiebreaker. Edwards was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame this year.

“The most surprising thing is the realization that I can’t separate my life from this sport,” Edwards said during a teleconference in February, per NASCAR.com. “And I did. I walked away eight years ago. I turned my back, and I walked out of the room, and it was scary. And over the last eight years, I felt odd about that. But for NASCAR to welcome me back, it’s made me realize that this sport, it’s a part of me. It’s who I am. It’s a part of my family. My life is shaped by this, and I think NASCAR knew that more than I did.

Stewart is a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and has won 49 Cup Series races in 618 starts. He also had success in IndyCar, winning the IndyCar Series Championship in 1997. Stewart was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020 and is also a member of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame and the Motorsports Hall of Fame.