Jeff Gordon joining FOX NASCAR coverage in 2016 as race analyst

Jeff Gordon will be taking his talents to the broadcast booth in 2016, FOX announced Thursday, signing a multi-year deal as a race analyst for the Sprint Cup series.

Gordon will be teaming up with Mike Joy and Darrell Waltrip starting at Daytona in February of next year and will be giving his expertise during all Sprint Cup races, practices and qualifying sessions.

Gordon already has some practice calling his first of three Xfinity Series races at Talladega this year.

A move to television should not come as a surprise to fans as Gordon is the only driver to host Saturday Night Live and has made numerous appearances on daytime and late night talk shows throughout his racing career.

This is Gordon's 23rd and final year as a full-time Sprint Cup series driver. He has won four Sprint Cup series championships over that time, winning 92 races including three at the Daytona 500. The California-native was named one of the 50 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR history in 1998.