NASCAR Cup Series is shifting to a new address. This weekend marks a significant milestone in motorsports broadcasting, as Amazon Prime Video officially takes the wheel, ushering in a new era for NASCAR’s media landscape. As part of a landmark seven-year media rights agreement, Prime Video is set to stream five exclusive Cup Series races, kicking off this Sunday, May 25, 2025, with the iconic Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The lineup includes Nashville Superspeedway on June 1, Michigan International Speedway on June 8, a historic points race in Mexico City at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on June 15, the first outside the U.S. since 1958, and Pocono Raceway on June 22. FOX covered 12 points-paying races, while the practice and qualifying sessions were streamed on Prime Video, except the Daytona 500 and All-Star Race. But now that the new media partner has gotten full control, they are flexing their muscles.
Prime Video isn’t messing around—they’re bringing a full-throttle production to the table, with NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. leading a new team, joined by Adam Alexander and Steve Letarte. Danielle Trotta will host trackside, joined by Hall of Famer Carl Edwards and current Cup driver Corey LaJoie for commentary, with pre- and post-race shows packed with driver interviews, analysis, and storylines. This is something fans were used to back when the RACER channel came up with the daily features.
“It’s finally here, the rehearsals are over!”
Our #NASCARonPrime crew are pumped to be live! pic.twitter.com/162ZNOYiLk
— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) May 24, 2025
But what’s really got fans talking is how Prime’s debut is making FOX’s recent broadcasts look like a pit stop gone wrong. From glitchy graphics to missed moments, FOX has been dropping the ball, and fans aren’t holding back on their frustration now that Prime is showing them what they’ve been missing. The contrast between the two broadcasters couldn’t be starker. With Prime Video rolling out cutting-edge features right from the practice sessions, fans couldn’t help but remind themselves of the tough days watching the coverage on FOX, which was often mired by commercial breaks and missed moments.
Fans have had enough, and change was inevitable
“First 10 minutes of practice is better than all of FOX’s 2025 stretch, looks great!” one fan raved on Reddit, capturing the excitement over Prime’s slick production. With over 70 cameras per race, including in-car and drone footage, supported by 10 miles of fiber optic cable, Prime’s visuals are a feast for the eyes, streaming in 1080p HDR with Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound.
Fans couldn’t help but gush over the drone shots. “Can we talk about how beautiful the drone shots for Prime have been? Unlike FOX, where it feels like a GoPro strapped to a toy helicopter with a 9-year-old at the helm.” Prime’s high-flying angles are a far cry from FOX’s shaky attempts, like during the 2024 Daytona 500, where awkward camera angles left fans dizzy instead of dazzled. Not to forget, they completely missed out on the battle between Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch at COTA, and zoomed in on the stands.
“I think the whole commentary crew needs to be overhauled… Bowyer can bring a ‘fun’ energy, but I’d rather have a more serious commentator because his whole shtick is tired. Harvick is too dry and dull. Joy is older, he’s made more mistakes recently,” they added, pointing to FOX’s recent missteps, like Mike Joy’s noticeable flubs in 2025 broadcasts. Prime’s pre- and post-race shows, packed with driver interviews and deep analysis, are giving fans the storytelling they’ve been craving. Something FOX has failed to deliver.
Prime’s double-box commercial format during green-flag racing is a game-changer, and fans are loving it. Commercials run in a smaller box while the race stays front and center, with full-screen ads only during yellow or red flags—a stark contrast to FOX’s habit of cutting away at crucial moments.
“You’re talking about how Prime coverage made you disappointed in FOX… For me, it was the fact the Oscar Meyer Weinie 500 had better coverage in 2 laps around Indy than the 1000s of laps FOX has covered this season,” a fan vented, summing up the frustration. It’s not that FOX doesn’t have the resources to pull off a good coverage. Look how all-in they were in the IndyCar commercials featuring Josef Newgarden and Alex Palao. They even hit record-breaking ratings and TV viewership with the very first race at St. Petersburg.
The fan backlash against FOX isn’t just about tech. it’s about respect for the sport. “Any other racing series takes their product seriously… I know no one wants to hear it, but cutting costs in anything almost always leads to a worse product,” another fan pointed out. NASCAR indeed has a new partner, but there was a time when Big FOX used to deliver the goods. Something has changed in recent years, and they have got a bad rep for losing their grip with the fans.
With new players and streaming partners now taking over, NASCAR’s broadcasting is expected to improve and who knows, Amazon Prime might have a big stake in changing the outlook of the sport for good.
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