“I see a ton of fans on our social media begging for more post-race,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said when Prime Video first shook up NASCAR’s broadcast landscape during the 2025 Coca-Cola 600 kickoff to its five-race deal. Back then, he predicted that fans craved more depth after the checkered flag, not endless minutiae before the green. But no one expected the shift to happen so fast.
Yet here we are, with compelling data and insider praise pouring in; Dale Jr. has been proven right yet again. Prime post-race coverage at Pocono didn’t just land; it stuck, and it’s now forcing rival networks to rethink the broadcast playbook. Whether it’s seeing Blaney’s celebration at Nashville—spilling beer on Dale Jr.’s notes or capturing Bubba Wallace’s emotional moment, Prime has really hooked its viewers.
Prime Video proves Dale Jr. right
After Pocono, Prime Video made headlines, not just for how it covered the race, but for what came after. According to motorsport journalist Jeff Gluck, who shared the numbers via X, “Prime Video says its postrace show at Pocono retained 43 percent of the actual audience from the race. Hopefully, the success of the postrace coverage will show other networks that NASCAR fans prefer more postrace coverage vs. a longer pre-race show.” That figure is staggering when compared to the industry norm, where most traditional networks lose 2/3 of the race audience once the checkered flag waves.
Prime’s debut NASCAR broadcast, the 2025 Coca-Cola 600, averaged 2.72 million viewers, with the post-race segment maintaining 1.04 million viewers, or roughly 38% retention over a 67-minute wrap-up. That level of sustained retention is rare, particularly dramatic given that most races see viewership drop sharply once action ends.
According to producer Alex Strand, Prime came to NASCAR with a blank slate, avoiding the recycled broadcast formulas of traditional networks. Drawing from its Thursday night football camp model, Strand explains, “One big thing has been our postgame show. For TNF, Nightcap gave us a platform to go deep and be the first voice people hear. For NASCAR… you could really talk for three hours. You’ve got 36 teams and 36 storylines. It’s one of the unique challenges—but the approach still fits.”
Prime Video says its post-race show at Pocono retained 43 percent of the actual audience from the race. Hopefully, the success of the post-race coverage will show other networks that NASCAR fans prefer more post-race coverage vs. a longer pre-race show.
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) June 24, 2025
Sports Business Journal notes that FOX and FS1 averaged 3,360,000 viewers across the first 12 races of the Cup season. Prime numbers may be lower overall, but the youthful median age (55.8 versus 61.9 on linear TV) and strong post-race hold prove fans are here for the full experience, not just the green flag spectacle.
In practice, that meant stretching the post-race not as an afterthought but as a featured segment. With hosts Carl Edwards and Corey LaJoie, emotion, context, and tactical breakdowns were explored live, far beyond the typical 15-minute slot. The dynamic duo of Dale Junior and former crew chief Steve Letarte also played a huge role in this. Steve’s influence on the innovative Burn Bar feature, displaying real-time fuel data, further deepened engagement and understanding.
As the five races’ prime run closed out at Pocono, Alex Strand summed up the crew’s anticipation, saying, “Excitement. Everybody in the crew was pumped… We’d been talking about this for 18 months. We knew the responsibility, and there was a lot of thought that went into how we got on air for the first time. But in Charlotte? The prevailing feeling was excitement.”
Looks like Dale Jr.’s wish, more postage coverage, came through, sending shocks throughout the NASCAR broadcast world.
Jeff Gordon applauds Amazon’s real-time revolution in NASCAR coverage
As the Amazon Prime NASCAR experiment unfolded, one of its biggest advocates turned out to be none other than Jeff Gordon. During its weekend at Michigan, Gordon praised the platform for how it handled complex race dynamics and elements like fuel strategy, pit cycles, and shifting raised tempo that often leave home viewers guessing. In his view, prime coverage did not just follow the action; it decoded it.
What made the difference was Amazon’s seamless use of on-screen graphics and real-time data. Tools like the Burn Bar and live pet Lane visuals allowed fans to grasp not only what was happening but why it was happening. From showing who is saving fuel to explaining the undercut strategy, the stream made sense of the madness. It eliminated the guesswork that usually surrounds in-race decisions. Reflecting on the same, Gordon said, “They’re really about analytics and bringing that to the fan.”
Gordon said simply, clearly impressed by the tech-forward presentation. He explained that the integration of data and view is friendly storytelling that reflects exactly what the next generation of NASCAR fans crave: clarity, speed, and immersion. Amazon’s approach, he added, mirrors what is already mastered through Thursday night football broadcasts, where analytical insight meets entertainment.
Gordon also spotlighted one particularly exciting addition, the enhanced pit road coverage. “They also know they’re catering to a younger fan base, and so that’s sort of what they demand. One thing that I love that I saw (at Michigan) was the race off pit road.” He noticed how Prime captured the intensity of those crucial seconds. It wasn’t just innovation for innovation’s sake; it was necessary evolution and how NASCAR discovered it. And with younger fans demanding smarter content, Amazon seems to be meeting that moment head-on.
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