Last year, NASCAR made a move no one could ignore. After decades of staying close to traditional TV, the sport jumped into the deep end of streaming. With a new seven-year, $7.7 billion media rights deal in place, NASCAR brought Amazon Prime Video, Warner Bros. Discovery, and The CW into its world. This wasn’t a minor tweak—it was a pivot that could shape the future of how fans experience the sport. Amazon’s arrival in particular grabbed headlines.
The tech giant was given five summer races, including the legendary Coca-Cola 600. NASCAR President Steve Phelps didn’t hold back on the excitement. “Streaming is important. It’s here to stay. We think Amazon Prime is a terrific partner for us… the NFL, NBA, ourselves, that’s a good adjacency for us,” he said. Amazon echoed the optimism. Danielle Carney, head of live sports ad sales, confirmed, “We’re nearly sold out of ad inventory… we’re excited about driving new advertisers.”
NASCAR wasn’t just dipping its toes into streaming; they were flooring it. Amazon also partnered with the likes of Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt Jr to improve their broadcast experience. Yet the grand plan met a sceptical garage. Many core fans still hunt for races with a remote, not an app. They also wonder if Dale Earnhardt Jr, one of the most trusted modern voices in the booth, can protect the experience. His name now rides shotgun with a partner valued near two trillion dollars, and his reputation hangs on the outcome.
Notably, Amazon’s first green-flag wave comes next week. Fox bows out after Sunday’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro. Prime Video then takes control of the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25 and runs four more exclusive events through Pocono on June 22. It’s a historic shift. For the first time, NASCAR’s premier series will stream exclusively. Fans won’t be able to flip a channel. They’ll need a Prime subscription and an internet connection. For many, that’s a big ask, especially in a sport rooted in small-town roots and decades of broadcast tradition.
One worried supporter summed up the tension online: “Streaming services are a pain for live sports. I can’t even flip to baseball without logging out.” However, recent data shows a completely different thing. According to a survey published by The Current, Digital live sports viewership surpassed traditional TV for the first time in 2023, with 95.5 million viewers streaming sports compared to 90.7 million watching via cable. Projections estimate that by 2027, digital sports viewers in the U.S. will reach 127.4 million, while traditional TV viewers may decline to 75.4 million.
The @NASCAR Cup Series on Prime is coming Up Around The Bend!
Eric Church and John Fogerty team up for our new signature anthem, debuting May 25th ahead of the Coca-Cola 600. pic.twitter.com/bknA8564Ve
— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) April 24, 2025
Despite these numbers, NASCAR traditional fans feel that this just increases their cable budget. With 29 of this season’s races behind a paywall or cable login, many fans feel like they’re being priced out or shut out. However, Dale Earnhardt Jr. sees the change differently. He trusts Amazon’s Thursday Night blueprint and welcomes the chance to show fresh graphics and cleaner audio.
“I would say you can look at the ‘Thursday Night Football’ coverage, and all the bells and whistles. That would be a good way to look at how Amazon’s race coverage might look and how it might differ somewhat… I think all of the networks push each other to put good products out on Sunday. Amazon will bring some really cool ideas and ways of approaching the sport that will be better. I’m grateful to be a part of that team,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Advertisers also believe in the product. Amazon reports nearly every ad slot sold for the upcoming races. “We have a strong interest in driving new advertisers,” Carney said. That’s big. If the money’s showing up, Amazon must be doing something right, at least on the business end. Brands bought the new two-box commercial format that keeps racing action in view while ads roll. That early sell-through suggests confidence in viewership.
Away from the booth, Amazon spent real money to show its commitment is on track. It signed on as presenting sponsor for Kyle Larson’s #Hendrick1100 Memorial Day double. Prime logos will ride on Larson’s Indy 500 entry and his Charlotte stock car. The streamer also locked a three-race deal with Chase Elliott, targeting NASCAR’s largest fan base. Notably, Amazon’s content strategy doesn’t stop at live races. They’ve lined up a series of documentaries and specials aimed at hardcore and casual fans alike.
A four-part documentary on Dale Earnhardt Sr. drops May 22. Called Earnhardt, it features rare footage and interviews with his kids and former rivals. Two days later, Prime airs its first race. Then there’s American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans, coming June 12. It covers the 2023 Garage 56 program that brought a stock car to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Amazon is also producing a feature-length documentary following Larson’s attempt at 1,100 miles in one day.
Stacey Rosenson, Amazon’s sports marketing head, said, “We’re thrilled to be part of it… Capturing this kind of historic moment live is truly unique.” With all these efforts, Amazon is trying to win over fans before the green flag even drops. But are fans convinced?
Streaming shift brings mixed feelings in the NASCAR garage!
As NASCAR heads to the North Wilkesboro Speedway for the All-Star Race, Fans are looking forward to the end of Fox’s broadcasting stint. However, what followed was doubts and excitement around Amazon Prime’s debut. When a Reddit user asked about it, fans poured in their answers. “Y’all put too much hope in Dale Jr. It will be a normal broadcast,” wrote one fan, citing Amazon’s reliance on NASCAR Productions for the CW’s Xfinity playoff feed last fall, which drew only 870,000 average viewers.
Another fumed, “Can’t wait to pay more for the same races. I also can’t wait for the race to buffer.” That complaint recalls last season’s Tennessee Titans–Pittsburgh Steelers stream, where AWS acknowledged a nine-second lag behind cable. Additionally, services like Fubo TV have been reported to have delays of up to 87 seconds for their NFL or other sports streams. One more plea targeted commercial: “I hope they don’t hit us every fifty laps and skip side-by-side on the white-flag lap.”
Amazon counters that worry with its dual-box format and notes that Thursday Night Football reduced full breaks by thirty percent. The final reply served as a reminder of mixed evidence: “We already saw CW, TNT, and Amazon in practice shows. The product looked fine.” The jury remains out, but numbers and nerves will write the verdict when the Coca-Cola 600 goes green on May 25.
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