“It’s going to drive viewership that’s probably at least as good as what we’d see on cable.” Steve Phelps’ words about Amazon Prime’s debut in NASCAR are yet to be proven in stats. However, audience reception for the streaming platform’s rise in stock car racing is already off the charts. That is because Amazon paid attention to subtle mistakes that its predecessor, FOX Sports, did not. And that is all it took to win over fans.
For years, FOX Sports has been at the receiving end of heavy criticism. In 2024, NASCAR’s media partner for two decades received many complaints, ranging from blurry win photos to inconsistent coverage on the racetrack. The overarching issue involved commercials, and Amazon has already beaten FOX in that regard.
NASCAR has a new winner
Well, the problem of commercials in NASCAR is nothing new. Back in 2006, in the movie “Talladega Nights,” NBC Sports cut to an Applebee’s ad during a crash. Cut to 2025, and the same problem persisted hugely. During the Jack Link’s 500 race at Talladega Superspeedway, the final 20 laps were frustrating for fans, as FOX went to a side-by-side commercial break twice in the race’s final 20 laps. That included the final break, when the race came down to the thrill of the last 5 laps as Ryan Preece and Austin Cindric battled for the win.
This sparked tremendous outrage as the final laps of a superspeedway race are crucial. Even NASCAR drivers who were watching the race on FOX complained about the advertisements coming on during such a crucial point of the race. Xfinity Series driver Christian Eckes wrote on X, “Why are we under commercial rn,” while Garrett Smithley echoed this sentiment, writing, “Commercials at Talladega with 6 laps to go is insane work.” Well, after the Coca-Cola 600, fans realized that Amazon Prime gave fans what FOX could never.
Ahead of its debut in the Coca-Cola 600, Amazon Prime promised fans a double-box format for commercials. And the media giant kept its promise, with commercials rarely disrupting the flow of the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. What is more? Amazon also beat FOX in the number of commercials. In its last traditional Coca-Cola 600 broadcast in 2022, FOX Sports featured 193 ads, which took up 63 minutes of race coverage. In contrast, Amazon Prime featured only 108 ads that took up only 9 minutes of coverage. So a fan aptly put Amazon’s win on X: “The numbers don’t lie- Prime showed SIGNIFICANTLY less commercials than FOX did in their last traditional Coke 600 broadcast.”
The numbers don’t lie- Prime showed SIGNIFICANTLY less commercials than FOX did in their last traditional Coke 600 broadcast pic.twitter.com/r5wUuJEtVg
— Brett (@brettbphoto) May 26, 2025
Alex Strand, Senior Coordinating Producer for Prime Video, professed this goal of cutting down ads. He said, “We’re fans first and foremost, so it’s something we wanted for a long time… We want to avoid the frustration of being in a full commercial and having something on track happen, and fans miss it.”
Amazon Prime worked hard to revamp the fan experience in other ways. That involved roping in NASCAR stalwarts like Dale Earnhardt Jr among the play-by-play announcers and Carl Edwards in the studio. Through its streaming platform, Amazon was “excited to reach younger audiences” for NASCAR. With all this effort underway, Global Head of Sports Jay Marine expressed hopes for growth: “We really want to go innovate, we see this as a seven-year-plus partnership, we’ll talk about the renewal later.”
However, the community wants to have that discussion now. Years of FOX Sports’ disappointment have caught up to fans.
Fans demand drastic changes
Well, Fox Sports’ extra commercials were not the only thing that ticked off fans. During the 2024 Daytona 500, William Byron narrowly edged Alex Bowman on the final lap. And FOX Sports’ cameras failed to cover that breathtaking moment properly, leading to backlash. So, one fan was clear about another arena where Amazon Prime beat Fox. “I didn’t even realize it was that long. But the battles truly felt like battles because they weren’t interrupted. It wasn’t “We had a pass for the lead” it was “There’s a battle for the lead.” During the 2025 All-Star Race, the cameras missed several moments. Those included Michael Waltrip dropping the caution flag on the track and multiple wrecks. Hence, another fan exasperatedly wrote that Amazon should just speed up its plan: “Can amazon just buy out the rest 7 year contract already.”
One diehard NASCAR fan made comprehensive calculations of commercial screen time. They were particularly heartened by the fact that Amazon lived up to its promise. “Prime was on the record saying that they would not show full-screen ads during green flag racing. They kept their word. Only full screen ads were in stage breaks. Plus, the last 64 laps, victory celebrations/winners interview were all shown commercial free (roughly 50 minutes). This alone would have sold me on Prime, not even mentioning how fantastic everything else about their coverage was.”
The overall Coca-Cola 600 experience enthralled fans. Amazon went to great lengths in recruiting Carl Edwards, the Cup Series legend who abruptly left the sport in 2016. Listening to ‘Cousin Carl’ on the booth while relishing a race without ad interruptions won over a fan. They wrote, “I’m so impressed with everything I’ve read about the prime broadcast last night. I look forward to experiencing the broadcast for the first time next week while watching the Nashville race. I was at the Coke 600, so it will all be new to me next week.”
What is more? Amazon’s popularity shot up. The media giant had a ‘Shop the Race’ feature wherein fans could buy merchandise while watching the race. One fan confessed to using it generously: “And that’s worth every dollar I paid them this month, not to mention my wife made a same day delivery order the other day.”
Clearly, Amazon Prime’s arrival has been a thumping success for NASCAR. With fans’ approval resounding far and wide, the media giant may be here to stay.
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