NASCAR has been working hard to address its declining viewership numbers. But one obvious way to help fix the problem, improving the quality of race broadcasts, still feels overlooked at times. Following last Sunday’s Würth 400, Fox Sports once again found itself facing criticism from fans over exactly that issue.

What matters to fans the most is the competition on track, yet Fox Sports continues to flood broadcasts with speed graphics and manufacturer logos throughout races. ‘

Besides that, the only story that should have lingered long after the wheels stopped at Texas Motor Speedway was Chase Elliott’s.

Elliott did not have the lead until Lap 152 of 267, when Corey Heim brought his Toyota to pit road for fuel on an off-cycle strategy, and from that point on, the driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet controlled the race entirely, thanks in part to a pit crew that performed its three fastest pit stops of the season on Sunday. Then, in a four-lap sprint to the finish, he defeated Denny Hamlin thanks to a perfectly timed restart and help from his teammates.

But right as Elliott crossed the finish line and the checkered flag flew, the broadcast suddenly turned into a blinding whiteout for a couple of seconds – what some called a “flashbang”. Heim had also dominated large portions of the race before a late spin destroyed his car, yet the broadcast struggled to capture the moment properly.

This comes after NASCAR saw a 14% year-over-year decline in 2025, bringing the average viewership per race down to 2.4 million. Seven playoff races in 2025 drew fewer than two million viewers, a figure that would have been almost unthinkable a decade ago. And while FOX had promised change at the beginning of this year, little has actually translated.

Fans slam Fox Sports for sponsor-themed NASCAR coverage

On X, there were discussions about the speed and manufacturers being shown non-stop mid-race, and some fans steered the blame towards the corporate guys in suits.

“The broadcast on Fox is never done for race fans. It’s all done for the sponsors. As long as sponsors are happy, they could not care any less about what race fans want to see. Otherwise, they would not be advertising fuc**** baseball for 3 minutes while the race is running,” one wrote.

Fox Sports has faced criticism for years over coverage that many fans feel is designed more to appease sponsors than enhance the viewing experience. Long commercial breaks have regularly interrupted racing action, even during iconic events like the Daytona 500, often causing viewers to miss key moments on track. They have also resorted to split-screen race coverage at times, where the race becomes secondary to the ad on screen.

The season’s very first broadcast set the tone for what was to come. At the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray, as soon as 9 p.m. ET hit, Fox chose to abandon live coverage on the broadcast network in favor of the primetime series The Masked Singer.

With college basketball already airing live on FS1, the end of the Clash had to be relegated to the barely-watched FS2. FS2 is in just an estimated 49 million homes, far behind FS1 at 68 million.

Another fan pointed out the information they would rather see on the pylon instead of speed and manufacturer graphics, which are again believed to be pushed heavily for sponsorship reasons. “Yeah, who gives a sh- how fast they all are currently, I agree. Show speed when you show in cars and telemetry there. Not the pylon. Pylon should be gap, last fuel stop, and current lap times.”

“Especially with under 15 laps to go. Gap is all that matters. You can ‘maybe’ make an argument for fuel remaining (which is probably too much guesswork for a graphic) if the race is trending that way. But that’s an exception, not a rule,” added someone else.

Heading into 2026, Fox revamped its graphics package, hoping fans would appreciate the added race data and information. The redesign focused heavily on the scoring pylon, which now shows more real-time race details and driver data throughout broadcasts. Executives believed the format remained effective because it could display more information while still staying easy to follow. Sadly for them, that has not really been the case, with newer broadcast partners like Amazon quickly winning over many fans instead.

The booth itself has come under fire, too. This season marked Mike Joy’s 26th year in Fox’s NASCAR broadcast booth; however, his words seem to have lost the magic.

One fan put it bluntly: “It’s just Mike Joy, who sounds like he’s asleep, Clint Bowyer, who can’t decide if he’s hyper or sleepy himself, and Kevin Harvick, whose back must hurt from carrying the team.” Another was equally direct: “You guys don’t listen to the fans… this booth is a mess and no chemistry.”

Considering that FOX has also seen its share of Cup Series race broadcasts reduced since 2025, with its number of races dropping from 18 to 14, the quality does not make much sense to fans. The remaining races are now split between Amazon Prime Video, TNT Sports, and NBC. With growing criticism from fans and viewership continuing to decline, changes are needed, and quickly.