Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join Amazon Prime Video and TNT Sports as a commentator for both networks. NASCAR’s new TV deal begins in 2025 and so, his fans will have to wait a bit longer. However, he has already been an analyst for NBC for five years, until his contract was set to expire by the end of 2024. But apart from Junior, Kevin Harvick is another veteran who can pull huge numbers! He is shining in his new role at FOX. Junior has a problem with this, though. Not with Harvick, but with FOX.

With the Amazon-TNT announcement out of the way, Dale Earnhardt Jr. revealed that the new crew has been doing major research. As Amazon is set to kick start things at the Coke-600 and TNT takes over in Atlanta, Junior highlighted how the broadcasters already have stellar debut weekends ahead of them. Naturally, this leaves a lot of pressure on the broadcasters to make the most of it. This is where Earnhardt Jr. stepped in to share a probable inspiration.

Junior shared on the Dale Jr. Download, “For the most part, FOX and NBC and all the things that we seen in the last several decades, that’s the basis of a broadcast. They do it well. And so I would just take the general idea and have just have a few, you know, tweaks to it.”

“I think that the starting grid has never been done better than it was for CBS’ Daytona 500 in the early 80s… Watch how they do the starting grid, it’s usually one person, and in this case, back in the day, Ken Squire did it. They had a little music on the backend and it was usually something like the theme to Nightrider of Magnum PI. It had that kind of good energy, but very nostalgic.” 

For Dale Earnhardt Jr., the starting grid in the 80’s CBS coverage built the perfect atmosphere for fans even before the lights went out. With FOX and NBC’s current broadcasts, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Back then, drivers from the pole-sitter to the last-place runner were all given equal importance during introductions, with the commentators highlighting their background and other aspects. Just take Formula 1, for example; the sport focuses on every storyline, no matter how inconsequential the championship battle is, and that’s what helps fans engage further.

Junior added, “That sort of brought the energy level in the booth and the broadcast itself, and for the viewer, up to a certain level. And then as you raise the energy, you want to keep it there, keep pushing the energy up as the broadcast goes, and I really feel like those starting grids… I’d listen to that and get fricking pumped. I know this isn’t the case today because pretty much every car that shows up is guaranteed a spot in the field.”

Let’s not forget how fans bashed FOX’s NASCAR Cup Series coverage. As a crash took place and led to a pile-up, FOX was busy showing commercials. This annoyed many viewers. Further, Dale Earnhardt Jr. concluded by stating that it was a small factor, he also felt that such small gimmicks that were done back in the day would add up and create the perfect vibe for fans. That being said, Earnhardt Jr. also highlighted a major advantage Amazon Prime Video has over FOX and NBC’s traditional broadcasting. What could it be?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals Amazon Prime Video’s Trump card

Despite Junior’s critiques of FOX and NBC’s current broadcasting setup and how it has lost some charm compared to the 1980s, he believes the benchmark will remain similar for Amazon and TNT. Reflecting further on what fans can expect from the new broadcasters, Junior felt that key differences would only lie in the post-race and pre-race shows. But this is still a major ask from many fans.

Junior stated, “There’s some great opportunity, I think, for how we shape our pre-race and post-race show. Specifically, I think, with Amazon, because they’re not a network, right? They don’t have to go on and off the air at a specific time so that can be whatever it needs to be. I’m excited about that because I’ll tell you one thing that I do see all the time, ever since I started this job. As a broadcaster all the fans, the most common comment is; ‘post-race I want more post-race. I need more post-race.”

Fans don’t just want to hear from the winner, they also want to hear from their favorites, and allowing more time for that post-race would be vital.

With the goal of Amazon Prime Video and TNT’s association with Junior being higher fan satisfaction, Junior believes Prime Video’s status as a platform could help NASCAR make the show longer. He concluded, “So you know there are times when we’re on the big networks like Fox and NBC, there’s programming already built in that has to begin at a certain time. So if the post-race doesn’t fit, it ain’t happening. We have to get off the air at this time. With Amazon at least, that can be whatever it needs to be because that space is however big we want it or need it to be.”

After taking a look at Dale Earnhardt Jr’s revelations around Amazon Prime Video and TNT’s inaugural season of coverage, do you think things will go as smoothly as they seem?