What if the biggest threat to NASCAR’s fan experience isn’t on the track, but in the booth? A rising number of fans, particularly those who watch both NASCAR and Formula 1, are voicing concerns about how far behind America’s racing programming has slipped, even while FOX and NBC still target casual viewers with their coverage.

Formula 1 broadcasts are now considered a technological masterpiece in the motorsport industry. Fans are rarely left wondering why something happened because everything is portrayed in vivid detail thanks to multi-layered data, real-time tire degradation charts, throttle and brake overlays, and predictive pit strategy algorithms. Fans of NASCAR? Three years after the Next Gen automobile was first debuted, they are still being taught what a single lug nut is. Not to forget the band-aid changes NASCAR rolls out to improve the short-track package or the speedway package.

NASCAR events are televised by FOX Sports during the first half of the season and NBC Sports during the second half. The primary target audience for both networks is mainstream television viewers; FOX, in particular, handles race broadcasts more like entertainment than in-depth analysis. There was a time when FOX invested time and effort through the RaceDay, a pre-race program aired by FOX, which included the analysis and driver interviews. Not to forget the NASCAR Race Hub on Speed Channel, a weekly feature that kept the NASCAR audience connected from Monday to Thursday.

Race Hub was only suspended last year after NASCAR signed the new media rights deal. But, well before FOX was handed only 14 Cup Series races, they just weren’t on par with the interactive segments or offering for the fans with its stale and outdated broadcast. Talk about attracting new audiences, they certainly will need more than cartoon graphics and reliance on veterans like Mike Joy. And this is where F1 has made huge gains and filled the market gap.

There are two methods for F1 coverage: the subscription-based F1TV Pro and the popular Sky Sports broadcast. The latter gives viewers access to sector-by-sector statistics, pit strategy projections, live wind data, unfiltered team radios, and onboard cams for each driver. By using race models and simulations to analyze performance, analysts such as Karun Chandhok, Anthony Davidson, and former engineers provide spectators a far better understanding of the choices made by the team.

Although Larry McReynolds brings out some cool stats and trends during the coverage, that doesn’t make a dent. Critical strategy analysis has become less important as FOX shifts its focus to lighthearted banter. One fan sparked a much-needed conversation with a post on Reddit, stating, “Why doesn’t NASCAR have the same kind of in depth analysis that F1 broadcasts have?” And this was enough for the fans to share their pain points with the subpar broadcasting by NASCAR media partners.

Fans Compare Notes as NASCAR’s Broadcast Just Doesn’t Stack Up

Fans stormed the subject with the mechanics that are in place to develop the understanding of the next-gen cars, “We’re still getting single lug nut/detent 101 lessons every weekend.” FOX has continued to treat the single lug system as if it were brand-new, even after the Next Gen car was introduced in 2022. Analysts like Jamie Little and Clint Bowyer reiterated the detent click and locking mechanism on several 2025 Cup Series broadcasts. Surely the media partners can do more than this. More times than not, fans are waiting for Steve Letarte’s explanation after the race day on social media, and that is an initiative by NASCAR, not the media partners.

The movement of the contributing analysts away from their strengths that could build the concepts of understanding such information had not gone unnoticed, as one enthusiast wrote, “The best in-depth analysis we’ve had for years was Larry locked in a closet somewhere in the greater Charlotte area.” Former booth mainstay Larry McReynolds currently works remotely from a virtual studio, typically providing quick strategy updates or brief appearances in pre-race presentations. He frequently dissected fuel windows, pit sequences, and aero packages in real-time throughout his prime, which spanned the early 2000s to the mid-2010s, as fans remember. 

The insightful speculation by a fan seemed to narrow it down, with “I think, it comes down to two things: The average F1 lap has more useable data points than the average NASCAR oval lap. The average F1 fan is more interested in the deep dives than the average NASCAR fan.” It’s not that NASCAR doesn’t have the platform or resources to collaborate with its media partners. The SMT data is shared by all the teams in the garage; perhaps FOX and NBC could use it to make their broadcasts more interactive. NASCAR Insights, a new initiative on social media platforms, is a step in the right direction, but the media partners will need to do some heavy lifting as well.

This fan seemed to have an idea why NASCAR is failing to attract the younger fans, who are happy to tune in to an F1 event. For context, there are three F1 races in a season, and they are making sizeable gains in terms of viewership numbers. “F1 is growing much faster than nascar and most of the fans I know are watching it on F1TV. I recently had this discussion while watching the miami sprint race how I have to find some stream of the nascar race if i want to watch because I (and i feel like most other people in the 18-25 bracket) dont even own a tv.”

NASCAR is paying attention to this changing trend and viewer behavior. This is why we have Amazon Prime Video and TNT taking up 10 Cup races, which will be streamed on these platforms. Not your regular Sunday TV but the modern-day approach to reach out to the viewers, who could be more than just a casual fan. Not to mention, a little less bombardment of commercial breaks and vague camera angles will only help NASCAR’s cause. “It would be nice for NASCAR to go a bit more in depth instead of a ton of small talk and a commercial break every five minutes,” a fan added.

If anything the 2025 is going to be a vital year for NASCAR. Pairing up with new partners and bringing streaming platforms to cover races might see them turn the corner for good.