It all comes down to these 150 laps in Phoenix for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this season. Corey Heim won the pole position but did not get his desired restart as Ty Majeski took over the lead and won Stage 1 of the Lucas Oil 150 championship race. Heim was faster in Stage 2 but was forced to halt when a caution came in Lap 56.

Unfortunately, viewers who could not ride all the way to the 1-mile tri-oval did not get a chance to see the crash between Chris Hacker and Marco Andretti because FOX Sports cut straight to a commercial.

A major truck series crash halts the championship race, with Corey Heim in the lead

Apart from an initial Lap 5 altercation between Derek Kraus and Stewart Friesen, the first 55 laps of the season-ending race ran smoothly. Corey Heim has been consistently ahead of the other three championship contenders. After finishing in the Top 5 in Stage 1, 2021 champion Ben Rhodes fell outside the Top 10 in Stage 2. Grant Enfinger and Carson Hocevar made considerable progress and placed themselves within the Top 10 after starting in the 13th and 17th places, respectively.

The first major incident resulted in considerable damage to the #30 Toyota truck of Chris Hacker and the #7 Chevrolet of Marco Andretti. The crash was serious enough to end the races early for both drivers. When the yellow flag came out, Heim was still leading, followed by last year’s champion, Zane Smith.

Hocevar had by then moved into the Top 5, and Enfinger was still battling in the Top 10. Rhodes rounded out the Championship 4 contenders in 13th place. The exact details of the crash, unfortunately, could not be witnessed by millions of fans glued to their television screens.

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As soon as the caution came out, FOX, handling the coverage of the race, cut to commercials at a pivotal moment. Even more infuriating for viewers, the broadcasting company did not show the replay of the crash which could clarify the situation for the racing community, not at the bleacher stands. 

FOX Sport’s lackluster coverage incenses the racing community after missing crucial action

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FOX has been repeatedly criticized for its less-than-stellar coverage this year, often failing to showcase season-altering moments and important replays. Moreover, FOX Sports commentators have also been called out previously for making factual errors in their reportage.

Frustrated fans were outraged at this negligence during the most important race of the Craftsman Truck Series season. Sarcastic digs about the lack of a replay were immediately conveyed in the comment section of FOX Sports analyst Bob Pockrass’s tweet.

“No replay straight to commercial. Classic”

“Great replay FOX”

“@NASCARONFOX rushes to commercial with no replays like usual”

Failing to gain any meaningful information on the incident, this disgruntled NASCAR fan summarized, “This @NASCARONFOX broadcast is f*cking pathetic.”

Another fan was infuriated because the smoke coming out of Chris Hacker’s truck clearly told an intense story, but the commentators did not mention it. 

“Does FOX even try at this point bruh i just don’t get it

He’s mad at someone but FS1 sucks and goes to commercial without a replay.”

FOX didn’t even bother sending the truck booth to Phoenix”

Confused fans rushed to social media channels to ask frantically, “What happened?”

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