A crossover between NASCAR and the NFL isn’t something new. Former gridiron stars have found a second career on pit crews like the ex-Steelers linebacker Marshall McFadden, now a jackman for Kaulig Racing. Legendary NFL figures have also invested in racing, including Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach co-owning Hall of Fame Racing in the mid-2000s. How can we forget about Joe Gibbs, he has three Super bowls to his name during his time at Washington Redskin? Others, like Peyton Manning, famously served as an honorary pace car driver for the 2018 Daytona 500, calling the experience “unique and exciting.”

On the other hand, current NASCAR stars also regularly cheer on NFL teams with Bubba Wallace supporting the Tennessee Titans, Austin Dillon and Clint Bowyer rooting for their hometown Panthers and Chiefs, respectively, earning mutual respect for the two most popular sports in America. These intersections highlighted how the competitive spirit transcends yards and laps, where horsepower and hard hits are not that far apart. And that collaboration is still increasingly evident in today’s time.

Ryan Fitzpatrick’s NFL grit meets NASCAR speed

Former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been the latest addition, playing a part in helping the massive NFL fan base get a glimpse of NASCAR’s offerings. After 17 years, Fitzpatrick retired and opted to join the Amazon Prime broadcast team as an analyst. Like NASCAR, the NFL was also undergoing a massive revamp, and Fitzpatrick’s easy-going personality made for a perfect analyst. However, for the last few weeks, he has been amazed by the action produced by the Cup Series driver on the ovals, turning him into a fan.

In a recent tweet posted by Fitzpatrick on X, the former NFL quarterback expressed his excitement for the sport, even hinting at appearing on-site to watch the race. “Loving NASCAR right now!!! Gotta go see a race in person before @NASCARonPrime season ends…looks like I’ll see you guys at Pocono,” wrote Fitzpatrick. He has been watching the races ever since they got on Prime Video, from the chaos at Charlotte to Denny Hamlin’s late race pass at Michigan, the past few weeks have been electrifying, and former St. Louis Rams QB wants to experience a NASCAR race in person.

His connections to NASCAR began earlier this season when Fitzpatrick quietly offered broadcast tips to NASCAR driver-turned-analyst Corey Lajoie ahead of Prime Video’s debut Cup broadcast at the Coca-Cola 600. Reportedly, Fitzpatrick offered the latter advice on how to connect with viewers tuning into the sport for the first time. “There’s a lot of stuff where you can just pull back the curtain. If you pull back the curtain and let us in on things that are happening and I wouldn’t be afraid to state some of the obvious things either. I don’t want a lot of racing. So there’s a lot of stuff that I’m really gonna be into.”

While LaJoie has implemented these tips during his pre and post-racing features. For example, the best one so far is his rating for the burnouts that drivers perform after the race, celebrating their win. It’s just a small feature of the sport, but even non-NASCAR audiences or viewers can get behind this idea. But Ryan Fitzpatrick is genuinely interested in knowing more about the sport, which was evident from his conversation with Jeff Gluck on X.

In May, he asked Gluck on which driver he should root for, “Any advice on picking a driver Jeff? My youngest son is all in on Blaney because he won last week. Was looking for a driver with a thick beard but they all seem to be well groomed.” As he continues to balance his NFL career and TV commitments, Fitzpatrick’s curiosity and enthusiasm for NASCAR shows that Prime Video is helping the sport grow beyond the traditional borders. And that is a small win for the sport.

Amazon Prime Video is taking NASCAR to the next level

Amazon Prime Video’s newest NASCAR innovation, “The Burn Bar,” represents the next step in merging live sports with advanced analytics. Using tens and thousands of data points collected in real-time and analyzed through machine learning models, the Burn Bar visually tracks fuel mileage with a color-coded overlay and miles-per-gallon estimates. The goal? To tell a story of fuel conservation or consumption in a matter of seconds without confusing the viewers. “That’s ultimately our North Star at Amazon,” said senior coordinating producer Alex Strand. “How do we bring more data to viewers, but do it in a way that they can digest?”

The graphic package took 18 months to develop and stems from early creative sessions between Stand, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Steve Letarte. From the beginning, the trio focused on elevating the hidden strategy of fuel management. “We actually think fuel is a really, really cool part of racing,” Strand said. “It’s just no one’s really figured out how to tell that story yet.” The narrative is especially fitting during Amazon’s spring race coverage, including the Michigan International Speedway event, where fuel became a deciding factor. Letarte reminded fans that in 2008, Earnhardt Jr. shut off his engine under caution at MIS to coast to victory.

This behind-the-scenes strategy is exactly what Amazon’s Burn Bar aims to bring to the spotlight, echoing the tech-forward approach of Prime Vision used in Thursday Night Football. “This is awful because I’m an announcer, but I think the more a sport can be displayed, both visually by the director and graphically by the great graphics director and producer—that’s my goal,” said Letarte.

Built with Amazon Web Services’ cloud computing, the Burn Bar relies on AI models fueled by throttle and RPM data to estimate real-time fuel usage on a car-by-car basis. This hints at a future where every lap would come with a digital layer of storytelling, changing the entire scenario for NASCAR altogether. Only the teams had access to SMT data, and they could predict the outcome of the race. Now, with this feature, even fans can relate to the competitive element of the sport.