For thousands of NASCAR fans watching the Talladega race, the on-track action became a sideshow to their main frustration. As the Cup Series progressed through the Jack Link’s 500, the one consistent issue many remarked on was the frequent advertisements during the race. This was even more surprising, considering the massive backlash FOX has previously received for similar coverage.

As the 2026 season kicked off, one of the biggest concerns that spectators had was the ads and their placement in the middle of the race. While it is understandable that advertisements are important for broadcasters, they can sometimes go overboard. However, FOX showed a contrast earlier at Daytona International Speedway, with relatively fewer ads throughout the race.

However, that flipped around quickly as NASCAR headed to Talladega. Although the racing wasn’t the most exciting during the first stage, with a lack of lead changes and a gridlock showcasing no overtakes, the ads were causing huge interruptions. Even before the stage ended, there had been full-screen ads, stealing away a lot of the racing action from the viewers.

After stage two kicked off, it marked the ‘Big One,’ with more than half of the field involved in a massive crash, which was triggered by Bubba Wallace heading into the wall. Although many expected a series of replays right after the race was red-flagged, FOX broadcast the advertisements first.

Understandably, none of this sat well with the fans.

Fans point fingers at FOX’s NASCAR broadcast

“Y’all be stacking ads every second lap, I swear,” a user wrote, commenting on the increasing number of ads.

Although this wasn’t literally the case, the high frequency of the commercial placement did make it feel this way.

“Absolutely brutal. The massive wreck happens now, too, and you show one replay before another commercial?” wrote another user.

In fact, the major crash wasn’t the only time FOX did that. Even when the race went under caution for the smallest of reasons, the broadcasters found it to be the perfect time to put in some more ads, breaking the momentum that had built up.

And this is not new. During last year’s Talladega race, with 15 laps remaining, FOX cut to a side-by-side commercial. The network returned to the action with 11 laps to go, before again placing the NASCAR Cup Series race in a small box with nine laps remaining. It wasn’t until five laps were left that FOX wrapped up its final side-by-side commercials. Many fans watching at home weren’t pleased.

A user commented on this year’s race, saying: “Why go to commercial seconds after the most exciting part of the race??”

This has been an issue with NASCAR on FOX for a long time now. When it’s not the booth or the sloppy camerawork, the broadcaster still manages to hamper the overall viewing experience, even for the new fans: “I’m showing my friend a race for the first time, and they legit said ‘there’s so many commercials’ it’s so obvious to anyone watching.”

Although some of the users still managed to find the humor in this situation, like a fan who wrote, “I was watching some greats ads, but idk why they keep putting on some race in between,” it reflects a deeper issue with NASCAR.

Further, NASCAR fans have repeatedly voiced intense frustration with the frequency of advertisements. As seen during races, most recently in Las Vegas, FOX increased the number of side-by-side ads. Fans also noted that FOX continued to run advertisements even during short stage races lasting as little as 30 minutes, with ad breaks occurring as many as four times.

A section of fans pointed out that there have been advertisements every five laps, making the race “unmatchable” due to the distraction. This resulted in fans often missing out on passes, wrecks, or important sections of races.

The races do not feature the most passes; they seem to continue on a loop for 500 miles, and yet the race winner remains undecided. But that doesn’t mean that the spectators want to watch more advertisements or that they lose interest in the race itself. It’s the anticipation of a major crash that keeps the fans on the edges of their seats, but when that buildup is interrupted by a long run of commercials every other lap, the experience is ruined for many.