Folks, Amazon Prime just knocked it out of the park for the Coca-Cola 600, and fans weren’t surprised. With an incredible broadcast lineup, what better way to kick off NASCAR’s crown jewel than to see Prime make their debut in NASCAR? That’s when FOX decided to through in a zinger in the mix. We’re not talking about a dig aimed at the Coca-Cola 600, but a statement about their season so far.

Robert Gottlieb, President of Marketing at FOX Sports, dropped a lengthy comment about the coverage to come. It said, “Every season is different – the challenges and opportunities each year are different. We’ve just finished this week, so we have not yet begun to look back, evaluate, and kind of game-plan for moving forward – so that’s still to come. We’ll have to figure out next year. I will say the performance, ratings, and racing we had it was another great season. We’re proud to be the flagship partner of NASCAR, and next year will be an even greater season, and of course, we’ll do everything we can to let folks know how great NASCAR is as well.”

Now, as fans might already know, FOX’s races are now done, and different broadcasters have the reins for the next few races. However, if we take a look at the coverage so far, things are shaky for FOX. Mix-ups in the commentary booth, bad camera choices, and long commercial breaks—especially at crucial race moments—were the subject of numerous complaints. Although more targeted coverage was promised at the beginning of the year, the implementation appeared stale in contrast to Prime’s novel perspective.

The big deal here is that the Coca-Cola 600, a race that has traditionally been broadcast on FOX every year for the last two decades, went to Prime. And in a year that saw major fumbles from the longtime NASCAR partner, the statement that says we have not begun to look back reflects poorly.

And while it seemed like business as usual, what struck out was the timing of the statement. Coming just a day after Prime’s debut with NASCAR, receiving acclaim, it only served to stoke the flames. A significant change in NASCAR’s media environment, Prime gained popularity fast thanks to its regular, ad-free last-stage runs, enhanced commentary flow, and greater data integration.

Needless to say, fans weren’t happy with the statement coming out, and weren’t scared of showing it.

Fans fire back at NASCAR 

Although fan anger with FOX Sports is not new, it reached a breaking point this week. To many, the timing wasn’t a coincidence. One fan put it bluntly: “Fox is feeling puckered up from the praise Prime is getting.” And they’re not wrong. Not only was Prime’s coverage impressive, but it also revealed flaws in Fox’s established strategy. Prime raised the standard for how NASCAR should appear on television. Bringing on Dale Earnhardt Jr., Steve Letarte, and Adam Alexander, fan-favorite analysts, only helped their debut. 

Others pointed to deeper frustrations that brewed throughout the year. “We tried to prop up another racing series, and it didn’t work. Back to more NASCAR on Fox next year,” one fan quipped. Right before the Coca-Cola 600 unfolded, FOX made its debut broadcasting the Indy 500, and they found their success. Peaking at 8.44 million viewers, their debut was indeed a success, but how does it compare to NASCAR’s consistent viewership? This fan thinks FOX may be wanting to bring itself back to NASCAR in a big way. 

“Translation: we seen Prime’s coverage put us to shame so we are gonna pull out the ol’ we don’t suck we just weren’t trying card,” one commenter wrote, summarizing the various interpretations of Gottlieb’s statement. Ultimately, fans viewed Fox’s argument that it hasn’t started assessing the season after 14 races as neglect rather than transparency. Go back to the Daytona 500. Remember the Air Force and its jets roaring across the sky? It never made it to the broadcast. Compare it to the Memorial Day celebrations from the Coca-Cola 600, and you see just how stark the difference is. 

“Fox is single-handedly the worst broadcast for NASCAR and it isn’t even close,” another fan said. These criticisms aren’t new. Just a few weeks ago, when Richard Petty was in the broadcast booth, he made his feelings known. “The big deal is when I’m sitting here and see what I see on TV and the race is really back about 15th or 20th. Them guys — they drive their fanny off every lap. I mean, they’re really racing back there, but you know, if you’re here you can see that. You can’t see it on TV.” And the FOX announcer at the time, Mike Joy, tried to make the best of the situation, saying, “We try to get back there as much as we can.” 

But perhaps the most cutting comment of all came from a fan who summed up the shift with brutal efficiency: “Prime is now the flagship with 8 fewer races.” Having made its debut, Prime seems to be making waves, but was it really a surprise? Just look at what they did with Thursday Night Football! The first year had 9.6 million viewers, but by 2024 it was back up to 13.2 million, the average from the years before Amazon took over. The streaming giant can certainly handle itself, right?

A generational change in NASCAR consumption is being accelerated by the emergence of digital-first broadcast channels such as Prime (and even TNT Sports, which will join the mix in 2025). 2026 cannot be a rerun of 2025 if FOX hopes to be relevant.