On a sweltering summer afternoon in Newton, Iowa, NASCAR’s high-speed drama met NBC’s long-awaited return to the Cup Series stage. NBC re-entered NASCAR’s broadcasting landscape in 2015 after a nine-year hiatus, inaugurating coverage with the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. Spearheaded by Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, and Steve Letarte, NBC quickly revived the network’s motorsports credibility by delivering polished production and engaging analysis. The Iowa Corn 350 in 2025 marked the network’s milestone 200th Cup race since that return, this time anchored on USA Network with Leigh Diffey taking over play-by-play duties, supported once again by Burton in the booth. With fresh opening graphics, a Peacock pit box, and a two-minute intro set to Deep Purple, NBC sought to balance nostalgia with innovation.

This year also marked a radical shift in NASCAR’s media rights strategy. Under a seven-year $7.7 billion agreement, the Cup Series is now shared among four partners: Fox, NBC, Amazon Prime Video, and TNT Sports, along with The CW for Xfinity coverage. Fox opened the season with 14 races, including Daytona, while Amazon and TNT split the midseason, and NBC closes out with the final 14 events, including playoffs. NBC’s Iowa coverage aired on USA Network rather than the mainstream, part of the drama created by the fragmented schedule. With so many conduits delivering NASCAR, the consistency and quality of each partner’s coverage have become a critical question, especially on big weekends.

Iowa Speedway isn’t just hosting the Cup Series; it is showcasing NASCAR’s return to short-track fervor. As Chase Briscoe claimed his sixth pole of 2025 with a blistering 136.933 mph lap around the 0.875-mile oval, fans tuned in are eager to absorb every detail. Yet fans echoed the frustration of “lackluster” broadcasting by NBC, as Jeff Gluck of The Athletic asked on X, “Alright, we’ve now seen the new NASCAR on NBC intro for this season. Thoughts?” The two-minute montage set to Deep Purple’s “Space Truckin’,” aimed to fuse NASCAR’s gritty past with its present-day stars. Vintage clips of legends turning wrenches cut to modern-day heroes strapping in, but the energy failed to match the track’s electric atmosphere.

Historically, Fox’s broadcasts, especially from 2001 onwards, earned praise for their polished graphics and seamless race coverage, drawing up to 9.5 million viewers for marquee races like the 2015 QuikTrip 500 with a 5.6 TV rating. In contrast, NBC in the early 200s was lampooned by fans for missing restarts due to long commercials and uneven pacing, earning the derisive nickname “Nothing But Commercials.” Viewership for races like the Indianapolis‘ Brickyard 400 ranged between 3.0 to 5.6 million, with ratings fluctuating from 2.1 to 3.3 depending on the year. In 2025, with Amazon Prime Video drawing 1.87 million viewers at Pocono, a 22% drop from the prior year’s USA Network telecast, the challenge for broadcast and streaming partners is clear.

While the technical foundation and fan access via Peacock and USA Network were in place, the final product lacked dynamism. Fans today expect immersive narratives, not just quick cuts and graphics, and too often felt NBC delivered neither. This time was no different.

Mixed reviews roll in as viewers sound off on NBC’s Iowa coverage

One fan commented, saying, “Lackluster. Didn’t even realize it was the new intro. Music didn’t pull me in so I didn’t even look at the screen for the video.” Historically, the sport’s most memorable broadcast intros, such as Fox’s use of “Fuel” by Metallica in 2001 or NBC’s own roaring “Thunder” packages in the early 2000s, were loaded with high-octane action, aggressive racing, and visceral soundtracks that matched the adrenaline of 200-mph racing. In contrast, Iowa’s 2025 opener showed a notable departure from NBC’s past strategy of selling speed and intensity through visual and audio overload.

But one disgruntled fan didn’t mince words, saying, “So much worse than last year. Also, how an NASCAR media criticize fans for nostalgia baiting the using old (more intresting) moments and drivers for half thw marketing.” This echoes a broader sentiment about NASCAR’s over-reliance on nostalgia. Longtime listeners and industry voices like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kenny Wallace have noted, throwing back to the ’80s and ’90s can alienate newer fans, even as franchises leverage those same eras in marketing campaigns. Fans have grown weary of repeated vintage montages and driver shout-outs disconnected from today’s racing, especially when the live action fails to match the emotional highs of retrospective moments.

One fan also summed up their viewing experience, writing, “Montage was cool. Music sucked.” Usually, NACr broadcast openings lean on high-tempo, adrenaline-driven tracks, such as Fox’s iconic use of ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man” or NBC’s own 2020 montage set to Blake Shelton’s “Bringing Back the Sunshine” to stir fan excitement before the green flag. This year’s disconnection underscored how even a well-shot sequence can fall flat if its soundtrack doesn’t match the visceral thrill the visuals offer.

Another fan brought out comparisons with other broadcasts, saying, “It’s fine but not as good as the Prime intro.” Prime’s coverage debut during the mid-summer stretch, particularly at Pocono, featured cinematic drone sweeps, Dolby Atmos-enhanced sound mixing, and a custom intro sequence backed by the Black Keys’ “Gold on the Ceiling,” which resonated with both long-time fans and new viewers. That broadcast drew 1.87 million viewers despite being on a streaming-exclusive platform, thanks in part to sharp pacing and a pace unified visual style that critics praised for feeling like the start of a big-budget film.

Some viewers did not welcome the crossover at the booth either, with one saying, “Mr diffee is annoying in nascar and in supercross. I’ll take Rick Allen, Ralph Shaheen any day.” Known for his high-energy calls in Formula 1, IMSA, and Supercross, including memorable moments like his rapid-fire commentary during Eli Tomac’s comeback at the 2020 Supercross season opener in Anaheim, Diffey’s style has often been described as “globally polished” rather than steeped in NASCAR’s Southern oval heritage. In contrast, Rick Allen has been the Cup Series lead voice since NBC’s 2015 return, earning credibility with dramatic finishes like the 2018 Chicago Kyle Busch-Kyle Larson last-lap battle, while Ralph Shaheen built his reputation blending storytelling and technical breakdowns in both Supercross and NASCAR coverage for SPEED Channel.

NBC’s revamped race-day presentation is leaving parts of its audience unmoved, with some fans calling the viewing experience flat and uninspiring. Will they be able to live up to people’s expectations after a faltered start?