Outspoken Legend Calls Out Fans’ Hypocrisy as NASCAR Finally Brings Back the Charm

Ever since FOX began broadcasting NASCAR races in 2001, television has been the dominant platform for motorsport fans, delivering millions of viewers every race weekend. However, the landscape is rapidly shifting with the rise of streaming platforms. In 2025, Amazon Prime Video made its debut in NASCAR broadcasting by streaming the Coca-Cola 600, peaking at 2.92 million—a notable achievement for a first-time broadcast. Meanwhile, FOX had a staggering average of 3.5 million views, showing the traditional broadcasts’ continued strength but also the narrowing gap.

This shift has reflected a broad trend where younger audiences are increasingly turning to digital platforms for live sports. The average viewer age for the Coca-Cola 600 on Prime Video was 55.8 years, over six years younger than the traditional linear TV NASCAR audience. Within the motorsports community, several veterans with decades of experience have offered nuanced perspectives on this streaming surge and disregarded it. However, two seasoned drivers, who have spent decades in the sport, have expressed their reservations about the move towards streaming and shared their views. No matter the platform, NASCAR broadcasters still know how to fire up fans.

Kenny Wallace and Ken Schrader break down Prime’s NASCAR

Prime’s coverage brought back the old school energy, and Kenny Wallace and Ken Schrader had plenty to say about it in their most recent interview on X. Kenny Wallace was quick to praise Prime Video’s recent NASCAR coverage, saying it reminded him of the old Speed TV days. He goes on to say, “To talk about the TV presentation, now they came out, Kenny Schrader, they came out like old Speed TV. Their pre-race with Carl Edwards, Corey Lajoie, and Danielle Trotta was over the top. The fans were in the background like College GameDay; they were screaming. Man, the energy and everybody. It was overwhelmingly successful.” The pre-race show brought expert insight, fresh perspectives, and live hosting that helped to create a broadcast that felt both familiar and exciting.

However, while Ken Schrader agreed to it, he had his doubts. “I know that when I got home, somehow it was on my TV. I’ve brought this up a couple times. I’ve got no idea how to get to it, but it was on there. What you had made a difference before we actually started the show, about some of the people that say they don’t watch NASCAR anymore, saying, ‘Hey, I can’t find that race?’ How do I do that? It’s like, oh wait a minute, now which one do you do? You don’t watch, or you can’t find it?” This confusion is a challenge for streaming services as they try to reach older viewers used to traditional cable channels. But how practical is it?

Looking for the stream may be very difficult for much older fans, and that is completely fair, but Ken Schrader cannot deny the brilliant show they put up for the NASCAR world. He praises them by saying, ” But anyway, and I guess you know, Prime made a huge financial commitment to do this. But they obviously attacked it First class, and I sure hope that it worked for them. I know that what I saw of it, the coverage was great.” 

However, recently Kenny Wallace chimed in with a relatable observation about how confusing it can be for casual fans to find the races on streaming platforms, but quickly found a solution for it. Just days ago, on his Coffee with Kenny show, he shared a personal experience. “My, my wife is 61 years. She’s 62 now. No, she’s 61. I had to think for a minute. I’m 61. Kim and myself are 61, and we have our issues, and we call our family. We call our daughters and our sons-in-law. We get help. We’re old too, like you. They are good to help us. So we got Amazon Prime right on this TV, and it’s free,“ he said. The blast that Prime has created might engulf the older generation as well. Because it achieved something the sport wanted to do earlier: globalize, and appeal to all age groups.

 The average age of viewers tuning in via Prime definitely skewed younger, landing around 56 years old. If you feel this is old, remember, for the TV audience, the average was 62! And because most of that age group of people in the US might be technologically incapable of logging on to Amazon Prime on their own, it looks like the international audience is slowly rallying to experience NASCAR. Dale Jr. opened the telecast with an electrifying, “Where are we? Who are we? Why are we here?”–paying homage to Ken Squier’s iconic CBS introduction from the 1980s. So it’s safe to say the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte was a success.

With Nashville being streamed next, Prime now has a bigger expectation to live up to, and there’s no doubt that they deliver the same high energy and fan-friendly coverage that got everyone talking. Another insider is looking for a script flip at the upcoming race. And he has his reasons.

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Kevin Harvick sees new threats in Nashville for the defending winner

Nashville Superspeedway has quickly become a hotspot for NASCAR drama, and last year’s winner, Joey Logano, is sure to be a major contender once again. His victory at Nashville marked his 33rd career Cup win and his 31st driving a Ford, contributing to team Penske’s 96th Cup Series win with Ford. That one also added to Ford’s impressive total of 731 victories in NASCAR’s Cup Series. With such a strong record behind him, Logano will be looking to defend his title and face fierce competition in the upcoming Cracker Barrel 400.

However, Kevin Harvick has a different take on this. Fresh off the grilling Coca-Cola 600, Harvick had a list of drivers to keep an eye on. Brad Keselowski, William Byron, Ross Chastain, and Denny Hamlin, who is set to make his 700th start. Each of these drivers has something to prove, as they battled each other last weekend, as watermelon man Ross Chastain won the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day.

Kevin Harvick was quick to point out the shifting dynamics as the season progresses in his podcast, “You’re starting to get to that point in the season where different agendas are taking place with every team. I think that the No. 6 (Brad Keselowski) being back on track is a huge moment. Being able to finish a race, get a top five, and have the speed they’ve had for the last few weeks. I think that William Byron will be frustrated and motivated. Ross Chastain he’s been to Victory Lane at this track. I think that those guys, and we’ve seen it happen with others, can take that momentum of what they’ve been doing — getting to Victory Lane—and take that to what would be considered Justin Marks’ hometown in Nashville and produce some results there.”

Brad Keselowski’s recent improvements and need for a win to secure his playoff spot make him especially motivated. Meanwhile, the trio who battled it out at the Coke 600 – Byron, Chastain, and Hamlin—all had strong performances and will be eager to translate that success into a Nashville victory, especially since Nashville feels like a home turf for the Trackhouse team.

Who do you think will win? Let us know in the comments below.