The 2025 Coca-Cola 600 was a landmark event. For the first time in NASCAR’s 70+ year history, the only way to watch a race was through a streaming service on Amazon Prime Video. Fans didn’t have the option to tune into NBC, FOX, or ESPN to witness the crown-jewel event live. It was quite a radical change for a sport that has often been accused of not living with the times. While many felt it was a step in the right direction, especially looking at the improved streaming quality and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s commentary from the booth, others felt left out.

It’s no secret that NASCAR is looking to expand. But in a bid to capture the attention of the ‘younger audiences’, is the sport neglecting its core set of fans? If the numbers are anything to go by, it certainly looks like it.

NASCAR pays a heavy price for the Prime partnership

The switch to Amazon Prime feels like the start of a new era for NASCAR. With FOX committing many blunders in the last few years, many felt that a switch to streaming would raise the standard of broadcast quality. That’s exactly what happened, and with a star-studded lineup of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte as color commentators, Carl Edwards as analyst, and Danielle Trotta serving as host, what could go wrong? As it turns out, it’s the paywall.

But before we get down to brass tacks, let’s take a quick look at the numbers. 2.7 million viewers tuned in for the Coca-Cola 600, which is an impressive figure, especially for a non-network broadcast. But if we dig a little deeper, the picture is far from pretty. By transitioning to Prime, NASCAR lost nearly 750,000 viewers in the 55+ age range. And in return, the sport gained 150,000 younger motorsports enthusiasts. Doesn’t feel like a fair trade, right?

Many of NASCAR’s core fans have religiously tuned in every Sunday to catch up on Cup Series action. But ahead of arguably one of the biggest events on the calendar, they felt helpless. Several older fans struggled to figure out how the whole ‘streaming service’ works, while others were hoping to avoid another subscription fee. Most wondered why the sport they’ve loved and supported for years simply didn’t care about them anymore.

Several fans made their displeasure known in no uncertain terms. A motorsports enthusiast from South Carolina made it clear, saying, “What you need to remember is that many NASCAR fans cannot afford Prime and many don’t even have cable or satellite… I, for one, didn’t watch any of it.” But that didn’t really matter in the boardroom of the Amazon offices. As far as they were concerned, data suggested that the average viewer age dropped by six years compared to traditional TV during the Coca-Cola 600.

That’s good news, as it paints a picture of ‘sustainability’ for the sport. But in all this ‘hoopla’, the older, loyal fans are being overlooked. The frustration was clear, and FOX Sports’ Michael Mulvihill showed his sympathy, saying, “It’s easy to look younger when you lose 5 older people for every 1 younger viewer you gain.” But perhaps that doesn’t matter anymore. NASCAR is competing with Formula 1 for viewership, and needs younger fans to make that happen. But it’s hard to ignore the fact that they’re turning their backs on the very fans who built this sport from the ground up. Additionally, Prime Video’s broadcast has also faced its share of backlash in recent weeks.

After the race at Michigan International Speedway, Prime Video wasted no time in interviewing race-winner Denny Hamlin, but it took them close to 15 minutes to interview runner-up Chris Buescher, who recorded his highest finish of the season as RFK Racing recorded all three drivers in the top 10 for the first time since 2016! This shows that while Prime Video is succeeding at connecting with a younger audience, its style of broadcasting still has a long way to go to live up to the procedures that network television religiously follows, and the ratings reflect this.

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Amazon Prime’s ratings take a beating

While the broadcast quality is undeniable, the switch to Amazon Prime has been something of a mixed bag for NASCAR. After two races, the streaming service has averaged 2.39 million viewers, which is a significant dip compared to last year’s ratings on FOX. The American network had an average of 3.17 million viewers over the same two-race stretch (Charlotte and Nashville), highlighting that traditional media still surpasses streaming when it comes to NASCAR as things stand.

However, the streaming service has also claimed that the median age of viewers is 55.8 and 56.8, respectively, which is significantly lower than the 62.8 median age of Cup Series races on linear networks such as FOX or NBC. While that may be a step in the right direction, missing out on a big chunk of the NASCAR fanbase will feel like a missed opportunity for Amazon Prime, even though the streaming service is prioritizing the younger demographic.

After the five-year agreement with Amazon Prime ends, the torch will be passed over to TNT Sports. The network recently let its NBA rights expire, but will hope to recoup some of that lost viewership when it broadcasts the June 28th race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Do you think the new media rights agreement will benefit the sport in the long run, even if it comes at the expense of older fans? Let us know in the comments!