NASCAR riding ratings high as FOX Sports gives way to Prime Video
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By Kelly Crandall - May 23, 2025, 8:54 PM UTC

NASCAR riding ratings high as FOX Sports gives way to Prime Video

A significant milestone for NASCAR begins this weekend, with streaming serving as the primary delivery method for Cup Series races.

Prime Video will carry the next five races, which will run through late June. The first is one of the sport’s crown jewel events, the Coca-Cola 600, on Sunday night. Also included is the inaugural event in Mexico City.

“We’ve been preparing for this for years,” Brian Herbst, NASCAR EVP, chief media and revenue officer, told RACER. “When we look back at when we were putting the media rights deals together in 2023, we did want a healthy mix of broadcast TV, cable TV, and a digital streaming option just because content consumption was changing. You were seeing that we were really strong on cable still, but you were also seeing cable as the pay TV universe got a little bit smaller and the demo that still subscribes to pay TV get a little bit smaller, younger audiences were often subscribing to direct-to-consumer services like a Netflix or Amazon Prime, and we wanted to make sure we were relevant on some of these platforms. So, it was an intentional move to find a pure streamer.

“We’re really excited with what Amazon has already done as far as the marketing and promotional weight put behind the launch going into the Coca-Cola 600. But we are also thrilled they found a way to carve out a space for us on the original content side as well. When we were putting the live rights agreement together in 2023, one of the bolt-on options we contemplated was more original content and programming opportunities for Amazon Prime, and you’re seeing that with the premiere of ‘Earnhardt’ this week.”

Prime Video has been broadcasting practice and qualifying on its service since the start of the season. The company has a seven-year deal with NASCAR under the new media rights deal, and was added to the fold alongside existing partners FOX Sports and NBC Sports. TNT Sports, a previous broadcaster partner of NASCAR, returns this year and will have the five races after the Prime Video run.

The five-race mark is perfect for Herbst. It’s a number that isn’t too small but doesn’t seem overwhelming for a first foray into streaming.

“We are still very, very important to the cable universe and to USA and FS1 and Fox Corporation and NBC Universal,” Herbst said. “But we did want to find a material amount of content and a meaningful amount of programming that would make sense for a pure streamer, and we wanted Amazon to be that partner. The difference between Amazon’s model and some of the other streamers is that most of our fan base already subscribes to Amazon Prime. Now, they may subscribe to it to get paper towels a little bit faster or to watch ‘Reacher,’ but we actually have a higher percentage of NASCAR fans that subscribe to Amazon Prime already than subscribe to cable TV.

“So, I think a lot of it for us is educating that fan base that you just need to fire up that Prime Video app on Sunday to watch the Coca-Cola 600. You also have that 30-day free trial where you can sign up on Friday and Saturday … and it actually takes you through the Amazon portion of the NASCAR season. We’re trying to, in this era of change from a consumption perspective, make it easy on our fans to go through that transition with us.”

New era, news ways to watch. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

NASCAR is also expecting to find that fans will discover they have access to watch the races because they already pay for Prime, but don’t realize that includes the streaming component. Or there will be fans who sign up because they want to watch the next five races. But whether they already have it, don’t realize they have it, or sign up because NASCAR is no on the platform, Herbst is hopeful the ratings will grow over time.

The NFL, an animal all its own in the sporting world and certainly when it comes to numbers, saw a similar phenomenon when games were put on Prime Video. NASCAR is not directly comparing itself to the NFL, but hopes to have a similar trajectory, where the baseline established by the Coca-Cola 600 is built upon over the course of its partnership with Prime Video. (And the races will be Nielsen-rated and made publicly available.)

“We expect to get better and better every race,” Herbst said.

Prime Video takes the baton from FOX Sports, which carried the first 12 points races, plus the Clash and the All-Star Race. NASCAR was encouraged that the FOX and FOX Sports 1 races for the 2025 slate were virtually flat, or stayed the same, from 2024.

The viewership came in at 3,364,000 for 12 races, split between four races on FOX and eight on FS1. In 2024, the number was 3,369,000 for the 16 races the network had, with 10 on FOX and six on FS1. Furthermore, the 2025 season ratings for FOX Sports were up 7% in the 18-49 range.

But there were significant increases in other areas.

“We were up 24% with big FOX to big FOX races and then 6% with FS1 to FS1 races,” Herbst said. “Particularly, in this day and age in 2025, with more user options and ways to consume content than ever before, and cable homes declining year over year. The fact that we’re bucking that trend and we’re up on cable, I think, especially those March FS1 races, where we’re doing multi-year highs, those are really encouraging for us and allow us to come in flat.

“And the other encouraging data point we took away from the FOX half of the season was that the 18-49 demo was up 7% year over year as well. So, it’s not just the aggregate audience but some of those younger demos that we’re seeing a little bit of an uptick in.”

As it stands, NASCAR has no reason not to be optimistic and positive emerging from the Fox Sports portion of the schedule and into the start of a new era.

“We really are,” Herbst said. “Plus, the fact that FOX sold out all their NASCAR inventory earlier than they ever have before. They actually sold out in December or January of last year. Amazon is essentially sold out of NASCAR as well. So, you’re having brands that are coming into the sport that haven’t in a while, and I think part of that is the relevancy of the sport and the other part is a different mix of broadcasters and media partners and innovation going into 2025.”

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Kelly Crandall
Kelly Crandall

Kelly has been on the NASCAR beat full-time since 2013, and joined RACER as chief NASCAR writer in 2017. Her work has also appeared in NASCAR.com, the NASCAR Illustrated magazine, and NBC Sports. A corporate communications graduate from Central Penn College, Crandall is a two-time George Cunningham Writer of the Year recipient from the National Motorsports Press Association.

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