FOX’s NASCAR Race Hub Canceled: What Happened?
What’s Happening? On Wednesday evening, Kelly Crandall of RACER dropped a report that NASCAR Race Hub would be canceled after…
In the wake cancelling NASCAR Race Hub, Bob Pockrass reports on his LinkedIn page that Fox is cancelling all NASCAR pre-race studio shows for now, putting the current version of NASCAR RaceDay in jeopardy. What exactly happened, and what does Fox have planned?
What’s Happening? On Wednesday evening, Kelly Crandall of RACER dropped a report that NASCAR Race Hub would be canceled after…
Bob Pockrass responded to a comment on a LinkedIn post asking about the fate of RaceDay. This was Pockrass’ response.
At this time, there will be no NASCAR studio pre-race shows done out of Charlotte.
Bob Pockrass
That comment leaves some room for interpretation. He only says that studio shows will not happen, at least for now, but he does not indicate one way or the other that RaceDay is gone for good. What this could mean is that RaceDay will solely be an at-track pre-race show starting in 2025.
This is how NBC currently works their NASCAR broadcasts. There is a 30 minute to 1 hour long pre-race show, “Countdown to Green”, and a post-race show, which has a roughly 30-minute time slot, but the length varies depending on how long the race goes. All of this content is produced and recorded on-site, not in a studio.
Being on-site a very neat concept, and it was part of the charm of the original NASCAR RaceDay. The show was at the track, showcasing the race as a big event.
Obviously, this is not the exact RaceDay FOX will produce. In all likelihood, it will be similar to the current at-track segment of NASCAR RaceDay featuring Chris Myers, Clint Bowyer, and Kevin Harvick on the grid. It still works, and it’s similar to how NBC does things. The video below is from 2021, but, it’s still very similar to how the modern RaceDay currently functions.
Another factor is Fox’s newest TV partner, IndyCar. Fox Sports CEO, Eric Shanks told the media that he informed NASCAR CEO, Jim France, that NASCAR and IndyCar would often be, “Leading into and out of each other.”
What’s Happening? On Thursday, IndyCar announced a landmark media rights deal with FOX featuring all races on network TV beginning…
Now, it’s possible that when Pockrass said, “At this time”, he meant the studio version of NASCAR RaceDay simply won’t be a thing until the 2025 NASCAR season starts. It’s not uncommon that RaceDay is broadcasted on FS1 despite the race being on NBC. However, it seems weird for Fox to put together an entire pre-race show for an event they’re not even broadcasting.
He doesn’t indicate that RaceDay is gone in its’ entirety. It would be very strange for FOX to completely neglect a pre-race show for NASCAR for every Cup Series race.
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