“It’s Noticeable” NASCAR Veteran Shoots Down Doubts About 2026 Horsepower Increase
What’s Happening? NASCAR Cup Series veteran Erik Jones gave race fans a favorable review of NASCAR’s 2026 horsepower increase during a…
The 2025 NASCAR season brought the most significant shift in television coverage the sport has seen in decades. After years of the FOX/NBC split, NASCAR entered a bold new media rights era with four broadcast partners sharing coverage of the Cup Series. With new TV partners and brand-new coverage reshaping how fans watch the sport. The Daily Downforce tracked fan sentiment week-to-week. While we started midway through the season, we covered everything you need to know to get up to speed.
This new model divided the season into four distinct chapters, each with its own production team, personalities, and viewer experience. For fans, this meant constant change, from camera styles and commentary tone to streaming options and graphics. With such an unprecedented mix of broadcast partners, how NASCAR is presented week-to-week has become a major storyline in its own right. Fan opinions on the quality of these broadcasts—what works and what doesn’t—are louder and more important than ever.
The Daily Downforce tracked fan sentiment about the Cup Series broadcasts each week. Through social media and your direct feedback, and we compiled data, highlighted some standout moments (both good and bad), and analyzed what fans have been saying.
Each week after the race, we:
While we didn’t track FOX’s portion of the season in real-time, the fan response to it was mixed:
FOX’s coverage drew familiar criticism for being “lackluster.” Most critics have pointed out the missed on-track action, excessive commercials, lack of booth chemistry, cartoon graphics, etc. Through their 12 races, some highlights include receiving praise for the Daytona 500 broadcast, where they delivered “side-by-side only” commercials for the entire event. However, the same innovation backfired at Talladega, as FOX went to commercial with less than 10 laps to go, and fans were livid. It drew the most criticism a broadcaster has seen in a long time.
Amazon Prime’s debut, on the other hand, earned praise for its crisp visuals, fresh commentary, great sound and camera work, as well as extended pre- and post-race shows, among other things. Still, it raised concerns about accessibility for non-subscribers. After their five races, it was deemed “the best TV coverage for NASCAR in decades.”
TNT debuted with a thrilling race at Atlanta, the track’s second event of the season. However, reviews of the broadcast were mixed. While some praised the energy of the coverage, others saw it as a clear downgrade from Prime, citing the return of full-screen green-flag commercials, poor audio mixing, and questionable camera angles. Despite falling short of Prime’s standard, many fans still considered it an improvement over FOX.
NBC’s broadcast offered little that felt new. Aside from a refreshed graphic package, modeled after Prime Video’s earlier design this year, initially, fans generally found the coverage largely unchanged, describing the overall experience as average. One major criticism faced, however, was the lack of post-race coverage, as well as fewer races on the big NBC.
| Week | Network | Race | Votes | Good | Bad | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Prime | Nashville | 1587 | 91% | 2% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 15 | Prime | Michigan | 736 | 91% | 3% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 16 | Prime | Mexico | 631 | 86% | 3% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 17 | Prime | Pocono | 1275 | 92% | 2% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 18 | TNT | Atlanta | 1135 | 59% | 4% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 19 | TNT | Chicago | 378 | 15% | 39% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 20 | TNT | Sonoma | 400 | 21% | 19% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 21 | TNT | Dover | 723 | 23% | 18% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 22 | TNT | Indianapolis | 602 | 29% | 11% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 23 | NBC | Iowa | 663 | 41% | 13% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 24 | NBC | Watkins Glen | 486 | 31% | 15% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 25 | NBC | Richmond | 517 | 54% | 7% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 26 | NBC | Daytona | 549 | 59% | 7% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 27 | NBC | Southern 500 | 540 | 51% | 11% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 28 | NBC | Gateway | 227 | 33% | 11% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 29 | NBC | Bristol Night | 418 | 60% | 9% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 30 | NBC | New Hampshire | 185 | 49% | 4% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 31 | NBC | Kansas | 418 | 62% | 6% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 32 | NBC | Charlotte Roval | 419 | 42% | 12% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 33 | NBC | Las Vegas 2 | 229 | 45% | 11% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 34 | NBC | Talladega 2 | 452 | 46% | 14% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 35 | NBC | Martinsville 2 | 213 | 54% | 6% | Check The Poll HERE |
| 36 | NBC | Phoenix Finale | 198 | 37% | 24% | Check The Poll HERE |
If you want to learn more about viewership and overall numbers, check out the post below for the full season breakdown
Thank you for following along and contributing throughout the season. We’ll return next year with full coverage of every race from Week 1. Be sure to follow us on X to take part in polls and share your perspective.
Three races in, the 2026 season is finally starting to show its hand. COTA shifted narratives, exposed weaknesses, and raised new questions about contenders, pretenders, and everything in between.
From substitute drivers being forced into action to points gaps growing faster than expected, COTA delivered more than just a road course chess match. There were momentum swings, reputation hits, and at least one young driver stacking up enemies before stacking up results.
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NASCAR’s top two National Series head to the deserts of Arizona for the first short track race of the season at Phoenix Raceway. Here are the major storylines you need to keep in mind ahead of this weekend.
What’s Happening? NASCAR Cup Series veteran Erik Jones gave race fans a favorable review of NASCAR’s 2026 horsepower increase during a…
This weekend, NASCAR’s new Next Gen short track package makes its points-paying race debut at Phoenix.
Now, this package was first used in a race in the preseason clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, and last week at Circuit of the Americas (as it is used at all road courses this season). But this race will make its first use on a short track during the regular season.
With the increase in horsepower from 670 to 750, teams would like to get a handle on any potential changes that could come their way, as Phoenix is not only similar to tracks like Richmond, but is one of a handful of tracks that will make a regular season and Chase appearance.
The NTT IndyCar Series kicked off its 2026 season last weekend, in a joint event with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix in Florida.
While the Trucks have the weekend off, the NTT IndyCar Series takes on Phoenix Raceway for their first race at the iconic venue since 2018, and their first joint weekend with the Cup Series since July 2020 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Even though this is not the first time the Cup Series and IndyCar have shared a weekend, it is the first weekend the top two divisions of oval racing in the United States will share a track during a weekend, as, in 2020, IndyCar and the NASCAR Xfinity Series raced on the IMS Road Course, while the Cup Series raced on the oval.
We are three races into the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, and as of right now, no team has looked particularly dominant.
While Austin Hill has a commanding lead after solid outings at Daytona, EchoPark, and COTA, Phoenix kicks off a stretch of races in which the series heads to more and more tracks that better reflect the bulk of the 2026 calendar.
This stretch could supply fans with a better look at who might be a real title contender, and who was propelling themselves on drafting tracks and road courses to kick off the season.
Joining the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series this weekend is one of the best drivers at Phoenix Raceway in all of NASCAR’s three National Series.
Front Row Motorsports driver and current Craftsman Truck Series points leader, Chandler Smith, will drive Hettinger Racing’s No. 5 Mustang this weekend, in his first OAP Series start since the 2024 season finale at Phoenix.
That season, with Joe Gibbs Racing, Smith pieced together a career season, with two wins, 17 top fives, and 22 top tens, but fell short of making the Championship Four. Though he didn’t win the title, an early-season win at Phoenix propelled Smith into this great season.
In his combined nine starts at Phoenix across the Truck and OAP Series, Smith has two wins, seven top-fives, and nine top-tens. Expect Smith to be some form of threat this weekend at the 1-mile oval.
Let us know your thoughts on this! Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates.
Joe Gibbs Racing wanted to block Chris Gabehart. A judge stepped in. And then Kyle Busch dropped five words that said a whole lot more than they seemed. The JGR vs. Gabehart saga just took another turn, and now the driver who left in 2022 is subtly weighing in.
There’s legal maneuvering, pointed comments about accountability, and a hearing date circled in mid-March. But there’s also the bigger picture, past contract drama, shifting power inside the organization, and the possibility that silly season could get very interesting if the right domino tips. This story isn’t cooling off. If anything, it’s just getting started.
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