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NASCAR’s New TV Deal Faces Immediate Backlash as The CW Botches Xfinity Broadcast

Virgilio Machado by Virgilio Machado
February 16, 2025
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0
NASCAR’s New TV Deal Faces Immediate Backlash as The CW Botches Xfinity Broadcast

Feb 15, 2025; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; ARCA Menards Series during Ride the ‘Dente 200 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images

When NASCAR signed its blockbuster $7.7 billion media rights deal, fans hoped it would finally fix the long-standing TV coverage issues that have plagued the sport for years. But as The CW took center stage for its first full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series broadcast, things went from bad to worse.

The United Rentals 300 at Daytona was a race packed with drama—Justin Allgaier on pole, Austin Hill dominating before heartbreak, and Jesse Love scoring a breakthrough victory. But for many fans, none of it mattered.

Because they couldn’t even watch it.

Broadcast Failures: The CW Fumbles Its First NASCAR Test

For hardcore fans, being at the track is the ultimate experience. But for millions at home, television and streaming access is the only way to follow the sport they love.

That’s where The CW dropped the ball—and hard.

According to NASCAR insider Noah Lewis, multiple markets didn’t even air the race, while the CW app completely crashed, leaving fans in the dark.

“Hate hearing that some folks are having problems with the CW broadcast. It seems some areas didn’t elect to broadcast the race. And now the app is apparently down? Hope they get things worked out.”

Imagine waiting all off-season for NASCAR’s return, only to find out your local CW station isn’t even airing the race—or that the app you paid for doesn’t work.

That’s a massive failure for a network trying to prove itself in a sport that relies on loyal, dedicated fans.

A Pattern of NASCAR TV Frustrations—Fans Are Fed Up

NASCAR fans already had trust issues with TV coverage. FOX Sports came under fire in 2024 for missing key race moments, cutting away at the worst times, and botching the Daytona 500 finish.

Many looked forward to 2025, when FOX’s role would be significantly reduced. But instead of a fresh start, they got more headaches.

And fans are tired of the endless cycle:

✅ New TV deal announced – “This will be great for NASCAR!”
❌ Coverage issues arise immediately – “Why is it worse than before?”
💸 Fans forced to pay more for access – “Why do we keep getting less?”

Bright Spots? New Graphics and Presentation Earn Some Praise

Not everything about The CW’s NASCAR debut was a disaster.

One big change that fans did appreciate was the horizontal ticker replacing the traditional vertical pylon.

CW President Brad Schwartz defended the switch, saying it enhanced the viewing experience:

“If you have an HD and wide-screen, why are you putting a pylon down the side and squeezing it into a square box? Let’s use the panoramic and entire width of your screen to show the race, and put all the information that was on the pylon onto the bumper.”

While some purists preferred the classic pylon, others admitted that the new layout was easier to read and track position changes.

But a clean graphics package means nothing if fans can’t even access the race.

The Cost Problem: Are Fans Being Asked to Pay Too Much?

Perhaps the biggest frustration is the ever-growing price tag for NASCAR coverage.

  • Fans already pay for cable to watch races on FOX, NBC, and TNT Sports.
  • Now, they also need Amazon Prime for some races.
  • And The CW app—if it even works—for Xfinity Series races.

At what point does growing NASCAR’s digital presence become just another excuse to squeeze more money out of fans?

What’s Next? The CW Needs to Fix This Fast

If The CW wants to be taken seriously as a NASCAR broadcast partner, it needs to:

🚨 Ensure ALL markets air the races—no more blackouts or missing coverage.
📱 Fix the app issues so fans can actually stream the product they’re paying for.
🎤 Improve production and in-race storytelling—because fancy graphics won’t matter if the broadcast lacks excitement and detail.

The first impression wasn’t great, but there’s time to turn it around. The question is: Will The CW actually listen to NASCAR fans, or is this just the beginning of another frustrating broadcast era?

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