NASCAR’s upcoming media rights deal will see a significant expansion from two to five partners starting next year. This new arrangement, worth a staggering $7.7 billion over seven years, brings Prime Video, Warner Bros. Discovery, and The CW into the fold, alongside existing partners FOX Sports and NBC Sports.
With the new broadcasters, there will be extensive coverage of the sport from different perspectives, including Dale Jr. making it to the commentary booth. The deal, spanning from 2025 to 2031, will introduce many new viewers to NASCAR through their favorite streaming platforms.
The changes don’t stop there. Fans can expect an array of presenters, from familiar faces to fresh ones. FOX Sports will continue to cover the early months of the NASCAR Premier Series season, so there won’t be much change in the booth during that period.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be part of the broadcast booths for both Prime Video and Warner Bros, Discovery, alongside some of his old pals. Having a strong fan base in his own NASCAR is trying to incentivize his reach to bring people back into the sport by having him in the lineup. However, this is not all that NASCAR has planned, as there is much more to it.
Among the surprising names in contention for on-air roles is ESPN’s Marty Smith. Known for his versatile reporting across various sports since ESPN lost NASCAR rights in 2014, Smith is now in discussions with Prime Video and Warner Bros. Discovery. His potential role could include hosting and play-by-play duties, adding a fresh voice to the NASCAR broadcasting team.
- Joining in on the action will be Adam Alexander, who is known for his commentary for Fox Sports’ Xfinity Series races. So far, there are talks that he will be joining at The CW’s booth. Although he has not been confirmed, he is seen as the favorite to take over the lead play-by-play commentator role for The CW, which will take over full-season Xfinity Series rights next year.
- Besides these names, there is also a special member from Dale Jr.’s former team who might be joining him at Prime Video and Warner Bros. Discovery. So let’s see who the new media rights deal reunites Dale Earnhardt Jr. with.
Dale Jr. gets to reunite with his former crew chief, thanks to NASCAR
Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s former crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports and a current NBC Sports broadcaster, is also in talks with Prime Video and Warner Bros. If the deal goes through, we will get to see Letarte work with Dale Jr. after years of being teammates back during their days at Hendrick Motorsports.
Letarte has immense knowledge about NASCAR, as he has spent decades working within the sport. That has led him to become an extremely knowledgeable figure in the industry, and media houses are not letting that go to waste. His race breakdowns are famous on the NBC network, and expanding his horizons to work with Dale Jr. will be an interesting part of the new media rights deal.
FOX will reduce its NASCAR race coverage from 18 to 14 events and eliminate the long-standing Race Hub studio show. Meanwhile, NBC’s booth is undergoing shifts with Earnhardt’s departure. Leigh Diffey is set to become NBC’s lead play-by-play announcer after the Paris Games, possibly replacing Rick Allen, who may explore opportunities elsewhere.
With NASCAR switching up its broadcasting partners and branching out to more platforms, do you think this will help spread awareness about the sport? Do let us know your thoughts on this in the comments below.