The difference between the traditional legacy network broadcast of sporting events - NASCAR, for this conversation - and the same being streamed on an online platform has shown the limitations that come with the former.

That difference was never as clear as it was made to seem in Pocono last weekend when rain threatened to spoil the NASCAR Cup series race that Denny Hamlin eventually won. 

Kenny Wallace, a former broadcaster for FOX, spoke about Prime’s flexibility, which puts them miles clear of the other broadcasters of NASCAR races. Wallace recorded his weekly "Coffee with Wallace" video on X, following the Pocono race, and said:

"Prime is a streaming network, and they have a lot of leeway. They can do kind of sometimes whatever they want. So Prime said, ‘Hey, we’re not FOX. We’re not on a major network. We don't have everything time-stamped perfectly.' They have the pre-show, the post-race show, so they were able to move that race up two hours because of what they are."

Wallace’s comments came after Prime was able to get the full race coverage. For comparison, the event could have been disrupted or shortened had it been broadcast on a legacy network, since they have a pre-planned itinerary and other shows/events scheduled one after the other.

"It's official," Wallace said further, adding, "Everybody likes Prime the best now, just because it's fresh and new, little different look."

Prime and NASCAR's call to move the race up struck gold. The 400-mile event was uninterrupted by rain, and only after it concluded did it start pouring.

Wallace pointed to multiple journalists, like Bob Pockrass and Jeff Gluck, sharing images of rain pouring down on the circuit soon after the completion of the race.

How FOX and Prime Handle Weather Warnings

You don’t have to go too far back to see a comparison of how NASCAR’s different broadcaster handle their broadcasts when it comes to rain and weather issues. 

While Prime had the flexibility to show a full clean race without rain interruptions in Pocono, with the race starting two hours ahead of its stipulated time, FOX has different priorities. 

The last rain-affected race came in Charlotte on Memorial Day Weekend. Spire Motorsports' Daniel Suarez took victory in the race, which ended under caution due to rain. While FOX went ahead with the Cup series broadcast without problems, it was another race that weekend that left fans frustrated. 

The truck race that weekend was postponed to Sunday due to inclement weather on Friday and Saturday. The race eventually happened, but with a stipulated noon end time. 

Fans blamed FOX for the noon cut-off time because the broadcaster almost immediately switched over to their IndyCar coverage for the Indy 500. While NASCAR didn’t clarify that it was because of FOX that the race was shortened, fans tried to put two and two together and were left frustrated. 

While that was NASCAR’s third-tier series race, Cup races could be affected similarly. Prime having the luxury to broadcast the race at any given point if changes are made to the start time gives them an upper hand as NASCAR comes closer to their broadcast deal renewals.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Yash Kotak