Dale Jr Shoots a 5-Word Shot at FOX’s Puzzling Shutdown as Many Lose Jobs

“Have an awesome night.” After over 2,500 episodes across 15 seasons, these were the closing words uttered on the last episode of NASCAR Race Hub. Last month, Fox announced that the show, which had been on air since 2009, will air its final episode on June 11. And as the day came and went by, Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his take with a message of assurance to the fans.

Over the years, the show provided race analysis, highlights, and interviews with stars—everything that NASCAR fans loved and craved. Its dynamic content such as the ‘Radioactive’ and Jimmy Spencer’s awards segments were a hit among the fans. But now its the end of an era.

“It’s probably very emotional,” Junior opens up on the closing of Race Hub

As the show’s final episode aired, Dale Earnhardt. Jr talked about the popular show and what its closure meant for those involved. Race Hub’s end means NASCAR won’t have a dedicated recap show on network television. But Earnhardt believes there will be one soon given his experience with a similar show.

Talking on his podcast, Dale Jr. Download, he said, “I worked on the NBC side and we had our show Race in America on the NBC Sports Network… I knew what numbers that show brought in…It’s enough viewership, there’s good demand for this show.” 

NASCAR America aired till the end of the 2021 season. The show rebranded as “NASCAR America: Motormouths,” and airs two days per week on Peacock as a podcast, after the NBC Sports Network shutdown. But with Race Hub ending, there will be a void to fill.

He then added, “While Race Hub goes away something will take its place. There’s demand for daily NASCAR content and someone whether it’s NASCAR and what they’re producing or creating with their own production company in Charlotte or in North Carolina someone will bring a daily show back to network or cable television and maybe multiple. So we just have to be patient.”

Earnhardt Jr. himself found place on the show’s Radioactive segment quite a few times. The segment featured radio chatter highlights, wherein driver’s in-race radio communications and competitor’s reactions were shown and was a hit.

He also sympathized with those who were associated with the show and will now be rendered jobless. He added, “I know it’s probably very emotional for all of those people that are involved in that show at Race Hub and at Fox. There’s a ton of turnover and change and you hear a lot of things going on in terms of a lot of people are losing jobs. But I don’t envy that group having to create that final show and I imagine that’s going to be a pretty difficult emotionally.” 

FOX Sports 1 picked up the show in 2013, after it initially began airing on Speed Channel. It had been on the network ever since, making it FS1’s longest-running daily studio show. Its engaging content and involving experts ranging from drivers to crew chiefs piqued fan interest. This led to it being nominated for four Sports Emmy nominations, including a 2022 nomination for ‘Studio Show—Daily.’

After the announcement of its closing on May 8, long time NASCAR reporter Doug Rice tweeted, “I try not to criticize other media but I despise this decision. Great show with an awesome cast. Well, there goes 6 p.m. on weekdays.” 

The show had become a staple of not just NASCAR fans, but the drivers as well. Its Jimmy Spencer segment, where he would dish out awards to drivers and crew chiefs such as a crying towel, cigars and strait jackets made for some amusing television.

Denny Hamlin, also expressed his disappointment at the closure of the show earlier. The three-time Daytona 500 winner on his Action Detrimental podcast said, “It sure was convenient to be on cable. I don’t care; it’s on a sports network. For me personally, I would always go into a restaurant or something, and it would replay. They have it on FS1 constantly.” He also described the show as “an asset to our sport.”

The FS1 show also had a rotating cast of hosts such as Shannon Spake, Josh Sims and Kaitlyn Vincie. It featured drivers and crew chief analysts such as Jamie McMurray, David Ragan, Michael Waltrip and the more popular Kevin Harvick as well. But what is the reason behind Fox ending its iconic show?

The numbers for Race Hub on FS1, since March 29, 2022 have been below par. It has generally brings in well under 200,000 viewers per show, compared to NASCAR Cup Series races which bring in roughly 2 million viewers

Could it be that FOX is downsizing because their viewership could have been further affected due to Dale Earnhardt Jr himself? 

Earnhardt Jr.’s latest venture spells trouble for FOX and NBC’s NASCAR viewership

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Dale Earnhardt Jr is starting an exciting new journey in 2025. In 2025, he will make his return to a state-of-the-art broadcasting booth with TNT Sports and Amazon Prime. And this will mark a significant shift in the landscape of NASCAR broadcasting. With him, Junior will bring his expertise and, of course, his fan following.

He comes NASCAR royalty and his new show, Earnhardt Jr is expected to give fans a fresh perspective, and everything combined is definitely a threat to FOX and NBC. Jr is more than capable of shaking up the landscape of NASCAR broadcasting. Once NASCAR’s $7.7 billion media rights deal in 2025 commences, it can be a little rough for these traditional networks. 

Moreover, the issue of transitioning from a regular network to Amazon isn’t going to be an issue. This is something even backed by data. Numbers suggests that NASCAR fans are more subscribed to Prime than cable networks. Moreover, a new wave of fans has come through with Netflix’s “NASCAR: Full Speed,” which is similar to F1’s “Drive to Survive.” 

And viewers of that show loved NASCAR, and some of them didn’t even watch the 2023 Cup Series Championship before. This just goes on to say what a global pull can do for a sport. Now, with Amazon Prime and this venture, it’s a really big thing. 

What do you think? How will Junior’s new start look like with Prime? Let us know!