Our favorite racing legend, Dale Earnhardt Jr. sent shockwaves through the racing world with a game-changing move recently. After six successful years as a broadcaster for NBC Sports, Junior decided to step away from the network and embark on a new adventure with streaming giants Amazon Prime Video and Warner Bros. Discovery. This unexpected decision marks a significant shift in the broadcasting landscape for NASCAR, with fans and industry experts like Denny Hamlin putting forth their views on the matter.

While fans will miss Dale Jr in the booth for the 2024 season, his absence is only temporary. Amidst production work for his podcast ‘Dale Jr Download’, the 49-year-old will be calling five races for Prime Video and WB starting in 2025. This move signifies a strategic decision for both Junior as well as the sport itself, potentially paving the asphalt for a new era in NASCAR broadcasting.

Denny Hamlin Reveals His Speculations for Dale Jr. on ‘Actions Detrimental’

The decision has garnered many reactions from Dale’s ‘Dirty Mo Media’ stable itself. Being a part of Junior’s company, as the host of the ‘Actions Detrimental’ podcast, Hamlin expressed a lot of optimism ahead of his boss’ much-talked-about “OTT-platform” switch.

The controversial Hamlin took to his podcast with co-host Jared Allen to discuss this debut. “I like this move, I like it for both.” Since many expect this move to hurt NBC in the long run, this take from Hamlin was nothing less than a shocker. However, the JGR driver did explain what he meant by those 5 words.

Hamlin said, “I like it for NBC and Dale Jr. I think NBC’s got two or three really strong guys there and Dale Jr. He was the one that kind of started that, but I think that they have enough talent to carry it, and I just feel like when you have these new partners in, you want to have a really strong announcing core. NASCAR will play a big role in the production of those of Amazon and Warner Bros. So Dale Jr being kind of the anchor there. I like that move for Dale Jr.”

Hamlin, also a co-owner of 23XI Racing, highlighted the potential positive impact on the widespread quality of NASCAR broadcasts in the future, as he continued, “And I like that move to spread out the wealth of good commentators, and analysts in NASCAR. So, I personally like it.”

From a business standpoint, the legend’s move aligns with the growing popularity of streaming platforms, which can further boost the popularity of conventional motorsports. Moreover, Dale is likely to receive a better financial deal with the new partners. Additionally, the reduced workload allows him to dedicate more time to his other ventures, like Dirty Mo Media and JR Motorsports.

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Amazon Prime Video and TNT are new players in the media side of things in NASCAR and they will need all the help they can get to compete with the likes of FOX and NBC. So having Dale Jr almost guarantees eyeballs on the former’s products for the visible long run.

Hamlin hopes NASCAR won’t fall into the same pitfalls with Amazon and WBD

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Hamlin enunciated, “Hopefully, they [NASCAR] are really going to change up the production with Amazon and WB… I feel like the production has been the same for 20 years. They have not changed it at all. So I like the idea of getting us some new blood in there.”

The veteran’s potential involvement in production could lead to a fresh and innovative approach to broadcasting, as Denny Hamlin himself noted, “Interesting to see how that all plays out. But I think it’s an overall good thing for the sport to have Dale, He gets… a year off but they’re going to be working the entire year getting that production ready.”

NASCAR moved to four partners in its latest TV contracts, remaining with incumbents NBC and Fox, who will continue to air 14 races in 2025 to go along with WBD Sports and Amazon’s combined 10. The overall NASCAR deals are for seven years and an estimated $7.7 billion in total. The current season remains exclusively on Fox and NBC. In 2025, Amazon and WBD Sports will join the coverage.

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