The NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway marks the end of FOX’s half of the coverage and the beginning of NBC’s schedule. And fans couldn’t be more ecstatic about it.

Well, before we move ahead with NBC’s success at Iowa, let us remind you why exactly has FOX’s NASCAR race coverage been under scrutiny. The first and foremost reason is FOX’s love for cutting the race action abruptly with a commercial break every 6–8 green lap runs. And the caution often provided an additional window for them to cram as many commercials as they could.

Another major issue was the camera angles and the production quality. Those who have stuck by the first 16 races of the season will know how FOX zoomed into the crowd when something interesting was going on in the race. And of course, for some reason, despite having multiple cameras, the production team missed out on crashes and wrecks. There were times when fans had to rely on social media to get to know what exactly transpired on the racetrack.

Some even called for better commentators in the booth. The common arguments made by the fans were that Mike Joy is past his prime years and Clint Bowyer can’t get a race without fumbling with the driver’s name. Although Kevin Harvick’s entry into the booth was well received by the community, there were demands for new faces to call the races. Despite the complaints, FOX didn’t work on its pitfalls and continued to deliver mediocre race coverage.

Therefore, when NBC did things in a well-organized manner, it was enough to get the fans buzzing online on social media. Even Jeff Gluck was curious to know if this was true. Taking to X, he wrote, “Seeing lots of positive comments about the coverage so far. Is that accurate?” Well, the fans were pleased to report the NBC coverage as a huge improvement over FOX’s sketchy effort.

Fans more than satisfied with NBC’s return to Cup Series race coverage

Not only the quality of production, but the camera angles and coverage were indeed a huge turnover. Comparing the stark contrast between the two broadcasts, a user wrote, “Very much so. Night and day difference”.

Understandably, the two media giants have their own take on how to cover races. FOX is still seen as the old-school traditional broadcaster that focuses its coverage around race leaders. However, NBC seems to have caught on to the trend of how to make the coverage more engaging by showcasing multiple battles. FOX certainly has to bridge the gap when it comes to taking in the feedback from the viewers and implementing it on its telecast. Therefore, most of the fans agreed with the notion that today’s coverage was positive. “Yes. Very much so”.

NBC certainly doesn’t shy away from trying new things and experimenting to provide wholesome race coverage. This was evident from today’s team interview segment, which ran during the green lap runs. The NBC pit reporters were available to get an idea about the team’s strategy calls, especially on the treacherous racing track of Iowa. FOX hasn’t moved a needle in making the changes that fans have been asking for some time now, and therefore, reacting to Gluck’s query online, a user stated, “Fox could never”.

Losing out on Dale Earnhardt Jr from its roster, many felt like this season’s broadcast would take a huge hit. However, NBC did make up for it with Rick Allen calling the race in the booth. Acknowledging the efforts by NBC to put on a good show in comparison to FOX, a user stated, “Absolutely, NBC is definitely doing a good job so far imo.”

One of the most despised features of FOX’s race coverage has been the comical representation of the drivers. Fans would rather appreciate simple and real snapshots of the driver over the cartoon caricatures. Fortunately, NBC does not follow in FOX’s footsteps and rather tries to keep things simple. Feeling relieved by the mere thought of not seeing those graphics again, a section of fans chimed in with their comments, “Absolutely, no cartoons!”

It is indeed tough to get NASCAR fans to like something, and if they are enjoying the NBC race coverage, it’s fair to say that they are doing a good job.