NASCAR Insider Disheartened by NASCAR’s ‘Cold’ Homecoming, Blames Fox’s IndyCar Bias

The Bowman Gray Stadium is all set to light up with NASCAR after 54 years. The chilly February night in North Carolina will witness the first NASCAR pre-season race as fans enter the grandstands for the first time in 2025. However, you might not have realized the race is just a few days away due to the stunning lack of coverage it has received.

The Clash will be broadcast on Fox as part of NASCAR’s new multi-million broadcasting deal, however, Fox seems to have ignored the Clash completely. Ever since they pledged their loyalty to IndyCar as well, there seems to be a clear bias. NASCAR insiders Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi discussed the silence behind the Clash in the latest episode of ‘The Teardown’ podcast.

Is The Clash at Bowman Gray getting overshadowed by IndyCar partnership? 

Before any race weekend begins, it is usually a frenzy. Media houses that are covering the race on D-day get to publicization usually a few days before the entire thing starts. However, this time, it seems as though the excitement and the ruckus leading up to the Clash are dormant. There is very little social media coverage regarding the same and there is a common notion prevalent that it has not been able to make the impact it was supposed to. Especially after returning to the NASCAR schedule after 54 years, the hype has not lived up to the magnitude of the return. 

NASCAR insiders Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck opened up on why there is such latency. Speaking of the silence that has surrounded The Cookout Clash at Bowman Gray, Bianchi said, “At least the last few years, it’s been in LA, it’s been at the LA Coliseum and, you know, especially the first year, it was a huge thing. If you know whether this is going to work this is a new thing. And then even year two it was like, OK, there’s the followup and there was a lot of, I felt like there was a lot of promotion and buzz behind it. This year it’s been very quiet… It certainly doesn’t seem like it’s getting the same promotion on TV that it did once”. 

However, comparing the same with Fox’s coverage of IndyCar, it is extremely high. They had dropped one trailer for the beginning of the IndyCar season featuring Josef Newgarden. Just three days ago, they unveiled yet another video, and this one brought forth three-time champ Alex Palou in the limelight with a sensationally catchy ad. Fox will be collaborating with IndyNXT for the upcoming season as their official coverage partner. 

Bianchi further added, “I’ve seen a lot of IndyCar commercial because that is Fox’s new partner, but I havent seen a lot of commercials for the Clash. And then, maybe it’s just me and I missed it, but it doesn’t seem like it’s the same. The buzz and the excitement and the energy is certainly trampled down’.  The muted hype around The Clash at Bowman Gray suggests that NASCAR’s promotional efforts have taken a backseat, possibly signaling shifting priorities in media partnerships.

NASCAR did sign a media deal that involved Amazon Prime as a part of their race broadcasters, reducing Fox’s overall coverage. This could have nudged Fox to focus more on IndyCar and less on NASCAR. And stark differences could be seen in the promotional trailer for the Daytona 500 in comparison to their IndyCar promotional videos. However, despite the event receiving less hype than its previous iteration in Los Angeles, the move sparks NASCAR’s return to its roots while also expanding its reach in 2025.

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NASCAR paying homage while expanding fanbase

For the longest time, it was only the people of the United States who were vested in the world of NASCAR, but thankfully times are changing for the better. NASCAR has been making a few decisions that could have a positive impact on the publicity of the sport and increase its audience base. As of now, it is set to venture out of the United States and mark its very foot in the Mexican lands. The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City will host NASCAR’s first international points-paying race in 2025. However, the return to Bowman Gray and North Wilkesboro Speedway in recent years itself brings an audience of long-time fans who have been waiting for these historic tracks to return.

Speaking of how NASCAR might be going in the right way with these developments, Richard Childress said, “We’re going to Mexico this coming year, along with Bowman Gray Stadium, and coming back to North Wilkesboro. I think they’re trying to reach different audiences, but picking up, going back to the roots of Bowman Gray Stadium, so much NASCAR history there. And being able to go to North Wilkesboro, so much history there”. North Wilkesboro Speedway was revived in 2022 with help from Marcus Smith of Speedway Motorsports Inc. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The track’s roots go way back to the moonshining days, which birthed the sport.

So while media coverage of the event is certainly disheartening to see, the core fans of the sport are hyped for the Clash. Despite it being only a 17,000 seater, the atmosphere promises to be electric as Bowman Gray is one of the toughest tracks to drive on. The track was revived as a Dirt track initially, before being repaved for NASCAR. With only a few days to go until the first race weekend, we certainly can’t wait to see the action unfold at Bowman Gray Stadium. What are your expectations from The Clash in 2025?