The season has been a rollercoaster so far. NASCAR’s viewership is soaring, with Slicks and Sticks reporting a 44% jump in Xfinity Series viewership in 2025, thanks to thrilling races and new fans tuning in. But while the sport is thriving, the broadcasts are dragging it down. FOX Sports, which has been covering NASCAR since 2001, is under fire for missing key moments and botching coverage.

Just last week, Denny Hamlin called out FOX for a major audio glitch during the Goodyear 400 at Darlington. “I’ve noticed it for a few weeks that they’ve got something going on with their audio that is just not like all other audio coming through FOX or any other station for that matter. I don’t know what’s going on,” Hamlin said, frustrated after his win.

Fans agreed with his sentiments, noting that the Darlington race exposed FOX’s “biggest issue”—constant interruptions and technical failures that ruin the viewing experience. It’s April 11, 2025, and the Bristol Motor Speedway is alive with the Food City 500 weekend, a race that promises high stakes and heart-pounding action. Bristol, a half-mile track known for its chaos and drama, is the kind of place where every second matters. The excitement is there, but the broadcast is a mess. Fans across the country are fed up, and it all came to a head during the Truck Series race.

FOX doesn’t stop embarrassing itself

It’s not just the audio. FOX has a history of cutting away at the worst times. A Reddit thread from 2024 captured the sentiment perfectly: During the Geico 500, FOX went to a full-screen commercial break right as a driver was about to take the lead. FOX’s timing left fans in the dark during a critical moment. Another fan added, “Fox is terrible, and I simply don’t understand why NASCAR would decide to stick with them when the overwhelming majority hate their coverage.” Then came the Truck Series race on April 11.

Eric Estepp, a well-known NASCAR insider, on X summed up the frustration perfectly in his post: “Three trucks wrecked from the top 5 and we don’t have a decent replay 🙁 Lapped trucks have been hazards early in this race. #NASCAR.” Three top-five trucks crashed, and FOX doesn’t even show a proper replay. Bristol’s tight track makes lapped trucks a known hazard, but missing the replay of such a pivotal incident is unforgivable. The incident in question was a wreck involving defending series champion Ty Majeski, rookie Frankie Muniz, Stewart Freisen, and Brandon Jones. The incident even ended Ty Majeski’s race, but FOX was way too slow with the replays.

Estepp later followed up, saying, “Ayyyy, we got a replay. Looked like Majeski didn’t correctly anticipate where Muniz was gonna run. Rough break for Friesen and BJones.” But the damage was done—the initial mishap left fans fuming. One fan didn’t mince their words: “Nascar needs to ditch fox all together.” This isn’t just about one bad race—it’s a culmination of years of disappointment. However, a more recent incident involving FOX’s other racing series was arguably worse than their broadcasting sin at Bristol!

FOX’s track record this year has been dismal, even outside of NASCAR. Fox Sports took over as primary broadcasters for Roger Penske’s IndyCar series after NASCAR sidelined its role in 2025’s broadcast schedule in a $7.7 billion deal that added networks like The CW, Amazon Prime Video, and more. However, despite this increased focus, FOX managed to commit a blunder at the Thermal Grand Prix in 2025, and it was one that had fans up in arms.

During the Thermal Grand Prix, FOX experienced a coverage blackout!  IndyCar fans were left confused and annoyed, and IndyCar star Alex Palou even commented on it after the race. “I heard that there were some issues with the broadcast. So sorry to the fans, and thank you for sticking with us,” said Palou. FOX eventually posted on X, revealing the actual issue: “Our INDYCAR production truck has an electrical issue. We are working to get it fixed as quickly as possible. In the meantime, we have NASCAR bonus coverage on FOX and FS1 until the INDYCAR truck is back online.” Notably, the Thermal Grand Prix was being held at the same time as the Homestead Miami Cup Series broadcast on FS1, which was already a massive goof-up by FOX who claimed it was “unavoidable”.

This Bristol mishap is just the latest blunder amongst a line of them for FOX in 2025 alone, and the fan reactions paint a vivid picture of a community pushed to its limit, and each comment reflects a deeper frustration with FOX’s ongoing failures.

Fans rip apart FOX for their Truck Series blunder

Fans have been vocal about FOX’s issues since at least 2024, with complaints about excessive commercials and missed moments piling up. FS1, FOX’s cable channel, has long been a pain point for NASCAR fans, often criticized for its low production quality and lack of focus on the race itself. This sentiment echoed in fan discussions on social media throughout the 2025 season, especially after the Truck Series incident.

One disappointed fan vented, “Fox has some of the worst cameramen. I mean, the wreck was literally right in front of them, and they still missed it.” FOX’s history is doing them no favors, as fans continue to point out how they consistently miss incidents right under their nose. Bristol’s history with lapped traffic issues makes this even more frustrating, as fans feel FOX should be more aware of racing incidents on tracks where they are historically prevalent.

 “AND FOX MISSED THE TOP 5 CRASHING AT A HALF MILE TRACK. It’s inexcusable at this point,” said one incredibly frustrated fan. Bristol’s tight layout demands sharp coverage, especially with incidents like the Majeski-Muniz crash, but FOX’s failure left fans feeling cheated, given the track’s reputation for drama, as highlighted in FOX’s own Bristol schedule coverage.

“Leave it to Fox Sports to be sub-par camera work; they clearly don’t give a %#*& if the best they can provide in the booth is what’s given too. Joey is the only one worth hearing from tonight,” added another disgruntled fan. This person went so far as to even condemn the broadcast booth for their bland coverage of the race, citing 3-time Cup Series Champion Joey Logano as the only silver lining to the broadcast. Logano was accompanied by Michael Waltrip and Kaitlyn Vince, who this fan did not appreciate in the booth.

One more sighed, “FOX doing FOX things as usual 🤦🏻‍♂️,” a sentiment that reflects years of recurring issues. FOX’s tech issues, like frozen feeds during the Atlanta race, haven’t improved despite years of fan feedback. Their apparent lack of investment in NASCAR, especially when compared to smaller networks like The CW, which fans have praised for better coverage.

Fans deserve better than this. NASCAR is having a banner year, but FOX’s constant missteps are dragging it down. Is it time for NASCAR to listen to its fans and find a broadcast partner that can deliver the excitement we crave? Well, a shift to Prime Video is coming this May, and we can only wait and see whether that proves to be a watershed moment in NASCAR’s broadcasting future. What do you think of FOX’s latest blunder? Let us know in the comments!