NASCAR has been getting raps for a variety of reasons this year. A major one is the FOX coverage of races. From cameras zooming in late to missing out on important moments within the race to broadcasters facing technical glitches, the decades-old media partner of the racing series is not in its best form. After every race ends, fans launch into a series of diatribes against the media giant.

However, that trajectory of attack is finally slated to change, as new partners join the show. Last weekend’s Sonoma race marked FOX’s last coverage for 2024, the race coverage will be officially taken up by NBC. Next year, both brands will have minimal work as Amazon and TNT replace them. Yet fans are not sparing the older media giant regarding an official survey.

A voice so upheld, but was it heard?

The NASCAR Fan Council is an online platform wherein gearheads can voice their feedback to the sanctioning body. It has been in place since 2008, and every year the officials release a survey for passionate fans to fill out so that the racing product can be molded accordingly.

NASCAR President Steve Phelps described the endeavor on a 2019 episode of The Dale Jr Download. “We have 25,000 people who are part of the NASCAR Fan Council. They are a representation of our most avid fans and we talk to them on an every week basis. We’ve had a fan council for 10 years, it has grown and it’s still one of the most important things that we do. … Listening to the fans is incredibly important to us because they have their finger on the pulse.”

The Fan Insights team runs the Fan Council and receives thousands of messages every month. However, their inbox may not be looking so bright. This season, starting right from the Daytona 500 race, FOX has blundered. The William Byron-Alex Bowman finish was never accurately recorded, and fans tore apart the camera team for that.

Even though FOX improved its coverage immediately after Atlanta (a photo finish between Daniel Suarez, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Busch), their subsequent efforts have been average. But it was too late, as new deals were already signed. In what was their last 2024 outing at Sonoma, several issues plagued FOX. Firstly, Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs’ wrecks lacked proper coverage. Then FOX never followed up on Kyle Busch and Ross Chastain’s conflict. Yet experts believe they did a good job on the final laps.

But critics scanned the post-race coverage. As FOX employees were in a time crunch to get to a UFL game, they only interviewed Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher and left the track. They crucially missed second-place finisher Michael McDowell in a hurry. This seems deplorable considering it’s their final NASCAR Cup race of the year.

Hence, as the Official Fan Survey reached the fan base, responses were tight.

Meanwhile, the NASCAR community fires shots at FOX

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The main FOX-related question dealt with pertinent points that popped up in this season’s races. It broached the icky topic of coverage, and some fans acknowledged that candor. However, one fan observed the tricky wording of the survey, which might lead to ambiguity. “I don’t like the way those questions are worded. Animated graphics for instance. You answer poor job and they’re going to be all “Man, they think we need even MORE animated graphics!”

One fan pointed out the nagging commercial issue in FOX coverage. They pinpointed a hypocritical aspect of an infomercial: “Probably the worst or at least most insulting part of a Fox broadcast is when they play the Toyota produced infomercial and tell us it’s commercial free racing.”

One glaring problem caught the attention of fans, and they butchered NASCAR for it. One fan smelled cheating tactics in this faulty aspect: “I like how it says 2023 at the top. Looks like they just copied and pasted last years survey.” Another fan grabbed the chance to attack Fox’s lackluster coverage, “Fox being a year behind on coverage would not surprise me.”

Continuing the savage thread, another gearhead posted a sarcastic comment about FOX’s lazy nature. “Wait, they were supposed to be broadcasting the 2024 races already? Someone at Fox missed that memo.”

Some people appreciated FOX Pit reporter Jamie Little for her work, demanding an upgrade in her status. One fan specifically demanded a tweak in the survey for Little, “I’d prefer an option where I can say “Jamie Little is the top of the field as a pit reporter, but she struggles as a play by play announcer” Another fan chimed in, wishing for Little’s presence in the booth. “Id give just about anything to never hear jamie little on a broadcast again.”

Evidently, FOX’s survey is faring pretty badly among NASCAR fans, given their poor outing in their last year as a major media partner.