NASCAR in talks with Amazon to air 10-race-long midseason schedule: Reports

NASCAR has yet to announce the new broadcast deal for the Cup Series, with the current TV deal with FOX and NBC set to expire following the conclusion of the 2024 season.

The two major networks are reported to be committed to renewing their respective deals. However, NASCAR is looking for a third provider for the Cup Series, completely shifting to a streaming service for a midseason stretch of 10 races.

A report from Sports Business Journal indicates that the organizers are negotiating with streaming services to broadcast up to 10 races in the mid-season. Amazon Prime and Warner Bros. Discovery's TNT are said to be at the top of the list for signing the exclusive streaming deal.

The mid-season stretch has been a hard sell for NASCAR, as it initially planned to air up to six races via streaming services. The tally has now been upped to 10 races, taking away five races from FOX and NBC's coverage each. There are plans to split the 10-race deal between Amazon and TNT, however, NASCAR hopes one of the bidders will take the complete package.

FOX Sports and NBC have traditionally split the coverage for the premier stock car racing series since 2015. TNT also has prior experience covering the series, as it broadcasted a similar mid-season stretch in the mid-2010s.

With other national sporting leagues moving to streaming services for select matches, the Cup Series could also be heading in a similar direction. SBJ reports that the new deal with the streaming services could be announced as early as the end-of-year awards ceremony in Nashville next week (November 30).

NASCAR recently announced that the coverage for the Xfinity Series will be exclusively done by The CW, beginning in 2025.

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Ryan Blaney opens up about fitness requirements in NASCAR

The 2023 Cup Series champion shed light on the fitness routines of a NASCAR driver in a recent conversation with comedian and podcaster Tom Segura. He detailed the meaning of fitness in the stock car series and which workout routines drivers focussed on.

“I think it’s a different kind of fit, he said on the Two Bears One Cave podcast. "All of us or none of us are really big. We’re all fairly short, fairly skinny, lean. You don’t see a bunch of us buff because you don’t really need to be. It’s a different kind of requirement for what we do. When we’re in the car, it’s our shoulders, core, and heart rate.”

With the Cup Series races stretching up to 600 miles, Ryan Blaney insists retaining focus for hours under pressure is one of the most important aspects of the sport.

“I do a lot of training like that. Kick my a** in the workout, get me really tired and now it’s like, alright, we’re doing a drill on focus on another task while you’re struggling,” he concluded.