On the agenda: pre/post-race shows, 70+ cameras, double-box ads, Key Moments, Rapid Recaps

Waving the green flag on a seven-year NASCAR Cup Series rights deal this weekend, Amazon Prime Video aims to institute the same level of technological innovation that it brought to NFL Thursday Night Football and its other high-profile sports properties. That said, Prime Video’s production team remains focused on one goal above all else: telling the story of the race itself.

“We are there to cover the race and cover it as we see it,” says Amazon Prime Video Senior Coordinating Producer Alex Strand. “That’s our identity. What we’re really trying to do is say, ‘How do we cover the story of the race? What is that story of the race that day?’”

While storytelling remains the core tenant of Prime’s coverage, technology and data play a major role in telling that story — both inside and outside of the live linear broadcast. Among the key innovations viewers can expect on Prime’s five Cup Series races in the coming weeks: a new double-box commercial format, “Key Moments” race highlights, and “Rapid Recaps” of in-progress races.

Covering the Race: In-Car Cams, Pit-Box Views, Live Drones 

Beginning with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway this Sunday, Prime Video will produce each race in native 1080p HDR with Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound, deploying 70+ cameras at each race — all connected by up to 10 miles of fiber-optic cable.

The gear includes 40+ custom in-car cameras with mics (including specialized POV cameras from NEP Specialty Capture) and cameras in selected pit boxes to give the viewers new insights into the race experience. In addition, a live drone will be deployed on selected races to capture unique angles and the atmosphere of the track.

“We could not be more excited to be starting with a crown-jewel [race],” says Strand. “We think it’s a huge responsibility, and we’re excited to bring that to fans. We spend a lot of time making sure that we are delivering the core expectation. Viewers are trusting you to bring in the sport that they love, and we take that very seriously.”

Prime Video is deploying Game Creek Video Peacock One mobile units for its five NASCAR Cup Series productions this year, as well as GCV edit and robo trucks. In addition, Prime — as all NASCAR rightsholders do — relies on NASCAR Productions SRT trailer for additional connectivity and has also partnered with NBC Sports Group for additional broadcast support.

Following the success of its Emmy Award–winning TNF Prime Vision alternative stream, Strand and his team are also looking for new ways to visualize data within its NASCAR coverage.

“Obviously,” he says, we’re pretty data-centric in our Thursday Night Football coverage. We think that data can tell cool stories around sports that we love or enhance the way you look at it and help teach you something you didn’t know before.

“How do we take something that is very complex to understand and simplify it?” he continues. “[We do it by] not dumbing it down but making it accessible both to hardcore longtime fans and people who might just be picking it up for the first time. We think, from what we’ve done on Thursday Night Football, we can thread the needle and hit both of those at the same time.”

Though not sharing specifics, Strand says the Prime Video production and data-analysis teams are working with analyst Steve Letarte on a new feature. “We also think it’s important to show it in a simple way, so we see a lot of opportunity with NASCAR. It’s data-centric to begin with, and we are working on some things now. We’ve been in the lab with [Letarte] for about four months on a particular feature we’re hoping to bring to everybody during our coverage.”

In the booth will be race-caller Adam Alexander, NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Letarte, a Daytona 500–winning crew chief. Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne and reporters Kim Coon and Marty Snider will be on pit road to provide real-time updates on drivers, tactical decisions, and other critical developments as races unfold.

Beyond the Race: Pre/Post Shows Play Major Role in New ‘Identity’

In addition to covering the race itself, Prime is producing full trackside pre/post-race shows for each broadcast. Remote support will be provided from Prime’s LAX 35 facility in Culver City, CA, where several operators will remotely control machines located in the onsite trucks.

Danielle Trotta hosts the pre/post-race coverage with analysts Edwards and current Cup Series driver Corey LaJoie. Again taking a cue from its widely praised onsite studio show for TNF, Prime Video’s extensive wraparound coverage will feature candid conversations and exclusive interviews with drivers fresh off the track, in-depth analysis, previews and breakdowns of the races, and developing storylines that help bring viewers closer to both the action and the personalities behind the wheel.

“One of the things we’re excited about,” says Strand, “is post-race and being able to sit back and spend time talking about the day — and the race we just saw. I think what we’re able to do in our post-race window is going to be a big part of our identity. It’s something unique that we have the ability to do as a streamer. We don’t have to get off-air for another event. We’ll stay on, and we’re going to talk about what we saw.”

Viewer Experience: Fans Won’t Miss a Thing

NASCAR on Prime viewers won’t miss a moment of the action on the track, thanks to the streamer’s decision to use a double-box commercial format during its broadcasts. The end-to-end live coverage of green-flag racing offers viewers a new way to fully experience the race at home.

“As we were watching racing and thinking about how we want our coverage to be,” says Strand, “we thought it was critically important to show green-flag racing — the entire stretch — and never miss a thing. We mobilized a ton of internal Amazon groups to make that possible. It has been a lot of hard work, but we’re excited to be bringing double-box commercials for all green-flag racing. No fans at home are going to miss a thing, and that was really important to us.”

Outside of the livestream of the race, Prime Video will leverage real-time data to provide fans with “Key Moments” featuring race highlights and every flag change on demand while watching NASCAR on Prime. A bank of pivotal moments will build as the race progresses, offering viewers immediate access to these key moments.

In addition to Key Moments, another feature from the TNF experience, “Rapid Recaps,” will allow fans who join the race in-progress and want to catch up on action they missed. Accessible after selecting Watch, Rapid Recap deploys real-time data to compile highlights, with the full recap lasting no longer than two minutes. Fans are then automatically dropped into live action.

Also benefiting the viewer experience at home, Prime Video and AWS technology have combined to create a proprietary, end-to-end livestreaming solution that delivers ultra-low latency, eliminates drift, and ensures synchronization. Prime Video will deliver 1080p HDR coverage right from the track to the screen with delivery speeds that, as TNF viewers have already experienced, match and often surpass what viewers receive from traditional cable and broadcast networks.

William Byron’s 2025 season with Hendrick Motorsports is about to get even better.

Byron enters this Sunday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a victory at Daytona and seven top-10 finishes. He’s currently fourth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, with only Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin ahead of him. 

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Earlier this week, FOX announcer Kevin Harvick said he’s picking Byron to win the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte this Sunday. That would certainly help the No. 24 team shoot up the leaderboard.

All we know for sure is that Byron’s future with Hendrick Motorsports is secure regardless of this Sunday’s results.

On Friday morning, Hendrick Motorsports has agreed to a four-year contract extension with Byron. His deal will now run until 2029.

“William is the real deal,” Rick Hendrick said. “What makes him so special is that he combines natural ability with an unrivaled work ethic. You see it in the great ones – the drivers who could get by on talent alone but choose to outwork everyone anyway. That’s William. On top of it all, he’s a person of high character and embraces his role as a leader. We’re proud to have him in our lineup and look forward to many more wins together.”

Byron, a former Xfinity Series champion, is fired up about his extension with Hendrick Motorsports.

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“We’ve built something special with the No. 24 team,” Byron said in a press release. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to continue working with amazing people at Hendrick Motorsports who believe in me, especially Mr. and Mrs. Hendrick. We’ve accomplished some great things that we’re really proud of, but we have even bigger goals ahead. I’m excited to go after them with this team and this organization.”

Byron will try to reward Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 24 team with a victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Related: NASCAR Makes Decision On Coca-Cola 600 Payouts

Hendrick Motorsports Makes William Byron Announcement Before Coca-Cola 600 first appeared on The Spun on May 23, 2025

Derek Kraus, 23, will make his first NASCAR Cup Series start of the year this weekend, competing in NASCAR’s longest race — the 66th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. 

Kraus will pilot the No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet with sponsorship from Western States Flooring. This Sunday’s race will be the first time since the season-opening Daytona that the Cup Series will have a full field of 40 cars with four open entries.

Kraus made six starts in the Cup Series last year, all while driving for Kaulig Racing. His best result came at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, finishing 28th. His most recent start came in the 2024 season finale at Phoenix Raceway, and this will be his first appearance in the Coke 600.

A former champion of the ARCA West Series in 2019, Kraus also has 76 Truck Series starts and eight Xfinity Series starts, but none since 2023. He was full-time in the Truck Series between 2020 and 2022, finishing as high as second at Darlington.

NY Racing Team has made four Cup starts as an open entry this year, all with veteran journeyman driver J.J. Yeley. Their best result of the year came at Talladega where they finished 32nd. The team also attempted to qualify for the Daytona 500 but failed to make the show.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Women are breaking barriers at the Indy 500. They’re driving change at every level, from the track to the executive suites.

That change isn’t always visible at first glance, but behind the scenes, some powerful voices are helping steer the industry in a new direction.

“We’re not here to change the sport, we’re here to grow the sport,” said Cindy Sisson, executive director of Women in Motorsports North America. “What we hear all the time is, ‘Look at how many more women are out in the paddock, on the team with sponsors.’ It’s just amazing and it’s really fun to see the growth going on.”

In a sport long dominated by men, women are racing ahead, not just behind the wheel, but in leadership roles.

Cindy Sisson is the executive director of Women in Motorsports North America, a nonprofit founded in 2022. She’s leading a movement focused on mentorship and opportunity, especially for young women eager to make their mark in racing.

“We mine those amazing ladies. That’s the future of our motorsports,” Sisson said. “I just told them all do day, how many want to be in motorsports, and about half raised their hand, but the other half don’t realize they can also have a career in motorsports, and we’re here to show them that.”

At Andretti Global, Ryann Weatherford, vice president of partnership activations and communications, is an example of that vision in action. She’s seen firsthand how the presence of women in racing has evolved over the last 18 years.

“There’s always been a place for women in motorsports, but that place is becoming new areas that might have been unexpected,” Weatherford said. “Now we’re engineers, we’re doctors, team executives. For the first time, Andretti Global has a female president.”

Weatherford says getting involved in racing starts with one thing: Putting yourself out there.

“Don’t be afraid to apply to those jobs,” Weatherford said. “Don’t be afraid to get on LinkedIn and network. Come out the racetrack and see the person doing the role that you want to do, and stop and say hello.”

Sisson and Weatherford believe visibility and representation are the keys to changing the future of the sport.

“Investing in women in motorsports makes good business sense. That’s it,” Sisson said.

Both women say they hope to see more women step outside their comfort zones and consider careers in motorsports, whether it’s in law, communications, medicine, or beyond.

Under sunny skies and temperatures in the high-60s – the warmest it’s been this week – the 33-car Indianapolis 500 field made its final practice laps Friday in preparation for Sunday’s 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500.

Friday’s annual “Carb Day” two-hour practice session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway culminated a busy, news-making week at the track where two of the fastest cars were penalized for illegal modifications, a rookie making his first career oval start won pole position and NASCAR champion Kyle Larson is set to make his second attempt at Memorial Day’s famed “Double” – competing in both the Indianapolis 500 Sunday morning (noon ET on FOX) and then NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 that evening (6 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The two Team Penske cars penalized during Fast 12 pole qualifying made a huge statement Friday with two-time defending Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden turning the fastest lap in practice and his teammate Will Power – who will join Newgarden on the last row of the starting grid as a result of the penalties – sixth quickest.

They would also go on to face one another later in the day’s best-of-three championship round of the traditional Pit Stop Challenge with Newgarden winning his third crown in the event which pits 16 cars in eight rounds of head-to-head timed competition.

As for practice, Indy 500 pole-winner, Israeli driver Robert Shwartzman, 25, was 29th on the speed charts. And NASCAR Cup Series championship leader Kyle Larson was 26th on single lap speed, but among the top-six in both 10-lap and 20-lap runs.

The 2021 NASCAR champ Larson, who hosted his NASCAR Cup Series Hendrick Motorsports team trackside Friday, remained confident in his No. 17 McLaren Arrow Chevrolet, all-business as he climbed out for a practice debrief.

“I think it’s a little different than NASCAR with the drafting and not knowing what people’s objectives really were, but it doesn’t hurt [to be fast in multi-lap runs],” Larson said of his work Friday afternoon. “I feel good about my balance, so yeah, I feel like we’re pretty decent. There are a couple guys that are really good also, but I feel like things feel good.”

Larson acknowledged coming through the field from the seventh row to start the race Sunday definitely presents a different experience than he had last year starting fifth overall on the second row.

“I would prefer to start further forward, but I think you’ve just got to be smartly aggressive and patient all at the same time back when you start beyond the first few rows,” Larson said. “I think our car handles good in the pack so just got to be smart about it. You can’t be too aggressive because if you try to push too much and get tightness and have to lift then you’re going to give up a spot potentially. Just got to watch out when you make you moves.”

It was an unusually dramatic day for several of his competitors. Alexander Rossi, who won the 100th Indianapolis 500 in 2016, had problems with his Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet early, running only five laps before the team took it to the garage for repairs. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan team had to change engines in Graham Rahal’s No. 15 Honda after only 21 laps of practice.

Perennial crowd-favorite, Indianapolis-native Conor Daly also had a challenging day in his Junco Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, the team retiring to the garage early for a full once-over. Daly, who starts 11th, called the afternoon “nerve-wracking.” He still got in 59 laps of practice and posted the 10th best speed Friday.

Another former Indy winner, Ryan Hunter-Reay had the most dramatic exit from the practice when his No. 23 Dryer-Reinbold Chevy had to pull off track with the rear of his car on fire. He was concerned the issue may be with the new hybrid system the cars are running at Indy since his teammate also experienced a problem.

After practice, Carb Day activities finished up with the always-exciting “Pit Stop Challenge” and Saturday features the traditional Public Drivers Meeting and parade through downtown Indianapolis – the month finally culminating with Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 green flag at noon ET.

NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson is challenging the traditional ideas on the differences between NASCAR and IndyCar, two of the United States’ greatest racing series. Talking on First Things First, he argues that the sports are more similar than fans realise. This comes as the driver prepares for The Double this Sunday. 

This will be the Californian driver’s second attempt at one of the most challenging weekends of his motorsports career as he takes on both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Only four drivers have been able to take on such a feat, which includes 1,100 miles of driving. Tony Stewart is one of these drivers, completing the task in 2001. 

The now semi-retired driver finished sixth at Indy and third in Charlotte. Larson attempted this last year, but poor weather ruined his efforts. 

Outside of the obvious differences between stock cars and open-wheel race cars, Larson admits the driving experience is surprisingly similar. 

“So, I’ll just start with the cars. You know, surprisingly to me, when I first got in it – like, you look at an IndyCar and you look at a NASCAR – they look completely different,” he said. “But the feel that I have between the two cars, it’s not that crazy different.

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

“We have in NASCAR now… in 2022 they designed the Next Gen car – so completely different than a stock car used to be. We now have independent suspension, we’ve got underbody aerodynamics that we’re relying on, the sidewalls of the tires are shorter, a lot like in IndyCar.”

These similarities continue into what he feels when behind the wheel. 

“So what I feel in the car is honestly pretty similar. You’re going a lot faster in the IndyCar. We’ll be 235–237 probably in the race at the end of the straightaways. NASCAR will, at Charlotte, be 195 maybe. But the sensation is still the same.”

The arrival of NASCAR’s Next Gen car in 2022 saw a significant departure from traditional stock car racing, with these new machines being much more sophisticated than their dinosaur counterparts.

“So the cars aren’t too different. And then the strategy of the two races is fairly similar, I feel like, too. It’s hard to pass. You gotta execute all the details: good restarts, pit stops, all that sort of stuff.

“So although I’m not experienced here in IndyCar, I feel like my oval experience in NASCAR should help.”