zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
ESPN Will Have No Regular Motorsports Coverage Soon
ESPN Will Have No Regular Motorsports Coverage Soon-November 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:40

The only regular racing coverage ESPN still hosts are NHRA drag races. ESPN occasionally brands ABC motorsports broadcasts, and they host the X Games, too, but as far as normal racing season content goes, NHRA is all they’ve got. That will no longer be the case next year, as NHRA goes to Fox Sports 1.

reports that the NHRA and Fox Sports have agreed on the terms, but have yet to sign a formal contract. Regardless, this ends a 14-year run on ESPN.

It’s odd to think that one of the major sports networks won’t have motorsports, but will probably continue to host spelling bees, poker and video game tournaments, none of which seem to be actual sports in any way, shape or form. (Interesting at times, sure, but still bizarre to see on a sports network.) Sure, there’s always the debate as to whether motorsports count as sports or not since competitors are so reliant on their equipment to function well, but there’s at least some physicality involved. You don’t take that many G-forces and still be a total slouch, regardless of how Tony Stewart’s epic dad-bod may appear. You can be in people-form and still manage to play poker. I’m just sayin’.

Of the major networks’ sports channels, I’m not sure Fox Sports is the best move, but it’s a move. There’s a different channel to find. That’s, uh, all I’ve got.

The best-case scenario for motorsports in the U.S. right now is probably NBC’s family of networks, which has been incredibly good with IndyCar, Formula 1 and NASCAR. They even handled two worst-case scenarios— and—with the utmost professionalism on the debut of the return of their NASCAR coverage. NBC has their , but so far, so good. They even tend to switch to side-by-side commercial breaks towards the ends of long races, allowing you to at least watch the action non-stop even if there’s no audio for it. That I can appreciate.

Fox probably won’t chop NHRA coverage into weird one-hour highlight sessions like CBSSN tends to do, but they might preempt it for Division III football with no heads-up. They get some points for trying to host all of this year’s , but get all those points taken back and then some for , bizarre network switch timing that , , and killing Speedvision. (Speed was just okay. It’s Speedvision that needs a comeback.)

So, enjoy, NHRA fans! Um.

Um.

Okay.

At least Fox Sports 1 is widely available, which I can’t say for giant chunks of the United SportsCar season that get stranded on Fox Sports 2.

Of course, ESPN wasn’t the perfect home for NHRA drag racing, either. According to Sports Business Daily, NHRA officials were upset with ESPN hosting races on time delay and in unattractive timeslots. Because of this, the NHRA was looking to leave their current five-year contract a year early. Now, the NHRA has struck that deal, leaving before the contract runs out in 2016 and paying ESPN an undisclosed amount for breaking that contract.

The financial details have not been released. We’ll have to learn how much that early switch cost the NHRA another day.

Contact the author at .

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
Listen To In-Car Audio From Race Cars While You Work
Listen To In-Car Audio From Race Cars While You Work
If you follow racing in the U.S., you probably already know about the . Most of the episodes are too much of a distraction to put on as background noise while you work, but a couple of recent entries in his series have been working incredibly well for me....
Nov 15, 2024
Get Ready To Spend All Your Money On Retro Formula 1 Merch
Get Ready To Spend All Your Money On Retro Formula 1 Merch
Fellow nerds, get ready to open your wallets, because I’ve found what may be the greatest store of all time. With designs from Formula 1 teams like , you’re sure to find something that fits your particular nostalgic niche. I’d like to introduce you to Racing Retro. I first...
Nov 15, 2024
You've Probably Never Heard Of The Coolest Canadian Car Ever Built
You've Probably Never Heard Of The Coolest Canadian Car Ever Built
Name a car from the early 1960s built by a famed racing driver with curvy, lightweight aluminum bodywork, a big American engine, and a reputation for being unruly and fast as all hell. Your first thought was probably the famed Shelby Cobra, did you know there was a who...
Nov 15, 2024
After Delivering 8 Seasons At The Back Of The Grid, Haas F1 Team Dumps Guenther Steiner
After Delivering 8 Seasons At The Back Of The Grid, Haas F1 Team Dumps Guenther Steiner
The partially North Carolina-based squad has determined that after , it needs to mix things up a little. The team’s firebrand has been following an abysmal 2023 season which saw the team score just four points-paying finishes. The team’s , where scored a fourth-place finish, but that season too...
Nov 15, 2024
Race Team Would Rather Create A Fake AI Woman Rather Than Hire A Real One
Race Team Would Rather Create A Fake AI Woman Rather Than Hire A Real One
In another unsurprising example of motorsport’s inhospitable mindset toward hiring competent women, the Racing team has announced a new partnership with Ava Rose, a literal , who will... engage with fans? Share knowledge about technology? “Navigate the cutting edge of innovation to create positive change” (whatever that means)? I...
Nov 15, 2024
Local Businesses Want Compensation After Allegedly Losing Money During Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Local Businesses Want Compensation After Allegedly Losing Money During Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
If you listen to Formula 1 or local officials from Las Vegas and Clark County, you’d probably think November’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix was a success. Some sources estimated that the city of Las Vegas made over $1 billion in revenue from the event — but there were...
Nov 15, 2024
Copyright 2023-2024 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved