The numbers are out, and the verdict is in: NASCAR’s foray into streaming with Amazon Prime was a success. 

Well, scratch that. I won’t say that yet. It was a successful first race. The broadcast was excellent, as I wrote. And I’m a Fox guy, so you know it was good if I wrote it. 

The race itself was very good, too. Best race of the Biggest Sunday in Motorsports, which is saying something given that the Indy 500 was also very good. 

The big question(s), though, surrounded NASCAR and Amazon. For the first time in its 70+ year history, a NASCAR race was available through streaming, and through streaming only. No Fox. No NBC. No ABC/ESPN (thank God). 

Just Amazon Prime. And this, by the way, came off a very strong start to the season on Fox and FS1. How would the ratings look? Would folks cut the cord for a month and buy Prime Video? Would mamaw be able to find the race on her box TV from 1994 in her living room that hasn’t been updated since 1954? 

The answer to all of those questions? Yes. 

Well, sort of. The answer to most of those questions is yes. That last one? Eh. That deserves a deeper dive with a little less spin. 

NASCAR is pretty clearly making a choice here

So, there you have it, folks. Dig in. The first NASCAR on Prime numbers are in, and they’re … well, they’re pretty on par for most races not on big Fox or big NBC. 

Excluding the big races, like the Daytona 500, you can usually expect somewhere between 2.5-4M to tune into a NASCAR race on FS1. That’s a ballpark number, but I’ve done this long enough to know it’s in the right ballpark. That’s pretty much what you got Sunday night on Prime. 

Now, here’s where the two meet the proverbial fork in the road: Prime says the average age of the viewer was down six years, compared to a Cup race on network TV. That’s what the big-wigs in the glass building down the road from me and across from Daytona like to hear. 

Trust me, they love that crap. They’ll eat it up all damn day. They’re giddy in their woke little offices right now. 

And maybe they should be. TV execs are always gunning for the younger demographic, and that’s because people die. That’s the best way I can put it. Folks get older, and they die, and when that happens, they are no longer watching sporting events on TV. At least as far as I know. 

So, yes – NASCAR wants to get younger. They believe it’s critical to survival, especially as we move more towards streaming, and away from cable and satellite. 

But, here’s the thing – they’re also killing older folks prematurely with moves like this. 

Consider this: while Prime’s audience was younger, they also lost a ton of older fans. And I mean a TON. 

Is the gamble worth it for NASCAR? We’ll see

Losing nearly 750k fans in the 55+ demographic, just to gain around 150k fans in the 18-54 range, is certainly a choice to make. And maybe it’s a necessary one for NASCAR? I don’t know. 

You can’t argue that younger fans hold the keys to the future. That’s just inherently true, as it is with most things in life. That’s not just a NASCAR thing. It’s a society thing. In 30 years, my toddler will be far more important than I will be. At least I hope she is. 

But is a minimal gain, right now, worth a pretty substantial loss? You’re essentially kicking your hardcore fans to the curb after they dedicated decades of their life to you. 

I haven’t talked to my 87-year-old mamaw this week, but I can assure you she did not watch the race on Sunday night. That makes me sad.  

She’s an avid NASCAR fan. She grew up with it, introduced me to it, and – up until a few weeks ago – would text me pretty much every single Sunday about the race. 

I didn’t get a single text Sunday night, and I know exactly why. She couldn’t find the race. She’s in an assisted living home with DirectTV, and DirectTV only. Even if they had Prime as an option, there is approximately 0% chance she could/would find it. 

She’s not alone, by the way. I received no less than two dozen emails this week from NASCAR fans with their thoughts on Prime. Some loved it. Some bought a subscription, and won’t look back. Some reluctantly tuned in because of Dale Earnhardt Jr., which is understandable. 

Others, though, told me they missed the ‘World 600’ for the first time ever because they refused to comply with NASCAR’s new orders. 

John from South Carolina, for example, told Prime to kick rocks:

What you need to remember is that many NASCAR fans cannot afford Prime and many don’t even have cable or satellite. 

Consequently, they watch Cup races via ABC, CBS, NBC or FOX with the good old antenna on the roof or with aluminum foil on the rabbit ears. 

Going with Prime probably lost a LOT of viewers, regardless how “great” the presentation was.  I for one didn’t watch any of it.

He wasn’t alone. I got a ton of those emails, too. 

But, if we’re being honest, NASCAR really doesn’t care about those letters. They don’t. They want to go younger. In a way, they need to go younger. 

Is it worth pissing on all the folks who you brought to the dance originally, though? 

We’ll see.