Even signing with Prime Video to be certainly one of their analysts, Carl Edwards admitted he was questioning if NASCAR followers would know in regards to the sport’s shift to streaming for 5 races on Prime Video or if they’d know the way to entry the races.
That was, till he talked to certainly one of his neighbors.
“We’re talking about other things and he said, ‘Hey, you’re doing some sort of TV thing.’ And I was thinking, you know, this guy’s 85 years old, and I’m gonna have to explain this to him,” Edwards mentioned. “And I started and he’s like, ‘Oh, yeah. I’ve got Prime. I’ll be watching.’”
Prime Video’s first race on Sunday is the Coca-Cola 600. Not solely is it NASCAR’s longest race, it comes on motorsports’ largest day with Components One’s Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 happening earlier than the inexperienced flag drops at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Prime Video has a seven-year cope with NASCAR.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be starting with a crown jewel (race). It’s a huge responsibility and we’re excited to bring it to fans,” mentioned Alex Strand, Prime Video’s senior coordinating producer for reside sports activities. “What we saw when we brought ‘Thursday Night Football’ to Prime is we spent a lot of time making sure that we’re delivering on expectations. There’s trust the viewers are putting in you to bring them the sport that they love.”
Prime Video is hoping to do this by getting some manufacturing assist from NBC Sports activities, which has had NASCAR since 2015. Prime’s relationship with NBC goes again to 2022 when it launched “Sunday Night Football.”
Within the sales space, Adam Alexander is the play-by-play announcer for the Xfinity Sequence on The CW together with doing Cup Sequence races on TNT.
Analysts Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are reunited. Earnhardt Jr. was with NBC for six seasons (2018 by means of ’23) whereas Letarte has been with NBC since 2015.
Alexander mentioned his strategy to calling the races has been the identical, irrespective of the community.
“Just be a setup guy for two analysts that obviously know it inside and out, and be able to relay the message to the fans of what’s happening on track,” he mentioned. “I think it would be easy for someone when you look at new partners coming into the sport, that everything is going to be changed. It jumped off the board with me right away that Prime has the balance of new, but also the respect to traditions that we’re used to in the TV world and how that matches up with NASCAR.”
The one new faces are Edwards and Corey LaJoie, who shall be on pre- and post-race protection.
Many thought Edwards would grow to be an analyst after retiring in 2017, however he resisted overtures from numerous networks till Prime Video approached him earlier this yr.
“The timing just feels right. I’m shocked at the way the sport has welcomed me back personally,” mentioned Edwards, a 28-time winner within the Cup collection. “I wasn’t sure about this, but Prime came to visit me in Missouri and we sat around at my kitchen table talking with my family. I’m glad they came out. It’s going to be an adventure.”
Prime Video shall be bringing its personal touches to the races. Inexperienced flag racing will embrace a double-box industrial format, making certain viewers will not miss any motion. There can even be highlights of key moments permitting viewers to catch as much as motion.
So far as in-race technique improvements, Prime continues to be testing some issues as they attempt to proceed what they’ve achieved throughout NFL protection, which is clarify advanced issues in a easy method.
“I believe people are going to find it. They’re going to enjoy it. And, you know, hopefully it just becomes, something that that all the fans feel good about and don’t have any hiccups,” Edwards mentioned.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
