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Live post-race show: Inside the Race to break down all things Martinsville

Live post-race show: Inside the Race to break down all things Martinsville

Yahoo05-04-2025

Live post-race show: Inside the Race to break down all things Martinsville
Can't wait any longer to go Inside the Race following each NASCAR Cup Series event?
Visit our NASCAR YouTube page post-race to get live, immediate breakdowns and analysis from veteran crew chief and broadcaster Steve Letarte, alongside additional co-hosts and reporters from the track.
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Following today's Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, co-hosts Letarte and Jeff Burton will go live to dissect the winning and losing moves, plus other top story lines following the first short-track race of the 2025 Cup Series season.
Former championship-winning crew chief and MRN analyst Todd Gordon, along with Mamba Smith, will also join the show, providing their insights and observations directly from the track.
Watch today's Cup Series race (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), then tune in for immediate analysis on NASCAR's YouTube page.

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Drivers Deliver Verdict On New NASCAR In-Season Challenge with $1M Prize
Drivers Deliver Verdict On New NASCAR In-Season Challenge with $1M Prize

Newsweek

timean hour ago

  • Newsweek

Drivers Deliver Verdict On New NASCAR In-Season Challenge with $1M Prize

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. NASCAR drivers have shared their excitement at the new in-season tournament set to begin from the next race, especially considering the impressive $1 million prize money. The upcoming five races in the Cup Series will be treated as a tournament, and the seedings have been set after the race at Pocono. With a 32-driver field, each one will be slotted according to their best finish in Michigan, Mexico, and Pocono. NASCAR drivers compete in five head-to-head races starting from the next round. Each winner will advance to the following round, with the field narrowing until the tournament winner is declared. After the race in Atlanta, the field will narrow down to 16 drivers, then to 8 following the race in Chicago. A general view of racing during the NASCAR Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway on June 22, 2025 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. A general view of racing during the NASCAR Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway on June 22, 2025 in Long Pond, the race at Sonoma, only 4 drivers will remain, and after the round at Dover, two drivers will battle at Indianapolis for the grand prize. These races will be separate from the regular Cup Series races. Joey Logano loved the idea of a mid-season tournament, given the extra bit of excitement it would bring to a regular NASCAR season. He said: "Yeah, I love it. I think it's great. I think it's placed perfectly where it is in the season. This is kind of that moment where the newness has worn off, right? Like we're into the rhythm. We're racing every week." He added: "It's not like really the main story quite yet. So this really spices up the mid part of the season. We have a long season, so just kind of changing it up and adding something to it is great, and the in-season tournament, it's cool." Chase Elliott said the idea was a great way to spice things up and welcomed the initiative to make the sport more exciting. He said: "The season is so long, and anyway, you can spice up the year and have something else going on within our season is ultimately good not only for the fans but also for us. "I think it's exciting for us to have something else going on in any given weekend. It's the first time we've done it, and I'm curious to see how it plays out. I think it's a good addition, and I'm glad to see us try new things." Ryan Blaney admitted that the tournament was a unique concept to have mid-season. He said ahead of the race in Michigan: "I think it's a unique thing to have in the middle of the year. It's definitely going to be something on people's minds starting this week. "Qualifiers are this week and it goes for three weeks, and then we get going. So, I think it's in the back of people's minds. I wasn't sitting around this week like, 'Alright, in-season tournament time.' You just try to run the best you can, and then I think when you get into that five-week stretch of the tournament, you're going to be aware of who you're racing — like, who am I up against this week? "You're definitely going to be aware of that because there is a lot of money and pride if you win the thing. So, it's like a five-week all-star race, kind of. You're always going to be thinking about that. "You can go the easy route and say, 'Well, if I just win all five races, I'm going to beat everybody and win the deal.' And I guess that's a mindset you can have, for sure."

Amazon Prime Ends Its NASCAR Experiment With Plenty To Brag About
Amazon Prime Ends Its NASCAR Experiment With Plenty To Brag About

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Amazon Prime Ends Its NASCAR Experiment With Plenty To Brag About

CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 25: A detail view of a "NASCAR Prime" helmet on the on the Amazon ... More Prime Video set prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, 2025 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) Not long ago, if you'd told someone from the older generation that one day NASCAR races would be watched on the internet—without a single cable or satellite dish in sight—they'd have laughed, then asked what channel the internet was on. We're talking about a generation that grew up fiddling with rabbit ears on top of a black-and-white television just to catch a fuzzy glimpse of the Daytona 500—and still expects the morning newspaper to land with a satisfying thump on the driveway at sunrise. And yet, here we are. The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway marked the start of something new: the first time a full NASCAR Cup Series race was streamed exclusively. No traditional broadcast. No cable. Just you, your internet connection, and a new era. Some skeptics braced for buffering, crashes, or missing the green flag while the app updated. But what actually happened was something else entirely: it worked. It turned out to be one of the most innovative, polished, and downright thrilling broadcasts NASCAR fans have seen in years. This wasn't a cautious toe-dip into the digital future. This was a cannonball off the high board—and in the end, Amazon and NASCAR stuck the landing. BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN - JUNE 08: (L-R) The NASCAR on Prime Video broadcast team Danielle Trotta, Carl ... More Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Corey LaJoie talk on set prior to the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 08, 2025 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by) From the on-screen Burn Bar that showed fuel consumption in real time to pre-race packages that felt like NFL Films had invaded the infield, Amazon Prime's production team didn't just bring NASCAR into the streaming era—they took it to school. The camera work was sharp. The graphics were clean without being intrusive. The audio mix made it feel like you were in the pits with a headset on. And the pre- and post-race segments? Let's just say, if you're one of the traditional networks, you should be looking over your shoulder. A new bar has been set. So what gave Amazon—and NASCAR—the confidence to believe streaming would finally land with this audience? "To me, it's less about streaming than people might think," said Alex Strand, Senior Coordinating Producer at Prime Video, who was at the center of it all. "In the end, our goal is fan first. Whether that's Thursday Night Football, National Women's Soccer League, or NASCAR, we're really fan first.' Strand and his team didn't recycle an old playbook. They came at this with a blank slate—though not without lessons learned from Prime's Thursday Night Football broadcasts. Finding their identity was key. 'One big thing has been our postgame show. For TNF, Nightcap gave us a platform to go deep and be the first voice people hear," Strand said. "For NASCAR… you could really talk for three hours. You've got 36 teams and 36 storylines. It's one of the unique challenges—but the approach still fits." That approach resulted in pre- and post-race coverage that felt less like a broadcast and more like an immersive experience. Fans got emotion, analysis, and context without being rushed off the air. Part of that came from the chemistry between Corey LaJoie and Carl Edwards—the fan-favorite driver who returned to the sport and slipped into his new role with the same ease, and talent, he once showed climbing into a race car. Add in visual tools like the now-famous Burn Bar—which showed live fuel consumption data in a simple, intuitive graphic—and suddenly you're not just watching a race, you're understanding it in real time. LEBANON, TENNESSEE - JUNE 01: A general view of the NASCAR on Prime Video broadcast set after the ... More NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 01, 2025 in Lebanon, Tennessee. (Photo by) "We have the general belief at Amazon that fans can tolerate more data," Strand said. "Take things that are really advanced and present them in really simple ways. It's the same with our 'defensive alerts' in football—a little red circle might mean something different to a casual fan than it does to a strategist, but it works either way." The Burn Bar was developed in-house, using the same real-time NASCAR telemetry available to other networks. But the model powering it? Proprietary Amazon tech, with a little help from Amazon Web Services. So what was the mood the night before this high-speed baptism—Amazon's first green flag at Charlotte, no cable safety net, millions watching, and just enough time to wonder if they'd accidentally left the lens cap on while hoping the Burn Bar wouldn't spontaneously combust? "Excitement," Strand said. "Everybody in the crew was pumped…We'd been talking about this for 18 months. We knew the responsibility, and there was a lot of thought that went into how we got on air for the first time. But in Charlotte? The prevailing feeling was excitement." That excitement was contagious. Viewers and even industry insiders praised the coverage. And while traditional Nielsen ratings aren't the currency of streaming, Amazon saw exactly what NASCAR hoped for: a younger demographic tuning in. "Our belief is that by creating a great show, telling the story of a race or an NFL game... if we do that right, fans will come," Strand said. "We saw it in the UK with the Premier League. We've seen it with the NFL. Have fun while you're doing it, and the viewership will come. 'Certainly, a younger demographic is an exciting thing—but it's not our only goal. Our goal is to serve the entire fan base." The numbers, while not record-breaking, were right where Prime expected them to be for a first-year foray into a new platform—solid enough to build on, especially with younger audiences. "It's been really cool and encouraging to see these numbers come in in year one," Strand said. "It's something we're really happy about." DAYTONA BEACH - FEBRUARY 18: A cameraman holding a CBS camera at the Daytona 500 racing event, on ... More February 18, 1979, at Daytona Beach, FL. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) And for those fans who still miss the newspaper and swear their DVR is smarter than they are, Prime made the transition surprisingly seamless. 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We'll continue to watch the rest of the season just like we always have, and keep thinking about how we can make our coverage as good as it can be." So now what? The grand streaming experiment is over—for this season. NASCAR heads into the heat of summer and the heart of the championship push. Amazon hands off the baton, but it's clear that fans—and other broadcasters—have taken notice. Strand knows exactly what he wants fans to do: "Keep coming. We want people to be consuming the Cup Series year-round… If we've gained any new viewers, we hope they stick around. The more people around, the better it is for the sport.' And if that means Grandpa learns how to use a Fire Stick? Even better.

NASCAR: Larson seeks first win at Pocono
NASCAR: Larson seeks first win at Pocono

Yahoo

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  • Yahoo

NASCAR: Larson seeks first win at Pocono

LONG POND — It is hard to believe that for all the success Kyle Larson has had in his NASCAR Cup Series career, he has not yet won at Pocono Raceway. In 13 seasons and 382 races, Larson has 22 poles, 32 victories, 128 top-five and 193 top-10 finishes. He won the 2021 championship and was runner-up in 2023. Advertisement Yet in 17 starts at the 2.5-mile triangular track, he has two poles, five top-five and nine top-10 finishes. Twice he placed second: June 2018 and the second June 2021 race. His nine top-10 finishes are the most by a driver at the track without a win. 'We haven't won here yet, which is disappointing,' Larson said. 'The NextGen Era, we've been decent, but not amazing. Hopefully, this year we can be better. I like this track, I enjoy the uniqueness of it. Hopefully, we can have some good speed.' Larson tried to change that Sunday in the Great American Getaway 400 Presented by He started 24th after qualifying at 169.920 mph Saturday. A sellout crowd was on hand for a third consecutive year. However, morning thunderstorms passing through the area caused the scheduled 2:20 p.m. start to be delayed. Advertisement Perhaps Larson's best chance at a Pocono victory came in the first June 2021 race. He won the three previous races at Charlotte, Sonoma and Nashville and was going for four in a row. He was half a lap away from making that happen when his left-front tire went flat. Alex Bowman passed him to take the checkered flag, while Larson limped home ninth. * Kyle Larson drives during a qualifying session for the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodriguez race track in Mexico City, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) * Kyle Larson walks to his car before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Advertisement * Kyle Larson celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley) Show Caption 1 of 3 Kyle Larson drives during a qualifying session for the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodriguez race track in Mexico City, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Expand He said it is not something he dwells on whenever he returns here. 'I forget about it until I see the highlight,' Larson said. 'But it's not something that you think about. Seeing it makes you wish, 'Dang, I wish I had not got that flat and got the win here finally.' But it's just racing.' Advertisement Through 16 races this season, Larson has one pole (Kansas) and three wins — Homestead, Bristol, Kansas — along with nine top fives and 11 top 10s. He is second in the standings with 537 points, 67 behind leader William Byron. However, he also has four finishes of 32nd or worse, including a 36th place last week at Mexico City. 'I feel like we've had a couple rougher finishes not of our doing,' Larson said. 'But aside from that, I feel like we've been pretty consistent — maybe more consistent than we've been in the past. I've been pleased with our team. Hopefully, we can keep evolving and keep getting our cars better and be ready for the playoffs when that time of year comes.' The three wins have Larson firmly entrenched in the playoffs over the season's final 10 races. However, he said he and his team aren't planning to do anything crazy in the races leading up to the playoffs. Advertisement 'You're trying to make your car better every week for every race,' Larson said. 'I don't think we're the type of team that goes trying off-the-wall stuff to just think about the playoffs. Like, we're running a different setup here than we did last year and that's just to be better at Pocono than we were last year. Hopefully, that can carry over to other race tracks.' Kurt Busch honored Pocono Raceway honored former driver Kurt Busch by having him serve as the Grand Marshal for Sunday's Great American Getaway 400. Busch gave the command for drivers to start their engines. Also, at the start-finish line, Pocono painted 'TY Kurt.' Advertisement During his 23-year Cup Series career, covering 776 races, Busch had 28 poles, 34 wins, 161 top-five and 339 top-10 finishes and was the 2004 champion. He also won five Xfinity Series and four Craftsman Truck Series races. Three of Busch's Cup Series victories came at Pocono: July 2005, August 2007 and June 2016. His win in August 2007 was particularly dominant, as he led 175 of 200 laps. He also has two poles, 14 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes in 41 starts at the track. Unfortunately, it was at Pocono in 2022 that Busch suffered a concussion in a practice crash that ended his career. In May, it was announced that the 46-year old from Las Vegas was part of the 2026 Hall of Fame Class, along with Harry Gant and Ray Hendrick, which will be inducted in January in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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