NASCAR insider blasts ‘abhorrent’ TV broadcast of Mid-Ohio ARCA race

NASCAR insider, Joseph Srigley criticized the live TV broadcast of the ARCA Menards Series race, Zinsser Smart Coat 150, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Fox Sports 2. He believed the broadcast on TV was the worst motorsport coverage he had seen.

The Zinsser SmartCoat 150 was the eighth race of the series and has been making annual stops at the 2.258-mile road course since 2021. The past winners of this event include Ty Gibbs (NASCAR Cup Series driver), Taylor Gray, and Tyler Ankrum.

As the series moved from the straightaways of Iowa to the curves of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, expectations were high for another exciting event. However, NASCAR insider- Joseph Srigley, the managing editor of TobyChristie.com, had harsh words for the coverage:

"That is quite possibly the WORST motorsports broadcast that I have ever seen in my life... just abhorrent. 🤦‍♂️"

He further sarcastically wrote:

"I can legitimately see Gio Ruggiero on pit road while they're interviewing the winner because they've zoomed out so damn far (which is a change of pace for FOX)."

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NASCAR fans preferred NBC's coverage over FOX

NBC started its NASCAR broadcasting season with the race at Iowa Speedway and earned great reviews from fans, who felt the coverage was significantly better than that of Fox Sports. Before the event, FOX was in charge of broadcasting for the first 16 races of the 2024 Cup Series season.

While Fox Sports' broadcast team, having Kevin Harvick, Mike Joy, and Clint Bowyer, as its hosts/analysts has been praised, the network's unsteady camera work and frequent commercials have reportedly been less popular with spectators, sparking considerable criticism.

But now, NBC has taken over the broadcasting reins for NASCAR, with 10 races, including the Iowa Corn 350, set to air directly on NBC. The remaining 10 races will be broadcast on USA Network.

Owing to the new media rights agreement, from next year, the live coverage of 38 races will expand beyond FOX and NBC to include four premier distribution partners — FOX Sports, NBC Sports, Amazon’s Prime Video, and TNT Sports, a division of Warner Bros. FOX Sports and NBC Sports will each continue to broadcast the majority of Cup Series races, covering 14 events apiece.

Prime Video and TNT Sports will share the coverage of 10 midseason races equally. Not to mention, both networks have secured exclusive rights to all practice and qualifying sessions for the entire Cup Series schedule through 2031.

Prime Video will handle the live streaming of practice and qualifying sessions for the first half of the season. Following that, TNT Sports will start its coverage with the next five midseason races, which will be broadcast live on TNT and simultaneously streamed on the B/R Sports Add-On on Max. For the rest of the season, practice and qualifying sessions will be available on Max and broadcast on truTV.