“Basically Unwatchable”: Fans Left Divided as NASCAR’s First Visit to Talladega in 2025 Breaks 21-Year Record

Few things have stirred more conversation than the transformation of NASCAR’s superspeedway racing into a fuel-saving contest right from the drop of the green flag. Yet, fans still found a silver lining as the action typically picked up in the second or third stages, where drivers threw some extra effort to make a pass or even settle scores with someone. However, even that glimmer seems to be fading fast.

According to a recent stat, “The Cup race at Talladega ended with a 62 lap green flag run. This was the longest green flag run to end a drafting track race without a last lap accident since the 2004 July Daytona race.”

Superspeedways built their thrilling reputation on their unpredictability, last-lap chaos, and drafting battles, keeping fans on the edge of their seats. But a race devoid of proactive moves or last-minute drama has left many spectators twiddling their thumbs.

To make matters worse, this marked the fourth consecutive Talladega NASCAR Cup race with only four cautions. Adding fuel to the fire, fans voiced strong frustration over the incessant commercial breaks aired by broadcasters like Fox Sports, which only deepened their dissatisfaction.

One fan vented their frustration, writing, “Can we get insights on how many commercials there where and when we were “live racing” how much of it was ad reads or sponsored segments and how much was just pure racing because i guarantee it was less than 20%.” Another took a sharp jab at the network, quipping, “My favorite was when they ran 5 laps of commercials from 179 to 184.”

One viewer fumed, “Fox had 2 long commercial breaks in the last 15 laps! The second one after show just 2 laps! It’s basically unwatchable. I can’t believe @NASCAR is even slightly ok with this,” while another, in contrasting fashion, simply liked the race and stated, “Loved it.”

To soften the blow during green-flag racing, NASCAR broadcasts often rely on split-screen formats like “NASCAR NonStop,” used by networks such as ESPN and NBC, keeping the race visible alongside ads. FOX also employs a double-box commercial format, but even that has done little to stem the tide of growing fan frustration.

Earlier this season, NASCAR on FOX had announced that during network races, it would show only side-by-side commercials during green-flag racing, while a spokesperson confirmed to TRE that FS1 broadcasts would feature some full-screen ads, though with a “significant increase” in side-by-side ad breaks compared to full-screen ones.

However, judging by the fans’ outcry, it seems the full-screen ads ran far longer than promised. Otherwise, the split-screen approach had previously earned the network a fair share of praise from viewers.