NASCAR’s Timely Shift at Pocono Earns Kudos from Inside the Race

NASCAR recently made a noteworthy adjustment by moving the start time of last weekend’s Pocono race forward by two hours, a decision made possible by the operational flexibility offered by Prime Video as a streaming platform. This proactive change ensured that all 400 miles and 160 laps of the race were completed without any interruptions.

On the latest episode of Inside the Race, hosts Steve Letarte and Kyle Petty commended both NASCAR and Prime Video for their swift action. Letarte, who is also a former crew chief with a Daytona 500 victory, stated, “Bravo to Prime. I know I work for them, but bravo because I will tell you, about five minutes after we got off the post-race stage, there would have been no racing. The rain was there.”

Petty echoed Letarte's sentiments, emphasizing the benefits of the timing change for fans. He remarked, “There's a million fans you could probably call up on the phone right now that have sat in the grandstands for five or six hours to see the last half of a race, saying 'oh my gosh I wish they would have moved it up so we could see the whole race.' I applaud Amazon, NASCAR, everybody. We are very blessed to be with Amazon in this period of time, when they can make that adjustment.”

However, despite the positive feedback regarding the decision, the late start time alteration did not translate into favorable TV ratings, which fell to 1.66 million viewers, marking an eleven percent decrease from the previous year.

Looking ahead, Inside the Race will host a live post-race show from Naval Base Coronado in San Diego this Sunday. Senior NASCAR Editor Matt Weaver is set to be featured on the program, which can be viewed live on Motorsport.com after the conclusion of Prime's final broadcast for the 2026 season.