Andrew Ravens Sun, October 25, 2026 at 11:00 PM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Denny Hamlin says putting more NASCAR races back on broadcast television could come at a steep price for the teams in the top level of American stock car motorsports .
Hamlin spoke with reporter Matt Weaver, who posted the clip on X on Saturday.
Hamlin said he raised concerns when the current deals took races off broadcast networks. He also said the deals made financial sense at the time.
He was asked whether more broadcast races could mean smaller payments to teams.
"What if NASCAR said, hey, we're going to be on all networks, but your payments are going to be half of what they were?" Hamlin asked. "The team's, I mean, I don't know, how many survive that?"
NASCAR's current media deals started in 2025 and run through 2031. They split the Cup Series schedule among Fox, Amazon Prime Video, TNT Sports and NBC, with many races on cable or streaming instead of broadcast TV. Fox opens the season, Prime Video and TNT Sports carry five races each in the middle, and NBC finishes it.
The Oct. 18 race at Phoenix, for example, aired on USA Network and drew 1.294 million viewers .
NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell said this month that he would meet with CBS Sports chief David Berson about airing TNT's races on CBS.
Hamlin was asked how NASCAR could manage that kind of change in the short term.
"No idea. I'm not smart. Yeah, no idea," Hamlin said.
"If that's the route, then it has to, there has to be a reset, then it's just going to be a survival of the fittest, who can survive," Hamlin said.
Hamlin also acknowledged that more network races could bring sponsors more exposure, which could help teams make up some of that money.
Hamlin is also a team owner. He co-owns 23XI Racing , which joined Front Row Motorsports in an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR. The sides settled in December 2025, and the deal made Cup charters permanent. Charters guarantee a team a spot in every race and a share of NASCAR's revenue.
Earlier this week, Hamlin said NASCAR needs to do more to introduce its drivers to new fans.
Hamlin also drives the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing . He is fourth in the Chase, 31 points behind Kyle Larson . He starts ninth in Sunday's race at Talladega, the first of the final three races in the Chase.
Source: Sports
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