NBC Sports kicks off its portion of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season this weekend at a sold-out Iowa Speedway with a new production theme celebrating the toughness and grit of drivers. While this marks NBCUniversal’s first Cup Series broadcast of the year, its NASCAR production team already has five events under its belt from Amazon Prime’s summer schedule. With a revamped show open, fresh energy in the booth, and a focus on driver resilience, NBC aims to deliver a bold, immersive broadcast experience.
Key Highlights
NBC Sports begins its 2025 NASCAR Cup Series coverage this weekend at Iowa Speedway on USA Network.
The new show open features “Space Truckin’” by Deep Purple, with gritty scenes of racing and driver camaraderie.
The production team already worked on Amazon Prime’s five Cup races earlier this season.
The toughness of NASCAR drivers is the central theme for NBC’s 2025 broadcast approach.
This weekend marks NBC’s 200th NASCAR race since returning to the sport in 2015.
A New Look and Sound for NASCAR on NBC
NBC Sports is rolling out a completely new opening for its Cup Series broadcasts, set to Deep Purple’s “Space Truckin’.” The two-minute sequence blends historic NASCAR highlights with modern-day race action and unique, off-track moments filmed with current drivers. Fans will see pit crews in action, drivers shifting gears hard into corners, and even Richard Petty signing autographs, all mixed with scenes of drivers relaxing in a bar, shooting pool, and working on cars.
Among the drivers featured are Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Shane van Gisbergen, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott, and Ryan Blaney, alongside Petty, creating a mix of legends and current stars. NBC Sports VP of NASCAR Jeff Behnke explained the intent behind the new intro, saying the production team wanted to show a side of NASCAR that goes beyond speed and competition, tapping into the strength and resilience it takes to handle the sport at its highest level.
“Burton brought up the fact of how tough these drivers are and you always hear the term, ‘Oh they’re going 200 miles an hour.’ But there’s so many tracks — there’s short tracks that we do on our schedule, Bristol, Richmond and Martinsville and even the road courses — and these drivers are tough, nitty gritty and they are in incredible physical shape, and we’re going to celebrate that. You’ll see that in our opening and our video theme that is going to be weaved throughout the races,” – Jeff Behnke
NBC plans to continually refresh the open with new highlights as the season progresses, adding recent moments like Bubba Wallace’s Brickyard 400 victory last weekend, which broke his 100-race winless streak.
A Focus on Driver Toughness
The new theme stems from a conversation between Behnke and NASCAR analyst Jeff Burton, who emphasized the physical challenge drivers face during races. Beyond enduring crashes, Cup drivers battle extreme heat, sustained G-forces, and constant wheel fighting during long events across a variety of tracks. NBC wants to highlight that side of the sport, making it a core element of their broadcasts this season.
The broadcast team of Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Burton, and Steve Letarte returns to call the action. Diffey replaced longtime lead announcer Rick Allen midway through last season and remains in the booth for 2025. Together, the trio plans to deliver race analysis that underlines how grueling NASCAR competition can be, particularly as the playoff battle ramps up.
Behnke says this “nitty gritty” focus will help set the tone for NBC’s portion of the schedule, which culminates with the playoffs and championship run.
“The way that their bodies are impacted during the course of a race — not just during crashes — but during the course of a race and the heat they overcome and the strength it takes to turn those wheels, we are going to celebrate that and showcase that, and that is our undercurrent. The primary thing that we are really ready for is the playoffs and the run to the championship.” – Jeff Behnke
Building on Momentum and a Milestone Weekend
NBC’s first Cup Series broadcast this year will be the Iowa Corn 350 on USA Network, marking its 200th NASCAR race since regaining broadcast rights in 2015. With a sold-out crowd expected at Iowa Speedway, the timing couldn’t be better to roll out this new production look and energy.
NBC Sports already has momentum heading into Iowa, thanks to its partnership with Amazon Prime Video earlier this season. Prime enlisted NBC’s production team for five summer races, giving them a chance to refine graphics, camera work, and commentary styles ahead of their own stretch of races.
Bubba Wallace’s emotional Brickyard 400 win last weekend also provides NBC with a fresh, fan-favorite storyline to carry into Iowa. Behnke said that scenes from Wallace’s victory celebration, including his kiss of the famed bricks, are already added to the new show open, which will continue to evolve as the season unfolds.
News in Brief: NBC Sports’ NASCAR Coverage at Iowa
NBC Sports launches its 2025 NASCAR Cup Series coverage this weekend at Iowa Speedway with a new broadcast theme focusing on driver toughness. Featuring a refreshed two-minute opening sequence set to Deep Purple’s “Space Truckin’,” the production highlights grit, iconic race moments, and off-track driver personality. The NBC team has already produced five races this season for Amazon Prime Video and now takes over its full Cup schedule through the playoffs.
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