Denny Hamlin Watches NASCAR At Home And Likes What He Sees On Prime

Forbes

9 hours ago

Denny Hamlin at JAY-Z's 40/40 Club during Fanatics Fest NYC held at the Javits Center on June 20, ... More 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Stephanie Augello/Variety via Getty Images)
Denny Hamlin had the rare opportunity recently to sit on his own couch and watch a NASCAR Cup Series race as a fan — and, as it turned out, he was impressed.
That opportunity came courtesy of a well-timed — and very personal — delay: Hamlin's fiancée, Jordan Fish, was nearing the birth of their first son, Jameson Drew Hamlin, the couple's third child. With the logistics of traveling to another country and the unpredictability of timing, the decision was made for Hamlin to stay home in North Carolina and skip the Mexico City race.
Jameson arrived the Wednesday before the race, giving the new dad the rare chance to sit back and watch a NASCAR race live on Amazon Prime Video — one of five exclusive Cup Series races streamed this summer. And for Hamlin, the experience was eye-opening.
'From a broadcast standpoint I was entertained,' Hamlin said Saturday at Pocono. 'Even when the racing wasn't super entertaining, what I liked was the broadcast gave you another story they were talking about. Their production was fantastic and their pre and post-race show kept me engaged.'
That kind of feedback — from a driver, team co-owner, and longtime observer of how racing is packaged on television — is no small thing. Hamlin is a stakeholder in the sport both on and off the track, and he's not one to hand out empty praise.
'There were lulls, but that's just part of it,' he added. 'Sometimes someone wins by 16 seconds and that's okay. I think they [Amazon Prime] do a good job of telling the stories and getting you excited about strategy and showing how one driver may catch another and be on the lookout for it. They are doing a great job so far.'
For Hamlin, the difference isn't just slick graphics or modern streaming flexibility — it's the people in the booth and the rhythm of the show. The Amazon team, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte, brings a different energy that feels less boxed in by old-school TV constraints.
'They have racers in the booth,' Hamlin said. 'If you look at the people that they have, they know the sport inside and out. Dale Jr. hosts a podcast each week that talks about the sport. Steve Letarte is one of the best, if not the best at just keeping you constantly engaged.'
That chemistry among the Amazon crew has translated to a broadcast that flows more naturally — and addresses a common fan frustration: commercials.
'They are not bound by network and having to hit commercials,' Hamlin explained. 'I think they talked about it on (Dale) Junior's podcast this week about being flexible when they take their breaks. I think that's certainly important because a lot of the gripe you hear is maybe nine laps to go and it's necessary for network to go to commercial — and it's just not the right time. Unfortunately, that's just how network TV works.'
Hamlin wasn't just spectating this stretch of Amazon's five-race slate — he was part of it. He won at Michigan earlier this month, a race streamed exclusively on Prime. And while he returned to driver duties for the final event in the package at Pocono, he now knows exactly what fans at home have been seeing. And liking.
As NASCAR leans further into a changing media landscape, with streaming playing a bigger role in how the sport reaches its audience, Hamlin's perspective could be especially valuable. He's one of the few who can say he's seen it from both sides — behind the wheel, and behind a remote.