{"id":934849,"date":"2026-10-16T06:12:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T06:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/934849\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T06:12:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T06:12:18","slug":"why-did-nascar-phoenix-truck-race-change-tv-channels-where-will-it-air-friday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/934849\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Did NASCAR Phoenix Truck Race Change TV Channels? Where Will it Air Friday?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t<img width=\"780\" height=\"439\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/nascar-truck-series-brewers-sweep-dodgers.jpg\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" alt=\"Giovanni Ruggiero, driver of the #17 JBL Toyota, and Daniel Dye, driver of the #20 Champion Container Chevrolet, race\"   decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Why did NASCAR&#8217;s Phoenix Truck race change TV channels? Here&#8217;s how the MLB playoffs affected Friday&#8217;s broadcast and where fans can wat<\/p>\n<p>Why did NASCAR\u2019s Phoenix Truck Series race change television channels, and where can fans watch Friday\u2019s event? The NASCAR broadcast schedule became unexpectedly entangled with Major League Baseball\u2019s postseason, leaving viewers facing a possible network switch ahead of the October 16 race at Phoenix Raceway. The NASCAR Truck Series race at Phoenix Raceway returns to FS1 Friday after the Milwaukee Brewers swept the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/mlb\/los-angeles-dodgers\/\" title=\"Los Angeles Dodgers\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"531498\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> in the NLCS.<\/p>\n<p>The Brewers\u2019 four-game sweep removed any need for a Game 5 on FS1, putting the Zero Carbon Bioethanol 150 back on the network with 17 points separating the top two Chase drivers. The Truck Series race was previously relegated to the FS2 network.<\/p>\n<p>Green flag is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/bobpockrass\/status\/2110935321542287732\" rel=\"nofollow\">according to FOX Sports reporter Bob Pockrass<\/a>. The race also streams on FOX One, while Friday practice at 3:30 p.m. ET and qualifying at 4:35 p.m. ET remain on FS2 and FOX One.<\/p>\n<p>NASCAR and Fox had moved the race to FS2 and FOX Business around Oct. 10 to clear FS1 for a possible NLCS Game 5, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jayski\/status\/2108896314104697139\" rel=\"nofollow\">according to Jayski\u2019s NASCAR news feed<\/a>. Milwaukee closed the series Thursday with a 6-4 comeback win at Dodger Stadium, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/game\/_\/gameId\/401908033\/brewers-dodgers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">according to ESPN\u2019s Game 4 recap<\/a>. The Brewers advance to their first World Series since 1982.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nascar\/nascar-tv-deal-broadcast-changes\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792131137_697_NASCAR-TV-CBS-O-Donnell-Meet.jpg\" width=\"242\" height=\"161\" class=\"size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Truck Series Phoenix Race Preview and Chase Standings<\/p>\n<p>The Zero Carbon Bioethanol 150 Powered by POET is Race 22 of 25 and the fourth of seven events in the Chase presented by Mobil 1, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jayski.com\/truck-series\/2026-nascar-craftsman-truck-series-phoenix-race-page\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">according to Jayski\u2019s Phoenix race page<\/a>. Drivers run 150 laps around the one-mile oval, with stages ending at laps 45 and 90. The purse sits near $789,700.<\/p>\n<p>Corey Heim won the 2025 championship race at Phoenix, and Ty Majeski (2024), Christian Eckes (2023), Zane Smith (2022) and Chandler Smith (2021) won there in the years before. Chandler Smith posts a 3.6 average finish at the track, including a win and multiple top-three runs, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nascar.com\/news-media\/2026\/10\/15\/chandler-smith-enters-favorable-truck-series-chase-stretch\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">according to NASCAR.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Kaden Honeycutt also has a solid history at Phoenix, while he and Layne Riggs are both winless at the remaining Chase tracks, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rotowire.com\/racing\/article\/nascar-dfs-trucks-picks-and-best-bets-zero-carbon-bioethanol-150-141340\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">according to RotoWire\u2019s Truck Series preview<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Honeycutt of TRICON Garage leads the standings at 2,251 points after Charlotte, with Riggs of Front Row Motorsports 17 behind at 2,234, <a href=\"https:\/\/kickinthetires.net\/nascar\/layne-riggs-sweeps-charlotte\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">according to Kickin\u2019 the Tires\u2019 Charlotte report<\/a>. Chandler Smith, also of Front Row, sits third at 2,174, followed by Eckes at 2,163 and Daniel Hemric at 2,142.<\/p>\n<p>Riggs won at Charlotte for his seventh victory of 2026, trimming a 37-point deficit to 17, <a href=\"https:\/\/frontstretch.com\/2026\/10\/09\/layne-riggs-wins-charlotte-chase-truck-race\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">according to Frontstretch\u2019s Charlotte race report<\/a>. Honeycutt led for much of the race before a late mistake.<\/p>\n<p>Three races follow Phoenix \u2014 Talladega, Martinsville and Homestead.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nascar\/corporate-buyout-impact-on-nascar-racing\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/NASCAR-Penske-Buyout-private.jpg\" width=\"242\" height=\"161\" class=\"size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>FS1 vs. FS2 Audience Reach and Fox Truck Series Deal<\/p>\n<p>FS1 reaches roughly 55 million households, while FS2 reaches about 39 million as of June 30, <a href=\"https:\/\/media.investor.foxcorporation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/17202232\/FOX-2026-Annual-Report.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">according to Fox Corporation\u2019s 2026 annual report<\/a>. The 16 million-home gap separates the two networks\u2019 reach.<\/p>\n<p>Primetime FS1 audiences for major events routinely reach the hundreds of thousands, while FS2 draws far fewer viewers, often tens of thousands, <a href=\"https:\/\/ustvdb.com\/networks\/fs1\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">according to USTVDB<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>FOX Sports holds exclusive rights to the entire Truck Series schedule through NASCAR\u2019s seven-year media agreements, which run 2025 through 2031 and span FOX, NBC, Prime Video and TNT Sports, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nascar.com\/news-media\/2023\/11\/29\/nascar-announces-historic-media-rights-agreements-with-fox-nbc-amazon-and-warner-bros-discovery\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">according to NASCAR.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The combined deals are valued near $7.7 billion, roughly $1.1 billion annually, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5100234\/2023\/11\/29\/nascar-tv-deal-fox-nbc-amazon-warner-bros\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">according to The Athletic<\/a>. Most Truck races air on FS1, with a few on the FOX broadcast network.<\/p>\n<p>Truck Series viewership is up about 19% this season across Fox platforms, averaging roughly 667,000 viewers, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportsbusinessjournal.com\/Articles\/2026\/05\/18\/nascar-shifts-back-to-panel-only-measurement-as-series-works-through-nielsen-big-data-issues\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">according to Sports Business Journal<\/a>. Favorable weather helped the gains.<\/p>\n<p>The Daytona season opener on FS1 drew 1.387 million viewers, up 37% from 2025 and the most-watched Truck race since 2016, with a peak of 1.604 million, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FOXSportsPR\/status\/2024259552997146709\" rel=\"nofollow\">according to FOX Sports<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nascar\/nascar-punishments-seven-wild-martinsville-fight\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792131138_555_nascar-punishments-seven-wild-martinsville-fight.jpg\" width=\"242\" height=\"161\" class=\"size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/jonathan-vankin-ejjyr\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jonathan Vankin<\/a> JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist who covers MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, boxing, golf, and Olympic sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Newspaper and Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering the Olympics, pro baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/jonathan-vankin-ejjyr\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">More about Jonathan Vankin<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Why did NASCAR&#8217;s Phoenix Truck race change TV channels? Here&#8217;s how the MLB playoffs affected Friday&#8217;s broadcast&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":934850,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-934849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/934849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=934849"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/934849\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/934850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=934849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=934849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=934849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}