In hindsight, expecting Will Rodgers to finish Friday’s Ecosave 250 was a tall order. With a cold that started on Monday, his illness very well spilled over to the race day. Logic dictated that the truck driver be provided necessary help, and so, they did. Rodgers had three bags of ice, a medical staff, and a replacement in Parker Kligerman on reserve at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. And on the race went.

Drivers run the show, and despite the chaos surrounding No. 20 Chevrolet Silverado RST, it is known by now that Rodgers never bailed out of the race. The Young’s Motorsports driver managed a P15 finish at the end of the day, but it was ultimately FOX who managed to catch the stray, thanks to a supposed faux pas by pit reporter-turned-play-by-play announcer Jamie Little.

Jamie Little: “So why would you do this? If your driver is not feeling good, he’s going to get out. Why would you ask another driver to hop into it and finish it?”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (guest analyst): “Someone’s gotta finish the race, right?”

To be fair to her, being associated with one of NASCAR’s primary and oldest broadcasting partners, Little probably had the best of intentions. FOX has been trying to capture a younger audience. The media rights landscape in NASCAR right now reeks of competition, pitting one broadcaster against another. Here’s why we think it’s smart.

Amazon may have averaged 2.39 million viewers for the first two broadcasts of the streamer’s five-race package this season, which is down from last year’s ratings on FOX. To put a number to it, FOX averaged 3.17 million viewers over the same two-race stretch (Charlotte and Nashville). But at the same time, Amazon has managed to bring the median ages of its race audiences far lower. A 55.8 and 56.8, respectively, rather than the 62.8 median age of NASCAR Cup Series races this season on linear networks. And Little, in her own way of making the product a lot more inclusive of newer/younger audiences, felt justified in triggering small talk about the basics of the sport. And considering his deadpan response, it seemed as if Junior wasn’t in on this script. 

If history is anything to go by, such quips from Little are not new. The Truck Series practice session at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend certainly comes to mind. After driver Corey Heim posted a 28.946-second lap for his 6th pole of the 2025 season, Little had quipped, referring to the currently viral 6-7 meme, “6-7, as the kids always say. He finished 6th in his 7th career start. So, well done by Corey Heim, we always talk about him being a Sunday racer.” With NASCAR having a relatively high median age for viewers, these references expectedly didn’t sit right.

Then there was the Xfinity race at Phoenix, where she mistakenly congratulated Justin Allgaier for the win when Chandler Smith actually took the checkered flag. These missteps have fueled a growing sentiment that FOX’s commentary isn’t clicking, especially in the Truck Series, where fans expect a punchier, more precise delivery.

And if that was not enough, during the final laps in the Rockingham race, she repeated similar facts on the winner, Tyler Ankrum, as she did with Heim. To many, she lacked the necessary energy and clarity to give the ending to the race that it deserved. Yet there are still many who don’t agree. Take, for example, reporter Colby Evans, who came out with some hard-hitting opinions.

“Jamie Little is IMO the best female pit reporter in racing and 1 of the best overall,” he had tweeted. “But her role as a commentator hasn’t gone well at all, pretty much 0 improvement since her first race. This final lap call was plain unacceptable. I really wish they’d put Jamie in the position that she excels in.”

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Little is no rookie. She has been a pit reporter since 2004, earning praise for her driver interviews and technical breakdowns. But her shift to play-by-play has been rocky, with fans arguing she is better suited to the pits. The contrast with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s natural charisma in the booth only amplified the awkwardness of their exchange. Some fans want her back where she shines, while others are pushing for new talent, like ARCA’s play-by-play crew, to take the reins.

Fans on X let loose

Even though Little’s question to Junior may have been scripted content for new viewers, it didn’t sit well with the avid fans. “Joey Logano wishing he was driving one of his rat rods in his driveway,” one X user snarked, poking at a broadcaster’s attempt at a casual quip that landed flat. FOX’s habit of tossing in car-culture references, like comparing a driver’s pace to a Sunday cruise, often misses the mark, especially when the race is on the line. Fans want the focus on the action, not forced garage banter.

“That hair ain’t gonna pay for itself,” another jabbed, taking a swipe at Little’s polished on-camera look. It is a harsh dig, hinting that Jamie Little’s style overshadows her commentary. Fans have praised Little’s pit reporting for years, but her play-by-play role has drawn flak, with some unfairly zeroing in on her appearance rather than her calls. It is a reminder that female broadcasters often face tougher scrutiny in NASCAR’s male-heavy fanbase.

Not all viewers took jabs at Little, though. They were keenly focused on the root of the problem. “Wait, is this Jamie? She has been around long enough; she knows the answer. That is just a terrible setup question to have them talk about it,” one fan griped. Little’s question to Earnhardt Jr. felt like a softball, something a 20-year veteran should have skipped. Fans slammed it as scripted fluff, a recurring issue with FOX’s overly polished interviews that do not dig deep. Junior’s blunt reply only highlighted the disconnect.

FOX’s habit of over-explaining basics, like caution laps or substitutions, grates on Truck Series diehards. The 2025 Daytona broadcast got similar heat for pausing to define terms mid-race, alienating the core audience. “The issue with these setup questions is that the broadcast ALWAYS thinks someone new is watching and needs to treat them like children. Like bro, promise, very few new people are watching the trucks, especially alone without someone watching it with them who already knows,” another vented. But it is also important to note that, in every sport, core rules and definitions are often explored further by the commentators.

“My goodness, what was FOX thinking when they made her a play-by-play announcer? She is so much better on pit road. Let her stay in what she is a natural in. Or at least let the guy who does play-by-play for ARCA do this because he actually has potential,” a user pleaded. Little’s pit reporting was a fan favorite, but her play-by-play, marked by gaffes like the Phoenix mix-up, has not clicked. Fans point to ARCA’s sharper announcers as a better fit, urging FOX to rethink the booth to match NASCAR’s high stakes.

Although it is understandable why FOX is trying hard to keep up with newer generation fans, the older audience is still NASCAR’s largest fanbase. Whether the channel will now decide to replace Jamie Little back to the pit or improve their scripts remains to be seen.