Ready. Set. Stream. 5 Steps to Get the Channels You Need to Watch the 2025 Season (without breaking the bank!)

SOURCE: NASCAR.com

Do you feel a little behind the eight ball when it comes to streaming and figuring out if you have all the channels you need to watch NASCAR this year? Same. I not only never streamed, but I didn’t have Wi-Fi and my only television is a 16-year-old Sony Bravia.

 

After many hours of Googling, watching “how-to” videos, and experimenting a bit, I will be race-ready as they drop the green flag at Daytona, and you can, too. I’m a read-it-see-it and try-it learner, so this guide includes links to articles and videos that helped me reconfigure my television viewing. 

Wrangling your television like a boss!

Step One.  Enter the 21st Century (Get Wi-Fi/Make your TV “smart”)

The logical first step here is to get Wi-Fi. I got a 12-month promotion from my current provider that gets me a slightly lower monthly cost and more than doubles my current speed.

Since I didn’t have a Smart TV, my next step was to buy a streaming device that would transform my dinosaur into an Internet-ready streaming device. The most common options are Firestick, Roku, Apple TV, and Google TV. As long as your TV has HDMI inputs, you’re good to go. 

I bought the Amazon Fire TV HD ($24.99 + +tax), the newest Amazon Firestick. I went with the Amazon brand because I felt it would have the smoothest interface with Prime Video. There’s an earlier version of the Amazon Firestick, but it was more expensive and this newer version has Alexa voice remote.

Here’s a great Firestick comprehensive beginner’s guide which includes instructions for setup and other important things like downloading and opening apps (channels and subscriptions.).

Here’s a video which includes a walk-through on set up.

Step Two.  Know what channels you need (and want)

Buying streaming services is a lot like being a kid in a candy store. You can easily get carried away, reminding me of that old idiom about your eyes being bigger than your stomach.

Make a list of the channels you watch plus the channels you need to watch NASCAR. I watch all three national series and I am a practice and qualifying nerd, so my NASCAR musts list includes: FOX, NBC, FOX Sports 1, Prime Video, TNT, and the CW. I then added the channels to my “favorites” and “series manager” on my current TV provider, DirecTV.

I found this awesome online tool where you create a list of all the channels you want and hit return to find all the streaming options/TV providers plus how much they cost.

Step Three. Buy and download streaming services 

Although there are free channels that come with streaming devices, you need to purchase subscriptions from streaming providers to watch NASCAR races and get those other channels that you want.  

I started with the Prime Video standalone subscription for $8.99 + tax per month so I could watch practice and qualifying. If you already have an Amazon Prime membership ($14.99 monthly, $139 per year), you get the Video subscription for free. I opted to go with the less expensive subscription and use the money I would have spent to buy other needed subscriptions.

I watch a lot of network stations. When I added in the NASCAR "must" channels and ran it through the online channel checker from Step One, I learned that the least expensive streaming option for all but two of my channels was Sling’s Blue Package ($45.99/month).

CBS doesn’t play nice with streaming packages and the Hallmark Channel wasn’t available there either with my Sling Blue package. I found a great low-cost streaming option called Frndly TV, which offers the Hallmark Channel and about 50 other channels.

I used the money I saved on Prime Video and I went with the basic package ($6.99/month if you pre-pay for a year or $7.99/month.)

Note:

The CW Channel, the broadcast partner for the XFinity Series, is available for free with no subscription, TV provider or login. Simply install it on your Firestick.

TUBI, a free streaming service, is host to a new NASCAR Channel called FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) channel. FAST programming includes 2025 full race replays the day after a race and original content such as documentaries and NASCAR Daily with Shannon Spake.

Step Four. Think “over-the-air stations” for a one-and-done solution

Since I watch a lot of network television, I opted to add TabloTV to my plan. Although this step has upfront costs for equipment and installation, going forward I get free television for NBC, FOX, and TNT for watching NASCAR and the rest of the major networks (ABC and CBS) plus a ton of other “over-the-air and streaming channels. I live in a rural area and I’ll get 189 channels (115 over-the-air channels and 74 streaming channels) – all for free.

Tablo is a system with a onetime equipment cost that allows me to watch and record live network television with a mid-range outdoor antenna. I ordered a 4-tuner model so I can record up to four shows at the same time. There’s an option to purchase an indoor antenna, but I opted to get a midrange outdoor antenna installed. Depending on where you live and how far it is from the broadcast tower, you may be able to skip the outdoor antenna and go with the indoor one that Tablo sells for $20.

The TabloTV website lets you check the location of the closest broadcast tower, offers recommendations on antennas, and provides a list of local contractors that can do the installation. The onetime cost for the antenna and installation is $600 to $800.

I purchased directly from Tablo and took advantage of their $30 off promotion, and got another $5 off coupon for a total onetime cost of $111.25. Shipping was free and super fast.

Step Five. Crunch the numbers and hopefully celebrate the savings

From my experience in executing this plan, I learned many people do not know how much they pay for their streaming services. Even more interesting is when I asked those who did know, if they were saving money by "cutting the cord," they looked down or didn't answer.

My bottom line: $737.74 upfront onetime cost (includes the Firestick cost) and $61.97 per month in subscriptions. My previous TV provider charged $186.40 per month for a grandfathered plan that got me FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2 and local channels. That's $124.43 savings per month!