PRN was established in 1981 under the umbrella of Speedway Motorsports, whose portfolio of owned tracks eventually formed the backbone of the network's broadcast rights. The network first began airing NASCAR events at Charlotte Motor Speedway, covering the Coca-Cola 600 and the fall race, but not the NASCAR All-Star Race. As SMI acquired additional venues, PRN's coverage expanded to include races at Atlanta, Austin (managed by SMI for NASCAR events), Bristol, Dover, Kentucky, Las Vegas, Nashville, New Hampshire, Sonoma, and Texas.
Events at tracks originally owned by NASCAR itself — following NASCAR's absorption of International Speedway Corporation and two other operators — are broadcast by MRN rather than PRN. In practice, most radio affiliates carry both networks, switching between them each weekend to offer listeners a complete NASCAR Cup Series schedule. The one exception arises in markets where a full-time IndyCar radio affiliate exists: that station holds the first right of refusal for Indianapolis races, meaning neither PRN nor MRN is guaranteed that slot.
Since 2004, PRN has aired the NASCAR race weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway through a joint production with the IMS Radio Network. Beginning with the 2025 season, PRN and MRN collaborate under the banner of the NASCAR Racing Network to carry all NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events, with MRN handling distribution. All PRN race broadcasts are available via Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. All PRN shows except race broadcasts and pre- and post-race programming originate from the network's studios at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Fast Talk is PRN's flagship weekly talk show, airing Mondays at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time on approximately 220 stations, 52 weeks per year. The call-in format was established under host Benny Parsons, who led the show for its first 14 seasons. After Parsons' death the program adopted a rotating host format featuring contributors including Kyle Petty, Jeff Hammond, and Hermie Sadler. Fast Talk is also live video-streamed on PRN's website and airs on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio on Wednesdays.
Garage Pass is a four-minute daily NASCAR news program heard on approximately 450 stations across the United States. The program traces its roots to 1986, when Mark Garrow created it under the name Winston Cup USA for Capitol Sports Network in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was later renamed Winston Cup Today and grew to approximately 480 stations at its peak before being discontinued in mid-1999 after NASCAR demanded rights fees for racetrack audio. In 2000 Garrow partnered with PRN to revive and rename it Garage Pass once the rights-fee issue was resolved.
O'Reilly Auto Parts Pit Reporters is a panel-driven show hosted by Brett McMillan, featuring journalists discussing the week's pressing NASCAR topics, with coverage occasionally extending to other forms of racing when significant news warrants it. Racing Country is a weekly two-hour country music-oriented program, dating to 1989, that pairs NASCAR news with country music content and runs 52 weeks per year without an off-season break. Formerly known as NASCAR Country, it rebranded around 2000 after losing rights to the NASCAR name.
Brad Gillie serves as PRN's lead booth announcer, with Nick Yeoman — also a veteran voice for the IMS Radio Network — working alongside him for Cup Series races. Turn reporters are assigned to specific track locations, with Pat Patterson covering Turns 3 and 4 at Las Vegas and Atlanta. Road course events draw additional turn announcers from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. Pit reporters include Wendy Venturini, Brett McMillan, and Andrew Kurland, supported by a pool of fill-in reporters including Doug Turnbull, Lenny Batycki, Heather DeBeaux, and Alan Cavanna. Former long-time lead announcer Doug Rice and veteran pit reporter Steve Richards are among the notable alumni of the network.