The CW is further expanding its list of sports properties through a deal with NASCAR.
The Nexstar-owned broadcaster signed a seven-year deal to become the television home of the stock car circuit’s Xfinity Series, which features mostly up-and-coming drivers. The CW will begin airing those races in 2025, marking the first time the entire Xfinity Series roster will air on free-to-air television. NASCAR will produce the broadcasts through NASCAR Productions, “in close collaboration” with the network.
The deal is the latest in The CW’s growing sports division, which also has deals with LIV Golf and the Atlantic Coast Conference for live events (college football and men’s and women’s basketball for the latter) and will air Inside the NFL from September.
“Getting the NASCAR Xfinity Series is a game changer for The CW and our CW Sports division and represents another important element in our programming strategy,” network president Dennis Miller said in a statement. “Live sports are the most watched television content and with The CW’s national reach, moving the NASCAR Xfinity Series to The CW will transform and elevate the viewing experience for the series and its fans.”
Miller also noted that when NASCAR comes on board in 2025, The CW will broadcast live sports programming for 48 weekends each year.
“CW leadership shared a compelling vision to cultivate the next generation of NASCAR talent by bringing the NASCAR Xfinity Series exclusively to broadcast television, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with them,” said Brian Herbst, senior vice president. of NASCAR media and productions. . “With more than a million viewers tuning in each week to watch NASCAR’s future stars battle some of its biggest names at our most legendary tracks, the NASCAR Xfinity Series consistently delivers the moments that excite existing fans and create new fans. of our great sport”.
Fox and NBC share the rights to NASCAR’s highest level of competition, the Cup Series. The networks’ contract expires after the 2024 season.
