BURBANK, Calif.—Nexstar’s The CW Network continues to expand its sports programming lineup with a new deal for rights to be the exclusive broadcasters for the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The deal begins in 2025 and extends through the 2031 racing season, during which The CW will broadcast 33 live NASCAR Xfinity Series races annually, along with practice and qualifying events each weekend.
The deal offers another example of sports rights moving to broadcast as rights holders look to maximize audience reach at a time of declining pay TV subs.
Starting in 2025, for the first time in series history, every NASCAR Xfinity Series race will be available on free, over-the-air broadcast television with additional content available through The CW’s digital platforms.
“Landing the NASCAR Xfinity Series is a game changer for The CW and our CW Sports division and represents another important building block in our programming strategy,” said Dennis Miller, President of The CW. “Live sports are the most watched television content and with The CW’s national reach, moving NASCAR Xfinity Series to The CW will transform and elevate the viewing experience for the series and its fans. The CW has quickly become a destination for sports, as the NASCAR Xfinity Series joins our growing slate of sports programming, including INSIDE THE NFL, ACC college football and basketball, LIV Golf, and the motorsports documentary series 100 DAYS TO INDY. Beginning in 2025, The CW will have 48 weekends per year of live sports programming. With ubiquitous distribution across one of the nation’s five major broadcast networks, NASCAR Xfinity Series races on The CW will deliver more access for fans and far more revenue opportunities for The CW and its affiliates.”
All NASCAR Xfinity Series races and ancillary content will be fully produced by the Emmy Award-winning NASCAR Productions group, in close collaboration with The CW Network.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series primarily features NASCAR’s younger, up-and-coming drivers, with the sport’s future stars often competing side-by-side against NASCAR’s biggest names – many of whom earned their stripes and won championships in the Xfinity Series.
NASCAR Xfinity Series races in some of the nation’s largest markets—from Chicago to Los Angeles to Miami—and at the sport’s most iconic tracks, including the Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and the series championship at Phoenix Raceway.
NASCAR Xfinity Series races draw an average of approximately 1 million viewers per race each season.
It historically aired on a combination of cable and broadcast television, but will now be entirely and exclusively distributed on broadcast television.
