Today Nexstar, the parent company of The CW, announced it has reached a deal to become the exclusive home to the NASCAR Xfinity Series beginning in 2025 and extending through the 2031 racing season.
With this deal, The CW will broadcast 33 live NASCAR Xfinity Series races every year.
“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.”
This news comes as The CW has been moving more heavily into sports recently. LIV Golf airs on The CW, and they also air a weekly WNBA game. Nexstar also recently reached a deal to air ACC football and basketball games starting this fall.
Andy Alford, President of Nexstar’s Broadcasting Division, said, “Nexstar is already NASCAR’s third-largest broadcast partner, carrying NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series races across its FOX and NBC affiliates and has a deep understanding of NASCAR’s value. NASCAR’s loyal and passionate fan base and adrenaline-fueled races will provide CW stations with highly valuable live sports content that can deliver big audiences. These exciting events resonate in our local markets and with a local Nexstar station within driving distance of each and every NASCAR market, we are uniquely suited to drive attendance, viewership and revenues through local coverage, fan engagement, promotion and value-added marketing solutions for advertisers and brands.”
This NASCAR deal is one more step for Nexstar’s plans to make The CW a serious player in the world of sports.