• Loading stock data...
Saturday, July 12, 2025

A Look at NASCAR’s New Upgraded, Fan-Friendly Fantasy Game

NASCAR’s New Fantasy game features a host of new additions – including a bench driver and ample chances for bonus points. The game debuting with the 60th running of the Daytona 500. Image courtesy of Matt Stallknecht (NASCAR).

NASCAR’s New Fantasy game features a host of new additions – including a bench driver and ample chances for bonus points. The game debuting with the 60th running of the Daytona 500. Image courtesy of Matt Stallknecht (NASCAR).

Fantasy games have evolved over the years. From online drafts to salary caps and big payouts, regardless of the sport, fantasy leagues have grown in popularity. The multi-billion dollar industry has seen tremendous growth and, according to a 2016 study, nearly one-fifth of the entire United States population plays fantasy sports each year.

Knowing that such a large number of sports fans and gaming fanatics devote time to fantasy leagues, it’s important to stay current, and that’s just what Tim Clark and his team at NASCAR Digital Media have done with the new NASCAR Fantasy Live game.

“We had several conversations with members of the NASCAR Fan Council as we looked to make changes,” said Clark, managing director of NASCAR Digital Media. “We wanted to engage not only with our loyal players who have played consistently for a number of years, but also ones that either played for a year and stopped playing or have been NASCAR fans but never engaged in the fantasy game.”

As fantasy games across all sports have changed, Clark and his team knew that the game needed to be as realistic and engaging as possible. Therefore, the NDM team decided to make the game consistent with NASCAR’s three-stage format.

“Every lap matters in NASCAR,” said Clark. “We wanted our fans to be able to strategize like the teams and drivers have to do in real-time. Aligning our game closely with the stage racing format makes it even more exciting and keeps fans on the edge of their seats. The game is more intense this year and the scoring is simpler. We moved from fastest lap time and finishing vs. starting position differential –
things that didn’t really resonate with the casual fan – to stage winners and the opportunity for several bonus points.”

In addition to the game using the same three-stage format as the actual race, setting a driver lineup is similar to other sports. NASCAR fantasy team owners pick a lineup of five drivers and a have a sixth man, so to speak, that can be swapped in before the start of the third and final stage. Owners can’t keep the same lineup like NBA head coach could throughout the course of a season. Over the 26 weeks of fantasy racing, a given driver can only be used 10 times.

“When we decided to move away from the salary cap concept, we had to be creative in coming up with a new model,” said Clark. “We wanted to make sure that players couldn’t set their lineup after an early race and not engage, but still have success. The fact that some players were doing that was a negative, according to our fan council. With the change this year, you have to be strategic.”

The bench driver is also an all-new, important aspect of this year’s game. Had Jimmie Johnson and William Byron been on one’s fantasy team for the Daytona 500, they would have been out of the game early, but with the addition of a bench driver, that’s not the case.

“The unfortunate reality of NASCAR racing is that you can be out of it pretty quickly if your drivers are involved in a wreck or have parts failures,” said Clark. “Swapping in a driver (at any time before the start of the third and final stage) allows players to keep their team competitive and stay engaged, both with the live race and our fantasy platform.”

Players earn points just like the stars of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series do on any given Saturday night or Sunday afternoon. At the conclusion of the first two stages, the winning driver is awarded 10 points, down to a single point for the 10th-place finisher. Points are awarded that same way in the NASCAR Fantasy Live game. At the end of each race, the race-winning driver earns 40 points, second-place 35, third-place 34, and so forth.

What’s unique to the fantasy game is the opportunity for players to pick the pole winner, stage winners,winning manufacturer and even the winning driver. In 2017, players could only pick the winning driver and manufacturer.

“Bonus points are important in every race – to the driver and the fantasy owner,” said Clark. “Team owners know that the bonus points are crucial. At Vegas, if a fantasy owner picked (Kevin) Harvick to win the stages and the race, they earned 50 bonus points. The bonus points are a big incentive for our players and have really been received well.”

NASCAR’s 26-race regular season concludes after the Brickyard 400 in September, and so does the fantasy season. NASCAR crowns a regular season champion who is awarded 15 bonus points heading into the playoffs. The fantasy live game ends after the Brickyard and the winner gets a big payday – $10,000 to be exact.

The team at NDM does indeed have plans for a playoff game, but that will be determined at a later date based on fan feedback.

“Knowing that it was our first time with this new format, we wanted to wait to announce our playoff game intentions until we had a chance to get adequate feedback from our fantasy players,” said Clark. “They will have had an opportunity to get used to it and provide us with great feedback to improve our fantasy gaming experience.”

As for future improvements, Clark and his team know that the fantasy space is always evolving and expect to roll out even more exciting things down the road.

“As we progress, we’ll be able to make improvements to our game and offer even more exciting options for our fantasy players,” said Clark. “We’re thrilled with the engagement we’ve seen with this new format and the fact that anyone above 13 [years of age] can play. Our format is incredibly simple, we haven’t seen any drop-off over the first two weeks and have exceeded our audience size and engagement.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Bobbleheads are seen at Vintage Indy Sports, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 in Speedway. The local sports memorabilia store opened recently.

Baseball’s Bobbleheads Are the Center of the Collectibles Universe

Baseball’s most important keepsake drives long lines—and big business.
Alex Rodriguez

Finally in Charge, A-Rod Says Timberwolves Need New Arena

Rodriguez and Lore would like to repair team relations with Kevin Garnett.
Jeff Kaplan

Letting PE Invest in Family-Owned Teams Is a ‘Watershed’

Liquidity gives owners greater flexibility to manage salary cap.
Jul 10, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) dunks against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first quarter of their game at Thomas & Mack Center.

Cooper Flagg Makes Mavericks, New Balance Debut in Win Over Bronny

Thursday marked Flagg’s first game donning New Balance shoes.

Featured Today

Rimouski, QC - JUNE 1: Final Game of the 2025 Memorial Cup between the Medicine Hats Tigers and the London Knights on June 1, 2025, at the Colisée Financière Sun Life in Rimouski, Qc.

CHL Is Facing a ‘Pandora’s Box’ of Questions Amid NCAA Talent Departure

As players defect to college, the Canadian Hockey League won’t cede ground.
Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.
July 9, 2025

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.
July 6, 2025

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
Gabby Thomas
exclusive
June 12, 2025

Grand Slam Track Cancels Los Angeles Meet As $30 Million Track Start-Up..

Sources close to Grand Slam insist money is not an issue.
June 13, 2025

What Rolapp’s NFL Exit Means—and the Top Candidates to Replace Him

NFL media boss Brian Rolapp leaves; the league hunts for his replacement.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
May 23, 2025

New LPGA Commissioner: Women’s Golf ‘Really Hard’ to Find on TV

Former PGA of America COO Craig Kessler will lead the tour.
Donald Trump, Nick Saban
May 22, 2025

Proposed Trump College Sports Commission May Never Happen

The White House is not sure of its plans.
May 15, 2025

PGA Championship Tees Off With Free Food, Record Hospitality Sales

General admission includes unlimited food and non-alcoholic beverages.
Jun 12, 2019; Boston, MA, USA; St. Louis Blues center Ivan Barbashev (49) and right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) hoists the Stanley Cup after defeating the Boston Bruins in game seven of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden
May 15, 2025

The 10 Biggest Stanley Cup Upsets of All Time

Since the 1984–1985 NHL season, 10 squads have defied the odds.