NASCAR is in a prime position to close out its 2024 season on a high note as a boost in TV ratings during the playoffs has helped build momentum on and off the track heading into Sunday’s Cup Series Championship race in Phoenix.
After NASCAR’s penultimate race in Martinsville last weekend, Cup Series races this year have averaged 2.89 million viewers on Fox Sports and NBC Sports platforms. That’s up 2% compared to the same period in 2023, despite the sport’s biggest TV draw—the Daytona 500—taking a 27% ratings hit due to a one-day rain delay. Playoff races are averaging 2.26 million viewers, up 6% from last season.
After Sunday’s checkered flag, expect a busy NASCAR offseason as the sport gets ready for major changes in 2025, including:
- The formal launch of $7.7 billion media-rights deals with incumbent broadcasters Fox and NBC, as well as new partners Amazon Prime Video, TNT Sports, and The CW
- The debut of a bracket-style in-season tournament that will award the winning driver $1 million
- The first Cup Series race outside the U.S. in NASCAR’s modern history as the circuit hits Mexico City
International expansion is one of the sport’s biggest initiatives right now, NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell told Front Office Sports in an interview this week. And Mexico may only be the first step.
“If we’re able to pull it off, we’d certainly like to be in both Canada and Mexico,” O’Donnell said. “I think North America deserves NASCAR racing on both sides of the border.”
Not Just Racetracks Anymore
Next season will be NASCAR’s third year racing in the streets of Chicago, and there’s no guarantee the Windy City’s expiring contract to host an event will be renewed. “Tough to say,” O’Donnell said when asked about remaining in Chicago. “I think what will be a permanent fixture is the idea of new venues.”
In 2025, NASCAR is moving its preseason exhibition, The Clash, out of the Los Angeles Coliseum after three years in favor of a track in Winston-Salem, N.C. “At some point, you look at things: Are they sustainable, year in, year out for the long term?” O’Donnell said of the decision.
He expects The Clash to keep moving around in the future but admits finding another football stadium to race in will be tough. “The initial idea was we were going to race at Soldier Field,” O’Donnell said of NASCAR eventually ending up at the L.A. Coliseum in 2022. The Bears’ stadium hosted NASCAR races in the 1950s.
“What we didn’t realize is they’ve turned that from what it used to be in the track to just a football field,” O’Donnell said. “So, there’s a limited number of facilities that have that kind of Olympic-sized track around it. You look in Europe, they certainly exist, but not many in the U.S.”
The MJ Dilemma
On Sunday, a champion could be crowned whose team is suing NASCAR.
Tyler Reddick is among the four drivers eligible to win the title. His team, 23XI Racing, owned by Michael Jordan, is in a legal fight with NASCAR over the sport’s charter agreements. But despite the potential distraction, O’Donnell is looking at the positives.
“There’s no secret in terms of our position that we’re not publicly talking about lawsuits—we’re concentrating on what’s going on with the event,” he said. “And if you pivot to even what Michael Jordan said [Monday], he’s going to win a championship.”
Overall, Jordan’s “huge presence” is still a net positive for NASCAR, O’Donnell said. “He’s a fan, and we love that. I think we’re all fans of the sport, as well, and we share that in common. We share the enthusiasm going into the championship.”
