NASCAR is following the NBA’s lead.
Subsequent season, NASCAR will unveil an in-season, five-race event clearly aimed to boost curiosity in its common season.
The event will characteristic 32 drivers and can air on TNT’s portion of the 2025 broadcast schedule.
This is the way it will work:
The ultimate three races of the Amazon Prime portion of the printed schedule (races 15-17) will decide the seeding of the 32-driver subject. As soon as the bracket is ready, drivers will go head-to-head, with the upper ending drivers advancing to the subsequent spherical, culminating in a winner-take-all, $1 million prize in Race No. 5 (or Race No. 22 of the season).
The in-season tourney idea comes as NASCAR begins a brand new seven-year media rights deal throughout Fox, Prime Video, TNT and NBC. Fox will carry the primary 12 factors races of the 2025 season, adopted by Prime (5 races), TNT (5 races) and NBC (14 races).
“The thought of an in-season event has been mentioned inside the NASCAR business and as we began to deal with including promotional components that drive curiosity all through the season, we have been excited by the chance to leverage the advertising weight of Amazon and TNT Sports activities to carry this idea to life,” NASCAR exec Brian Herbst mentioned in a press release.
Whereas in idea the event might “drive curiosity all through the season,” in follow it is a departure from all the pieces racing has ever been. The game has by no means been about head-to-head competitors, however moderately each driver versus the sector (or within the present playoff format, 4 drivers vs. each other).
Now, whereas drivers will probably be racing for a checkered flag, they will have the twin function of beating a singular opponent, which actually will make for attention-grabbing competitors.
Little doubt diehard followers will view this as one more act of desperation by NASCAR to curb its rankings woes. Early returns from drivers, nevertheless, paint this as a optimistic.
“That is such a win for our sport and drivers,” Denny Hamlin mentioned on X. “Many story strains will made throughout this 5 week interval. I’ll accumulate my 1M royalty subsequent season.”
NASCAR has but to launch its schedule for 2025. Utilizing this season’s schedule, the event would start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June.
