Nationwide is on your side?
Not anymore – at least not when it comes to title sponsorship at the end of this season.
Say good-bye to the NASCAR Nationwide Series and look ahead to 2015 for a new title sponsorship for NASCAR’s secondary series: The NASCAR XFINITY Series.
NASCAR and Comcast’s XFINITY have reached a 10-year agreement for Xfinity – Comcast’s residential service provider – to be the title sponsor of the sport for the next 10 years, the longest title sponsorship agreement across any of NASCAR’s national series in the sport’s history.
The announcement is a testament to Comcast’s increased involvement and investment in the sport, as Comcast’s NBC Sports will begin broadcasting NASCAR races next season as part of a 10-year media partnership that includes broadcasting rights for a variety of NASCAR races and events.
.@Xfinity TV Go lets you take #NASCAR with you wherever you go: http://t.co/6RO7ghelpj #XFINITYSeries pic.twitter.com/83Y4ncXncT
— XFINITY Sports (@XFINITYSports) September 3, 2014
“We’re proud to welcome XFINITY to the NASCAR community as title sponsor of the NASCAR XFINITY Series for the next decade,” said Brian France, NASCAR Chairman & CEO. “NASCAR and XFINITY are each leader brands with much in common. Both are focused on innovation and have products built for speed. Together, we will work to take this series to new heights and elevate one of the most unique and powerful partnerships in all of sports.”
XFINITY is Comcast’s residential service brand, which includes video, Internet, and phone services. XFINITY recently announced much faster Internet speeds as well as enhanced streaming capabilities for its customers across multiple devices. With this new partnership, XFINITY becomes an Official NASCAR Partner in the ISP categories as well as multichannel video programing distributor.
“Technology lives at the heart of NASCAR, just as it does for XFINITY,” said Dave Watson, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Comcast Cable. “NASCAR provides an exciting environment in which to showcase our video and Internet products and we look forward to further enhancing the fan experience at home, at the track and on the go for years to come.”
I want to welcome @XFINITY into NASCAR! They are going to be a great addition to a great series. Happy to be a part of it!
— Ryan Blaney (@Blaney) September 3, 2014
The announcement ends a seven-year tenure with Nationwide Insurance as the title sponsor of NASCAR’s secondary series. Nationwide has moved away from title sponsorship and will instead be a primary sponsor on Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s car in 2015, and it remains the Official Insurance Sponsor of NASCAR. Currently, they are a sponsor for Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.’s team at Roush Fenway Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Xfinity is the third title sponsor in this series. Prior to Nationwide, the series was known as the Busch Series for almost 30 years.
When pressed on whether or not the new deal would lead to changes in rules in the NASCAR Nationwide/Xfinity Series, France didn’t say either way but seemed to indicate that conversations regarding changes were an ongoing point of discussion between the two companies.
The final Nationwide Series race will be the championship event at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 15.
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