Streaming services are really, really convenient and cool.
They drain my bank account every month, and I happily let them just so that I can stay up to date on the few new shows I like, go back and watch old re-runs of “Seinfeld” and, until recently (thanks MotorTrend) original “Top Gear” episodes.
Streaming services have been the answer to a lot of things as far as entertainment goes, but it’s most certainly not the answer for the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
On May 19, John Ourand of SportsBusinessJournal.com published an article detailing NASCAR’s potential plan to move the Xfinity Series to exclusively streaming platforms starting in 2025.
If you want to read the full article, I encourage you to do so, because it provides excellent information on exactly why and what NASCAR could do with Xfinity and why they would want to head in this direction, but I’m not here for that.
I’m here to tell you why this is the worst idea that NASCAR might have ever had as far as Xfinity goes (kind of).
We always talk about the “image problem” that NASCAR has when it comes to the Xfinity Series, and yet again, this just shows that it’s of their own doing. They’re trying to put the series in the corner again instead of putting their best foot forward as far as racing goes, and giving the series some spotlight.
Think for a moment about the image this would be sending to the new fans of the sport. NASCAR has this really big ordeal every Sunday. The cars look really futuristic and super cool. The numbers are placed all over the car in weird spots, and some are even shiny, but the racing is god awful.
Meanwhile, only over on *insert random streaming service here* some of the best actual racing in motorsports would be taking place, but they have to pay extra to see it. They’re not even sold on the sport as a whole yet, but NASCAR is already requiring more money for fans to see what they have to offer in other series.
It’s the same argument people are making against the Chicago street race prices — NASCAR is trying to be something it’s not. It’s not trying to be the common man’s motorsport, when in reality, that’s when NASCAR is at its best. NASCAR is not Formula 1 for good reason. Formula 1 is amazing, but if you’ve ever been to an F1 race, you know that it’s a different crowd than what you’ll see on Sundays on the NASCAR circuit, and that’s OK. It’s what makes racing such a great sport.
Everyone deserves a form of motorsport to enjoy, but NASCAR is for the people like you and me, not just the high rollers with yachts in Monaco.
Now, I’m not the person that will sit here and complain without offering a solution, so here goes nothing.
If you’re going to move the Xfinity Series to a streaming platform, don’t make it exclusively streaming. Yes, NASCAR has already said that their deal with Fox and NBC will not be renewed, but there are still plenty of television networks that have their own streaming services as well.
Take HBO for instance.
If a company like HBO came along with the right sized check, I think NASCAR would benefit greatly from them having Xfinity races both on their streaming platform and their cable channel simultaneously. That gives as many eyes the chance to be on the series as possible within the confines of one company. It makes it the common man’s motorsport. It makes it NASCAR, and for the love of God, that’s all anyone really wants.
About the author
Tanner Marlar is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated’s Cowbell Corner, an AP Wire reporter, an award-winning sports columnist and talk show host and master's student at Mississippi State University. Soon, Tanner will be pursuing a PhD. in Mass Media Studies. Tanner began working with Frontstretch as an Xfinity Series columnist in 2022.
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If it’s not on over the air channels I won’t be watching it!
Well when I start having to pay extra to watch a NASCAR race that’s when I stopped watching NASCAR
This article makes no sense. First, NASCAR has not said that they’re not re-upping with Fox and NBC. Second, the author claims that streaming is bad but then says streaming on HBO, combined with broadcast on HBO’s pay cable channel is good. The only accurate things in this article is that the Xfinity Series has the best racing right now, that the Next Gen sucks and that NASCAR is stupid.
What makes them think people will pay more money to watch NASCAR?
This idea could potentially run some teams out of the xfinity series. Try to explain to a corporation why they should invest the same millions of dollars to sponsor your xfinity team when nascar just decreased the number of eyeballs that will see their logo by putting the race broadcast behind a paywall. I went and read the full article linked above and the likely deal will be with Amazon Prime who see this deal as a way to get nascar fans to sign up with prime. Nascar has the right to do whatever they want, just as I (and other fans) have the right to not pay an extra 14.99 per month to see the xfinity series.
The majority of the few major corporate sponsors of Xfinity teams are on the cars for just a handful of races. Most of the other sponsors are ones like non-profits “to raise awareness”, car dealers, car manufacturers (e.g. to groom development drivers), team owners’ outside businesses, crypto brokers, payday lenders, the occasional newbie spiked/energy drink and “bleed through” major sponsors that follow Cup drivers down for the couple Xfinity races their drivers might run in a season. For this reason, I don’t think the potential loss of team sponsorships argument against streaming holds if NASCAR goes in this direction. The winning streamer will pay enough in rights fees to give NASCAR a healthy increase over the current deals with Fox and NBC cable outlets. As long as NASCAR gets paid, they will just throw scraps into the Xfinity race purses anyway.
Like millions of people I already have Amazon Prime so if the series is broadcast there I might watch it some. I’m pleased they want to leave the stinking cable channels as I cut the cable 10 years ago. The sooner they do this with the Cup races the better. Way too many NASCAR fans are against any kind of change and I’m really tired of hearing your stupid rants.
Nascar would be a lot smarter to make sure that, if they are going to a streaming service, they go with one that isn’t one of the priciest on the market.