For the last couple of years, fans, drivers, and pretty much everyone in the industry was talking about the upcoming television contract for NASCAR. Last summer, NASCAR announced The CW would begin airing all 33 Xfinity Series races starting in February 2025, which was part of a $115 million per year deal.
On April 11, officials announced that transition would occur almost five months earlier than the original plan because NBC Sports had agreed to exit early from the deal.
“As The CW prepares to be the new broadcast home of the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2025, we want to thank our partners at the league and at NBC Sports for welcoming the network into the NASCAR broadcast family and for the early opportunity to showcase these thrilling final eight Xfinity Series races of the season,” said Dennis Miller, President of The CW Network. “We can’t wait to give racing fans an early preview of all the exciting action the NASCAR Xfinity Series has to offer on The CW and we look forward to establishing the network as a new destination for live motorsports.”
The stars of the #XfinitySeries are coming to @TheCW starting this fall!
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 11, 2024
The move by NBC to exit early left many fans wondering about the status of the broadcast team. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is already gone. Leigh Diffey will be replacing Rick Allen as the play-by-play announcer after the Olympics. Jeff Gluck of the Athletic reported that Allen, Steve Letarte and Jeff Burton will stay in place.
It’s a surprising move and one that makes you think there might still be more to come.