The CW Network will begin its broadcast of NASCAR Xfinity Series a year earlier than scheduled as it will now broadcast the final eight races of the 2024 season, multiple sources confirmed to Motorsport.com on Thursday.
Update: The deal was officially announced a few hours later on Thursday.
The final eight races of this year were originally scheduled to be broadcast by NBC and USA Network as part of the final year of the current TV contract.
NASCAR officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last July, NASCAR announced it had signed an exclusive agreement with The CW to be the new home for all 33 races per season of the Xfinity Series. The agreement is for seven years, lasting through the 2031 season.
The Xfinity Series, formed in 1982, is the final step before the top-level of the sport and has produced several future Cup champions over the years.
Currently, NBC and FOX split the Xfinity races, with each broadcasting the series’ races during its respective half of the season.
Last November, NASCAR unveiled a new seven-year, multi-billion-dollar TV rights deal for its Cup Series that includes a streaming component for the first time.
Under the new deal which also begins in 2025, Fox will get 14 Cup races annually in the first half of the season including the Daytona 500. After Fox, Amazon’s Prime Video will stream five events, marking the first time NASCAR’s premier series will be exclusively live-streamed.
After Amazon, Warner Brothers Discovery will carry the next five Cup races, which will be simulcast on both TNT and the B/R Sports tier on its Max streaming service (formerly HBO Max). NBC Sports will complete the season with the final 14 races, including the championship finale.
Along with The CW carrying all of the Xfinity races, the 2025 season will also contain a unique component involving Cup Series practice and qualifying sessions, which typically involve a two-hour window each race weekend.
The vast majority of those sessions will be televised by Amazon Prime and WBD (streamed on Max and simulcast on truTV).
