NASCAR moving the Xfinity Series to CW this year continues to deliver impressive television ratings for the second-tier racing circuit.
TV media rights are the biggest asset sports leagues can sell to bring in huge yearly revenue. The rights to NFL, MLB, NBA, and even WWE land those companies billion dollar deals. However, there are also smaller brands that not only earn much-needed revenue from their media rights packages, but certain agreements can help grow a brand.
That seems to be the case when it comes to NASCAR’s Xfinity Series deal with CW. Last year, the two sides agreed on a seven-year pact reportedly worth $800 million. After previously airing races on networks like USA, NBA, and ESPN, there was no guarantee that Xfinity races would perform better on the red-headed stepchild of the major networks. However, so far, the deal has been a big win for the league and broadcaster.
“Xfinity Series hits a million viewers yet again (1.008 million this time) on The CW. Up 16 percent from last year’s Iowa race on USA (which was in June) and up 23 percent from the comparable date on the schedule last year (Daytona),” The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck reported on Tuesday.
Those are some very nice numbers for race 22 of the 2025 Xfinity Series season. It is just the latest proof that the agreement was the right one for NASCAR.
The season opener at Daytona earned 1.8 million viewers, which was the race’s best rating in almost three years. This year’s Chicago street race pulled in 1.14 million viewers, and included a 51% jump in views on the Chicago CW affiliate WGN compared to NBC’s affiliate last year. Several other races this season have also topped a million viewers.
