NASCAR renews and strengthens ties with decade-long partner in multi-year deal

Next League has announced an extended, multi-year strategic partnership with NASCAR. Next League has been working with NASCAR for years now, with the technology services company being responsible for the sport’s digital strategy and technology platforms since 2012.

NASCAR understands the importance of the inclusion of newer technologies for exponential business growth. Next League is the perfect partner for the organization given its knowledge of artificial intelligence and how to leverage it while shaping fan loyalty and engagement.

NASCAR’s Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer, Tim Clark, believes that this continued relationship with Next League will help the sport engage new audiences.

“This next phase positions us to lead in a fast-changing digital landscape, with Next League helping us develop the tools and insights to deepen those connections,” Clark said in a statement. “Together, we’re building a more dynamic, fan-first digital platform that’s ready for the next generation of engagement.”

Next League CEO David Nugent wants to take this opportunity to reimagine NASCAR’s digital fan experience through technology and innovation.

“Given our extensive expertise working across the sports ecosystem and an innate understanding of NASCAR and their fans, we know we are uniquely qualified to help them build new ways for fans to connect with the sport they love,” he said.

NASCAR is currently in its off-season. The racing will resume with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway on February 13, 2026, followed by the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series (earlier Xfinity Series) and Cup Series events on February 14th and 15th, respectively.

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“We had projected that”- NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps comments on NASCAR’s TV ratings for 2025

The NASCAR TV ratings average for the 2025 season is finally here. Overall, the reports showed a 14 percent fall in the television ratings. The Cup Series finale at Phoenix garnered 2.77 million viewers on NBC, as opposed to last year’s 2.9 million.

During a state-of-the-sport press conference last week, NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps said none of those numbers were unexpected. A lot of it was due to multiple races moving to cable channels.

“When the season started, because of the distribution changes to be less broadcast heavy and more cable heavy and streaming, we knew we were going to have a reset,” Phelps explained. “We had projected that reset and told everyone in our industry that reset would be between 14 percent and 15 percent in Cup.”

However, Phelps did praise Amazon Prime’s coverage, which drew an average of 2.16 million viewers over the five races that the broadcast giant covered during the middle of the season. The expectation moving forward is to grow.

“We're going to grow because we have the best racing in the world, our stars are going to be more out there, we're creating better content, all the things that make fandom,” Phelps added.

Apart from the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, which is going to be renamed the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series starting from 2026, experienced its highest TV ratings in the last four seasons. Per reports, there was an exact 10 percent increase from last year’s metrics.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua