Over the past several years NASCAR fans have seen a great deal of changes to the sport they loves…and not all of them have been positive in the eyes of those fans.
After numerous car design changes, implementation of a playoff system, and the introduction of stage racing; NASCAR is introducing tournament racing in the middle of the season.
Next year TNT and Amazon Prime will broadcast 10 races in the summer. It is these races that will mark the span of the in-season tournament with the winner earning $1 million – three to set the field and five for the tournament.
NASCAR SVP of media and productions Brian Herbst spoke on the new format via a press release saying, “with the launch of our new media rights partnerships in 2025, we were excited to partner with Prime Video and TNT Sports to collaborate on fan engagement concepts that drive story lines in our sport and innovation from a production perspective. Having head-to-head driver matchups for each one of TNT’s NASCAR Cup Series races will add a compelling fan engagement element across media platforms like TNT, Bleacher Report, House of Highlights and NASCAR digital platforms.”
All of the drivers will be eligible for the seeding races where 32 drivers will be selected for some head to head racing – similar to the fantasy picks available on NASCAR.com’s gaming page – using a bracket format. Seeding will be based on race finishes.
Executive vice president and chief content officer of TNT Sports Craig Barry spoke on the new tournamentsaying, “it’s never been a better time to be a fan of motorsports, and this new first-ever in-season tournament will bring a new competitive dynamic to NASCAR’s summer race weekends. TNT Sports has always been at the forefront of creativity and innovation, and NASCAR is a perfect partner to bring this vision to life across our networks and platforms.”
Head of sports partnerships for Prime Video Charlie Neiman added, “we’re excited to be part of NASCAR’s first in-season tournament next season. This tournament will showcase the league’s ability to drive innovation and engage fans with increased competition during a key part of the NASCAR schedule.”
TNT Sports and Amazon Prime Video join FOX and NBC networks for a media package to broadcast the Cup Series races over the next seven years.