Comcast’s Xfinity brand is ending its sponsorship of NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series at the end of the 2025 season before evolving into a different sponsorship role within NASCAR, the association said Tuesday.
Xfinity has served as the entitlement sponsor for the Xfinity Series since 2015, coinciding with sister company NBC Sports, which began to televise both premier Cup Series and Xfinity Series races across its multiple platforms that year. Xfinity recently signed a one-year contract with NASCAR that carries through the 2025 season.
NASCAR is incredibly appreciative of Comcast’s continued partnership and their commitment to innovation and fan engagement within our sport,” said Michelle Byron, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief partnership and licensing officer. “Their contributions over the past decade, from enhancing the fan experience to supporting community initiatives, have been invaluable. We look forward to building on the success of our partnership during the 2025 season and beyond.”
The decision was expected and something NASCAR anticipated for some time, and NASCAR has begun the search for a replacement sponsor. The shift comes as The CW Network takes over broadcasting rights of the Xfinity Series, with 2025 the first year of a seven-year contract between NASCAR and the Nexstar Media Group, the parent company of The CW Network. Before Xfinity, Anheuser-Busch (1982-2007) and Nationwide (2008-14) served as entitlement sponsors.
Although Xfinity may be exiting as an entitlement sponsor, the company will continue to have a significant presence within NASCAR, having signed a multiyear deal to remain one of three premier partners in Cup, alongside Anheuser-Busch and Coca-Cola.
As part of Xfinity’s changed marketing strategy within NASCAR, the company is the presenting sponsor of the “Xfinity Fastest Lap” which awards a championship point to the driver who posts the fastest single lap in every race across NASCAR’s three national series (Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series). The bonus point is similar to a rule Formula One had in place for several years before ending it after the 2024 season.
Sports Business Journal first reported Xfinity’s partnership change with NASCAR.
Why is NASCAR adding the fastest lap award?
In F1, where the weight of a point matters much more than in NASCAR (due to the fewer number of points available for a season and race), letting the championship leader use the fastest lap to add to their haul was self-defeating at times for seeking a close title battle.
But it was fun when some out-of-nowhere driver would put on fresh tires to get the fastest lap, or a teammate of another contender would try to thwart the championship leader’s hopes of getting an extra point. It had the chance to give everyone something else to talk about.
So it’s a worthy concept for NASCAR to try. Why not? A single point typically won’t add up to that much of a difference in the regular season — and if it does, the driver earned it anyway.
During the playoffs, it could make a major difference between advancing and not. And giving a slight edge to a driver because they had a fast car isn’t a bad thing at all.
The odd thing is in F1, getting the point for the fastest lap could be a strategy. If a driver had a gap to the car behind them and pitted for fresh tires, he could run a lightning-quick lap to get the point. But that won’t happen often in NASCAR because pitting under green on an oval would almost always mean the driver would lose positions.
Still, it’s something fun to talk about. NASCAR fans used to enjoy seeing an extra point awarded to the driver who led the most laps of the race, so it’s not a foreign concept, either. — Jeff Gluck, motorsports staff writer