2024 NASCAR Discussion ThreadNASCAR

[Dylan]

This is the discussion thread for the 2024 NASCAR season. A few notable events this year. Bristol Dirt is no more as the series will return to the pavement layout for the spring race. The Brickyard 400 will make it's return after a 3 year hiatus for Indy Road Course shenanigans. And the series will return to a freshly repaved North Wilkesboro for the All Star Race again. Toyota and Ford also debuted new face lifted versions of their cup cars.

Spoiler: Xfinity Series Schedule

Spoiler: Craftsman Truck Series Schedule

Spoiler: Coca-Cola iRacing Series Schedule

TBA

 

[Eggstor]

Some field-filler news:

• Live Fast (the 78) is looking to run the 6 plate/superspeedway races, and if they can find somebody to replace Josh Bilicki, the road-course races.
• The charter Live Fast sold to Spire on behalf of Trackhouse will be running the 71 for Zane Smith.

 

[Dylan]

Toyota has unveiled the new Camry for this upcoming season.

 

[Blood Eagle]

Another picture.

 

[Northstar]

Seems Ford is getting into the guest car game.

 

[Blood Eagle]

Seems Ford is getting into the guest car game.

David Regan.

 

[05XR8]

Another picture.

View attachment 1306708

That's nice!

It's V8 news, but NASCAR fans might find this interesting. If it happens...

https://www.v8sleuth.com.au/kyle-busch-adelaide-500-wildcard-in-the-works/

 

[Eggstor]

Word is the Cup broadcast rights will be split as follows starting in 2025:

• Fox/FS1 gets the first 14 races (presumably 13 points races and the pre-season Clash, with the Duels qualifying races for the Daytona 500 not counting separately)
• NBC/USA/Peacock gets the last 14 points races
• TNT and a streaming service, presumed to be Amazon*, will split the middle 10 races (presumably starting with the All-Star Open/Race combo, which counts as one, and 9 points races)

The announcement is scheduled for 5 pm Eastern in Nashville.

* Motorsport.com is presuming it is Amazon. WBD Sports (formerly Turner Sports), which produces the sports content on Warner Brothers Discovery networks including TNT, has launched an add-on sports tier for its live sports content on its corporate streaming service, Max.

 

[opelgt1969]

Word is the Cup broadcast rights will be split as follows starting in 2025:

• Fox/FS1 gets the first 14 races (presumably 13 points races and the pre-season Clash, with the Duels qualifying races for the Daytona 500 not counting separately)
• NBC/USA/Peacock gets the last 14 points races
• TNT and a streaming service, presumed to be Amazon, will split the middle 10 races (presumably starting with the All-Star Open/Race combo, which counts as one, and 9 points races)

The announcement is scheduled for 5 pm Eastern in Nashville.

And this is the problem with NASCAR you can't find the races because they will change who will cover what race when they're something the network thinks something is more important to them. The only way to fix NASCAR's problems is for them to stream all races on one channel and one channel only.

 

[Eggstor]

And this is the problem with NASCAR you can't find the races because they will change who will cover what race when they're something the network thinks something is more important to them. The only way to fix NASCAR's problems is for them to stream all races on one channel and one channel only.

Football, especially the NFL, doesn't seem to have a viewership problem despite a multitude of networks having broadcast rights...and, unlike NASCAR, competing against each other each weekend, with last-minute moves of both time and station.

 

[opelgt1969]

Football, especially the NFL, doesn't seem to have a viewership problem despite a multitude of networks having broadcast rights...and, unlike NASCAR, competing against each other each weekend, with last-minute moves of both time and station.

Sounds like you're not a big NASCAR fan, for the last 15 years or so you can't depend on where to watch races. The people at NASCAR don't have the balls to tell the networks you cover the races live or you don't get to cover them at all. Like I said NASCAR needs to stream all races on one channel. Years ago you could at least watch all Truck races on "speed channel or FS1" not now they even have been covering them on other channels.

 

[Blitz24]

Sounds like you're not a big NASCAR fan, for the last 15 years or so you can't depend on where to watch races. The people at NASCAR don't have the balls to tell the networks you cover the races live or you don't get to cover them at all. Like I said NASCAR needs to stream all races on one channel. Years ago you could at least watch all Truck races on "speed channel or FS1" not now they even have been covering them on other channels.

If they end up doing that, NASCAR will cease to exist on OTA channels. It might be time for that anyways.

 

[EngieDiesel]

The people at NASCAR don't have the balls to tell the networks you cover the races live or you don't get to cover them at all.

This is because NASCAR needs the networks far more than the other way around. Running a dedicated channel for one sport has been proven many times to be unprofitable, fragmentation of streaming services has made people far less likely to stump up for more than one or two at a time, and there are a lot of other things major networks could be airing on a Sunday afternoon. Plus the division was even worse back in the "golden era" of the '90s, races would be aired live on TNN or ESPN2 or other secondary cable channels a lot of people didn't have access to at the time, and it didn't hamper their popularity any back then.

A NASCAR streaming service isn't going to make people come back in droves any more than the WWE Network brought back people who were tired of professional wrestling. The issue is in the perception of motorsports in general, not the availability of broadcasts.

 

[Eggstor]

Sounds like you're not a big NASCAR fan, for the last 15 years or so you can't depend on where to watch races. The people at NASCAR don't have the balls to tell the networks you cover the races live or you don't get to cover them at all. Like I said NASCAR needs to stream all races on one channel. Years ago you could at least watch all Truck races on "speed channel or FS1" not now they even have been covering them on other channels.

You should have been around before 2001, when there was no real set rotation between ESPN, TNN and TBS, with CBS doing the Daytona 500. I've had no problems finding the race, even when a delay forced it from network TV to cable.

You'll get your wish for Xfinity once all of them are on the CW...assuming there's an affiliate where you are.

 

[opelgt1969]

You should have been around before 2001, when there was no real set rotation between ESPN, TNN and TBS, with CBS doing the Daytona 500. I've had no problems finding the race, even when a delay forced it from network TV to cable.

You'll get your wish for Xfinity once all of them are on the CW...assuming there's an affiliate where you are.

I'm plenty old enough, back in the sixties most of the "good drivers" stayed at the Sandman motel my grandfather owned the restaurant "Sandman" .My grandfather also used to run moonshine along side JR Johnson. Bristol,va would be the city in the sixties a lot of the drivers would have cookouts with my uncle after the race on Sunday, l was only 4-7 years old so don't remember a lot sure my father dragged us along.

 

[Dylan]

Now official. 5 races will be behind a streaming service in 2025.

 

[Eggstor]

I'm plenty old enough, back in the sixties most of the "good drivers" stayed at the Sandman motel my grandfather owned the restaurant "Sandman" .My grandfather also used to run moonshine along side JR Johnson. Bristol,va would be the city in the sixties a lot of the drivers would have cookouts with my uncle after the race on Sunday, l was only 4-7 years old so don't remember a lot sure my father dragged us along.

Those are some very cool stories.

Now official. 5 races will be behind a streaming service in 2025.

It's worse than that:

• Amazon has exclusive rights to practice and qualifying for the first half of the season outside the Clash, Daytona 500 and the All-Star race(s), which means that either the All-Star race(s) is moving a week early or Prime gets a points race before the All-Star (assuming the 2023/2024 schedules continue unchanged), with 5 points races exclusive to Amazon.
• TNT/WBD Sports gets exclusive rights to practice and qualifying for the second half of the season, though at least it will be on TruTV (good luck finding that channel on your cable/IPTV package) in addition to the B/R add-on tier of Max.
• Fox's commitment to broadcast TV is dropping to 5 races, with NBC's commitment to broadcast TV at 4.

Also official - it will be David Ragan returning to RFK to attempt the Daytona 500 in the 60. Roush used the 60 once in Cup in 1998, in a failed attempt at Talladega with Matt Kenseth.

 

[Blitz24]

Now official. 5 races will be behind a streaming service in 2025.

So if they keep the same schedule for 2025 as they have for 2024, the Coke 600 would be on Prime and the Chicago Street Race would be on TNT. The schedule doesn't add up for FOX to broadcast from Daytona to the Coke 600 (heck, it doesn't even add up to get to the all-star race as that would be 15). They also move from 21 events on FOX/NBC in 2024 to a total of 9 events in 2025. NASCAR can only hope they get the same popularity they received 20 to 30 years ago.

 

[FPV MIC]

Now official. 5 races will be behind a streaming service in 2025.

Consider yourselves lucky it's only five. They're all behind the Foxtel paywall for us in Australia.

 

[Eggstor]

So if they keep the same schedule for 2025 as they have for 2024, the Coke 600 would be on Prime and the Chicago Street Race would be on TNT. The schedule doesn't add up for FOX to broadcast from Daytona to the Coke 600 (heck, it doesn't even add up to get to the all-star race as that would be 15). They also move from 21 events on FOX/NBC in 2024 to a total of 9 events in 2025. NASCAR can only hope they get the same popularity they received 20 to 30 years ago.

2024 is a bit wonky because NBC is forcing NASCAR to take 2 weeks off in late July/early August, but that also lines up with the 2023 schedule. The 2024 schedule repeated would also give TNT the Brickyard 400 as its closing race (a lot more important than a Chicago street race that might not be there in 2025).

That would give all 4 networks a piece of the 4-race crown jewel (Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400, Southern 500).

 

[Northstar]

Well, at least the two NASCAR series' I actually care about (Xfinity & Mods) are on one network for their entire season's (starting in '25) and the only one I have to pay for is a service I buy anyways.

 

[Eggstor]

The word from Sports Business Journal is that the three national packages are worth an average of $1.1 billion per year. As they're also saying that it is a 40% increase, the $820 million per year NASCAR is getting from their current deals is for all 3 series, not just Cup.

Given it was previously reported that the Xfinity/CW portion of that is worth an average of $115 million per year, it's safe to say that the Cup portion is worth well over $900 million/year.

 

[Northstar]

The Cup race at Iowa is already sold out.

 

[Blitz24]

Allmendinger will be returning to Xfinity for 2024. No word on who will drive the 16.

 

[RACECAR]

Cody Ware | FOX Sports

NASCAR has reinstated Cup Series driver Cody Ware, who was suspended in April following an altercation with his then-girlfriend.

www.foxsports.com

 

[Dylan]

 

[Eggstor]

The 2024 pre-race practice/qualifying schedule is essentially unchanged from 2023. The races where there will be more than 20 minutes of practice:

• Daytona 500 (because it is the Daytona 500)
• All-Star Open/Race (North Wilkesboro got repaved)
• Sonoma (the track was repaved)
• Iowa (new-to-Cup track)
• Chicago street race (just because)
• Indy (first time the Next-Gen car is on the oval)
• Fall Phoenix (last race of the season)

The linked story has some drivers' reactions, which are...interesting.

As for the Cody Ware story, I wonder if NASCAR had a heads-up on the legal situation when they decided not to pull the charter reassigned to the team for which he was driving.

 

[Blitz24]

This morning, it was announced that Sheldon Creed will drive the 18 and Chandler Smith will drive the 81 for Joe Gibbs Racing in the 2024 Xfinity Series. The 19 and 20 cars will be piloted by multiple drivers each, notably Aric Almirola will run a partial schedule in the 20.

In addition,
Shane van Gisbergen will be running multiple series in 2024. The Chicago Street Course inaugural winner will be running a full Xfinity schedule with Kaulig Racing and a partial Cup schedule with Trackhouse Racing. He will be sponsored by WeatherTech throughout the 2024 season and will be driving a #97 in XFinity.

EDIT:
Also, to add to the news for today, Noah Gragson will be driving the #10 for SHR in 2024.

 

[Dylan]

Sorry for the delay. The OP has been updated with logos and schedule for all 3 national touring series. eNASCAR schedule has yet to be announced but when it is it will be added.

 

[Eggstor]

Shane van Gisbergen will start the 2024 race season in the ARCA race at Daytona, a step required for him to be approved by NASCAR to run the (ex-)plate tracks. The team/car number/sponsor is yet to be determined.