Richard Childress Racing is one of the teams that tested the garage area hospitality space at Daytona.Adam Stern
The NASCAR industry has spent the last decade re-evaluating almost every aspect of its business, and a fresh example at this year’s Daytona 500 was new hauler-side hospitality areas that several teams experimented with between their 18-wheel transporters.
As a sport that is more reliant on external sponsorship than any other, motorsports has long sought innovative and unique ways to give corporate partners value in the never-ending quest for renewals and new deals. NASCAR teams have made several adjustments to their products and operations in recent years to further that, from moving car number decals up on the door to give sponsors more room for their logos and branding, to NASCAR adding a rule this year allowing teams to use LED lighting on their pit boxes.
Another of the twists at Daytona was NASCAR telling teams it had room in its garages for seven of them to set up their haulers in a way that could give extra room in the middle to provide first-of-its-kind in-garage hospitality offerings for sponsors and other guests.
Among the teams that took NASCAR up on the offer were the two that always seem to be pushing the marketing envelope these days: 23XI Racing and Trackhouse Racing. Also on board were Stewart-Haas Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, Team Penske and Kaulig Racing.
NASCAR framed it as a one-time experiment that would be reviewed for possible future use, according to team executives. Even though the weekend ended up being a washout with both the Daytona 500 and Xfinity Series races pushed to Monday, teams SBJ spoke to said they thought it was worthwhile.
23XI’s area featured plants in a large rectangular structure at the front of the hospitality area, and when guests walked around that, they came into a space with 23XI-branded tables, cushioned chairs and high-top chairs and tables with a floor liner on top of the concrete. A bar area of sorts was also part of the 23XI area, though no alcohol is allowed in the garage, so teams could only serve non-alcoholic beverages and food in the space.
Even with the rain, Ty Norris, president of Trackhouse Racing, said the hauler hospitality proved “extremely valuable” because it elevated the experience for the team on the eventual day of the 500 on Monday. Steve Lauletta, president of 23XI Racing, said the team found the spaces “very valuable and helpful,” and that they would be in favor of continuing to test the concept.
NASCAR did not respond by press time on when and where it plans to test the concept next.
NASCAR is starting to turn its attention toward how its schedule and coverage could look with additional media partners starting in 2025.getty images
ALL EYES ON MEDIA: With NASCAR’s media rights deals for its next cycle sewn up, the focus is starting to turn to some of the foremost details of how the new packages will look.
In November, NASCAR cemented $7.7 billion worth of agreements from 2025 through 2031 with Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Nexstar Media Group’s The CW, Amazon’s Prime Video and Warner Bros. Discovery.
Fox will get 14 Cup Series races annually in the first portion of the season, including the Daytona 500. After Fox carries its 14 events, Amazon’s Prime Video will stream five events, marking the first time NASCAR’s premier events will be exclusively streamed.
WBD will take over after Amazon’s races and carry the next five, which will be simulcast on both TNT and the B/R Sports tier on the Max streaming service. NBC Sports will complete the season with the final 14 races.
Among the key things industry executives are keeping an eye on include which marquee races NASCAR conjures together to give Amazon and WBD a tentpole event to start the deal off with a bang. Since their packages will fall around the summer, options could include the likes of the Coca-Cola 600 or the Chicago street race. NASCAR is also in talks to go to Canada next year.
The sport’s most well-known personality, Dale Earnhardt Jr., recently revealed on his podcast that his deal with NBC Sports ended after 2023, a surprising revelation in part because many people in the industry thought his deal would end after 2024, when NBC’s current contract with NASCAR expires.
On his podcast, “The Dale Jr. Download,” Earnhardt said he’d “love” to be back with NBC, but he had also spoken to “all of NASCAR’s TV partners,” without disclosing specifics. But given how the deep-pocketed Amazon entered the NFL and brought big-name talent like Al Michaels in front of the camera and Fred Gaudelli behind the scenes, it could become a player for Earnhardt’s services.
“My home and my love is at NBC, and I’d love to be back with them — so we’ll see where it goes,” Earnhardt said on his podcast. “But right now, I really don’t have a job in terms of broadcasting.”
