NBC Sports is organizing a motorsports property summit for the upcoming offseason to explore ways the leagues can cross promote and share best practices.
The idea is the brainchild of NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood, who oversees on-air production for all of NBC’s major sports. The network has media rights deals with several racing properties including NASCAR, IndyCar, IMSA and a handful of grassroots motorsports series.
A specific date hasn’t been announced, but the summit likely will be held after NASCAR’s season ends in late November and possibly at NBC Sports’ corporate headquarters in Stamford, Conn.
“With all the motorsports properties under the NBC umbrella, we have a unique opportunity to get all forms of racing working as one collectively to grow the industry,” said Flood, who is also president of production for NBC and NBC Sports Network.
The idea comes as series such as NASCAR try to spark a reversal in key performance indicators while IndyCar and IMSA try to boost their growing but smaller series.
“If you get a bunch of us in the same room with a broadcaster that is critical to portraying us and helping us reach the public and grow our audiences, it’s a great idea,” said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Co., which owns IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “We’ll see what comes out of it.”
The summit’s formation was first revealed by NASCAR President Steve Phelps during a podcast with NBC reporter Nate Ryan, after Phelps was asked about the possibility of holding a dual NASCAR/IndyCar race weekend. IndyCar and track operator International Speedway Corp. have discussed the idea.
“Sam Flood is going to do a motorsports summit to try to look at some best practices to see if there’s ways to cross promote,” Phelps said during the podcast. “I think it’s fantastic.”
