Sometimes all it takes for things to fall in place is a slight push in the right direction. Well, the new mega TV deal by NASCAR is such that its ripple effect will push other car series to new frontiers and opportunities. Not only that but with this influx of resources, veteran racer Tony Stewart believes NHRA’s drag racing could also benefit massively and set the tone for a brighter future for the sport.

Recently the stock car racing series announced that they have bagged a mega TV deal reported to be around $7.7 billion. This agreement with the likes of FOX Sports, NBC Sports, Amazon, TNT Max, and Warner Brother Discovery will deliver live action to the fans until 2031, a seven-year-long agreement. The move has been received well by fans and experts alike, as this will unlock NASCAR’s potential to reach out to a wider audience, a goal they have been striving towards in recent times.

Tony Stewart believes NHRA can fight for coverage with the new NASCAR TV deal in place

COVID-19 was a major turning point for sports businesses and leagues to rethink their business model and NASCAR with this new deal has taken steps in the right direction. Not to mention, with other competitive sports leagues like the NBA, NFL, MLB, and even MLS, everybody is in a tug of war to get advertising dollars from major corporations.

The NASCAR’s charter TV deal had a revenue split of 65 percent for tracks, 25 percent for teams, and 10 percent for NASCAR. However, with the new mega TV deal announced by the series, this split can see changes that will ultimately fuel the vision of NASCAR to expand its boundaries in reaching out to new fans.

Echoing the sentiments of most fans, Tony Stewart also feels the new deal is a great boost for NASCAR. Speaking on the topic and going into details about the TV coverage, he highlighted key areas of comparison for TV vs Arena experience while speaking during the Race Industry Week 2023 on the EPRATRADE Youtube channel. He said, “I’ve kind of told everybody that the NASCAR domino is the first one in line. Everybody’s gonna fight to get that NASCAR coverage.

“Once that deal is done, then everybody else that didn’t get a piece of that action are going to be thriving and bidding hard to get that same kind of action in different series. So NHRA is in a good spot to fight for that right now.”

Stewart who juggles between both NASCAR Cup Series races as an owner and NHRA drag racing, also stated the difference between the two in terms of TV experience and watching it live from the stands.

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Stewart relates the NHRA grandstand experience to that of an amusement park rollercoaster

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NASCAR races are just a treat to watch on TV based on how they are presented to the audience. Whereas, the NHRA Drag Races are better enjoyed when experiencing them live from the grandstands. At least these were the sentiments of Stewart who believed that “NHRA racing is 10 times better to be there versus watching it just on TV.”

“The TV can’t show you is the concussion, the smells, the feel. When you’re sitting in the grandstands and you feel your insides, your organs moving because of the concussion of the exhaust, it’s not painful but it’s like going to an amusement park and that feeling you get when you ride the rollercoaster.” Clearly, Tony Stewart believes the NHRA scene is an experience to be had and not just viewed indirectly.

Meanwhile, the new TV deals will see FOX and NBC cut down on their number of races and the new partner Prime Video getting started on their journey for NASCAR coverage. TNT will also be back in action for the first time since 2014. With the new dynamics in place, NASCAR is banking on its long-term partner to keep hold of its traditional audience while the entry of Amazon Prime and TNT will target to attract a new stream of viewership.

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