NASCAR confirms NBC ouster of ESPN for broadcast rights starting in 2015

The season ending Sprint Cup race at Homestead will be aired on broadcast TV for the first time since 2009 starting in 2015. (Getty Images)
The season ending Sprint Cup race at Homestead will be aired on broadcast TV for the first time since 2009 starting in 2015. (Getty Images)
The season ending Sprint Cup race at Homestead will be aired on broadcast TV for the first time since 2009 starting in 2015. (Getty Images)

NASCAR confirmed Tuesday that NBC will return to NASCAR starting in 2015. NBC aired NASCAR races from 2000-2007, splitting the schedule with Fox. ESPN resumed coverage in 2007 and has broadcast the final 17 races each season, with Turner Network Television, TNT, televising six summer races.

ESPN has also been the sole broadcaster for the Nationwide Series that too will end in 2015. NASCAR has granted NBCUniversal exclusive rights to the final 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, final 19 NASCAR Nationwide Series events, select NASCAR Regional & Touring Series events and other live content for a total of ten years.

“NBC is known for being an exceptional partner and delivering outstanding production quality and presentation of live sports, as well as its broad portfolio of broadcast and digital properties so we are thrilled with the commitment they have made to NASCAR and its future,” said NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brian France in a press release. “We know this partnership will yield great value to our entire industry, provide a premium experience to our most important stakeholders, the fans, and help us achieve a number of strategic growth objectives. Our new partnership with NBC and the recent extension by FOX validate the strength of our fan base and the many bold steps we have taken the last several years to provide fans with better, more accessible racing.” MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.