- NASCAR races are set to return to ESPN after a 12-year break.
- The CW and ESPN have struck a deal.
- Find out how to watch races on ESPN Unlimited.
At one point, ESPN was NASCAR’s primary broadcast partner for more than 28 years across two eras. In fact, it is fair to say that ESPN’s coverage helped carry NASCAR into the mainstream.
But what ended in 2014 now appears set to return, as the broadcaster has found a way back through the back door with a fresh tie-up.
NASCAR fans get a new home as O’Reilly Auto Parts Series hits ESPN Unlimited
ESPN has struck a deal with The CW. On Wednesday morning, ESPN was announced as the streaming home for The CW Sports, as revealed by the networks. From this summer, subscribers to the ESPN Unlimited plan will be able to watch the O’Reilly Series and other sports.
As a result, NASCAR fans will be able to stream O’Reilly Series races on ESPN Unlimited, a shift from The CW App, which did not allow on-the-go viewing and instead required fans to watch via antenna, a cable plan, or a live TV streaming service such as Sling or YouTube TV, or to wait a day for access.
While races will still air on The CW, practice and qualifying will be available only through the ESPN Unlimited package once the deal takes effect.
With a subscription to ESPN Unlimited, fans can watch races on the go without blackouts. That does not mean access through a TV antenna, cable, or live TV streaming plans will be cut off. Those options remain in place, as the races will be simulcast on ESPN Unlimited.
How ESPN helped build NASCAR and why it all fell apart
The first era of ESPN and NASCAR’s collaboration dates from 1981 to 2000. During that 20-year stretch, ESPN aired 262 Cup races and introduced live, flag-to-flag coverage that set a benchmark across the sport. At a time when tracks handled their own television deals, ESPN brought races from venues such as Bristol, Martinsville, North Wilkesboro, and Rockingham to a national audience, many of which had seen little television exposure. In 1990, ESPN reached a peak, airing 20 events.
In 2001, NASCAR took control of television rights for its premier series under a national deal, leaving ESPN out of live race broadcasts for six seasons. That is why, from 2001 to 2006, Fox, FX, NBC, and TNT held rights to the Winston/Nextel Cup Series and the Busch Series, while ESPN continued to carry the Craftsman Truck Series in 2001 and 2002 under a separate agreement.
New phase for broadcaster
The network returned in 2007 alongside ABC. The deal covered the full Nationwide Series and the final 17 races of the Cup Series season, including the “Chase for the Championship.” ESPN’s last race came at the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16, 2014. After that, NBC and Fox took over primary broadcast duties for the next decade.
Across both eras of NASCAR on ESPN, the network led efforts to advance coverage, with live race broadcasts earning 19 Sports Emmy Awards, along with other honors, including the NASCAR Award of Excellence in 1989 and the National Motorsports Press Association Myers Brothers Award in 1987.
The move could well mark the start of a new phase for the broadcaster and NASCAR as they look to pick up the threads of their past association. Whether that path leads to Cup Series race coverage again remains to be seen, but the door now stands open for a return to a role on the sport’s main stage.
Here’s how to access the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series on ESPN Unlimited
Customers with Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV, Fubo TV, Spectrum TV, Verizon FiOS, U-verse, Cox, Comcast Xfinity, and other supported providers may already have ESPN Unlimited included in their pay-TV package, with more partners to be added.
Fans will need to activate their ESPN plan and link their MyDisney login unless they subscribe to Hulu + Live TV, in which case ESPN Unlimited should be available through their MyDisney login.
If a fan cancels or moves away from a supported TV provider plan, the ESPN subscription will also end in line with the provider’s terms and policies.
If a user has already activated access and linked a MyDisney login, there will be no need to repeat the process.
