After The CW landed a multiyear deal to become the exclusive home of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, a report suggested the network might broadcast some races remotely.
That speculation is now a reality.
Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern reported Friday The CW will have remote coverage of Saturday’s race from Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Play-by-play announcer Adam Alexander and analysts Jamie McMurray and Parker Kligerman will call the Hard Rock Bet 300 from NASCAR’s state-of-the-art broadcast facility near Charlotte. The CW’s pit reporters will be at the track.
NASCAR Productions produces Xfinity races for The CW and its parent corporation, Nexstar Media Group. According to Stern, NASCAR’s production facility features a 57-foot-long, 14-foot-high stage with a 23-million-pixel wall, which will make its debut this weekend.
The CW President of Entertainment Brad Schwartz told SBJ the studio and its tech “are another step forward in The CW’s mission to continually invest in and elevate the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the teams and the fans. … This new stage and technology will allow us to bring the fans into a fully immersive racing environment.”
While that sounds like great tech to employ, some viewers will still balk at the idea of remote coverage. In fact, when Stern first reported last year that The CW might do some races remotely, many fans spoke out. Even Dale Earnhardt Jr., who does NASCAR Cup broadcasts for Amazon and TNT, balked at the idea, saying, “I hope they do not.”
The CW broadcast the season’s first five races with announcers on site. Stern reported that NASCAR and The CW have said “a handful of races” will be broadcast remotely this season.
Like it or not, remote broadcasts are becoming more common. ESPN and TNT were questioned for their use of remote production and/or announcers during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and remote broadcasts have been used for other sports, including MLB and college basketball. Fox faced backlash earlier this week for remotely broadcasting the MLB Tokyo Series.
The CW, which has exclusive rights to the Xfinity Series through 2031, has earned decent reviews and good ratings in its first full season. The season-opening race from Daytona averaged 1.8 million viewers, the best numbers for any Xfinity race since 2022 and the highest for a season-opener since 2020. The following week’s race from Atlanta was up 10% over 2024 and topped college basketball, NHL, and PGA events on other networks.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.