Rev up your engines because NASCAR is shaking up the race season with a groundbreaking announcement: the inaugural in-season tournament for the NASCAR Cup Series, set to debut in 2025. In a bold move, NASCAR, in collaboration with Prime Video and TNT Sports, is revolutionizing fan engagement with a bracket-style head-to-head event across TNT Sports’ five-race schedule.
Brian Herbst, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Media and Productions, expressed excitement about the innovative partnership with Prime Video and TNT Sports. “With the launch of our new media rights partnerships in 2025, we were excited to partner with Prime Video and TNT Sports to collaborate on fan engagement concepts that drive storylines in our sport and innovation from a production perspective.”
The tournament, which will feature head-to-head driver matchups, promises to add a thrilling dimension to NASCAR’s summer race weekends. Craig Barry, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer of TNT Sports, emphasized the significance of this collaboration: “TNT Sports has always been at the forefront of creativity and innovation, and NASCAR is a perfect partner to bring this vision to life across our networks and platforms.”
Charlie Neiman, Head of Sports Partnerships at Prime Video, echoed the sentiment, stating, “We’re excited to be part of NASCAR’s first in-season tournament next season. This tournament will showcase the league’s ability to drive innovation and engage fans with increased competition during a key part of the NASCAR schedule.”
But how will it all work? Eligibility for the tournament will be determined by seeding races held during the final three races of Prime Video’s coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series. The top 32 drivers based on these seeding events will compete in the tournament, with bracket seeding established by each driver’s best finish over the three races. Tiebreakers will be determined by subsequent best finishes and season points positions.
The tournament will kick off with the first event in the TNT Sports portion of the NASCAR Cup Series season, featuring five rounds of head-to-head competition. The winner of the tournament will take home a grand prize of $1 million.
This historic tournament is part of NASCAR’s broader strategy to enhance fan engagement and deliver innovative content through its media rights partnerships. In November 2023, NASCAR inked new seven-year media rights agreements with four premier distribution partners – FOX Sports, NBC Sports, Amazon’s Prime Video, and TNT Sports – solidifying its position as a powerhouse in the world of motorsports.
Prime Video and TNT Sports will evenly split a series of 10 midseason races, with both networks holding exclusive rights to select practice and qualifying sessions through 2031. Prime Video will stream practice and qualifying live for the first half of the season, while TNT Sports will initiate its coverage with the next five midseason races, all part of the NASCAR Cup Series in-season tournament.
This groundbreaking tournament marks an exciting chapter in NASCAR’s storied history, promising fans an exhilarating season of racing action like never before. So mark your calendars and get ready to witness the thrill of the first-ever NASCAR in-season tournament in 2025!
All a gimmick to get people to watch it’s summertime people! People aren’t going to set inside their house for three hours when it’s 80 deg and beutiful out side!At least I’m not I’ll just listen on the radio , those radio guys do a better job any way!