NASCAR will end its longstanding title sponsorship with Xfinity for the Xfinity Series after the 2025 season, signaling a major NASCAR Xfinity Series sponsorship change. O’Reilly Auto Parts has emerged as the leading candidate to assume the entitlement role starting in 2026, following an 11-year partnership with Xfinity.
The telecommunications company Xfinity will step down as the title sponsor of NASCAR’s second-tier series at the conclusion of the 2025 schedule but will maintain a broader multi-year association with NASCAR’s top-level competitions. Concurrently, The CW, a subsidiary of Nexstar Media Group, will begin broadcasting all Xfinity Series races from 2025 onward, extending through the end of the decade.
To facilitate the search for a new sponsor, NASCAR enlisted Klutch Sports Group, a prominent sports agency led by LeBron James’s agent and president. The agency has been negotiating sponsorship deals valued around $15 million annually, combining rights fees with activation costs. Among potential sponsors, O’Reilly Auto Parts stands out due to its ongoing involvement in NASCAR, including its current race sponsorship at Texas Motor Speedway’s fall Xfinity event.
Rising Viewership Spotlighting Xfinity Series Popularity
The Mission 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race held at Watkins Glen drew an average audience of approximately 1,096,000 viewers on The CW Sports. This figure represents a 41% increase over the prior year’s Watkins Glen race and a 54% jump compared to the 2024 Darlington Raceway event, underscoring rising fan interest in the Xfinity Series.
This particular race was a standout of the season, with Connor Zilisch capturing his sixth victory after a fierce competition with Shane van Gisbergen. An incident late in the race led to contact between the two drivers, removing van Gisbergen from contention. Zilisch’s win also gained wider attention when he fell off his car during celebration, resulting in a broken collarbone and subsequent surgery.
Zilisch’s performance, representing JR Motorsports, further highlighted the competitive nature and growing appeal of NASCAR’s Xfinity Series, especially at road course events like Watkins Glen that continue to captivate audiences.
What the Sponsorship Shift Could Mean for NASCAR
The transition from Xfinity to O’Reilly Auto Parts as title sponsor marks a significant chapter for the Xfinity Series and its commercialization strategies. This NASCAR Xfinity Series sponsorship change is expected to bring fresh promotional opportunities and potentially increased investment into the series. O’Reilly’s established presence and enthusiasm for NASCAR may help sustain and expand the series’ fan base amid the evolving sports media landscape.
With The CW’s expanded television coverage beginning next year, the combination of strengthened broadcast visibility and a new title sponsor could enhance the series’ profile and audience engagement over the coming years. NASCAR’s partnership with Klutch Sports Group during this process reflects a strategic approach to aligning the series with sponsors who not only provide financial backing but also share a passion for motorsports.