DARLINGTON, SC – MAY 13: Fans fill the stands during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Shriners Children’s … [+]
Good news, NASCAR fans. Starting in 2025, you’ll be able to buy tickets for races at any track owned by NASCAR or Speedway Motorsports using a single, unified platform.
Now, the not-so-good news? That platform will be Ticketmaster.
Thursday’s announcement, delivered with the expected optimism, revealed that “NASCAR has named Ticketmaster its official ticketing partner in a move that complements Ticketmaster’s longtime partnership with Speedway Motorsports and further unifies ticketing for fans of the sport.” Essentially, NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports have decided to simplify the ticket-buying process by entrusting it to Ticketmaster, starting with the 2025 season.
Kari Gritton, NASCAR’s senior vice president of consumer strategy, was full of praise for Ticketmaster, stating, “We partnered with Ticketmaster as our new ticketing solution based on their advanced capabilities, deep industry insights, and proven best ticketing practices in sports. Their expertise will be key in consolidating all NASCAR-owned race events onto one efficient and accessible platform, improving our overall operations.” If you believe the PR speak, this partnership is a win for everyone, and NASCAR fans can look forward to a smoother, more seamless ticket-buying experience.
But there’s one glaring issue that fans aren’t going to be able to ignore: that platform is Ticketmaster.
Yes, Ticketmaster, the company that has developed a reputation as one of the most disliked ticketing services around. A company so synonymous with frustration, fees, and technical issues that it’s basically the event-goer’s version of visiting the DMV. Fans who’ve ever tried to buy a concert ticket through Ticketmaster might already be feeling a pit in their stomach.
While NASCAR is touting this partnership as a ticketing revolution, what they didn’t mention is that Ticketmaster comes so much baggage they will need the proverbial elephant that will be in the room to carry it all. It all started in 2010 when Ticketmaster completed a merger with Live Nation, creating a powerhouse that has been accused of monopolizing the event ticketing industry. Before long, fans noticed that Ticketmaster had free reign to slap on all sorts of fees—convenience fees, service fees, even fees to print your own tickets at home.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 24: Amy Edwards and Parker Harrison demonstrate against the live … [+]
Then came the Taylor Swift debacle in 2022. Swift’s massive legion of fans, the Swifties, were waiting anxiously to buy tickets for her Eras Tour. But as soon as tickets went on sale, the Ticketmaster website crashed, leaving fans unable to secure their seats. The issue wasn’t just technical glitches—bots swooped in, scooping up tickets to be resold at astronomical prices. Many fans were left with nothing but frustration and a bad taste in their mouths.
The fallout was so severe that the U.S. Congress got involved. Hearings were held, and the U.S. Justice Department opened an antitrust investigation into Ticketmaster and Live Nation. And just this year, the Justice Department, along with 30 states, filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against the company.
Fast forward to NASCAR’s announcement, and it’s no wonder fans are less than thrilled. In the immediate aftermath, the backlash was swift. NASCAR fans took to social media with complaints ranging from, “I can’t think of a worse company to align with,” to “Fans will love paying $40 in fees for a $60 ticket,” and the ever popular, “They hate us.”
For the moment, NASCAR is remaining tight-lipped. When asked for a comment on the fan reaction, they offered nothing. It’s an odd strategy, given how passionate NASCAR fans can be, and how vocal they’ve become in criticizing this new ticketing plan.
To be fair, Speedway Motorsports has used Ticketmaster for years, seemingly without issue. Perhaps the problems experienced by Swift fans were an isolated incident. Maybe NASCAR fans will be the beneficiaries of a newly improved Ticketmaster, free of the issues that have plagued it in the past. Maybe ticket-buying will be smooth and hassle-free in 2025.
Or maybe, just maybe, NASCAR fans will find themselves shelling out more in fees than they paid for the actual ticket, waiting in endless online queues, and still chanting, “They hate us,” as more seats sit empty at tracks.
Come this time next season NASCAR fans will either be celebrating an efficient ticketing system, or looking back on this announcement as the day they were introduced to their newest frustration.
