Fans Surprisingly Back NASCAR’s Multi-Year Media Extension Move Amid Sky-Rocketing Subscription Prices

Grassroots racing has finally found a long-term home. Recently, NASCAR and FloSports announced a multi-year extension to its media partnership, ensuring that the country’s premiere regional events will be improved and investment will be made in short-track racing for the foreseeable future. As per the agreement, FloRacing will be a one-stop destination for the sport’s grassroots properties, including the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West, and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

But wait, there’s more! The deal would also improve the domestic and international availability of prestigious events such as the South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway, ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway, as well as the Snowball Derby, and zMAX CARS Tour. Surprisingly, the news was well-received by fans, despite increased subscription prices.

NASCAR remains committed to its regional properties

The renewal was inevitable. Ever since NASCAR and FloRacing joined hands in 2021, the interest in grassroots racing has increased significantly, with the platform covering more than 1,000 race events every year. In a bid to popularize short-track racing, FloRacing has not only boosted purses but also provided dedicated teams that cover in-depth stories about grassroots racers across North America. The multi-year media extension reiterates the commitment from both parties to improve the state of regional racing in the future.

Reflecting on the partnership, Mark Floreani, Co-Founder and CEO of FloSports said, “NASCAR is the number one name in motorsports and an unbelievable partner that cares about short track racing. This agreement will allow us to work alongside NASCAR to provide our customers with more marquee events and series throughout the year, ensuring that a FloRacing subscription is the best value in all of motorsports.”

Over the years, NASCAR has invested in the sport in ways that they had never done before. The sanctioning body has expanded the editorial team that covers regional races, making coverage of short-track races much more accessible. When the organization acquired the ARCA Menards Series in 2018, they hired Joey Dennewitz as Managing Director of the Weekly and Touring Series, who helped racers understand how NASCAR could help them improve in their motorsports discipline.

Reiterating the sanctioning body’s commitment to regional racing, NASCAR EVP, Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer Ben Kennedy said, “We look forward to delivering fans the best in short track racing, but also to re-investing in the grassroots community to keep stock car racing thriving.” Considering how successful the partnership between the organization and FloRacing has been, especially when it comes to the promotion of its regional properties, it should come as no surprise that the multi-year media extension is being well-received by fans, who are seeing the value despite the high subscription fees.

Fans embrace FloSports’ continued involvement in grassroots racing

As expected, it didn’t take long for NASCAR fans to make their voices heard about the multi-year media extension. At a time when OTT platforms are facing significant criticism for sky-high subscription fees, motorsports enthusiasts expressed their support for grassroots racing by taking to social media. Acknowledging the list of offerings being provided by the platform, a Reddit user wrote, “Sweet. Bought the full year a few months back and really enjoy the variety and amount of racing you can watch.” Echoing that sentiment, another fan went on to write, “Great news”, recognizing how beneficial the partnership between the two has been for grassroots racing.

As things stand, FloRacing provides two subscription packages, charging $39.99 per month or $159 if fans opt to pay annually. In return, sports enthusiasts get access to over 1200 live events, as well as replays, original films, news, and more. Taking these factors into consideration, one fan wrote, “It’s because when you pay for Flo, you’re not just paying for racing. You’re getting every other sport they show too. The price of Flo is f–king insanely cheap, it’s just most people only use it for 1 or 2 things.” Other fans could also see the value in the streaming service’s offerings, with one Reddit user recounting their own experience by saying, “Good to see, got Flo recently and it’s amazing.”

With short-track racing being the lifeblood of NASCAR, watching aspiring superstars ply their trade in the sanctioning body’s grassroots properties is an enjoyable activity. Very often, regional racing can be more cutthroat and action-packed and retains the essence of American motorsport that may have been diluted in the Cup, Xfinity, or Truck Series, because of sponsorships and commercial commitments. On that note, a motorsports enthusiast wrote, “Love to see this, love seeing modifieds and other series and short tracks live. Great deal.”