Thetelevision and radio rights to broadcast NASCAR are among the most expensive broadcast rights of any American sport, with the current^[when?] television contract withAmazon Prime Video,CW Sports,Fox Sports,NBC/USA Sports andTNT Sports being worth aroundUS$8 billion.

In the early days ofNASCAR, sports programs likeCBS Sports Spectacular andABC Wide World of Sports would air video highlight packages of the races. These packages were typically 15 to 30 minutes long and were cut from film of the entire race, similar to video packages created byNFL Films. For major races like theDaytona 500,ABC Sports would show footage live for a certain number of laps at the beginning, then show the end of the race. A few races were shown in their entirety in the 1970s, but these were always recorded and shown days or weeks later.^{[citation needed]}

In 1979,CBS Sports televised the1979 Daytona 500 live from start to finish. With the introduction ofESPN in 1981, more races began being shown live in their entirety. Since 1992, all NASCAR races have been shown from start to finish, and all have been shown live since 1997. Until 2001, race tracks struck individual agreements with networks to broadcast races, but in order to capitalize on the growing popularity of the sport NASCAR announced in 1999 that television contracts would now be centralized; that is, instead of making agreements with individual tracks, networks would now negotiate directly with NASCAR for the rights to air a package of races.^{[citation needed]}

• Fox: 2001–present
• NBC: 1964, 1979–1985, 1999–2006, 2015–present (Cup Series only)
• The CW: 2025–present (Xfinity Series)

• CBS: 1960, 1964, 1975–2000
• ABC: 1961–1992, 1994–2000, 2007–2014

• Fox Deportes: 2013–present
• Telemundo: 2015–present
• Universo: 2015–present

• FS1: 2013–present
• FS2: 2015–present
• Fox Business Network: 2016–present (primarily used as a backup should another sporting event run past its scheduled ending or for breaking news coverage on the main FOX network)
• CNBC: 2006, 2015–present (primarily used as a backup should another sporting event run past its scheduled ending or for breaking news coverage on the main NBC network)
• USA Network: 1982–1985, 2016, 2022–present (Cup Series only since 2025)
• TNT: 2001–2014, 2025–present (Cup Series only)
• TruTV: 2025–present (Cup Series practice and qualifying only)

• CNN/SI: 2001^[1]
• ESPN: 1981–2002, 2007–2014
• ESPN2: 1995–2002, 2007–2014
• ESPN Classic: 2007–2010
• ESPNEWS: 2011–2014
• ESPN Deportes: 2013–2014
• FNN-SCORE: 1988
• Fox Sports Net: 2001
• FX: 2001–2006
• HDNet: 2005–2008
• Prime: 1990–1992
• Speed: 1998–1999, 2003–2013
• SportsChannel America: 1990
• TBS: 1983–2000
• TNN: 1983, 1986, 1991–2000
• Versus/NBCSN: 2010, 2015–2021
• Viewer's Choice: 1988–1990
• Jefferson-Pilot: 1985–1987
• Mizlou: 1982–1985
• MRN TV: 1979–1980
• SETN: 1984–1988

• Peacock: 2021–present (Cup Series only)
• HBO Max: 2025–present (Cup Series only)
• Amazon Prime: 2025–present (Cup Series only)
• FloRacing: 2022-present (ARCA Menards Series,ARCA Menards Series East,ARCA Menards Series West,Whelen Modified Tour,Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series)

One of the earliest telecasts of a NASCAR race was the1960 Daytona 500, parts of which was presented as part ofCBS Sports Spectacular, with announcerBud Palmer.^[2]

Between that broadcast and 1979, there were three main sources of NASCAR telecasts:^{[citation needed]}

• ABC'sWide World of Sports, the sports anthology program, provided coverage of select NASCARWinston Cup races in the 1970s. In 1971, it presented a 200-lap race atGreenville-Pickens Speedway in its entirety, the first such broadcast of a NASCAR race. Throughout the 1970s, ABC presented portions of theDaytona 500,Southern 500, and other important races.
• In the late 1970s,CBS Sports Spectacular aired some races; likeWide World of Sports, they were taped and edited.
• Car and Track, a weekly auto racing show hosted byBud Lindemann, recapped all of NASCAR's top-series races in the 1960s and 1970s in a weekly 30-minute syndicated show.

The following table is a list of races fromNASCAR's top three series that have beenbroadcast partially or in their entirety on television during the 1960s.

CBS Sports PresidentNeal Pilson and motor-sports editorKen Squier believed that Americans would watch an entire stock car race live on television. On February 18, 1979,CBS presented the first flag-to-flag coverage of theDaytona 500.^[5][6]Richard Petty won NASCAR's crown-jewel race for the sixth time, but more attention was drawn by the post-race fight on the track's infield betweenCale Yarborough andDonnie Allison, who crashed together on the final lap while leading.^[5] The race drew incredible ratings, in part due to the compelling action both on and off the track, and in part because a major snowstorm on theEast Coast kept millions of viewers indoors.^[7]

As time passed, more Winston Cup races ended up on TV.ESPN broadcast its first race in 1981, fromNorth Carolina Motor Speedway^[8] (its first live race was later in the year atAtlanta International Raceway), andTNN followed in 1991. All Cup races were nationally televised by 1985; networks struck individual deals with track owners, and multiple channels carried racing content. Many races were shown taped and edited onWide World of Sports and syndication services likeMizlou andSETN, but almost all races were live by 1989. By 2000, the last year of this arrangement, six networks televised at least one Cup series race:CBS,ABC,ESPN,TNN,TBS, andNBC.

At the same time, a growing number of races in theBusch Grand National Series andNASCAR Truck Series were made available for broadcast, and some track owners even included support races in lesser series. Likewise, Winston Cup qualifying rounds aired on ESPN2 or regional sports networkPrime Network.

NASCAR sought to capitalize on its increased popularity even more, so they decided that future deals would be centralized; that is, the networks would negotiate directly with NASCAR for a regular schedule of telecasts.

On December 15, 1999Fox Sports,FX, NBC andTurner Sports agreed to pay$2.4 billion for a new six-year television package, covering the Winston/Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series schedules.

• Fox and FX would be responsible for covering the first half of the season. All Busch Series races during that part of the season would also be on Fox/FX. NBC and Turner would partner to cover the second half of the season, which beginning in 2004 would include theChase for the Cup. Originally, Turner's broadcast outlet for its NASCAR coverage was to beTBS as it had been for every other race Turner had broadcast before. However, Turner Broadcasting rebranded its sister networkTNT as a drama-heavy network and decided to move the NASCAR coverage there in March 2001, as they felt it fit the new branding better.^[11]
• As part of the new contract, the Daytona events were split evenly between the networks. Fox would air the Daytona 500 in every odd-numbered year during the contract, with NBC covering the then-Pepsi 400 those years. NBC would then, in turn, air the Daytona 500 in every even-numbered year, with Fox covering the Pepsi 400.
• The network in charge of Daytona 500 coverage would also have the rights to air the events duringSpeedweeks, which consisted of theBudweiser Shootout,Daytona 500 pole qualifying, thetwo qualifying races held after pole qualifying, and theseason opening Busch race.

ESPN retained the rights to the Truck Series through 2002 under a separate contract. Beginning in 2003, Speed Channel bought out the rest of ESPN's contract and became the exclusive broadcast home of that series.

Initially, practice and qualifying sessions would alternate between Fox Sports Net and FX during the Fox/FX portion of the season, and between TNT and CNNSI during the NBC/TNT portion of the season. By the end of 2002, Speed had replaced Fox Sports Net and (due to CNN/SI shutting down in the spring of 2002) a deal was arranged with NBC/TNT to move most practice and qualifying sessions to Speed, as well using NBC/TNT's production team and Speed graphics.^{[citation needed]}

Late in 2005, NBC announced that they no longer wanted to carry NASCAR races on their schedule. ABC/ESPN took the opportunity to regain the series. On December 12, 2005, NASCAR announced its next TV contract: eight years at $4.8 billion with Fox/Speed Channel, ABC/ESPN, and TNT.^[15] This time, the deal bundled the Truck Series alongside the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series:

• Fox broadcast the first 13 Cup races along with theBusch Clash every year, and as a result gained exclusivity for the Daytona 500. The package ran through the first weekend in June and (usually) the race atDover International Speedway. Due to schedule adjustments, the package ended in 2010 with theCoca-Cola 600 and in 2011 with thespring Kansas race.
• TNT, which split from former partner NBC, gained rights to six races including theCoke Zero 400 at Daytona. Their coverage began with the June race atPocono Raceway and continued with the first race of the year atMichigan International Speedway, the lone race atSonoma Raceway, the Coke Zero 400, and the first race of the year atNew Hampshire Motor Speedway. Originally, TNT's sixth and final race was the race atChicagoland Speedway, but this was moved to later in the season when TNT picked up the race atKentucky Speedway. The Coke Zero 400 was presented with limited commercial interruptions until 2013.^[16] The Kentucky race replaced the race atChicagoland Speedway in 2011.
• ESPN networks broadcast the remainder of the Cup schedule, beginning at theBrickyard 400. From 2007 to 2009,ABC carried coverage of the last race before the Chase at Richmond and allChase for the Sprint Cup events. In 2010, following NASCAR's shift to standardized start times for races, only three races were aired on ABC, and the majority of coverage was allotted to ESPN networks.^{[citation needed]}
• ESPN networks held exclusive rights to the Nationwide Series across the entire season, with races on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC.
• Speed Channel moved two of its Truck Series races to Fox from 2007 to 2009. From 2010 to 2013, all CWTS races were on Speed; Fox returned to the series in 2014 with its telecast of the Talladega race.
• Qualifying sessions for Sprint Cup races aired on Fox for the Daytona 500, on Speed/FS1 for the next 18 races, and alternating between Speed/FS1 and ESPN/ESPN2 for the remaining 17 races.
• NASCAR Cup Series practice sessions were broadcast by Speed/FS1 for the first 19 races and alternated between Speed/FS1 and ESPN2 for the remaining 17 races. Speed/FS1 was guaranteed at least one session each weekend during the ESPN portion of the schedule.
• Nationwide Series practice and qualifying alternated between Speed/FS1 and ESPN2 throughout the entire season.
• On the pay-per-view front,DirecTV premieredNASCAR Hot Pass at the 2007 Daytona 500. The package consists of four channels, each dedicated to a particular driver with team communications among the driver, crew chief, and spotter. From 2007 to 2008, Hot Pass also had separate lap-by-lap announcers and color commentators for each channel.^[17] In 2009 NASCAR Hot Pass became free, although without announcers, and on January 7, 2013, it was discontinued all together.^[18] NBC and FX no longer carried NASCAR as a result.

Starting in 2006, NBC was paying $2.8 billion for six years ofSunday night telecasts of theNational Football League. The new NFL and old NASCAR deals overlapped in 2006, which forced some postrace coverage at NBC races to air onCNBC. FX stopped airing sporting events from 2006 to 2010. (It did show the ninth inning of a rain-delayedFox game between theNew York Yankees and theBoston Red Sox when it conflicted with the start of the2008 Subway Fresh Fit 500, as well as other games which overran into the starts of NASCAR races. Beginning in 2010, Fox's MLB games during NASCAR Saturdays were shifted to early in the afternoon.)^{[citation needed]}

The new contracts increased the amount of coverage from each weekend's races. When the 2007 season began, all practices for NASCAR Cup Series races were televised, whereas only the final practice ("happy hour") had been televised before. In addition, all Nationwide Series final practices and qualifying sessions were shown; before, a few qualifying sessions were not seen and only a handful of practices were seen. Most, if not all, truck series time trials are also broadcast.^{[citation needed]}

From 2007 to 2010, average race viewership fell from 7.85 million at its height to 5.99 million, according to theSports Business Journal.^[19]

Starting in 2013, Spanish-language networkFox Deportes has aired select NASCAR Cup races either live or delayed.^[20]

In August 2013, Speed was replaced byFox Sports 1, and Fuel TV byFox Sports 2. All Truck Series races remained on Fox Sports 1, while practice and qualifying sessions and regional series races alternated between Fox Sports 1 and 2 depending on scheduling. For North American markets outside of the United States, coverage of some NASCAR events carried by Speed at the time remained on an international version of Speed (nowFox Sports Racing) that operates in the regions.^[21]

In 2014, the Sprint Unlimited moved to Fox Sports 1. Owing to the increased viewership of qualifying sessions under the new "group" knockout format, and being the firstrestrictor plate race under the new system, qualifying coverage for that year'sAaron's 499 was moved to Fox, marking the only other race besides the Daytona 500 to have a qualifying round televised on broadcast television.^[22]

The broadcast teams for each package during this period are as follows:

• Fox retained most of the same announcers that worked for the network since 2001:Mike Joy,Larry McReynolds, andDarrell Waltrip in the booth, pit reportersSteve Byrnes,Dick Berggren, andMatt Yocum; and prerace hostsChris Myers andJeff Hammond.Krista Voda replacedJeanne Zelasko as the fourth pit reporter; with the expansion of Fox's baseball coverage to a full season, Zelasko was no longer available due to her responsibilities as then-studio host.
• The ESPN/ABC team: the original team consisted ofJerry Punch as the lead, withRusty Wallace andAndy Petree as booth analysts.Allen Bestwick moved over from NBC/TNT as the lead pit reporter, joined by fellow former NBC/TNT pit reporterDave Burns, ESPN's then-lead NASCAR reporterMike Massaro, and IndyCar pit reporterJamie Little. Punch was eventually replaced byMarty Reid as the lead andDale Jarrett replaced Wallace as an analyst. Bestwick and Wallace were moved to serve as studio host and analyst forNASCAR Countdown, while Punch moved back into his familiar role as lead pit reporter. Bestwick was later promoted to replace Reid as the lead broadcaster.
• TNT keptBill Weber as lap-by-lap announcer andWally Dallenbach Jr. as analyst. After some speculation,Kyle Petty was revealed as the second analyst for the network's coverage on February 7, 2007.^[23] He continued his role as an active NASCAR driver for two seasons before retiring from driving.Benny Parsons, who was an NBC/TNT analyst, died on January 16, 2007; he had reportedly talked about retirement after 2006 and had personally nominated Petty as his replacement prior to his death.^{[citation needed]} TNT retained its pit crew as well, with Matt Yocum and Marty Snider joined by former secondary pit reportersRalph Sheheen andLindsay Czarniak on a permanent basis. McReynolds, a booth analyst for Fox, is the pre-race analyst.^[24] Weber also continued as host of theCountdown to Green pre-race show. Marc Fein joined McReynolds on a new "pre-pre-race" show calledNASCAR on TNT Live.

Bill Weber was forced to leave TNT shortly before the 4th race of TNT's schedule. Officially, Turner says it was due to a personal matter; howeverUSA Today reported that it was due to an incident at a hotel the night before the race.^{[citation needed]} Ralph Sheheen stepped in as announcer for the last 3 races on TNT in 2009. Adam Alexander filled in on pit road for the last 2 races, before moving to the announcer booth for 2010 and beyond. Sheheen returned to pit road, where he remained until the end of TNT's contract. TheNASCAR on TNT Live show was discontinued and morphed into an hour-longCountdown to Green which was hosted by Alexander.

On October 15, 2012, NASCAR and theFox Sports Media Group (FSMG) announced a new $2.4 billion eight-year deal, a 30% increase from their previous deal.^[25] On July 23, 2013, NASCAR and theNBC Sports Group announced a new $4.4 billion ten-year deal.^[26][27][28] Ten days later on August 1, 2013, NASCAR and Fox extended and expanded their agreement, paying an additional $1.4 billion to do so, to complete NASCAR's new TV package through the 2024 season.^[29][30] NBC reportedly bid over 50% more than ESPN and Turner for their portion of the package, despite Turner and ESPN expressing interest in continuing their relationship with NASCAR.^[31]

• The first 16 points races are broadcast by Fox. Ten races, including the Daytona 500, are broadcast on Fox with six races on FS1.
• The final 20 points races, including theNASCAR playoffs, are broadcast by NBC. Nine races are airing on NBC and 11 would air onNBCSN until the end of the 2021 season. NBCSN ceased broadcasting a few weeks later, and their schedule of races would move toUSA beginning with the 2022 season.
• As part of the deal, Playoff races airing on NBC are lead-ins toNBC Sunday Night Football (after local news andNBC Nightly News, except for the final race of the season, when SNF follows the race).
• TheBusch Clash alternates between Fox (2015–2016, 2022–2024) andFS1 (2014, 2017–2021).
• TheBluegreen Vacations Duel races, now in primetime, andNASCAR All-Star Race air onFS1.
• Practice and qualifying rights belongs to the network group broadcasting the race.
• All races arelive-streamed online.

• The first 14 races are broadcast by Fox. From 2015 to 2018, four races are broadcast on Fox and the other 10 races air onFS1, but since 2019 all races air on FS1.
• The final 19 races are broadcast by NBC. Four races (five in 2020) are broadcast by NBC and the other 15 races (14 in 2020) would air onNBCSN until the end of the 2021 season. NBCSN ceased broadcasting a few weeks later, and their schedule of races moved toUSA beginning with the 2022 season.
• Practice and qualifying rights belong to the network broadcasting the race.
• All races arelive-streamed online.

• Fox Sports continues to be the exclusive broadcasters of theNASCAR Truck Series. All Truck races are also streaming on theFox Sports app.
• USA Network also broadcast theARCA Menards Series East andWest,NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour andNASCAR PEAK Mexico Series.
• Telemundo andUniverso have Spanish-language broadcast rights for national series and Toyota (Mexico) Series events.
• Peacock holds rights to theNASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony and season ending banquets.

ESPN no longer broadcast NASCAR for the foreseeable future, while TNT no longer broadcast NASCAR until 2025 (see below). The new contract succeeded a partnership with Turner Sports and ESPN which it was paid by $4.8 billion that was covered by the previous contract which was eight years that began in 2007.

In July 2023, broadcast networkThe CW signed a TV rights deal to broadcast theNASCAR Xfinity Series from 2025 to 2031 for an estimated $115 million annual fee.^[32]

In November 2023, NASCAR announced a television and streaming deal for theNASCAR Cup Series from 2025 to 2031 for a $1.1 billion annual fee.^[33][34]Fox Sports andNBC Sports will distribute 14 Cup races each, with five and four races on their broadcast networks respectively. Fox Sports will continue to air early season spring races including theDaytona 500, while NBC will continue to show late-season fall races including the entire NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.Amazon Prime Video will stream five Cup races in the early summer, as well as practice and qualifying for the first half of the season except for the Clash, Daytona 500 and All-Star Race.TNT will show the remaining five Cup races in the late summer, which will also be streamed onHBO Max. Practice and qualifying for the second half of the season will air onTruTV and HBO Max. It was also announced that Fox Sports would continue its arrangement with theNASCAR Truck Series from the previous media deal.Starting in 2026,Versant, a company formed after a spinoff of most of NBCUniversal's cable channels, will produce NBC and USA Network broadcasts as part ofNASCAR on USA Sports, of which NBC will broadcast only 4 races.

Below is a table (1960–present) of eachNASCAR Cup Series points race and the network upon which it was broadcast:

Note: This table reflects the network upon which each race was predominantly shown, and does not reflect in-race movements, rain delays, and pre-emptions due to time constraints or other commitments, Non-points races from these seasons (Busch Clash,NASCAR All-Star Race and All-Star open,1988 Goodyear NASCAR 500,NASCAR Thunder Special Suzuka,Coca-Cola 500 (Motegi), andDaytona Duels (even though it has awarded points since 2017)) are also not listed.