With the antitrust suit in NASCAR’s rearview mirror, a new auto manufacturer entering the sport, and interest from corporate America increasing, NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell described the sport as having encouraging momentum.
However, O’Donnell admitted in his annual State of the Sport address at Homestead-Miami Speedway that NASCAR had work to do in every facet of the sport. He cited that blueprint as having five pillars:
CompetitionAudience growth and engagement
Schedule and media strategy
International
At-track fan development
O’Donnell says achieving those objectives is having a healthy ecosystem for all industry stakeholders.
“It means a schedule that resonates with our fans who have been with us the longest and new fans who are excited about it,” O’Donnell said. “Is the sport easier to follow? Are we giving people more reasons to watch? Are we culturally relevant? We need to do this all while protecting what people have loved about the sport.”
At Martinsville, Brad Keselowski said that since the antitrust suit was settled he had seen a tremendous amount of interest in the sport from investors and sponsors, and O’Donnell agreed.
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“When I’m talking to folks who are interested in investing in the sport. NASCAR is a hot property,” O’Donnell said. “The teams have more interest than they’ve ever had before. Now, we’ve got to balance that with where are we going, what are the metrics going to be, who are those owners as well.
“I love seeing a racer being able to partner with a company. I also love the fact that we’re able to work with folks who may have come from outside the sport, who have been in the battles in other sports who have done some TV deals or have looked at things that may be a little bit ahead of us in terms of growth, so we can rely on some of that expertise as well.”
Several times during the hour O’Donnell spent with the media he touted the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series success on the CW, noting it was that network’s No. 1 sports property 29 out of the 32 races in 2026.
“The focus for us is really connecting with a new generation of fans,” said O’Donnell, who noted interest in the sport from the 18- to 34-year-old age group was at its highest level since 2013.
When it comes to social media, O’Donnell said NASCAR had done more with less, with impressions up 34 percent from last year. He also said they continued focusing on gaming platforms to attract new fans.
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NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Martinsville Speedway on October 31, 2026.
“Going forward, one of the things we’re going to work with the race teams on… is YouTube,” O’Donnell said.
“The goal at NASCAR is ultimately create as many avenues as possible to bring fans into the sport. We’ve got to do a better job telling the stories about the people that are in this industry.”
Other statistics touted by O’Donnell were:
5 percent increase in admissions.
12 percent increase in attendance by children 12 and under.
35 percent increase of NASCAR Channel viewership.
Even though there are constantly questions about NASCAR taking its Cup Series international, O’Donnell noted the sport is already broadcast outside the United States. This year, Cup races aired in more than 185 countries in 25 languages. NASCAR also has series in Europe, Mexico, Canada, and Brazil.
“We had record-breaking attendance in our European Series events, 44,000 people showed up in Czechia,” O’Donnell said. “In Brazil, first female to win a race. Mexico, three women competing at the highest level.”
The Canadian Series is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
“I think for the first time in a long, long time there’s alignment on where we’re going,” O’Donnell said.
A North Carolina native, Deb Williams is an award-winning motorsports journalist who is in her fourth decade covering auto racing. In addition to covering the sport for United Press International, she has written motorsports articles for several newspapers, magazines and websites including espnW.com, USA Today, and The Charlotte Observer. Her awards include the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence, two-time National Motorsports Press Association writer of the year, and two-time recipient of the Russ Catlin award. She also has won an award in the North Carolina Press Association’s sports feature category. During her career, Deb has been managing editor of GT Motorsports magazine and was with Winston Cup Scene and NASCAR Winston Cup Scene for 18 years, serving as the publication’s editor for 10 years. In 2024 she was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame.