NASCAR has continued to streamline its licensing and merchandising. The sanctioning body long ago centralized team licensing into a single NASCAR Teams Licensing Trust – an independent group of top teams and NASCAR officials that “streamlines its consumer merchandise programs” for dozens of drivers and partners. In practice, this means new brand partnerships channel through the trust. Recent examples include footwear and apparel deals: in early 2024, NASCAR announced its first-ever licensed Crocs shoe collection. NASCAR’s managing director of licensing, Megan Malayter, said the Crocs deal gives fans “a fun, functional way to put their passion on display” and helps NASCAR “meet new consumers and potential fans.”
Later in 2024, sister brand HEYDUDE launched a NASCAR-themed sneaker line, offering five driver-inspired designs of its classic slip-on shoe. At the same time, consumer electronics firm AXIL renewed its NASCAR license through 2027. AXIL will produce and sell NASCAR-branded earbuds, earmuffs, and hearing protection gear at tracks and other outlets. AXIL CEO Jeff Toghraie noted that NASCAR’s brand is “synonymous with passion, performance, and innovation,” and said the partnership “underscores our shared commitment to delivering high-quality hearing protection… and exceptional experiences to the passionate NASCAR community.”
These tie-ins – Crocs/HeyDude shoes and AXIL audio gear – show NASCAR’s licensing trust in action, bringing new categories into its merchandising portfolio. Beyond licensing deals, NASCAR’s business strength is reinforced by a landmark new media rights package. In late 2023, NASCAR announced a seven-year, $7.7 billion TV and streaming agreement covering 2025–2031. The deal splits Cup Series coverage among Fox, NBC, Amazon Prime Video, and Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT/Max), with all 38 points races on broadcast, cable, or streaming platforms.
The $7.7 billion figure represents roughly a 40% increase over the previous contract, reflecting NASCAR’s premium positioning. As NASCAR President Steve Phelps noted, the multi-platform deal “signifies… NASCAR is clearly a Tier 1 property and a must-have property” for sponsors and partners. In short, the expanded broadcast exposure gives NASCAR’s teams and merch brands far more eyeballs – a boost to the “brand exposure” that the new media contract was designed to deliver.
NASCAR 25 Video Game
NASCAR’s digital footprint will expand further in fall 2025 with the release of NASCAR 25, the first standalone NASCAR console game under development by iRacing. iRacing – already NASCAR’s “official simulation partner” – announced that the game will launch on PC and consoles in late 2025. Unlike past games, NASCAR 25 will include all four of NASCAR’s top divisions.
For the first time in any NASCAR title, the ARCA Menards Series will appear alongside the Cup, Xfinity, and Craftsman Truck Series. All four series are integral to the new Career Mode: players begin in a home garage racing in ARCA and work their way up the ranks, signing contracts, hiring crew, and expanding their team’s facilities as they chase a Cup championship. In short, the career ladder mirrors the real NASCAR path from grassroots stock cars to the sport’s pinnacle.
Authenticity is a key selling point. Developers emphasize that every track in NASCAR 25 is built from laser-scan data, so its surface is modeled “to the millimeter.” Combined with realistic physics (car weights, aerodynamics, etc.), this is intended to give console players the same precision found in iRacing’s PC sims. The project is driven by longtime NASCAR game developers and even involves NASCAR personalities: for example, Dale Earnhardt Jr. (an executive producer on the title) and Truck Series champion Ty Majeski have previewed the deep career-mode mechanics.
Reflecting the ambition, iRacing President Tony Gardner said building the NASCAR console game “was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up” and vowed to “execute with the utmost care.” He promised to deliver a game “that provides an amazing experience for the gaming community and NASCAR fans worldwide,” blending sim-level detail with broad appeal. In other words, NASCAR 25 aims to bring true simulation fidelity to the console audience.
NASCAR and Esports Initiatives
NASCAR’s eSports program is also gearing up for 2025. iRacing “runs dozens of NASCAR official series… including the $100,000-to-win eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series,” and the 2025 schedule for the Coca-Cola Series was announced with some new twists. The 16th season will offer over $500,000 in total purses (champion’s share $100,000) and consists of 18 races.
It begins with two Daytona events (an exhibition and a points race) on Jan. 28 and Feb. 11, and features special stops like a first-ever trip to Brazil’s Autódromo José Carlos Pace (Interlagos) on March 4 and a revival of Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina. These international and nostalgic venues underscore NASCAR’s effort to grow sim racing globally while rewarding the league’s top sim drivers with a true championship finale. Alongside the pro sim circuit, NASCAR has been reaching into more casual gaming as well.
The sanctioning body recently launched the NASCAR Speed Hub on Roblox and released an arcade-style console title called NASCAR Arcade Rush. It has even put NASCAR-themed content into other games (e.g., special team designs in Rocket League and Fortnite). All of these tie-ins, plus the upcoming NASCAR 25 game, reflect a deliberate strategy to “connect with millions of potential new fans in the gaming space,” as NASCAR Esports Director Nick Rend explained.
Rend said the iRacing console title is meant to be “exciting for the gaming community” and “allows our fans to connect with the sport in an impactful, meaningful way.” In practice, the crossover is already underway: iRacing’s Coca-Cola series on PC and the forthcoming NASCAR 25 on consoles share the same official licenses and data, effectively narrowing the gap between hardcore sim racing and mainstream gaming. This integration ensures that both dedicated sim racers and casual fans will be engaged by NASCAR’s expanding digital ecosystem.
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