NASCAR Revs Up New Era with USA Sports Partnership
NASCAR has kicked off its partnership with USA Sports, marking the beginning of a new era in auto racing coverage. The Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at the sold-out Iowa Speedway was the first event under this new partnership, which sees USA running the final leg of NASCAR's premier series races from 2025 to 2031.
USA Sports has taken over the broadcast rights for the last 14 races of the season, including the 10 that make up the Chase for the championship. This marks a return to the Chase format, which was previously used from 2014 before being replaced by a more playoff-style system from 2015 to 2025.
The on-air talent and production team remain unchanged despite the new partnership, with Leigh Diffey handling play-by-play duties, Jeff Burton providing driver analysis, and Steve Letarte offering crew chief analysis. USA Sports has also introduced a new element to its coverage: a pace car analyst, former driver Trevor Bayne, who will provide analysis from the pace car during caution periods.
Following Sunday's race, USA Sports will debut a three-part documentary called 'NASCAR Americana,' which explores the sport's place in American culture as the country celebrates its 250th anniversary. This project is executive-produced by Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.