NASCAR, Xumo bringing free and live content to race fans

One of the newest partnerships in NASCAR, Xumo, is working to bring more free and live content to race fans at home. A streaming service focused on free ad-supported television, Xumo is forging its own path in the sport of stock car racing.

Xumo is a “cousin” of Xfinity, as it is a venture between Comcast and Charter. Of course, Xfinity is one of the premier partners of NASCAR, but Xumo is likely new to many fans at home. While at the track, you may have noticed their branding all over the Chicago Street Race in the summer as they became one of the founding partners of the event.

So…what is Xumo? It is one of the ways for NASCAR fans to be tapped into their favorite sport like never before. Xumo Play, the native, free ad-supported streaming television service on the platform, features the NASCAR Channel, a free ad-supported television channel.

When fans go to the channel, that is where historical race content, daily podcasts, radio shows, and even live races can be seen by fans at no extra cost. Xumo launched the channel on its platform in May and has already seen tremendous growth.

The NASCAR Channel is just one small part of why Xumo is a great option for race fans who watch at home. With the stream box, fans can access all of their streaming apps in one, easy-to-find place. Cup race on Prime Video? No worries. Xfinity practice and qualifying on The CW app? Need to flip to live TV to catch the Truck Series on FS1? You can do all of that through the Xumo stream box.

A new media partnership, free to fans

With a partner like Xumo, NASCAR is able to think about the future of its content. What does it look like, who is it reaching, and how do we improve it for the future? Now, a fertile testing ground exists. Xumo invited 5GOATs to the Phoenix championship race weekend to get an inside look at the partnership and why NASCAR is so excited about it.

“We are able to tap into the fan where they’re at throughout their fandom experience,” Alma Angeles-Parvaz, NASCAR VP of Partnership Marketing, told 5GOATs. “So, streaming with Xumo – they’re going to be able to go ahead and take that in through digital aspects, on the phone or whatnot. Which is big, right? And we’re talking about every section of the sport.”

If you have been to a NASCAR race this season, you may have seen Xumo activations in the midway or elsewhere at the track. It is a partnership that has developed quickly this season and is already growing for next season.

Being able to test out new content strategies and ideas is what makes the NASCAR, Xumo partnership really great. When fans go to the NASCAR Channel, it gives them content they can’t get elsewhere.

“If we have that content, we’re going to have a partner that is going to go ahead and let us have fun with that and have a place to put it,” Angeles-Parvaz continued. “Because you can make it all you want, but if you don’t have a place to place it, then what are we doing here? Then, accessibility. That combination right there is perfect for anybody who is coming up the ranks or anything that we are trying to develop and figure out, what’s the next step.”

The partnership isn’t all about NASCAR, either. Xumo has opened up many FAST channels to its content library. There are FAST channels for niche sports, mainstream sports such as the NFL and NBA, and tons of other content. But for the race fan, the NASCAR Channel could be the future of keeping up with the sport.

FAST channel provides testing ground for new content

For 2026, Xumo and NASCAR are already working on what they can bring to the fans on the NASCAR Channel next. This season, with the help of FloRacing, multiple live racing events were hosted on the FAST channel. The potential to showcase grassroots racing and talent is so valuable. Not only to those smaller series, but to the drivers in those series, and for the future health of the sport.

While a streaming platform like Xumo skews towards a younger audience, the NASCAR Channel is really a catch-all for new and old fans. The variety of content on the channel, historic content and new content, is designed to attract both kinds of fans.

“We are in very good discussions, we’re just embarking on them now of how can we continue to build out the FAST channel?” Fern Feistel, VP of Marketing at Xumo told 5GOATs. “As that is what we are embracing as a very early entry point for consumers and to get introduced to the brand and the sport, as well as fans, heavy fans, to come into it and always have something on.

“So, we are partnering with them on a few new projects for 2026 in terms of how we can continue to build out the programming on that channel, make it differentiated, and for Xumo as a platform itself, and for Xumo Play and continue to add value and meet that customer where they are and what they’re looking for.”

For NASCAR, the FAST channel is an outlet to expose different parts of the sport to the fans at home. With the proliferation of the Internet and social media, our interests and consumption habits have become more niche and focused. There are entire communities of NASCAR fans who exist solely online. These are typically younger viewers who may not be watching on traditional TV or streaming services.

So, Xumo gives NASCAR the option to get into not only the existing diehard fanbase that ultimately drives the sport, but also a new group of fans who might be searching for a new interest, happen upon the NASCAR Channel, and hopefully, fall in love with the sport. At the very least, it is another outlet for the sport to put out content.

How Xumo fits into new NASCAR media landscape

In the new media deal, NASCAR has opened itself up to multiple outlets and distribution methods. Streaming vs. Linear TV – Cable vs. Network. Does adding another outlet on a streamer like Xumo just add to the confusion? Dan Barker, Managing Director of Content and Strategy and Distribution at NASCAR, explained.

“I think one of the challenges we faced that I think we faced quite well was taking the audience on that journey through those different platforms,” Barker said. “Obviously, with FOX and NBC, there’s a familiarity there. Prime, adding in Warner Brothers Discovery with TNT.

“I think one of the lessons for us is how do we continue to help our fans navigate through that. … The NASCAR Channel launched this year, the FAST channel. It’s pretty heavily distributed now. That’s given us opportunities for storytelling, too, that I think we’re just scratching the surface of. And that’s why Xumo has been a huge part of it.”

What the NASCAR Channel and Xumo can really do to help the sport is air grassroots racing. Multiple times this season, there has been live racing on the channel for fans to enjoy. Live sports are the king of media at the moment, and any kind of live action is likely to attract viewers.

“Being able to partner with FloRacing to put live events on the NASCAR Channel helps lift everything,” Barker explained. “I think for Flo, it provides that exposure to a more general NASCAR audience. For our short track series, it provides them a bigger platform. For the channel itself, it gives those live events that are easier to promote and rally behind. And for the platforms, they’re all looking for live content, particularly live sports.”

NASCAR, Xumo helping to build next generation of fans and stars

On top of giving back to fans, the NASCAR and Xumo partnership is giving back to drivers as well. Those drivers coming up through the ranks aren’t used to being on TV all the time. For the future stars of the sport, their first live, televised interview at a race track could be on this channel. The value goes beyond viewership and dollars in that way.

“Giving a guy like Brenden Queen the reps of what does he have to do in a post-race interview, where does he have to go, when does he – it’s almost media training for those guys, too, right?” Barker continued. “So, we’re helping train that next generation of stars through the increased exposure on the channel and through the FloSports partnership.”

After a full season of the NASCAR Channel, one thing is clear – it has brought more partners into the sport. Xumo isn’t just distributing NASCAR content, but is at the track and engaging with fans. Then you bring in FloRacing and their live broadcast value for these short track series like ARCA and the Modified Tour. Partnerships building partnerships.

So, why not promote the CARS Tour on the channel as well? While it builds the next generation of racers, that series continues to grow. It now has a West division, and we are seeing future NASCAR stars regularly develop, succeed, and then move on from that series.

There are big-time late model races that the average fan simply doesn’t have access to. Either through a paywall or a lack of actual, reliable coverage. Therefore, NASCAR Channel can be a solution for that gap between fans and the grassroots. It feels like once you start thinking about what can be done, the possibilities are almost endless.

Speaking with the folks at Xumo and NASCAR, it is clear what this partnership means. It holds value beyond dollars and cents. It makes the sport accessible for fans, and hopefully, helps ensure the future health of the sport, too.

From grassroots to historic races to the current season. So, all of that is available right now on the NASCAR Channel on Xumo and is set to expand and grow in the near future. As we enter the offseason, fans can still get the racing content they need. Keeping fans engaged with the sport all year round is important. It could be what NASCAR needs to grow and develop the next generation of fans.