The CW will begin to feature all of its sports content through the ESPN app, an announcement confirmed on April 29. That means that the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series makes its return to ESPN airwaves. While the television broadcast itself remains on the CW, all applicable televised series events, including practice and qualifying, will be available to ESPN Unlimited members.
According to The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck, practice and qualifying sessions will remain viewable on The CW App. The start date for this collaboration is listed as “This summer.”
Advertisement
While ESPN picks up the broadcasts to streamline the viewership, the broadcast teams will not shift. The main crew of Adam Alexander, Jamie McMurray, and Parker Kligerman will remain.
The CW Sports Joins Up with ESPN
NASCAR on The CW Paint Scheme. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
The ESPN Unlimited plan costs $29.99 per month. Access is granted to all of CW Sports’ content, every ESPN TV Channel, and ESPN+ content, giving fans access to nearly all of college basketball, football, and much more. Fans even get access to ESPN productions such as their popular 30 for 30 documentaries.
Advertisement
The partnership between The CW and NASCAR is set to run through 2031. The viewership has surged thus far in 2026, up 22% YoY. The access to ESPN should further skyrocket the series.
ESPN returns to NASCAR after over 11 years away from the sport. 2014 marked the final time that ESPN broadcast the sport. Beginning in 2015, NBC took over half of the series that it now broadcasts; the second half of the season.
Fans can not only expect to see NASCAR on ESPN, but also hope that ESPN productions will further discuss the series. From SportsCenter to Get Up, First Take, and much more, sports will benefit greatly from more conversations and greater reach with the larger daily TV audience.
Advertisement
Current Sunday viewership is about 33% lower than in 2014. The addition of online personalities like Cleetus McFarland has helped our viewership. Nonetheless, NASCAR needs to revitalize itself. The hope is that this deal aids that endeavor.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
