Yahoo Autos Prime Video to Play Role in New NASCAR In-Season Tournament in 2025
The NASCAR Coca-Cola 600, one of the crown jewels of the NASCAR Cup Series season, is going Prime time in 2025.
Make that Prime Video time.
Prime Video, which has secured the rights to five NASCAR Cup races annually beginning in 2025, announced today that its first race under the new deal will be next year's Coca-Cola 600 from Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, 2025.
In addition to the streaming service's announcement of its debut race, it was also announced on Tuesday plans for more ground-breaking coverage next year. Prime Video will broadcast three seeding races as part of a unique in-season tournament planned for the Cup Series that will air on Prime Video and TNT in 2025.
Here's how that in-season tournament will work:
The seeding for the bracket-style head-to-head event across TNT Sports’ full five-race schedule will be set by results from the final three races that will air on Prime Video.
All drivers are eligible for the seeding races which will take place during the final three races of Cup Series coverage on Prime Video.
The top 32 drivers based on the seeding events, will become eligible for the in-season tournament competition.
Bracket seeding will be established by best finish each race over the three races with the tiebreakers determined by the next-best finish, followed by season points position.
The tournament kicks off with the first event in the TNT Sports portion of the Cup Series season.
Drivers will compete head-to-head with the higher finishing driver of each race advancing over five rounds.
The winner of the tournament will receive a $1 million prize.
“We can’t wait to drop the flag and start our NASCAR relationship with the famed Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway next May,” said Jay Marine, vice president and global head of sports and ads, Prime Video. “We have one of the most iconic drivers in history, Dale Earnhardt Jr., joining our broadcast booth, and we also have a behind-the-scenes, four-part documentary on the Earnhardt family coming to Prime Video.
"Add in the just announced in-season tournament where drivers will compete for a $1 million prize, and our debut can’t come fast enough.”
