What Replaced Xfinity as NASCAR’s Series Title Sponsor?

O’Reilly Auto Parts replaced Xfinity as the title sponsor of NASCAR’s second national series in 2026, with the series officially renamed the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series under a multi-year agreement reported at approximately $15 million per year. The announcement was made on 18 August 2025, marking the beginning of a new era for a series that had carried the Xfinity name since 2015.

The transition was not the result of any dispute or abrupt departure. Xfinity — the consumer internet and cable brand owned by Comcast — made a strategic decision not to renew its series-level title sponsorship at the end of the 2025 season. Importantly, Xfinity did not exit NASCAR entirely: the brand retains a presence in the sport as a sponsor at the Cup Series level, continuing its relationship with select teams and events. The series rebrand is, in essence, a commercial evolution rather than a rupture.

For brands tracking NASCAR’s sponsorship landscape, the change signals something significant: the tier-2 series title is a high-value, high-visibility asset that periodically changes hands, and each transition creates a window of opportunity for challenger brands to associate themselves with a sport that delivers proven, measurable marketing returns. Those exploring sponsorship options often compare NASCAR vs IndyCar sponsorship to understand differences in audience, reach, and ROI.

O’Reilly Auto Parts is one of the largest automotive aftermarket retailers in the United States, operating more than 6,400 stores across 48 states. The company’s decision to invest in a series-level NASCAR title sponsorship aligns perfectly with its core customer demographic: passionate, hands-on automotive enthusiasts — the same group that closely follows NASCAR’s main events, including the NASCAR Crown Jewel races. The commercial logic of the partnership is clear: the brand speaks directly to its target audience.

What is the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series?

The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series is the official name of NASCAR’s second-tier national series from 2026 onwards, replacing the long-running Xfinity Series branding. It is one of NASCAR’s three national series alongside the Cup Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. The series races at the same venues and on the same weekends as the Cup Series for the majority of its calendar, giving brands visibility across multiple events. For fans and sponsors planning ahead, the NASCAR 2026 schedule outlines all race dates and locations for this newly branded series.

Xfinity’s 11-Year Run as NASCAR Series Sponsor (2015–2025) — A Timeline

The Xfinity Series era spanned eleven seasons and stands as one of the most successful title sponsorship chapters in NASCAR’s secondary series history. Below is a concise timeline of the key milestones:

Year	Milestone
2015	Xfinity (Comcast) replaces the Nationwide Insurance branding; the series is officially renamed the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
2020	Despite the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and a condensed race calendar, Xfinity extends its title sponsorship commitment mid-season.
2024	Xfinity signals to NASCAR that it will not seek renewal of the title sponsorship at the end of the 2025 season, triggering a search for a successor brand.
2025	Final season of the Xfinity Series name. The series concludes its championship at Phoenix Raceway under the Xfinity banner.
2026	The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series era begins. O’Reilly Auto Parts officially assumes the title under a multi-year deal announced in August 2025.

A nuance worth noting for brand strategists: Xfinity’s decision not to renew reflects a shift in the company’s media mix priorities, not dissatisfaction with NASCAR as a platform. The sport’s audience metrics, particularly in the heartland markets most important to Comcast’s growth plans, remained strong throughout the partnership.

The transition also generated significant commercial activity in the sports marketing ecosystem. Multiple brands were reported to have expressed interest in the tier-2 title sponsorship before O’Reilly was selected, underscoring the competitive demand for a property that delivers reliable, large-scale audience access at a price point well below the Cup Series primary title.

Read More: Which Gas Brand Sponsors NASCAR?

The History of NASCAR Tier-2 Series Title Sponsors — From Busch to O’Reilly

The NASCAR tier-2 series has been a vehicle for major brand partnerships since the early 1980s. Each successive sponsor brought distinct category alignment and strategic rationale, and the pattern of evolution reveals how the sport’s commercial identity has matured over four decades.

Era	Title Sponsor	Years	Category
Busch Series	Anheuser-Busch (Busch Beer)	1984–2007	Alcohol & Beverages
Nationwide Series	Nationwide Insurance	2008–2014	Financial Services / Insurance
Xfinity Series	Xfinity / Comcast	2015–2025	Telecommunications
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series	O’Reilly Auto Parts	2026–present	Automotive Retail

Each rebrand brought different audience dynamics. The Busch era drew on the deep cultural overlap between motorsport fans and beer consumption. Nationwide Insurance targeted a value-conscious homeowner demographic. Xfinity repositioned the series for a tech-forward audience and leveraged the sponsorship to compete with satellite and streaming services. O’Reilly Auto Parts closes the loop by returning the series to its most natural commercial home: automotive aftermarket retail, where NASCAR’s core audience is demonstrably the most engaged consumer segment in the country.

The pattern across forty years of tier-2 title sponsors reveals a consistent logic: category leaders use the NASCAR platform not merely for awareness, but for affinity. Each brand has sought to embed itself within the cultural fabric of a sport whose fans are among the most brand-loyal in American professional sport, and each has used the series title as the highest-profile expression of that commitment. O’Reilly’s entry in 2026 follows this tradition with a particularly strong natural fit.

O’Reilly Auto Parts NASCAR Series — Sponsorship Costs and Opportunities in 2026

One of the most common questions from brands considering NASCAR is straightforward: What does it cost? The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series — NASCAR’s tier-2 circuit — offers a compelling commercial proposition precisely because it provides near-Cup visibility at a substantially lower price point.

Sponsorship Tier	Per Race (est.)	Full Season (est.)
Primary car sponsor	$30,000 – $100,000	$1,000,000 – $3,500,000
Associate car sponsor	$5,000 – $20,000	$180,000 – $720,000
Team partner (non-car)	Negotiable	From $50,000/year

These figures represent indicative market ranges rather than fixed rate cards; actual deal structures vary significantly based on team competitiveness, activation rights, category exclusivity, and the scope of digital and experiential deliverables included. The O’Reilly Series shares race weekends with the Cup Series at the majority of venues, meaning a brand on a tier-2 car receives incidental exposure across Cup broadcasts, social media coverage, and on-site foot traffic — typically without paying Cup-level premiums.

The case for undervaluation is compelling. A brand entering the O’Reilly Series now, in its inaugural sponsorship era, has the advantage of novelty and visibility at a time when the market is recalibrating around a new naming rights holder. Experienced agencies such as RTR Sports Marketing can identify the teams, race windows, and activation structures that maximise return within a defined budget.

RTR Sports Marketing can secure O’Reilly Series sponsorship packages tailored to your brand objectives. Contact us at rtrsports.com/en/nascar-sponsorship-agency/ to explore current availability.

Why Does NASCAR’s Tier-2 Series Title Sponsorship Matter to Brands?

Brands unfamiliar with NASCAR’s structure sometimes underestimate the commercial weight of the tier-2 series. Three structural advantages make it particularly attractive:

• Shared venues, differentiated budget. The O’Reilly Series races at the same tracks on the same weekends as the Cup Series. Brands gain access to the full race-weekend audience — hundreds of thousands of passionate fans in-venue, millions watching on broadcast — without competing at Cup-level price points.
• Emerging talent pipeline. The tier-2 series has historically been the proving ground for drivers who go on to define Cup careers. Brands that build relationships with young drivers in the O’Reilly Series often carry those relationships forward as the drivers rise to NASCAR’s premier division. This creates compounding brand equity that is difficult to price in isolation.
• Category exclusivity at accessible thresholds. At the Cup level, many high-demand categories — automotive, fuel, financial services, technology — are locked by incumbent sponsors. The tier-2 series offers more flexibility, and a well-structured deal can include exclusivity rights within a category at a fraction of the Cup cost.

Brands often partner with a sports sponsorship marketing agency or a specialized NASCAR sponsorship agency to navigate the complex ecosystem, optimize activation strategies, and track ROI across all three NASCAR series.

How to Sponsor the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series — Step by Step

Entering NASCAR sponsorship for the first time can appear complex. In practice, the process follows a clear four-step framework:

1. Define your objectives. Are you seeking brand awareness, retail activation, B2B hospitality, digital content rights, or a combination? The answer shapes every subsequent decision.
2. Set your per-race or full-season budget. The O’Reilly Series accommodates meaningful partnerships from as low as $5,000 per race for associate-level involvement, up to $3.5 million or more for full-season primary sponsorship of a competitive team.
3. Contact RTR Sports Marketing for team availability. As a specialist NASCAR motorsport sponsorship agency, RTR maintains active relationships with teams across the O’Reilly Series grid and can identify partners aligned with your audience profile and commercial goals.
4. Negotiate, structure, and activate. Sponsorship agreements in NASCAR typically run for one to three seasons. The activation phase — the work of turning the sponsorship into real audience engagement — is where the return is built. RTR’s team supports the full activation lifecycle, from fan-facing events to content production and performance reporting.

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