NASCAR has officially announced the extension of its major partnership with Ticketmaster, making the company the Official Ticketing Partner starting with the 2025 season.
This collaboration aims to enhance the fan experience by improving ticket management across all NASCAR-owned tracks.
Speedway Motorsports, which operates ten NASCAR Cup Series venues, has had a strong relationship with Ticketmaster for years. This new agreement expands that relationship to include all NASCAR-owned tracks, creating a unified ticketing platform for fans. Kari Gritton, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Consumer Strategy, shared her thoughts via TobyChristie.com:
“We selected Ticketmaster as our new ticketing solution due to their advanced capabilities, deep industry knowledge, and proven track record in sports ticketing.
“Their expertise will be crucial in streamlining all NASCAR-owned events onto one accessible platform, enhancing our overall operations.”
Marla Ostroff, Ticketmaster’s Managing Director for North America, echoed this sentiment:
“NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports share a vision for creating a seamless fan experience, and we are the ideal partner to help them achieve this,” Ostroff said.
This partnership will utilize Ticketmaster’s c
utting-edge technology, delivering NASCAR fans a more streamlined and user-friendly ticket-buying experience.
A key upgrade to the process will be the integration of Ticketmaster Ignite with the NASCAR Tracks App. This will allow fans to manage their tickets from their smartphones, ensuring a smooth process from purchase to race day. Features like SafeTix and Smart Queue will enhance the overall ticketing experience, tailored specifically to NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports’ needs.
Kevin Camper, Speedway Motorsports Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, highlighted the benefits of their long-standing relationship with Ticketmaster:
“Our partnership with Ticketmaster has delivered efficiency and consistency in the purchasing process, along with operational excellence to serve fans on race day.”
Beyond technological improvements, social media will play a crucial role in the new strategy. Through Ticketmaster’s distribution network, fans will be able to discover upcoming racing events on platforms like TikTok and Snapchat, expanding marketing opportunities.
In the past, NASCAR has worked with various ticketing partners, including Tickets.com and SeatGeek. The shift to Ticketmaster marks a move toward a more cohesive and advanced approach, tailored to the evolving demands of modern fans, especially younger audiences.
However, this partnership comes at a time when Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and Ticketmaster LLC face legal challenges. A recent antitrust lawsuit filed by the Justice Department, along with 40 state and district attorneys general, accuses the company of monopolistic practices. United States Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated:
“We allege that Live Nation engages in unlawful, anticompetitive practices to maintain monopolistic control over the live events industry in the United States, to the detriment of fans, artists, smaller promoters, and venue operators.
“The outcome is higher fees for fans, fewer opportunities for artists, reduced competition for smaller promoters, and fewer options for venues. It is time to dismantle Live Nation-Ticketmaster.”
Live Nation-Ticketmaster has denied the allegations, calling them “baseless.”
Similar innovations have been seen in Formula 1, where tracks like Silverstone have adopted adaptive pricing that fluctuates based on demand. This has sparked backlash from fans who feel they are being priced out of events that were more affordable in previous years.
For now, NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports are not directly tied to Live Nation, insulating this new partnership with Ticketmaster from the ongoing legal controversies.
