NASCAR has been looking at options to integrate EVs into their racing roster, but most fans have not been on board with that idea. However, if there is one man who has the business knowledge and outlook to make something unorthodox work, it is Dana White. After taking UFC to new heights from near-obscurity, American stock car racing seems to be on his horizon next.
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The UFC CEO’s introduction to motorsports came when White purchased Thrill One, the company that owns Nitrocross (motorsports series) and Nitro Circus (motorsports reality show) in 2022 with Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta. The former uses electric cars in its premier division and NASCAR has been looking at opportunities to get into that space for a while.
“We own Nitro Circus and we own Nitrocross which is electric car racing. After the fourth of July at my house in Maine, I’m flying to NASCAR and we’re doing a deal with NASCAR. We’re going to be the electric series for NASCAR. Yeah, we’re working on that deal right now,” he said recently on the Flagrant podcast.
Interesting comments from Dana White on the Flagrant podcast:
“I’m flying to NASCAR and we’re doing a deal with NASCAR. We’re going to be the electric series for NASCAR. Yeah, we’re working on that deal right now.” pic.twitter.com/2TyEUGEykO
— Bozi Tatarevic (@BoziTatarevic) June 5, 2024
Sports Business Journal also reported NASCAR and Nitrocross were engaged in talks earlier this year, with the latter’s parent company also sponsoring a stock car racing entry in 2022.
How can Dana White win over traditional NASCAR fans with EVs?
David Ragan tested the new prototype EV at Martinsville last season and it was supposed to be unveiled at The Clash earlier this year. However, poor weather conditions ensured that did not happen. But the dream is far from over. If White and NASCAR successfully agree, fans can expect the project to progress at a great pace.
Winning over traditional race fans with EVs will be the biggest challenge but according to Thrill One CEO Matt Cohn, “The way we promote electric is the way they should be; it’s not about being electric, it’s that the cars are faster and they fly.”
Given the EV spinoff series cars can perform up to the level of the nationwide series that we have today, it could bring a shift in focus for the average NASCAR fan via Trill One’s marketing prowess. With EV architecture rapidly taking over the consumer automotive segment and racing genres scrambling to lower their carbon footprints worldwide, the incorporation of an EV-only series in American stock car racing seems inevitable.
