NASCAR Fantasy LIVE! to Provide Deeper Fan Engagement in the Short Term and Potentially Increased Interest in NASCAR in the Long Term
NASCAR.COM, the official online destination of NASCAR, announced today that it will be adding an innovative new fantasy game to its stable of live, in-race products. NASCAR Fantasy LIVE!, the first and only NASCAR fantasy game to offer live scoring during races, instantly becomes a one-of-a-kind experience providing deeper fan engagement for the sport’s millions of fans and potentially becomes, over time, a vehicle to help grow the sport among casual fans.
This interactive virtual competition, which allows players to accumulate points on an on-going basis throughout the race, will be the first and only NASCAR fantasy game with a scoring system that doesn’t focus simply on finishing position but rather on drivers’ in-race performance. For the first time in NASCAR fantasy history, players will accumulate points based on the following categories, most of which use real-time race data provided by the sanctioning body:
– Finish Position
– Place Differential
– Pass Differential
– Laps Led
– Number of Fastest Laps
“As the official site of NASCAR, NASCAR.COM strives to provide the most interactive experience for fans before, during and after each race,” said Matthew Hong, senior vice president and general manager, sports operations, Turner Sports. “The new NASCAR Fantasy LIVE! game will not only create a more exciting way for fans to get ready for each event, it will provide greater engagement throughout the race and the entire week as we continue to evolve to a more immersive, seven-day-a-week digital NASCAR experience.”
In NASCAR Fantasy LIVE!, players are allowed to choose five drivers each week to create their roster with a “Salary Cap” determining each team’s lineup. In addition to the live scoring component, players will also be able to update their progress and trash talk with friends and opponents. Players that win their league will compete with other league winners in a play-off during the 10-week Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup to determine the game’s overall grand winner.
“Fantasy games have had a significant, positive impact on the mainstream popularity of traditional stick-and-ball sports,” said John Martin, managing director of business operations for NASCAR Media Group. “NASCAR Fantasy LIVE! gives NASCAR and all its fantasy players a real-time scoring system that will make every lap, not just the last, important. That deeper fan engagement is something we think can help grow the sport over time.”
Fans can continue to follow NASCAR.COM on Twitter http://twitter.com/NASCAR and on the league official page on Facebook www.facebook.com/NASCAR.
About NASCAR.COM
Turner Sports acquired all of NASCAR’s interactive rights in October 2000 and became the exclusive producer of NASCAR.COM in January 2001. The official online destination of NASCAR, the site consistently ranks among the top three sport league sites on the Internet. In 2008, NASCAR.COM was awarded a Global Media Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) for TNT RaceBuddy as the outstanding interactive platform of the year. The site has also earned an Emmy® for its TrackPass with PitCommand application in 2003 and was nominated for an Emmy® in 2007 for TrackPass RaceView.
