NASCAR announces DraftKings deal for North Carolina, becomes official fantasy partner

Folks in North Carolina now have their sportsbook for NASCAR races… DraftKings. The deal was announced on Friday morning. DraftKings will also become the exclusive fantasy sports partner for NASCAR.

This is big news for those in North Carolina and those around the country who tune into NASCAR. North Carolina law requires betting operators to have an agreement with individual sports leagues or teams. DraftKings is going to be a new partner that fans can expect to see in national marketing along with sponsorship benefits “within the NASCAR ecosystem nationally.”

“DraftKings and NASCAR have collaborated closely with each other over the years, sharing a like-minded commitment to enhancing the fan experience,” said Matt Kalish, President, DraftKings North America in a release. “We look forward to the next chapter in our journey together and offering our leading mobile sportsbook to fans in the state of North Carolina.”

It is a new day in NASCAR. This should help with fan engagement. Sports betting and daily fantasy sports are massive now. This is good news for the sport as a whole.

“DraftKings has a proven track record of enhancing the fan experience across sports,” said Joe Solosky, NASCAR managing director, sports betting, “We are thrilled to continue working with DraftKings to deliver NASCAR fans more engagement opportunities and bring its leading mobile sportsbook to North Carolina.”

When the deal goes live, North Carolina will join 26 other states with DraftKings Sportsbook already. While it didn’t seem possible just a few years ago, sports betting is the new normal now.

NASCAR and DraftKings partnership is a big deal

One thing that NASCAR has lacked compared to other sports is a true sports betting fanbase. While there are those out there who have no problem betting on NASCAR, there isn’t the same media coverage as there is for other sports.

Perhaps it is because racing is hard to bet. A lot can happen in a NASCAR race. However, I think there has been a lack of coverage overall. Bringing DraftKings on in North Carolina, the home of NASCAR, and adding them as the daily fantasy partner is the first step in catching up to the pack.

While the deal isn’t live yet, this is going to help build the brand of NASCAR. Someone who doesn’t watch it all of the time throws some money down on a race and now they’re hooked. At least, ideally, that’s how that would go.

NASCAR and DraftKings are coming together. Expect to see some DK activations and advertisements at the next race you attend.

This also brings another sponsor to the sport. DraftKings did some things with 23XI Racing over the last couple of years. It will be interesting to see if that partnership continues or if it will look different in 2024. Maybe even a DK sponsored race?