Kiwi NASCAR fans might have to look to global streaming sites to catch their stock car fix this year – for now at least.
Those looking to watch last weekend’s non-championship Clash at the Coliseum race were likely disappointed to learn the race was not televised live on Sky Sport – NASCAR’s once traditional Kiwi home.
And that disappointment might have to set in for a while, with Sky currently not in a position to broadcast the 2022 series.
“We are still working through access to NASCAR for 2022,” a Sky representative told Velocity News on Tuesday.
A Velocity source has also raised the issue with Sky, where they were told [Sky] no longer has the rights to NASCAR this season.
NASCAR advertising has been ditched from Sky’s motorsport promo website.
As for what Sky will broadcast this year, the Supercars Championship, IndyCar and the World Endurance Championship are all still live on the subscription service.
The last few years have been a rocky period for Sky and the motorsport coverage they offer. Losing NASCAR will be another dagger to the heart.
Rival broadcasting service Spark Sport has stolen the rights to Formula 1, MotoGP and the World Rally Championship since its launch in 2019.
Spark also had live coverage of the 2021 New Zealand Grand Prix, another event that was once in Sky’s hands.
A spokesperson coyly shot down any suggestion when asked if Spark Sport will consider broadcasting NASCAR this year.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have updates about [NASCAR] yet. Please keep an eye on our website for future content updates.”
