CW previews horizontal ticker for NASCAR Xfinity coverage

The CW is introducing a new graphics package for its NASCAR Xfinity Series coverage, featuring a horizontal scoring ticker at the bottom of the screen instead of the traditional vertical pylon used by other networks.

The change is part of a broader shift as NASCAR enters a new media rights cycle with five domestic broadcast partners, including three newcomers.

Fox and NBC, the incumbent broadcasters, have long used vertical leaderboards on the left side of the screen to display driver positions, lap counts and other race data. The CW, in collaboration with NASCAR and its parent company, Nexstar Media Group, opted for a horizontal format, which network executives believe better utilizes modern widescreen televisions.

The CW’s graphics team initially considered 10 designs before narrowing the choices to three, ultimately selecting a horizontal ticker that allows for picture-in-picture functionality.

This setup will enable viewers to see both driver positions and an alternate camera angle at the same time. A variation of the ticker will also display the finishing order of the top five drivers, along with their likenesses.

The new graphics were developed in collaboration with Two Fresh Creative.

The CW took over NASCAR Xfinity Series coverage at Bristol Motor Speedway last fall and will have exclusive broadcast rights for the series through 2031. Its coverage will include practice sessions and qualifying in addition to race broadcasts.

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The network’s on-air team includes play-by-play announcer Adam Alexander, analysts Jamie McMurray and Parker Kligerman, and pit reporters Dillon Welch and Kim Coon. Carla Gebhart will serve as host of the pre-race studio show, “NASCAR Countdown Live.”

The CW joins Fox, NBC, TNT Sports and Prime Video as part of NASCAR’s new broadcast landscape.

TNT was the last network to use a horizontal bottom ticker, first implementing it in 2008.