On paper, NASCAR’s Cup Series may be on top, but the Tier-2 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series is in a league of its own. Last year, its cars beat the Cup ones in popularity and competitiveness. The championship races also gave a tough competition to both IndyCar and F1 viewership in the U.S., even though these motorsports directly compete with the Cup Series. Just like the fans, even a leading media network believes in the potential of the NASCAR Grand National series.

The CW targets the rising popularity of NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts series

In a new advertisement, The CW is trying to reposition the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts series. They want to give it a separate identity as an original motorsports championship, and not just a NASCAR stepping stone to the Cup Series. Their motto for the season is, “Pure. Raw. Racing.” It is a noticeable shift from the last season’s idea, “Names are made here.”

In motorsports, the Tier 2 and 3 series are treated as merely developmental racing categories. They are the playgrounds for the young drivers looking forward to proving themselves. While this is the case with traditional racing in IndyCar and Formula 1, the scenario is entirely different with the NASCAR series. Both the Grand Nationals and Truck series have developed a separate identity and fan base for themselves.

Even the current NASCAR drivers can’t stop themselves from competing in these series. Kyle Busch, for example, is a legendary driver in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts series, racing in the category nearly every year. So the newest tagline for the series fits perfectly, considering the amazing racing action it offers.

The CW officials are more than happy with the numbers arising from their coverage. As they head into their second season covering the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts series.

Chris Spadaccini, CMO of The CW, says, “The new entitlement partner, O’Reilly, gave us an opportunity to reintroduce the series to the NASCAR community from certainly a brand awareness standpoint, but our main focus is shifting brand perceptions and trying to change the conversation around the series.

“That all starts with telling a better story about who we are, how we’re different from Cup, and drawing a clear line in the sand between the two series. And historically, NASCAR has always positioned this series around the next generation of stars.”

The Cup Series might be NASCAR’s finished product, but the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series has become its purest racing laboratory. This is where the future stars are made.

But what is the reasoning behind this sudden shift from the NASCAR ladder to become a rebranded racing series that wants to be raw and original?

The answer might not be as hard as you think…

The CW follows fan sentiments to churn out better numbers

“Just positioning the series purely as a developmental league or calling it NASCAR’s secondary series doesn’t do it justice,” is what Spadaccini thinks about the O’Reilly Auto Parts league in NASCAR. His confidence stems from the fan following that the series has. The O’Reilly fans have been generally appreciative of the league.

“We’ve heard it from fans themselves that the racing on Saturday is just as good if not more thrilling than what happens on Sunday. So that’s the starting point and the way we see things.”

NASCAR is also in full support of this idea to develop the O’Reilly series further. What may look like an ordinary strategy to increase viewers has a much deeper meaning behind the scenes. The fan vs sport narrative hurt NASCAR a lot, in this current situation, the sport is actively trying to mend its relations with the community. So when the O’Reilly Auto Parts series already has the edge, they want to capitalize on it.

But The CW wanted to make things clear about their hidden goals. “I’m not looking at this as a zero-sum game where we’re stealing viewers from Cup or competing with Cup,” Spadaccini said. “We’re trying to grow the pie and that starts with trying to get O’Reilly viewers to watch more frequently, but it also really is targeted to try to get more Cup fans invested in the series.”

Are you also a regular fan of the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts series? If so, then do you like the new strategy employed by The CW to make the series stand out more?