Charlotte, N.C. – NASCAR and Flo Sports have formed a content streaming partnership that begins in 2022 and relocates all of NASCAR’s “Trackpass” short-track and regional series live racing content from NBC’s platform to Flo Racing beginning next year.

The NASCAR Roots vertical from TrackPass will be joining FloRacing. This package includes the ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Pinty’s Series, and NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, along with tentpole events from Bowman Gray Stadium, Berlin Raceway, New Smyrna Raceway and more.

It combines with FloRacing properties to create the most comprehensive digital motorsports offering in the United States — nearly 2,000 races from NASCAR Roots, USAC, All Star Circuit of Champions, Eldora Speedway, IRA Outlaw Sprints, Short Track Super Series, Chili Bowl, Gateway Dirt Nationals and more.

The subscription also unlocks premium FloRacing content, including exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes access with drivers, news and analysis, as well as archived races and highlights that fans have come to expect from the FloRacing platform. Subscribers also receive complete access to the entire network of FloSports verticals ranging from hockey, wrestling, football, baseball, softball, grappling, rodeo and more.

This will likely be perceived as a bit of a mixed blessing by fans of the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series, the Whelen Modified Tour, and the ARCA Menards Series, as Flo Racing currently only offers one yearly price to watch all of its content, set at $150/year.

If you are a fan of the above-mentioned NASCAR Series and you don’t really care to watch anything else on Flo’s platform, your price to watch that content goes up 250 percent, from the $60 yearly investment with Trackpass to Flo’s $150 package. If you are a more well-rounded race fan who enjoys a variety of motorsports, there is no better deal out there than Flo’s deal in my opinion. Why? I think they have the most variety and highest quality of any national racing streamer.

For those of us who had both platforms this year, we save the $60 Trackpass cost, so we make out better in the end. But I can appreciate any fan who would be angered by a 250 percent increase in cost to watch their content. This one was a shocker. We’ll have to see how it all works out.

END OF AN ERA?   PETTY SELLS MAJORITY INTEREST

Richard Petty Motorsports announced yesterday that Maury Gallagher, owner of GMS Racing was buying majority interest in the No. 43 team effective immediately, a deal that includes transfer of ownership of two charters. The lack of detail in the announcement raises some very interesting questions. For example, is Erik Jones still going to drive the car? Will the team’s name stay the same and will Richard Petty, NASCAR’s King, still be any kind of “face” for the team or will the Petty era end in NASCAR?

This bit of news was also a shocker. GMS adds a second team for their rookie season of Cup racing. Ty Dillon gets a teammate, be it Jones or someone else. Focus Factor, Air Force and whatever other sponsors RPM was carrying into 2022 would presumably have known about this pending transaction, so I would guess they would just move over to GMS. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about this in the coming days so stay tuned.

JOE SHEAR CLASSIC 200 NOW $15k TO WIN

The 2022 Joe Shear Classic 200 ARCA Midwest Tour event at Madison International Speedway in Wisconsin will now pay a record $15,000 to win and $1,500 to start in the 28-car field. Additionally, a minimum $3,600 Ultimate Challenge will be offered if the fast qualifier elects to start in the back of the field and wins the race which pays tribute to one of the Midwest’s finest short track drivers.

The annual event will feature the ‘Stars and Cars’ of the ARCA Midwest Tour, Midwest Truck Series and 602 Late Models on ‘Wisconsin’s Fastest Half Mile’ and will be held on Sunday, May 1st, 2022. This event is one of the marquee events on the Midwest short track racing calendar at a track known for some of the finest racing in the region.

(NASCAR Media, RPM PR and Madison Int’l Raceway PR contributed to this article)