NASCAR’s Steve O’Donnell mentioned it is tough to pinpoint just one space by which AI holds potential for the groupgetty photographs
NASCAR’s analysis of artificial intelligence shouldn’t be being restricted to the business side of the sport, because it’s additionally how the rising expertise may help its competitors, together with modifications to the playoff format. In February, NASCAR confirmed to SBJ that it had arrange an inner, cross-function group to review how it may use generative AI, the rising expertise that underpins ChatGPT. NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell gave additional particulars in a latest interview with SBJ following the 2024 marketing campaign, saying it’s tough to pinpoint just one space by which AI holds potential for NASCAR. “I’d say simply round racing, the technique that now goes right into a race, how that applies to our codecs of the longer term, I feel AI can play a extremely huge position in that,” he mentioned.
It’s unclear which AI platform NASCAR is utilizing for its experiments. Leaders within the subject embody ChatGPT maker OpenAI, Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s Copilot. Tech corporations are spending tens of billions of {dollars} into R&D for AI – in 2025, $200B is slated for capital expenditures by Amazon, Alphabet, Apple, Meta and Microsoft, in keeping with Reuters, almost double their 2021 outlays, because of AI. That focus is trickling all the way down to sports activities together with racing, the place NASCAR has already been working with with WSC Sports activities on AI-generated highlights for NASCAR.com plus Satisfi Labs on an AI-powered chat perform on its web site. Alphabet’s Google has additionally promoted its AI efforts with its F1 workforce companion McLaren Racing, and F1 international companion Lenovo has talked about utilizing AI for F1 activations.
O’Donnell mentioned he sees AI doubtlessly taking part in a job in NASCAR’s present offseason analysis of whether or not to alter the playoff format of the Cup Collection as quickly as 2025. Whereas NASCAR may seek the advice of AI on the affect of playoff modifications, that will come amid what the sanctioning physique has already mentioned is a broader effort to contain people throughout the racing business to craft what these potential modifications can be.
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O’Donnell: “After we created even the phases or playoff format (years in the past), you probably did that with one of the best knowledge you had and greatest minds you had, however now with the ability to plug in and work with AI when it comes to, ‘OK, if you happen to tweak the playoffs this manner, what ought to we be watching out for?’ or ‘How may that have an effect on the game?’ — there’s a lot knowledge and expertise on the market that you may throw right into a mannequin — I feel it’s going to be very useful in some predictive evaluation of the place the game can go sooner or later after which there’s the entire enterprise facet of issues too.”
AI is seen as one thing that may have an effect on enterprise departments together with advertising and marketing and gross sales, operations, HR, and IT and engineering, amongst others, in keeping with a examine by Goldman Sachs. O’Donnell: “With our sponsors and what we do greatest – it’s transferring rapidly, so initially (NASCAR is targeted on AI) round competitors and then you definitely’d take a look at it from a enterprise facet of issues from advertising and marketing as effectively.”
A number of different groups in NASCAR, in addition to different main sanctioning our bodies and different entities in motorsports, are learning how they will use AI. For instance, motorsports simulator platform/online game firm iRacing introduced final month that it has partnered with Microsoft’s analysis group to discover AI and how it might improve the iRacing sim.