The series originated from NASCAR’s Sportsman division, established in 1950 as NASCAR’s short track racing category. It was NASCAR’s fourth series, following the Modified and Roadster series in 1948 and the Strictly Stock Series in 1949. Early Sportsman cars were modified but less so than Modified series cars. In 1968, it became the Late Model Sportsman Series, featuring races on larger tracks like Daytona. The modern-day series was formed in 1982 when Anheuser-Busch sponsored a reformed late-model sportsman series with its Budweiser brand. In 1984, the series switched sponsorship to Anheuser-Busch’s Busch beer brand and was renamed the Busch Grand National Series.
The name “Grand National” was dropped in 2003 as part of NASCAR’s brand identity changes. Anheuser-Busch ended its sponsorship after 2007, leading to Nationwide Insurance taking over in 2008, renaming it the Nationwide Series. The Nationwide sponsorship was a seven-year contract, excluding the banking and mortgage departments of Nationwide, and reportedly carried a US$10 million commitment for 2008 with 6% annual increases.
On September 3, 2014, Comcast became the title sponsor via its Xfinity brand, renaming it the Xfinity Series. In 2016, NASCAR implemented a seven-race Chase system, mirroring the NASCAR Cup Series format. In 2026, the NOAPS and Craftsman Truck Series adopted a Chase format similar to the Cup Series, consisting of nine races and 12 drivers, compared to the Cup Series’ ten races and 16 drivers. The point structure for the Chase awards 2,100 points to the first-place driver, decreasing by 25 points for second, 10 points for third, and 5 points per position down to twelfth.
The series first raced outside the United States on March 6, 2005, at the Telcel Motorola 200 in Mexico City, Mexico, at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Martin Truex Jr. won the race. A second international race was held on August 4, 2007, at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, won by Kevin Harvick, with Quebec native Patrick Carpentier finishing second. The series did not return to Mexico City in 2009 or to Montreal in 2013. In 2025, the then-Xfinity Series returned to Mexico City, where Daniel Suárez, a Mexican native, won.
In the 1980s, races were sparsely shown, mainly on ESPN if coinciding with a Cup race at the same track. By the mid-1990s, all races were shown, initially on TNN, which helped grow the series’ coverage, alongside networks like CBS, NBC, ESPN, ABC, and TBS broadcasting companion races. From 2001 to 2006, Fox Sports covered the first half of the Busch Grand National season, while NBC and TNT covered the second half. From 2007 to 2014, ESPN held the broadcasting rights, with some races on ABC, and others on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNews. In 2015, the series returned to Fox Sports for the first half of the season, primarily on FS1, with NBC Sports covering the second half. On July 28, 2023, it was announced that the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series would move exclusively to The CW in 2025 as part of a seven-year deal, beginning with the final eight races of the 2024 season.
The practice of NASCAR Cup Series drivers competing in the NOAPS, often to gain seat time, has been a long-standing tradition, exemplified by drivers like Dale Earnhardt, who won the very first NOAPS race, and Kyle Busch, the series’ all-time race winner. This practice became known as “Buschwhacking,” a term originating from Anheuser-Busch’s sponsorship, but has since faded in use. Critics argue that Cup drivers take opportunities away from NOAPS regulars, while fans believe their presence attracts interest and benefits the series.
In 2007, the introduction of the Car of Tomorrow in the Cup Series, a significantly different specification, lessened the benefit of Cup drivers racing in the NOAPS. This led to the debut of a new NOAPS car in 2010, with a setup closer to the Cup car. In 2011, NASCAR implemented a rule restricting drivers to competing for the championship in only one of the three national series. Further limitations were placed on Cup driver participation starting in 2017, restricting their entries to 10 races and banning them from the regular season finale, Playoff, and Dash 4 Cash races.
Early cars in the 1980s used General Motors X-Body compact cars with 311-cubic inch engines and later G-body cars. Ford teams consistently used the Thunderbird. In 1989, NASCAR mandated current body styles, but cars still used V6 engines. The cars gradually became similar to Cup cars, switching to V-8s in 1995 with a 9:1 compression ratio and a 3,300-pound minimum weight. The Xfinity "Car of Tomorrow" (CoT), introduced in 2010, featured body styles resembling 1960s muscle cars from Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge. The series switched to unleaded gasoline in 2007 and began using rain tires at road courses in 2008. The current generation of cars continue to use carburetors and steel wheels, differing from the Next Gen cars in the Cup Series.
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