Barstool Sportsbook Sponsoring Kansas NASCAR Race

Barstool Sportsbook is adding its name to another high profile sporting event, as its brand will be attached to the upcoming NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway.

The Sept. 11 race is being renamed the Hollywood Casino 400 presented by Barstool Sportsbook. Penn National Gaming operates the Hollywood Casino, located near the track. The gaming company owns a minority stake in Barstool Sports David Portnoy’s pop culture and sports media enterprise early next year.

Long term, Hollywood Casino plans a permanent Barstool Sportsbook next year that will include a full restaurant, field house games and outdoor accessibility to the giant patio that overlooks Kansas Speedway. Construction is anticipated to begin in late August,” according to a statement.

Kansas Speedway hosts two NASCAR Cup Series races annually, with the other one running in May.

Kansas and Maine are the only states to approve sports wagering this year. But the former is seen moving swiftly to become operational.

The recently signed Kansas sports betting legislation was enacted earlier this month, indicating it’s aiming to have mobile wagering ready for . If that goal is reached, it could lead to more wagers placed on the abovementioned race, which arrives soon after football season starts.

Adding to the point of potentially good timing, the race Penn/Barstool is sponsoring is the second in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

“Hollywood Casino anticipates opening a temporary Barstool Sportsbook under its Turn 2 Sports Bar and Restaurant in September. Offerings will consist of kiosks, betting windows, odds boards, TVs, and a temporary bar. That will provide a place for fans to wager on NASCAR and all the other sports that will be in action during race weekend,” according to the statement.

Portnoy has long coveted attaching the Barstool Sports name to sporting events. In 2019, the company tried to become the sponsor of a bowl game played in Mobile, Ala. But ESPN interfered, scrapping the deal at the eleventh hour. Sponsorship rights for that game ultimately went to LendingTree.

The company realized its bowl sponsorship dreams as it became the sponsor of last year.

Barstool Sports and NASCAR have long-running ties that predate Penn’s investment in Portnoy’s company. Not only has the media outfit sponsored cars in lower NASCAR series, but the stock car racing association has sponsored Barstool programming, including shows geared toward bettors. However, the relationship was halted in late 2020 when NASCAR altered its advertising budget.