NASCAR Internship 2027–2028: Programs, Deadlines & How to Apply

Last updated: October 2026

NASCAR's summer internship is one of the tightest doors in sports business. The NASCAR Next Internship Program picked 40 students from more than 4,000 applicants for its summer 2025 class, according to UCF News. Its last application window ran about two weeks and closed on 1 December 2025 at 11:59 PM ET. For the next class, NASCAR's own internship page says applications for the summer 2027 program are expected to open in early December 2026. Here's the cycle in plain words: you apply in a short window around early December 2026, and you intern in summer 2027, from mid-May to late July. On 3 October 2026 NASCAR's Workday board held 112 openings and none were internships, so the next two months are for getting ready, not for applying.

Quick Facts

Nothing is open today. NASCAR expects summer 2027 applications in early December 2026, and the last two windows lasted about 14 to 20 days, so have your resume and three department choices ready before then.

Externships are short, remote programs where you finish a real project for a real company, most running 8 weeks at 5–10 hours a week. The TikTok Social Media Content & Brand Strategy Externship fits NASCAR Next's Content/Social Media and Marketing departments, and the Breaking Games E-Commerce Data Analysis & Strategy Externship builds the analysis behind Data & Insights and Licensing.

What Is a NASCAR Internship?

A NASCAR internship is a paid, 10-week summer placement through the NASCAR Next Internship Program, open to undergraduate and graduate students. You submit one application, choose up to three areas of interest, and NASCAR matches you to a department based on your resume and its needs. Placements sit in Daytona Beach, Florida, in Charlotte or Concord, North Carolina, or at NASCAR-owned tracks, and a few go to race teams or partners; UCF News named 23XI Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Daytona International Speedway among 2025 placements. Interns start in their departments, then travel to a multi-day orientation in Charlotte that includes a race, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and race-team tours. Each intern gets a mentor and weekly lunch-and-learns with executives and alumni. Through the summer 2024 class the program was called the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program.

When Do NASCAR Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?

NASCAR Next has one intake a year and a late, short window. For summer 2025 the employer page said applications would open on 18 November and stay open until 8 December 2024, twenty days. For summer 2026 the window opened about 17 November and closed on 1 December 2025, roughly two weeks. For summer 2027 NASCAR has already said early December 2026, a couple of weeks later than last year, which puts the opening about five and a half months before a mid-May start. The close date is our projection, and the calendar has shifted every year, so check the posting's own close date the day it appears.

How to read this page: our dates come from tracking previous recruiting cycles and daily posting data. Treat them as informed estimates based on historical patterns, not confirmed dates. The company's official careers page is always the most current source. If a role is posted there, go by that, even if this page suggests the window hasn't opened yet.

Why You Must Apply the Week Applications Open

This is a short window with a hard close, and that's the whole argument. The summer 2026 posting said the application window closes on 1 December 2025 at 11:59 PM ET, and it came off job boards the minute after. The summer 2025 window lasted twenty days. There's no fall or spring program to fall back on; NASCAR's FAQ says it currently runs the program only in summer. Missing December means waiting a full year. The opening date also moves: the 2023 cycle ran into mid-January, the 2025 cycle closed 8 December, and the 2026 cycle closed 1 December. Join the alert list now, and apply in the first days of the window.

Which NASCAR Internship Programs Should You Target?

NASCAR Next doesn't post separate roles. The summer 2026 posting listed 24 departments interns may be matched to; these groupings cover them.

Department names come from the summer 2026 posting as mirrored on Built In. The typical-skills column is our reading of each area, since the posting lists departments rather than requirements. Program details are on NASCAR's internship page.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?

NASCAR states its rules plainly on the program page.

• Enrollment: currently in an undergraduate or graduate degree program, or a recent graduate who hasn't completed the degree before the fall of the application year.

• Class year: at least a sophomore at the time you apply.

• Work authorization: US citizen or eligible to work in the US. Temporary visas won't be issued, and the FAQ answers "No, not currently" on sponsorship.

• Relocation: willing to relocate to Florida, North Carolina or other US locations.

• GPA and major: neither is stated. Departments range from engineering to legal.

• No race or ethnicity requirement: the old Diversity Internship Program had one; NASCAR Next's current page and posting don't.

Can International Students Apply?

Only if you already hold US work authorization that doesn't need sponsorship. NASCAR's page says temporary visas won't be issued for the program, and its FAQ says it doesn't currently sponsor. A Hungary-based student who asked on Reddit got the same answer. If you need sponsorship, look at race teams or manufacturers with their own policies, and treat NASCAR Next as closed to you for now.

What Skills Does NASCAR Look For, and How Do You Build Them?

NASCAR's single program posting lists departments, not skills, so we read the 10 entry-level coordinator and sales job descriptions live on NASCAR's own board on 3 October 2026. These are the jobs NASCAR Next interns most often grow into. Communication, organization and juggling deadlines lead. Excel and ticketing or CRM systems form the tools layer. Event-day availability, evenings and weekends included, appears in more than half, which matches the program's own warning about occasional night and weekend events.

How Is Demand for Sports Business Interns Moving Right Now?

Build These Skills Before You Apply

Each placement area maps to a remote Externship you can finish before December.

Because NASCAR matches you to a department from your resume, a concrete deliverable in one area gives the recruiting team a clear reason to place you there.

What Is the NASCAR Application and Interview Process Like?

These steps come from the summer 2026 posting; community reports fill in the timing.

1. Apply once on careers.nascar.com. Create a Workday account, submit one application and select up to three areas of interest.

2. Recruiter review. NASCAR's recruiting team screens applications and invites the strongest to a recorded video interview, usually around January.

3. Live interviews. Finalists meet the hiring team on Microsoft Teams in January and February; a past intern on Reddit had her final round in mid-March.

4. Offer and placement. You're matched to a department based on skills, experience, interests and department need. Check status in your Workday account.

5. Orientation in Charlotte. After starting in your department you travel to a multi-day orientation with a race, the Hall of Fame and race-team tours.

Silence in January is normal, according to past applicants. Keep applying elsewhere while you wait.

What Students on Reddit Say

Applicants on r/NASCAR describe a slow process and real relocation costs.

How Do You Stand Out Among 4,000+ NASCAR Next Applicants?

With 40 seats and more than 4,000 applicants for summer 2025 (UCF News, not a NASCAR release), the math is roughly one in a hundred. Three moves help. First, make your three department picks coherent. Content/Social, Marketing and Track/Event Marketing tell one story; Legal, Engineering and Sales tell three. Second, bring something finished. NASCAR's R&D staff have pointed to Formula SAE experience for engineering, and content or data applicants can show a portfolio piece or a short analysis. Third, show you understand the job's rhythm. The posting warns of evening and weekend events, and six of the ten live entry-level NASCAR descriptions we read ask for the same flexibility. Have a housing plan ready too, since the relocation stipend only applies past 50 miles and its amount isn't published.

What Other Companies Should You Consider?

Motorsport-minded students usually weigh NASCAR against these.

Our sports internships summer 2027 guide compares league, team, media and betting programs.

FAQ

Can I still apply for a summer 2026 NASCAR internship?

No. The summer 2026 NASCAR Next window closed on 1 December 2025 at 11:59 PM ET, and NASCAR runs no fall or spring program. The next window is for summer 2027: NASCAR says applications are expected to open in early December 2026. Sign up on its internship page's job-alert form to hear when it opens.

When do NASCAR internship applications open for summer 2027?

NASCAR's internship page says early December 2026. The last two windows ran 18 November to 8 December 2024 and about 17 November to 1 December 2025, so expect roughly two to three weeks. We project a close in mid-to-late December 2026, but read the date on the posting itself.

Is the NASCAR internship paid?

Yes. NASCAR's FAQ says interns are paid an hourly wage, though it doesn't publish the rate. Interns who relocate more than 50 miles get a relocation stipend, also unpublished, and housing isn't provided. Budget for rent in Daytona Beach or Charlotte before you accept an offer.

Is there a GPA requirement for the NASCAR Next program?

NASCAR doesn't state one on its program page or in the summer 2026 posting. You need to be at least a sophomore, enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program or a recent graduate, authorized to work in the US without sponsorship, and willing to relocate. Your three department choices and resume matter most.

What does the NASCAR interview process look like?

You submit one application with up to three areas of interest. The strongest applicants record a video interview, then finalists do live Microsoft Teams interviews in January and February. Past applicants on Reddit report final rounds as late as mid-March, so a quiet January doesn't mean you're out.

Do NASCAR interns get full-time offers?

NASCAR says employment after the program is a primary goal but not guaranteed, and it doesn't publish a conversion rate. The program's mentoring and weekly lunch-and-learns with executives and alumni are built to help. Treat a return offer as possible, and keep other options open during your final year.

What skills help for a NASCAR internship?

Communication, organization and handling deadlines lead the entry-level NASCAR job descriptions we read. Excel and ticketing or CRM systems come next, along with willingness to work event evenings and weekends. Engineering applicants benefit from Formula SAE experience, and content applicants from a portfolio of short-form video or social work.

Is a race team or track internship the same as NASCAR Next?

No. NASCAR Next is NASCAR's own program, though a few interns are placed with teams or tracks. Race teams like Hendrick Motorsports and tracks owned by Speedway Motorsports, such as Charlotte Motor Speedway, hire on their own calendars. Applying to NASCAR Next doesn't reach them, so apply separately.

NASCAR's window opens in early December and closes within weeks. Use October and November on a remote Externship so your application shows finished work in the department you want.