A form of baseball that is taking the country by storm is moving into the world of NASCAR with a new partnership. Banana Ball is heading to the Xfinity Series starting grid.
According to a Friday announcement, the Savannah Bananas have joined forces with Viking Motorsports for the July 26 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Matt DiBenedetto's No. 99 Chevrolet will feature a bright yellow scheme and the Savannah Bananas logos on the sides and hood.
The stock car will also showcase a CW logo. This is key considering that the team that created Banana Ball will have a game air on CW on Sunday, July 27, at 3 p.m. ET.
This partnership? B-A-N-A-N-A-S🍌⚔️
Banana Ball goes from the diamond to the track next weekend riding on the No. 99 Chevrolet with @mattdracing at @IMS next Saturday! @TheCW_Sports @TheSavBananas @TheCW @NASCAR_Xfinity @NASCAR @TorqueWheels pic.twitter.com/3hpZ7ibuyC
— Viking Motorsports (@VKNGMotorsports) July 18, 2025
What is Banana Ball? It's the exhibition baseball league created by Savannah Bananas owner Jesse Cole. This is a fast-paced version of America's Pastime featuring a two-hour time limit and special rules.
For example, batters are not allowed to bunt because "bunting sucks." They are also not allowed to leave the batter's box after a pitch. Doing so earns a strike. However, they can take off and try to steal first base after any pitch.
Banana Ball also has points awarded at the end of each inning to the team who scored the most runs. It has challenges that the fans can throw. It has an "overtime" featuring only one batter, one pitcher, and one fielder. Oh, and Banana Ball also has backflips and dancing.
The exhibition baseball league started out as a small, unique creation. However, it has grown exponentially. The merchandise appearing in the first season of Prime Video's "Reacher" certainly helped, but fans have flocked to stadiums across the country to take part in the fun.
A combined 148,000 fans even helped the Bananas sell out Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, on consecutive nights in June.
Celebrities have also taken part in the fun. For example, NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Kurt Busch served as a guest runner during one Savannah Bananas game. Football icon Doug Flutie joined as a guest pitcher during a game at Fenway Park. Rock band The All-American Rejects also put on a surprise halftime show during a game.
The Savannah Bananas will now move into the world of NASCAR as part of this partnership with Viking Motorsports and DiBenedetto. They just won't be able to do any dancing in the middle of the Xfinity Series race at the 2.5-mile track.