Formula 1 has experienced rapid growth in popularity, even surpassing other forms of motorsports in America. Recently, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin expressed how F1’s Las Vegas entry can end up helping out NASCAR in the long run.
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Hamlin stated, “Certainly, you would think that there’s going to be a lot of casual, first-time fans going to a motorsports event, fans going to F1 in Vegas because of how convenient it is, right?
“When I say convenient, I mean it’s right here in the States in a heavily populated area. You’ve got the whole West Coast. And if there’s just a handful—10, 12— people that go to that and then say, ‘When the NASCAR race comes to Vegas, I’m going to go to my very first NASCAR race,’ then that’s a good thing.”
All in all, the 23XI Racing driver is optimistic about the sport’s growing influence in leading to an increase in NASCAR viewership/
Denny Hamlin thinks NASCAR can fill the void once the F1 circus is over
Hamlin further mentioned that he believes that once the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix wraps up, NASCAR will be there to fill the void. He said, “It’s a great sport (NASCAR) with a lot of access.”
“NASCAR’s strongest, biggest asset is the access that fans have, and that’s why I always encourage people go to a race because it’s unlike any other sporting event. I’ve never seen anyone go to [a race] one time and say that they didn’t have a great time,” Hamlin concluded.
Although a completely different classification of motorsports, NASCAR too has presented some great racing and action over the years. But it is the overall poor marketing of the sport because of which the sport has not been able to garner a massive amount of eyeballs.
Although with NASCAR and Netflix in the works to produce a new Formula 1 Drive to Survive-esque show, we might see a steady intake of new racing fans sometime in the future.
