Mark Martin recently floated an idea to NASCAR about reclaiming the fans the sport has hemorrhaged over the years. He believes NASCAR should move heaven and earth to fill the grandstands rather than fixate on viewership numbers, whether that means slashing ticket prices or offering free hot dogs. Kenny Wallace, however, offered a slightly different perspective on the matter after consulting with a track owner.
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The veteran driver questioned whether ticket prices genuinely keep fans away from the track or if something else lies at the root of the problem. What he concluded from looking at fans’ conversations and comments suggests that price isn’t driving down attendance. Instead, fans crave more action on the track starting Thursday.
NASCAR has trimmed practice sessions to cut unnecessary expenses, but with Cup action not getting underway until Saturday, fans lack motivation to show up for the Truck and Xfinity races preceding Sunday’s main race.
Wallace explained it this way: “No years ago, we’d start, Bush Grand National practice on Friday morning and then the Cup cars would come out, and maybe the Trucks would come out, and then later that day was qualifying on Friday.”
“Then on Saturday morning, you’d have Cup, second round qualifying, then Xfinity race, and then after the race was Cup qualifying on Saturday. So back in the day, 15 years ago, when you went to the racetrack, you had a reason to get there on Thursday night,” Wallace continued.
Track owners now point to this scheduling shift as the reason camping grounds sit half empty, with Cup practices starting at 4:30 Saturday evening and start times varying across the board. Nothing holds steady anymore, leaving fans in the dark about what’s happening when.
Wallace threw his weight behind that argument and called on Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s president, to reinstate practice sessions on Friday and Saturday while implementing changes that bring live audiences back through the gates.
He urged top NASCAR brass to give fans compelling reasons to arrive at the racetrack early. Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch have been beating the same drum for additional practice time for quite some time as well.
Wallace wants NASCAR to open its wallet, admitting he initially thought everything was running smoothly, but has since opened his ears as more voices speak up. Fans want the sport to give them reasons to roll in on Thursday night and fill those campgrounds. And that might save the sport from losing more fans and viewership in the long run.
