The declining popularity of NASCAR as America’s favorite sport has been pretty evident in the past decade or so. A steady loss of viewership and the overall dwindling fan base have the sport frantically looking for solutions to prevent the worst-case scenario. Looking back at the turn of the 21st century, NASCAR dominated the American market as the biggest motorsports affair, but this is definitely not the case anymore. Why is this the case?
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Well, there are several reasons for that. But the biggest of all would be the massive growth of Formula 1 in the United States. Just in the past couple of years since Liberty Media’s takeover of the open wheel racing behemoth, the sport has grown leaps and bounds and currently field three races in the country.
All of this comes down to the massive marketing efforts to market Formula 1 as the ‘Pinnacle of Motorsports’. From social media marketing, and young drivers interacting with their fans in interesting ways, to Netflix’s Formula 1 documentary called Drive to Survive. Everything has increased the popularity of Formula 1 globally, especially in the United States.
Interestingly, NASCAR attracted an average of over three million viewers per race in the 2022 season, marking the highest viewership in four years. In sharp contrast, the 2021 Formula 1 season garnered an average of 70 million viewers per race. If things progress the way they are, NASCAR will soon be overrun by F1 in the race to become the most popular motorsport in the United States of America.
NASCAR’s atmosphere might not be enticing for a younger demographic
One factor for why the younger demographic might not be interested in NASCAR is the fact that most of the drivers that race in the sport are the symbolic southern American populace. The sport’s existing fanbase is heavily patriotic and inclined to stick to its roots and history more than anything else. This is evident every time NASCAR attempts to entice a different demographic by scheduling racing events outside of the sports’ natural oval format. The sharp discontent amongst the existing fan base makes any effort by NASCAR’s marketing pointless.
Meanwhile, Formula 1, which holds a global allure with its fan base hailing from across the world, sure plays the biggest interest factor for young American minds. The current grid in F1 has drivers from multiple countries, including an American in the form of Logan Sargent. But in NASCAR, the talent pool for drivers hailing from outside of the southern states is a rare affair.
But it is not that NASCAR isn’t bracing for impact and preparing its marketing efforts to retain its popularity in the US market. Just a little while back, they partnered with Netflix to work on a documentary series in a Formula 1: Drive to Survive-esque format based on the NASCAR playoffs. There could be a possibility that this show could help in bringing in new fans from across the country.
But if there is anything that sport would need to do in the long run to survive, it would be to expand racing events beyond borders, bring in a more diverse set of racing drivers hailing from different countries, and market their existing drivers to reach a superstar celebrity-like status, among several other things. But if the sport does not make significant changes soon enough, it might have to pay a significant price in just a couple of years.
