My Frontstretch writing career stretches all the way back to 2008, a full decade-and-a-half, and almost without exception at the start of every season, I’ve written some derivation of a “another year and it’s all change” style column.
This year, more than most in recent memory, that was certainly the case. And so far, based on the action on track, it’s proved to be the case and we’re not even a third of the way through the season. Perhaps this year we finally get to more than 16 winners in the regular season, but I feel like we’ve been saying that for a while too.
So, it got me thinking. What does our beloved sport look like in 10 or so years’ time? What are the innovations and changes we’ll see? Where might we be racing? Where will we still be racing? And with that in mind, I’m going to dust off my crystal ball and look ahead to NASCAR in 2032 and ponder just what sort of a series we might be looking at.
International Races:
For my first prediction I’m going to say by 2032 we’ll be looking at somewhere between two and three races scheduled outside of the country. A race in Canada or Mexico would be a logical first step but I think the sport looks further afield. Japan, Australia and London all spring to mind. Remember, the NFL has had great success with regular season home games in England so I’m betting on this being the case for NASCAR, despite the somewhat insular nature of the sport.
Ride with your favorite driver:
By 2032, my guess is that you’ll be able to ride along and see (and feel to some extent) exactly what your favorite driver experiences. This will include multiple camera angles, all the relevant audio links and I’m guessing some sort of rig you can sit with mimics all the various driver inputs (steering/throttle/brakes etc.) In short, you’ll be able to experience your favorite driver’s race in ways that we can only imagine right now.
Customized Races:
As streaming becomes the norm and the vast cable conglomerates go the way of Blockbuster Video, my guess is you’ll be able to watch the race in whatever format and length of time you want. A 15-minute summary and the final 20 laps? You got it? Just the highlights? Done. A 10-minute package per segment? Also done. In short, however and in whatever format you watch the race, you’ll be able to do just that. Content proliferation on a level we’ve not even begun to scratch the surface of in other words.
A Condensed Schedule:
Right now, the NASCAR schedule is an absolute beast. Thirty-six races plus the Clash and the All-Star Race over 10 months doesn’t feel sustainable over the long-term, especially with attention spans getting shorter and the sheer availability of other things in terms of viewing options. My guess is by 2025, we’ll be looking at a schedule in the 25-race range, maybe even a little less. It won’t happen overnight but I can’t imagine we’re racing for 10 months and 38 races in 2025.
Shorter Races:
Simply put, the four hour-plus time period needed to watch a race will become untenable. I think there will still be a place for a few longer races like the Daytona 500, but shorter races will become the norm. Perhaps some form of sprint or heat races too to keep up interest. But I can’t imagine Cup drivers are running anything like the mileage they will in 2022 in 10 years time.
Unexpected Race Tracks:
My bet is there will be one to two races a year in unexpected locations. We saw a harbinger of this already this season with the successful race at the Coliseum and it wouldn’t surprise me to see this sort of move become even more common. I could see street courses in epic locations, events involving NFL stadiums, perhaps even a race on the beach somewhere harkening back to the roots of the sport. With a man like Ben Kennedy at the helm, I’m imagining we’ll see more and more of this in the coming years, perhaps as soon as next season.
A New Format to Crown the Champion:
Across NASCAR history, we’ve seen multiple different formats to crown a champion and my guess it that in 10 years time the powers that be will have dreamed up a new way to anoint the season champ. Clearly, the game seven moment has stopping power, but that doesn’t mean it is definitely here to stay. Nothing ever is. As the old adage goes, the only constant in life is change and that’s as true for NASCAR as it is anything else.
And finally, I’m going to take a shot at who I think might win some titles in the upcoming years. I’m betting Kyle Larson has multiple crowns, as does Chase Elliott. Joey Logano will earn another, William Byron will win one and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Denny Hamlin finally win the title that has so long eluded him. Of those up and coming, my guess is Tyler Reddick picks up a title as might Austin Cindric. In the lower echelons, I’m betting Ty Gibbs will get a shot at a Cup crown and maybe Chandler Smith too.
Let me know what you think below on both topics.
Danny Peters has written for Frontstretch since 2006. An English transplant living in San Francisco, by way of New York City, he’s had an award-winning marketing career with some of the biggest companies sponsoring sports. Working with racers all over the country, his freelance writing has even reached outside the world of racing to include movie screenplays.