From the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, NASCAR exploded in popularity.
Aided in part by the CART-IRL split of 1996 and a split broadcasting deal with FOX and NBC in 2001, NASCAR went from a predominantly niche, regional sport to one with national recognition.
But somewhere along the way, all of its fortunes went in the wrong direction. The ratings peaked 18 years ago in 2005, and they’ve been on a long, downward slide since.
There’s not one event to pinpoint when NASCAR began its skid. Perhaps the introduction of the playoff format in 2004 was jumping the shark. Maybe it was the removal of historic tracks like North Wilkesboro Speedway and Rockingham Speedway, even if they had outdated infrastructure and were on the brink financially. What about the criticized Car of Tomorrow implemented in 2007, or the Great Recession in 2008?
What if NASCAR’s sudden boom in popularity was simply a fad and wasn’t sustainable long term?
Whatever the reason may be, it has shown in race attendance, TV ratings and media coverage. And in the south — the heart of NASCAR for its entire history — a lot of the interest seems to have fallen by the wayside as well.
Faced with a shrinking fanbase, NASCAR needs to find ways to reinvent itself without dramatically altering races any further than what has been done already. And to its credit, the sanctioning body has tried new ideas. The 2021 and 2022 seasons saw a huge schedule shakeup with a stadium exhibition race, a dirt race, two new ovals, a handful of new road courses and a brand new car.
Some things may not work out, but that is still better than keeping the status quo. But once it becomes clear that something doesn’t work, it needs to be cut. The relative lack of change (aside from stages in 2017 and the elimination format in 2014) from 2005 to 2020 didn’t help.
But while NASCAR needs to focus on keeping its current fanbase entertained, it also needs to look outward without alienating fans that are already watching.
The sanctioning body has struggled in attracting the age 18-49 demographic, which is concerning when looking at things long-term; that demographic is the future. But as previously mentioned, NASCAR can’t chase a new demographic if it risks running off its current audience. What’s the middle ground?
Perhaps it lies in the way the sport is advertised. While Formula 1 has yet to overtake NASCAR in total audience in the United States, it is starting to equal, if not beat NASCAR in the 18-49 demographic. One of the catalysts? Formula 1: Drive to Survive.
A Netflix documentary series that gives a behind-the-scenes look at F1 teams and races, it has become a sensation beyond the racing world. And as a 23-year-old a year removed from college, I’ve seen F1 and the series brought up more in casual conversation and in my social circles that aren’t a part of Frontstretch or NASCAR.
The series has clearly hit on something without fundamentally changing what F1 is.
NASCAR and NBC took notice, and a documentary series titled Race for the Championship was released during the 2022 Cup Series playoffs.
And that’s where NASCAR’s problems with marketing come in.
DTS is on Netflix, a streaming service with almost a universal reach. When was Race for the Championship aired? (Late) Thursday nights on USA Network. You can imagine how poor the ratings were.
It’s not that the series fell flat, it’s just it wasn’t readily available for people to watch, nor was it advertised enough. NBC stepped in to add the series to its Peacock streaming service, but again, it hasn’t been big enough to cast a wide net.
In order to be a hit, the series should’ve been made available on mainline NBC. It should’ve been heavily advertised outside of NBC, and it also should’ve been on more streaming services than just Peacock.
More expensive to do? Yes, but DTS captivated people who didn’t watch F1. Race for the Championship was never going to attract people who didn’t watch NASCAR when new episodes were aired late at night once a week on USA.
And that’s another problem. NASCAR needs to expand its advertisements to networks and shows outside of NASCAR. Outside of a Daytona 500 ad for Super Bowl LVII (which was also on FOX), I cannot recall the last time I saw an ad for NASCAR that wasn’t during a race itself.
Airing NASCAR ads during the races themselves also appears a bit peculiar to outsiders. Unlike other sports, NASCAR cannot pause a race in order to complete an ad break. So why are there so many adverts for NASCAR’s own product in the middle of the action? A couple sprinkled here and there are important, especially to tell viewers when and where the next race will be, but those ads only need to be used when absolutely necessary.
The structure of the ads also needs an update. For as long as I have been watching, NASCAR advertisements have primarily consisted of four things: spectators, action shots, crashes and driver celebrations.
Like traditional TV shows, NASCAR has a season. And each ‘episode’ provides a new twist and turn. Heading into Martinsville Speedway this weekend, there should be ads covering the feud between Kyle Larson and Ryan Preece. There should be ads covering Hendrick’s dominant start and the victories and near misses of its competitors. There should be ads covering Christopher Bell’s win and Tyler Reddick’s sudden surge of speed after a horrendous start to the year. There should be ads covering Chase Elliott’s highly anticipated return.
The drivers, teams, and the races themselves have stories. NASCAR needs to use that to its advantage. Paint a picture of what has happened and keep fans excited for new twists and turns that lie ahead. And these ads should not just be plastered on FOX/NBC, but as many major channels as possible. Use the stories of a season to paint a compelling picture of NASCAR to people who don’t know a single thing about NASCAR.
Of course, qualms with the broadcasts, the racing product, etc. are an entirely different scenario, and those should be dealt with accordingly.
But making improvements in-house is the opposite side of the same coin, as NASCAR also needs to look outward and grow its fanbase, not just try and break even. When it comes to expanding reach, the current methods of promotion don’t provide many opportunities to do so.
Advertise in new places. Advertise in new ways. Advertise the story of NASCAR that changes week by week. Because one of those new formulas will have to hit, and that will be the catalyst for bringing in new fans who may eventually stick around for the long haul.
Stephen Stumpf is the NASCAR Content Director for Frontstretch and is a three-year veteran of the site. His weekly column is “Stat Sheet,” and he formerly wrote "4 Burning Questions" for three years. He also writes commentaries, contributes to podcasts, edits articles and is frequently at the track for on-site coverage.
Find Stephen on Twitter @stephen_stumpf