Mexico City will play host to the first international event in NASCAR Cup Series history this weekend. It’s an exciting time for stock car racing, a historic moment every racing journalist would love to cover in person. Nothing beats being on site to bring you all the best stories from the race firsthand.
But for the first time since Kansas Speedway in 2022, Frontstretch won’t be there. That means no exclusive YouTube videos from us, one less independent voice delivering at-track coverage down in Mexico City.
Our hope is it’s the last race we’ll miss in a while. The reality? It’s looking like the first of many.
In order to sustain our level of coverage going forward, we’re going to need some help.
No one ever gets rich from racing journalism. But the way things have swung against us the last few months puts the site in jeopardy of even covering basic expenses. The challenges we face are not new – and it doesn’t have to do with a lack of popularity with our brand. Frontstretch coverage remains well respected and well known, with over 100,000 followers combined among Facebook, YouTube, or X.
So what’s wrong?
The rise of AI. Search engines replacing basic searches with AI responses rather than links to the topic you’re searching about has devastated news traffic across the country. Whether you’re covering NASCAR, IndyCar, F1, news, or bocce ball no one is immune to these trends sweeping the industry. This article from the Wall Street Journal just this week lays out some of the challenges we’re all facing.
In short: You Google “Michigan Denny Hamlin.” Google tells you some story about the race or information you’re looking for so there’s no need to go any further. Or… you just get frustrated over Google’s new system, can’t find the links to an article on your phone and give up.
There’s signs ahead this system may be changing. Google this week diverted searches on their Chrome browser back to the old way or “AI Mode.” But the damage has been done.
The Economy. It’s no secret things are not all that great right now. We’ve already had one sponsor pull out on us, specifically citing new tariffs as the cause. The amount we’re making from ad vendors from our columns is also lower because fewer companies are willing to advertise on them.
So… What Now?
The goal is to keep Frontstretch content free to view. I realize not everyone has the means to pay and we’re a website designed to be accessible to fans.
With that said… for journalism to survive long-term, it cannot be free. The reality is, everything costs money although our aim is to do things as efficiently as possible. Just 1,000 people sponsoring us for $5 a month would pay for all our travel expenses. It’s a small fraction – less than 0.02 percent – of all the people who visited our website in the past year.
I’m someone in the NASCAR industry, a prospective sponsor or a fan looking to help you guys stay afloat. What can I do?
Frontstretch is rolling out a new system where fans willing to do so can donate to help support our content. Three different links right here, can’t miss it :).
https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/Q2CY4T6UM5XVU
Prospective sponsors can also reach us through our Director of Partnerships, Derek Yoder, on LinkedIn or at frontstretchdy@gmail.com.
I like you guys but don’t have money to donate. I’d still like to help. What can I do?
Read our content. Not just scroll through a comment on social. Click on those links :) That one link click to get to our website will pay us more than any “like” or passive interaction you have with us on social media.
And spread the good word of HOW you like us to as many people and places as possible. That alone makes a difference. Who knows? Someone who does have money to help may see your post and reach out.
One last thing… Just because we’re not at the racetrack this weekend doesn’t mean we’re gone completely. The website isn’t shutting down – we just aren’t on location. So enjoy the commentary, features and news we’ll continue to provide to the best of our ability from here.
Thanks for reading and supporting us all these years. We wouldn’t be here without our readers! I’m confident we’ll make it through this rough time… but now, more than ever, we need your support to do so.
Sincerely,
Tom Bowles
Editor-in-Chief, Frontstretch
A lot to unpack here. Given what I see from certain regular commenters here, I’m probably going to get trounced in the replies, but I feel it needs to be said. So here goes…
First, I do have a question…when you note clicking a link to get here, do you mean from a Google search? I’ve typically come here either directly, or from Jayski’s site, as I had always assumed Frontstretch had to pay to be up in the Google listings. I’m more than happy to access the site in a way which results in a financial perk for your team.
Unsure where the AI monster will go. Despite having a fairly technical job, I cannot for the life of me understand why AI has such a buzz. I realize it will improve with time, but I have yet to see an AI which reliably provides accurate information. I routinely ignore the search engine AI results due to this, and in messing with ChatGPT and the like, I find the same problem. There’s just so much nuance, the AI cannot grasp it, and that’s before delving into the way it’s already being bent to promote false narratives.
As for the economy and tariffs, I 100% understand why this is creating issues. I try not to get political, especially in comments on sites which are not inherently political, but unfortunately, simply taking a stance on an abstract concept like tariff taxes is interpreted by some as a political attack.
With that in mind, here goes. Yes, tariffs have me concerned, and unfortunately, discretionary income is the first prudent area in which to shore up a budget. As I’ve begun to see prices rise, I have in turn battened down my financial hatches, as I’m not one who will ever live paycheck to paycheck again, if I can avoid it. What this means is although I love Frontstretch, as it is my go to for NASCAR news, I can’t in good conscience spend money toward it at this time. I hope those who are in even greener financial pastures than my own step up to the plate here.
From a business perspective, though my tech job is in a VERY blue collar industry, one which is typically quite conservative, I have seen first hand the pressures tariffs are putting on our company, with our procurement team battling more expensive parts to keep our equipment running, and also sometimes seeing long delays in parts availability Suppliers are having the same issues, with tariffs meaning prices can have remarkable swings, often from day to day, which means either the parts simply aren’t available, or the supplier waits in the hope the relevant tariff(s) will be modified to something more reasonable.
We are but a microcosm of the problem, so it doesn’t surprise me many companies are drawing back the reins, trying to keep expenses from spiraling completely out of control.
Before anyone jumps in about bringing production back to America…yes, I see why this could be good for Americans. That is a separate discussion. The problem is tariffs do not work, and this is not an opinion. History is littered with examples of their failure, and very few examples to the contrary. As always, I recommend people do their own research. As an example, look into the Smoot-Hawley act of 1930. This was enacted to help curb the Great Depression in the United States. It had the exact opposite effect, exacerbating the problem. Tariffs are not the answer.
I sincerely hope my friends at Frontstretch (I don’t personally know any of you, but I love your work) can weather the storm. I think it’s going to take people losing a lot of things they enjoy in their daily lives before the problem is taken seriously. I just hope Frontstretch is not one of the casualties.
I thought it was perhaps Mexico is a cartel run third world hellhole.
wow, well i’ve been a frontstretch reader for quiet a few years, a long time, almost 30 yrs. i’ve gotten to know several folks, one who seems to have disappeared off the planet. i tell others i chat with to check out frontstretch, but since the “older” drivers have retired, it seems the younger fans aren’t into reading detailed info as much. i’ve noticed it’s the same group of us that comment on things…and i think the sport has changed so much that there’s difficulty finding content. we all know this version of the car stinks…..we all know hamlin complains and so does bubba (did you see where he’s offended by the use of the white flag. he says it’s racist. i reminded the posting that the white flag in war means surrender). i also saw something in headlines where the prime ratings aren’t as fantastic as nascar though they’d be.
i figured you wouldn’t go to mexico because of cause and possibly limited access to the race and teams. i would suspect things will be tightly buttoned up there, especially with our current political climate here in the US.
quite a lot has been in the media about ai. me, i’m old and don’t understand much about that. i still do old fashioned searches when i need to look for something. i keep hearing how ai will take over the entry level jobs and especially in tech industry. apparently google has laid off a bunch of people in their search department.
honestly, i used to be a faithful reader of jayski. but his site has changed and i’m just not too crazy about it. he seems to have the nascar approved stuff.
i’m very apprehensive doing paypal. again i don’t understand it, i’ve had my identity stolen and took forever to get that straightened out. i pay for a newspaper subscription i read online, so if the fee was reasonable i’d try to support the site. but it does come down to budgeting.
fingers crossed for you folks. it’s been tight before and the phoenix has risen from the ashes. just keep us informed.
I did some research on the alleged Bubba Wallace comment about racism, and came up with nothing. The only “source” I could find was a random facebook page taking the below comment from February out of context. He was referring to how to stop the carnage at the end of Daytona races.
“Stop making the white flag the final lap. No, if a caution comes out, just keep lining back up, keep going. I mean, it’s the biggest race of the year, the Daytona 500, and you want it to end that way? I’m always on here just saying, just don’t even have a green-white-checker anymore. Just get rid of everything.”
Not saying Wallace didn’t say it, but I see no evidence to support it.
I’ll be getting in for $60! Good luck, I love this site.
I wouldn’t expect you all to go to Mexico City. Its a long way, and its a big hassle.
I am surprised to see more people comment on your Facebook links than here, but I guess its easier to comment there.
You know, 20 years ago I would have been fine with donating $5 a month, but the way things have devolved over the last decade (the car, the TV coverage, the rules, etc.) I realize that I just don’t care about the sport like I used to. I still come to Frontstretch daily but I peruse the articles and rarely comment anymore. I still watch the races but I don’t care who wins (as long as it isn’t you know who) or loses. There are drivers I like and drivers I dislike but overall, I really don’t care.
My passion for the sport has evaporated. I’m not even sure there is anything they can change that will bring me back (it sure would help if they fixed the short track races and did something with the abomination they call the playoffs but that still may not make a difference to me). I can tell you this, streaming races doesn’t help and I was already a Prime member before they even started streaming. So it isn’t the cost, I just don’t like the streaming experience.
Anyway, I will give some thought to donating but it’s a hard sell given my indifference to the overall sport.
I am truly sorry for the hardships the current environment are causing for Frontstretch. I hope when the dust settles the overall future will look brighter because, for people who really do still care about the sport, there is no better site on the internet. As for AI, it scares the shit out of me and I already hate it. I can’t see AI making the world better in the long run. Too many people out there with bad intentions.
Could you make clear if it matters how we get to the site for it to help your statistics?
I have FS saved in my favorites and use that to enter the site. If there is a preferable way, please let us know.
And the sad thing is, that’s not even the biggest concern for AI for me. It’s the most direct and obvious thing down the road, but remember that this is Google and other sites giving you a description or a product by pouring over other people’s work.
The idea that somebody could feed an LLM the hundreds of articles I’ve done over the years and go “Write a Michael Finley column on this thing” and it be paraded around like I wrote it sickens me. Especially in a scenario where I’ve passed on or can’t meaningful respond to the issue myself.
Supporting writers helps them in the short term, and will help in the long term.
Go check out the country music artist Randy Travis. He has unfortunately had health conditions (heart failure, stroke, and a condition called severe aphasia) which have left him unable to speak or sing. However, he, his wife, and his music team / record label have used AI to release some new songs. It is crazy how good and real they sound. My point is, there is a documentary out there and they discuss the same concerns and are trying to find ways to influence legislation and such to protect artists from AI stealing their sound / work. I assume journalists have groups which are working on the same, might be worth joining forces to have a larger impact.
If Frontstretch ever needs a Photographer for Sonoma, Las Vegas and Phoenix I would gladly volunteer my time.
I’m happy to donate! I enjoy your content, and I often look here (on the website) first for information. I also like to follow links in your email.
I too am leery of AI and I skip using it every time. I don’t need help completing a search or having an aggregator compile results for me. I’ve seen the incorrect results, and it’s also a big polluter, and a threat to the livelihood of so many content creators.
I wish you guys the best, and I’m glad to continue supporting you in the future.