Loganity: In Its Search for Progress, NASCAR Shouldn't Forget Its Roots

Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images

By Logan Morris

When NASCAR first announced that five races would be streamed on Amazon Prime, the news was met with excitement and some cautious criticism. After five broadcasts on the streaming service, it’s fair to say that the broadcasts themselves have been a major success. However, one drawback to this move has been a decline in overall viewership. The conventional wisdom is that a rise in younger viewers offsets any major loss of older viewers. But, I’m here to tell you I don’t think it’s that simple. 

NASCAR is currently undergoing significant changes; it is a true period of transition. That is nothing new, of course; the changes for NASCAR have come fast and furious over the last few decades.  We saw the advent of what would become the NASCAR Playoffs, stage racing, shorter races, new venues, more road courses, and so on. But when NASCAR announced it would air five races on Prime, it made it more difficult for a decently sized portion of the fan base to watch, and in my opinion, that’s bad business. 

Yes, I’m aware everyone will shout about how a younger audience outweighs losses, but that’s dismissive and disrespectful to people who have followed and supported the sport for decades. While it’s true that advertisers want younger eyes on their products, it’s not as if older people don’t spend money to support sponsors and the sport. The decline in viewership proves that NASCAR missed the mark by moving a section of races to Prime.  A 16 percent drop in overall viewership is nothing to scoff at. They also suffered a 36% drop in viewers over the age of 55. Why is that okay? 

I know everything evolves and changes with time; that’s natural. But, NASCAR shouldn’t forget its roots in the process. If the sport were as broken as some of the younger fans suggest, then I don’t know how it’s lasted 77 years. NASCAR wasn’t built on street courses or road courses; it was built on rubbing and beating and banging. Look no further than Mexico City or the Chicago Street Course for examples of trying to do too much. What makes those locations so much more valuable than Chicagoland or Kentucky? Is it all in the name of money? Why? NASCAR is making plenty of money. NASCAR has tried to pay tribute to its roots occasionally over the years, and the return to North Wilkesboro and Bowman Gray Stadium is the kind of move NASCAR should be making. There’s an old adage, “What’s old is new again.”  Look at how those communities rallied around NASCAR’s return, especially when compared to the lacklustre LA Clash at the Coliseum experiment. 

People claimed The Clash in LA attracted new fans. But unless they’ve been hidden away in a bunker, there’s not much evidence to back that up. I’m all for trying some new things and even expanding the footprint internationally under the right circumstances. However, what about fixing some of the messes NASCAR has made here? As I previously mentioned, what about Kentucky and Chicagoland?   What about Auto Club Speedway? That provided some of the best races this next-gen car has produced, but they tore it down to turn it into a short-track. The short-track now looks increasingly unlikely to come to fruition; at last check, much of what’s left of the track has been overtaken by a warehouse complex.  NASCAR should continue to meet its present and future with its past. Why not a return to Hickory Motor Speedway? What about South Boston Speedway? There’s a host of tracks that NASCAR could add to the schedule in place of the ever-growing road course portion of the schedule. 

I’m not suggesting that every change that NASCAR has made over the last few decades has been a mistake. There are some more controversial changes that I’ve come to completely embrace and enjoy - stage racing and the playoffs come to mind. All I’m saying is there comes a point where it can go a little too far. You can’t simply alienate long-time fans in hopes of making new ones. 

To paraphrase, NASCAR Hall Of Fame member Mark Martin recently said on the Kenny Wallace Show, the long-time fans will keep watching, but the people who NASCAR is trying to attract and keep glued to the sport are being sold something that isn’t what the sport was built on. They’re being sold something that chips away at the foundation of what sport is. 

I know times change and things have to evolve and grow, but NASCAR is missing the mark in the way they’re trying to do that. Sometimes to go forward, you have to go back. NASCAR should lean less on things it hopes will draw new fans and more on its roots. I’m betting if they did that, they would draw more new fans than they think. After all, it worked very well for a long time.