Longtime NASCAR Voice Doesn't Sugarcoat Concerns About Shocking Drop in 2023 Television Ratings

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the Bristol dirt this weekend for the ninth race of the season. Many fans will attend at the half-mile track this Easter Sunday while others will watch on television. However, according to the most recent ratings numbers released this week, not nearly as many fans will be tuning in to watch on TV as have in the past.
Through the first eight races this year (including the Clash), every single one has seen a decline in total viewership from the year before. And even more concerning is most of those drops have been in the double digits from 2022. It appears the novelty of the Next Gen car has worn off.
And according to longtime NASCAR voice Dave Moody, it's something that should be concerning to everyone involved.
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[@raplottrpj]

As Kevin Harvick said....when the suits are making all the decisions the finished product pretty much sucks.

[@erwinpadgett1050]

100% CORRECT! NASCAR is ruining their Product thus losing many fans! NASCAR's Inconsistency to be consistent is totally their downfall!

[@raplottrpj]

@@erwinpadgett1050 Without a doubt and inconsistent all the way around right down to on track stuff...what's not a caution 10 laps in is a caution with 10 to go.

[@erwinpadgett1050]

@@raplottrpj Yes sir totally agree with on everything you said! NASCAR's product is doomed by their own hand!

[@russellbaker7579]

That pretty much works for everything in general doesnt it.

[@hopefloats7573]

Same thing happens everywhere. From NASCAR to your grocery store.

[@michaelsonnon2333]

I'm 64 and have been around racing my entire life. I used to go to races all over the east coast (Darlington, Bristol, Dover, Talladega, Martinsville among others) but wouldn't waste my time anymore. I had enough. As for attending races, ticket costs have gone from semi-expensive to taking out a loan expensive. I realize that this is not a NASCAR deal, but, area hotels and eating establishments went along and increased their prices on race weekends making it even more expensive. As a fan, I only have so much and they all seem to want to get it all, without any remorse (or real value!). Another reason is when NASCAR decided to implement the chase format. It was then that my own interest began to dwindle. No longer did the best team over the course of an entire season become champion. Now, they simply (ok, not so simple but stay with me here) have to win once, then sit back and make a 10-race run at the end of the season. So really, as a fan, why waste my time on the first 26 races when all that really matters are those last 10? It's really easy to change the channel or find something else to do when most of the races don't seem as important as they once did anymore. As for TV, the reasons people don't watch so much anymore is easy to see, if you are not a NASCAR or TV "executive". How about commentators that have no clue what they are talking about (Yes YOU Danica!). How about 400 commercials shoved down our throats making us miss a third or more of the actual action? How about advertised start times being prolonged/extended for a half hour to an hour for reasons unclear to anyone? Stuff like that makes me turn the channel and quick, and once I go, I don't return. All that and I haven't yet mentioned the lack of common-sense camera/director work that is showing one thing when something else is being talked about. Or a camera shot of a 20th place car when something big is going on near the front? Finally, the last 6 Daytona's have been the lowest rated. Stage racing started 6 years ago. Can anyone in NASCAR see this? I mean hell, why not just run a 50 lapper, take a latte break, then run another? Oh wait, that IS what they do now! Add to that the fact that the drivers, save for very few, are so damn politically correct vanilla actors that it's hard to tell them apart anymore. There are more reasons we don't pay nearly as much attention to the series as we once did, but the above is a start. Yet, somehow, it will fall on deaf ears and nothing will change. The true legacy of NASCAR is saying they care about the fan while being clueless as to what the fans really like.

[@markkersh8548]

Could not have said it better myself! All good true points!

[@tukn24s]

I've been watching this sport since 94 and I have to say this is the first year I haven't cared to watch all the races. Seems like unless they are at superspeedway, the races are pretty boring and with all the changes they've lost me. I think they will finally have good ratings for the all star race but I think that will be the only race that doesn't take a dive in ratings.

[@mackelby1]

I used to watch practice, qualifying and the race of 2 series every weekend. Haven't watched a race in over 5 years.

[@jamescaron6465]

You nailed it. I stopped going to races in 2001 because I felt like I was starting to get gouged and pretty badly.

[@Waddle_Dee_With_Internet]

Weren’t the stage cautions got rid from Cota? It was heavily praised by fans.

[@ben9046]

I was a hardcore nascar fan for close to 25 years. I purchased thousands of dollars worth of merchandise a year, had season tickets to my favorite track, and never missed a race. When Steve Phelps took the helm, he said that nascar couldn’t continue to chase new fans at the expense of their current ones. Then they went out and did just that. They’ve spent the past several years alienating the people that have paid their bills for decades. They’re getting what they deserve. I’m at the local short tracks now on Saturday nights and out doing other things on Sunday besides watching their dogshit slotcar racing. If there’s any comfort I could offer Nascar though, it would be just to say, I’m sorry this is happening to you. Best of luck.

[@user-rj7dj7bp2x]

Flo racing is worth the money if you like short track racing some of the biggest dirt tours and events and an increasing amount of pavement stuff too

[@hillbillysceptic1982]

They made me take down my Virginia battle flag and handed out rainbow flags. i don't want my kids around trash like that.

[@comercole1940]

​@@hillbillysceptic1982yup

[@jonnalangmeier6965]

I left Nascar in the mid 90s. Rules that favored on car brand to the detriment of the others and unspoken rules that certain drivers could deliberately wreck a competitor and not face penalties. I'm glad I left. I easily found new past times. I can remember waiting those long cold months until Daytona speedweeks in eager anticipation. Now, a few decades later I look upon a sport that has ruined itself. I miss Davey Allison, Alan Kulwicki, Harry Gant, Mark Martin, and Awesome Bill from Dawsonville.

[@MisterFusion113]

They've been trying for decades to replace the audience. Mission accomplished.

[@FunkyDPL]

They replaced them with empty seats and TVs tuned elsewhere.

[@tomt9543]

Best comment! The good old boys were the foundation of this sport, but nascar wanted a demographic with deeper pockets, so they basically turned the sport into a fad! An unsustainable fad! I don’t watch nascar, or any other sports for that matter, and I just don’t think people care anymore! The decline isn’t just in the big leagues of racing either. The number of local short tracks that have permanently closed the doors in the last handful of years is astonishing! Many of them iconic tracks! True, it ain’t over till the fat lady sings, but if you listen closely, you can hear her warming up!

[@rodneycaupp5962]

@@tomt9543 Is that Yodeling, or is it more of an Asian Rhythm I hear ? The music has even changed... the Motege shuffle.

[@mikeg4163]

Exactly…they went after the soccer moms, turned their back in real racing fans .. those fickle temporary fans said see ya…

[@TwoAcresandaMule]

OH god tinfoil hats come out.

[@EnvirotekCleaningSystems]

I used to attend multiple races per year. I also used a VCR to tape every single televised race and that became a lot easier in the 90's because the entire season was broadcast, even the rain delayed races. I used to pull those tapes out and re-watch old races. I was just that hooked. I haven't seen a race in years and haven't attended one in a decade probably. I didn't change. Judging from the numbers, I'm not the only once completely diehard fan that no longer pays attention. I went from knowing who won every single race for the last 5 years, to not even knowing who the last 5 Champions are. NASCAR doesn't have a problem, they are the problem.

[@devinswearingen8756]

Can you explain why you lost interest?

[@jwrailve3615]

My earliest memories start in 96/97 and my father watched literally every practice qualifying and all three races every week religiously up until 2015. We’ve tried to get back into the sport after 2021 was actually fun to watch but this year has already forced me back out. They don’t care about fans at all.

[@devinswearingen8756]

@@jwrailve3615 How did Nascar "force you out" again?

[@michaelcaraway2305]

I've also been a fan for many years and have attended many events at Daytona, Talladega, and almost every event at Bristol from the mid '70s until the early 2000's. From that time NASCAR has declined in entertainment value at an alarming rate along with other options becoming more and more available to the viewing public. NASCAR is as you say "the problem". They have produced a product that is more about the advertisement than the entertainment on track.

[@zacharygreen5584]

You gave what you did but never why you stopped watching? Why did you stop watching? Is it to "woke", the stage racing?

[@mickylawless1941]

I've been watching NASCAR since the 1960's. I've gone to races (when I could afford tickets), watched most of the coverage on TV for decades. But something changed for me back around 2010. New rules, the playoff and the race cars got bad. I went from watching most races every week to zero races for about 13 years now. I find that I do not even miss it now.

[@christenn32]

The Chase, coupled with that hideous looking COT car, was enough for me. I endured it for years because I was such a diehard fan, but I finally gave up about 2 years ago. It's weird going from can't miss it to don't care.

[@hillbillysceptic1982]

I knew something bad was happening when they switched from Winston Cup to Nextel. The politics drives everything in NASCAR instead of the drivers and fans.

[@ESCGelfling]

This started years ago when NEXTEL took over from Winston and NASCAR started changing the rules and created the playoffs. After awhile, things stabilized a bit as some of us who didn't like it became accustomed to it and acquiesced. However, as you mentioned, the steady decline that's going on now began 6 seasons ago and do you know what else started 6 seasons ago? Stage racing. That was the last straw for most of us. The acclaimed top tier of stock car racing in the world backslid into Saturday night heat races. You combine that with the slew of top drivers who all retired within about a 3-4 year period and NASCAR was doomed. Right in the middle of this stupid decision of stages, they also lost Gordon, Stewart, Earnhardt, Jr., Edwards, Kenseth and eventually Johnson, and we were left with Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, a bunch of middle school students and the Busch brothers. Yeah, that's entertainment. NASCAR knew it was getting bad almost immediately. In 2017, they announced they were pulling the Sept. race from Loudon beginning in 2018 and giving it to Vegas, and then they took down the grandstands in turn 3 at Loudon. In 2018, with a fresh two events on the schedule, Vegas removed the lower level seats coming out of 4 and going into 1 and then Daytona, Talladega and Charlotte all removed their grandstands on their backstretches. Now, NH has no stands in turn 4, either. I went to 24 races at Loudon. I haven't been near the place since Sept. 2017. I used to be an over-the-road truck driver, I had satellite TV in my truck and I used to plan my runs on the weekends to make sure that I had the time to stop and set up my dish and watch the races, no matter where they were or what time they were on. Now, you couldn't pay me to take the time to set my DVR to record a race, let alone watch one. NASCAR doesn't give a rat's ass about the fans. They haven't since Bill, Jr died. Brian started their downfall and no one who has taken charge since his drug bust has any clue what the fans really want. And that probably doesn't matter, anyway, since most of us will never return. I hope the sponsors take note of the lack of viewers and start moving their money elsewhere. What Bill Sr and Jr built over 50+ years, Brian and company destroyed in less than 20. RIP, NASCAR.

[@TheSpreadCFB]

Nascar did this to themselves is all I can say

[@paulmoss7940]

Yessir

[@bradrobertson4609]

Yep!

[@eberhoozen]

It’s garbage to watch… overtime’s stage racing it sucks

[@DAVIDJONES-qb2nw]

?

[@DAVIDJONES-qb2nw]

Change the cars back to real stock cars

[@JJ-zd5ld]

Several issues: They start the races too late; who wants to watch spec car racing?; constant rule changes; the races seem to go on too long with the "overtime" rules; the points system - only the last 10 races matter; they alienated the base fans a long time ago by trying to find new fans. Another big problem is the fans no longer feel connected to the drivers or the sport. When SPEED channel was around it was daily and well produced NASCAR shows with driver interviews, analysis and news. The weekend coverage was great with how they would have the Friday pre-race weekend show out amongst the fans. It created an atmosphere that fans wanted to be a part of, whether they were at the track or watching from home. Now it just seems like NASCAR is doing everything it can to dis-interest the fans.

[@AftertheCheckeredFlag]

Great points!

[@stealthswim223]

Yeah knowing who won and now they are in the playoffs ruins the need to watch the races for the drama and points. It’s like cool, see ya for the playoffs. Where the real season starts.

[@MonteLeeMyPOV]

You say they start too late but not if you’re a west coast fan. They start too dam early! 11am 12pm? On a sunday man! Cant do shit.

[@connorbingel7134]

I think most of your points are good, but spec car racing is good racing. Indycar has some of the best racing of any Motorsport. Nascar needs to change some other stuff fast though. I hope northwilskboro is a slam dunk and we get some classic short tracks

[@JVan8313]

"Constant rule changes"... you must not have watched racing in the 90's/00's. They changed rules every week depending on what car had the aero advantage that week. But of course, that ruins revisionist history.

[@fredukm2481]

I watch the old fashion way, with an antenna. Pretty hard to include me in your count since I cannot be detected. Also, like many others, I would prefer to watch a competition where a good idea is rewarded and that car pulls ahead, as opposed to all cars being identical. I even enjoyed the days when the leader was 6 laps ahead of the field.

[@MICKEY4356]

End stage racing. 🏁

[@tobinharbeston3201]

I hate it,

[@johndunn678]

I drive 18 wheels for a living, I remember a time (about 20 years ago) when the drivers lounge in most truckstops would be standing room only when a NASCAR race was on. Truck drivers would plan their routes so they could go in and watch it. This video made me realize I have not seen this happen in awhile.

[@WVUer21]

That is a really interesting observation. It's the subtle changes over like this that demonstrate the decline of something that doesn't draw attention to itself. It just happens, and life continues. NASCAR better take heed, but the problem might too late.

[@LivingCommonSense]

Nascar ownership became ashamed of their roots, taking away innovation, strict enforcement, over-the-top penalties and selecting who won't be champions before the season starts. The chase format cost JG three championships. Monday morning, I can't come close to buying anything I saw on the track Sunday except for maybe the jet-dryer truck and some chain link fence. They can do whatever they want. It no longer holds relevance for me.

[@newking70]

Bring back the Rebel 500.

[@ruds2600]

@@newking70 Crikey, they can't drive a whole 400 miles without a stage break. How they going to go 500.

[@davidswanson8243]

Well for me it's no longer stock car racing. The cars are identical, perform the same, drivers are from Young millionaire families! Joe mechanic can't field a car anymore! It bores me to tears!

[@LivingCommonSense]

@@davidswanson8243 agreed

[@peterfreeman3317]

Spot on!

[@derekgrace9931]

I use to attend Darlington (Southern 500) and Charlotte (BoA 500) every year. I stopped 4 years ago. The cost kept climbing and the attraction kept declining. The Fan zone kept getting smaller with fewer and fewer vendors and events. I still follow Nascar, but nothing like I did in the past. If I miss a race, no big deal….I’ll check the app and see who won.

[@ronjon5386]

I too was a huge NACSAR fan. I spent thousands and thousands of dollars going to races. Getting pit passes Never missed a Daytona 500 . Never missed a Darlington Race. Never missed Charlotte Race. Why I don’t watch NASCAR anymore is super simple. They forgot about the people that made them great All those people who had to wait years just to get on the list for the Bristol tickets . Then we have . Bubbba Wallace and that fake news noose in the garage BULL CRAP. It was disgusting. Everyone knew what they hoop was for. I have them on all my garage doors. It was absurd to send a dozen or more FBI agents to check out that lie. And people like Marty Stewart jumped on the wagon I have maybe $7000.00 in race memorabilia I need to sale. Also we just don’t have the great drivers we had in the past. The 1980s will always be the best decade for NASCAR racing.

[@MtnHiker]

I'm 71 and was a huge Nascar fan 'back in the day'. I have a supercharged car in my garage. I used to love the innovation when every team was looking for an edge. Racing has always influenced production... well, used to. The only car races I'm interested in now are road courses. With every Nascar car being mandated identical every race is the same... bumper to bumper, going in circles like lost sheep, until there's an accident and a caution. There used to be excitement and race long strategy around pit stops. Now there are 'stages' when the track empties and everyone gets a break. Formula 1 sets high standards but there's still enough room for innovation and changes to the cars during the season. Nascar is like a bread factory with every loaf the same and all the baker can do is load the truck. Such a waste. And, yes, I watched this video on KZbin where I'm not forced to wait out 10 minute commercial breaks.

[@MICKEY4356]

I'm 63 and I agree. 🏁

[@terrygoyan]

I'm 67 and totally agree. It was exciting up till the eighties when the cars from different auto companies looked different, and the drivers relatable. One of my favorite memories was eating lunch with Dale Earnhardt at Sears Point raceway. Back then, win on Sunday, sell on Monday meant something. Not any more. The car of tomorrow was an incredibly stupid idea! IMSA, Formula 1, Moto-Gp, Trans-am World Superbike all have a much better quality product than NASCAR. Hell, one drop of rain on the track and they delay the race! Hell, even formula one bikes (500cc two strokes) raced in the rain! If they can so can NASCAR! The chase formula really gutted my interest in the early races of the season. NASCAR, you have brought a once enjoyable racing series to it's knees.

[@MtnHiker]

@@terrygoyan Thanks for the reply. I agree with everything you wrote. I've been a car guy all my life. I grew up in the boonies and me and my buddies spent our weekends at the junk yard looking for anything that would make our cars better/faster; swapping engines, suspensions, gears etc. When I discovered NASCAR on TV I saw us but at a MUCH higher level. You just knew the teams were going to try new 'things' and hoped not getting caught. The teams innovated and NASCAR had to change rules just to try to keep up but they went way too far. I hate the 'chase' too. Dale Earnhardt was the best; whatever it took. You just don't see the passion anymore. What's a race without the teams being able to prepare their cars to suit their drivers style and the track?

[@ShaunHensley]

Exactly this

[@ehiracheta]

yup I'm moved over to Formula 1 now. The innovations and changes throughout the season. The cars all in a engineering race as well as the driven races.

[@christopherrucker3559]

The Clash used to mean something. It was for pole winners. Not everyone was in it.

[@RoastBeefSandwich]

Same with the All-Star, they kept changing the rules so Junior would be in it otherwise the promoters couldn't sell tickets.

[@damann2889]

I've been a life-long fan and have attended at least 100 races in person (conservative estimate). I've watched virtually every race shown on TV since the late 80's, and watched many on TV even before that. Hell, I remember having to watch NASCAR races on Wide World of Sports where you'd only get portions of the race (a group of laps, shown at several different points through the race). I can explain the loss of fans in a nutshell: changing everything that made you a success usually isn't a formula for more success. To expound on this a bit, some changes couldn't really be helped; NASCAR had no real choice. The evolution of the street car being sold to the consumer caused the specs needed to make a good street car begin to vary widely from what was needed to make a successful race car. Body widths, greenhouse sizes and wheelbases, not to mention front vs. rear wheel drive, the need to strongly favor drag reduction over the creation of downforce because of CAFE standards. These facts would cause the manufactures to stop building cars designed to be raced in NASCAR if alterations from stock dimensions were not presently allowed (as used to be the case), as well as stop any factory support presently being given to NASCAR and its race teams. In the end, manufacturers are in the business of selling cars, not racing them. This dichotomy is what caused the modern "spec" car to come into being. Unfortunately, the dynamic I just mentioned causes the real problem. This dynamic plays right into the biggest weakness the NASCAR model has for fan retention. It causes drivers to become the single focal point for fans and minimizes the importance of manufactures to the fans. Drivers are perishable. They come and go. I'm a 50+ year Atlanta Falcons Fan. I remember when the Falcons drafted Steve Bartkowski. Steve hasn't played NFL football since 1986, but the Falcons still exist and I'm still a Falcons fan. Every driver in the first race I ever attended, have long since retired. Sponsors come and go, too. I'm doubt there is any main sponsor from that first race still sponsoring a car currently. Virtually every other sport has a model where the main focal point for fan support doesn't go away, even though players come and go. When manufactures could really compete and really mattered to the potential outcome of the races, NASCAR had this, too. When I first started watching NASCAR, most fans cared as much for what make of car won the race as they did what driver or team won it (what won on Sunday, sold on Monday). Not anymore. Most fans today couldn’t care less what make of car their driver races. Many other changes have cause the product to diminish. No racing back to the yellow flag (sucks!), extreme limits on testing, overtime is a horrible idea, as are the playoffs. Races are ran for advertised distances. Changing the race length for what is advertised on the fly can call the integrity of the sport into question, and playoffs are stupid as every race team competes with every other race team, every week. The reason playoffs exist in other sports is because teams don't compete against every other team, each week, and in some instances there are teams in other sports that never play certain other teams. That reason does make sense in racing. Also, playoffs favor the surging teams over the best teams over the year as a whole. Sometimes you don't like the rules change, but the advantages of the change do outweigh the entertainment value of the old way, like speed limits on pit road. Stage racing is another, but only because NASCAR could never control themselves from calling questionable and downright unnecessary cautions whose real purpose was for competition purposes. If you're going to call competition cautions, at least advertise them ahead of time so they can be factored into strategy doesn't give the appearance of engineering the race result to favor certain drivers. Lastly and unfortunately, I think NASCAR has seen its heyday and we're now witnessing its decline. ICE engines will become dinosaurs in the next 20 years. Electric cars hold a host of issues that making racing them for long distances a real issue.

[@crowbar4701]

The decline began with the expansion of tracks to areas well outside the Southern fan base, accompanied by a full court press effort to find "more polished" drivers to put in front of the microphone. Basically, NASCAR went Hollywood and lost a lot of its base. As for the races themselves, those have turned into nothing but gimmick starts and stops in an overall slot car race.

[@martygaringer4999]

The inability to sell out a 30,000 seat All Star race at the historic N. Wilkesboro track tells you all you need to know about NASCAR's popularity. When they started leaving their Southern base in the late 90's for greener pastures, they began the loss of the dedicated fan base. These were generational fans, where Grandpa brought Grandson/Granddaughter to the track on Sundays. That tradition has been broken and never to return. The expansion tracks that took the venues from the South never have or will build a generational fan base. Attending one of those races is just something to do on a Sunday, unless there is something better to do. As far as revenue goes. the Teams might as well get use to living on a lot less.

[@Blk_GT8]

Marty, I agree with ya to a point. There are people all over the country who enjoy racing tho. Making nascar a national series isn’t a bad thing. It’s the racing product that’s to blame for the decline. My local dirt track has families come out to every race. What you see at a dirt or asphalt track on a Saturday night is way different than nascar. It’s become too foreign to the regular race fan.

[@3sons66]

...and I was so excited that they refurbed that track. I used to Google Earth the track for 20 years wishing someone RICH would do it. Now, someone has and NASCAR has killed everything that was NASCAR. What a waste.

[@toddw6716]

They ain’t going to be driving them motorhomes for long

[@seawilcar]

Corporate racing

[@rickrack4812]

Cable broadcast switch, yrs ago, killed it as rural base fans OFTEN LACK CABLE SERVICE.... NASCAR tried grabbing I ng onto urbanites.

[@redbullsauberpetronas]

The gimmicks don't appeal to racing fans of other series and they don't appeal to people who don't care about racing in the first place. Get rid of stages get rid of overtime let them race properly

[@devinswearingen8756]

That won't solve anything

[@redbullsauberpetronas]

@@devinswearingen8756 you honestly think you're gonna attract people with stages, overtime, and other gimmicks that just cause crashes for no reason? It's a racing series, people who will be interested want to watch racing

[@RichieWilliams97]

@@devinswearingen8756 making the racing better won’t solve anything?

[@devinswearingen8756]

@@redbullsauberpetronas No I don't think it will, but I don't think getting rid of stages will either.

[@devinswearingen8756]

@@RichieWilliams97 Would it improve the quality of the racing? Probably. Would it increase tv ratings? Probably not.

[@JCTEAM60]

F1 has gained NASCAR’s market share because: #1 no commercials during the race & #2 finite race time lengths. Viewers today want a defined uninterrupted viewing experience. Stop breaking the action!

[@duanebailey6253]

Stages and the chase ruined it for me. Since the COT the cars weren't able to put on the same show. Also once Dale Jr left there was no face. Nascar shoves Eric Bubba and Danica down our throat. Than allows Bubba to make a complete joke out of the sport while every team has to shutup and back him up. There is a lack of connection between drivers and fans.

[@paulmoss7940]

Richmond maybe half full. Perhaps NASCAR shouldn't alienate their base .

[@RoastBeefSandwich]

Half full after they tore down over half the grandstands that used to be there too.

[@tobylou8]

@@RoastBeefSandwich Yep! I used to sit in the Toyota section. The view of the backstretch was limited down low, but the price was right if I wanted to take a bunch of kids. You know, KIDS, the future fans, can't do that now.

[@thomasdragosr.841]

I lived in Richmond in the 70's. Back then it was a SOUTHERN city in a SOUTHERN state. Now, like Atlanta, Richmond is a warm Northern city. So racing is not followed the same way it was. America is being homoginized, our distinct regions are going away.

[@AndyFromBeaverton]

I know, they should get Dylan Mulvaney to promote their events. I'm sure it will bring in new young viewers.

[@polycube868]

@AndyFromBeaverton I hope you're being sarcastic, any real NASCAR fan would boo him back into his closet he came out of.

[@marknoble5495]

NASCAR gave control and catered to the media. The media loved all of the gimmicks because it gave them more storylines to cover. Problem is the fans are smart enough to see the sport has lost its authenticity in favor of fabricated excitement and drama.

[@RRaquello]

It also gave them more opportunities to flood us with commercials.

[@oscarwinner2034]

I look forward to NASCAR falling back to a small sport again. It’s like a forest fire in the woods. It will cause the big money teams to run out of money. It will allow the small players to compete again. Less May be more.

[@ms5221]

And the auxiliary shows are horrible. Media is overdone when you see or hear the same information 8 times in a week and THEN Fox thinks they must repeat it all on raceday

[@larryduvall9475]

when it got so big and fox took over broadcasting around 2000 it ruined it all

[@oscarwinner2034]

@@larryduvall9475 Can't blame Nascar or Fox, there was a growing increase in fans and it was the next step. Unfortunately the interest cooled down and they have to re-scale back to an appropriate level of television and tracks. Where's TNN to broadcast races when you need them?

[@tbteam11]

I live in Daytona. I attended every 500 from 1980 until four years ago. I’ve traveled to other tracks like Bristol and Martinsville. I have a home in Cornelius, NC and many of my neighbors are team owners and drivers. That being said, I have very little interest in the races today. My dad and I loved going back in the day. He wouldn’t recognize NASCAR today.

[@josephmckenzie8953]

I grew up in the pits of our local short track and garages of the local drivers as my Dads friend was a driver and pit crewman for our local driver that went on to win at Riverside and qualify and crash at Daytona. I love the sport and watched it faithfully when the races started being aired regularly. I haven’t watched a race in 3 years. I don’t see myself ever tuning back in. I will watch reruns of 70s ABC Wide World of Sports Winston Cup Races.

[@howardrose8817]

I saw Tony Stewart I believe on the Dale jr download last year talking about a conversation he had with one of Nascars top brass. He wouldn't say who it was but I'm guessing it was Ben Kennedy. He said that this persons vision of Nascar going forward is 180 degrees opposite of his. If you read the comments below you'll see that the fans view on things like stage racing are opposite of what Nascar tells you that people love. The late start times, the manufactured road courses, and a bunch of drivers who look like they just got off the school bus aren't helping the situation. I'm afraid that this sport is on it's way out with the final nail in the coffin being the day when they go to electric cars. Don't worry though. When that time comes Nascar will be telling the world how excited their fan base is about the new era of Nascar.

[@johnhaas2523]

TV has everything to do with the start times not nascar. Of course Ben Kennedy has a different envision for the direction then Tony Stewart because Ben is form a different generation than Tony and Ben is in the business side and understands how TV is today and what executives want. Ben also understand fans in His and even the younger ones that want things Tony Stewart don't that makes The race is more entertaining.

[@janiceanglin1199]

​@John Haas your a bot

[@johnhaas2523]

@@janiceanglin1199 go cry to Trump and Fox news If you don't like the damn truth that I'm telling you Because I don't care about what people think I care about telling them what they don't want to hear AKA the truth

[@RRaquello]

They can always fudge the numbers to prove that their ideas are working. If you're impressed by numbers, well be happy with them. I see empty grandstands, falling TV ratings and big time sponsors fleeing the sport. That impresses me more than any numbers a guy with an MBA from Harvard can show me.

[@avalanche3084]

​@@johnhaas2523 could you really be that dumb?

[@jjfitzgerald8989]

It's not just viewership. Look at the empty stands...

[@dcfcplans25]

Yup even after they removed large sections of grandstands at nearly every track

[@bobbellow5502]

That is why they made the seats different colors, so it would look like people in the seats.

[@judgegixxer]

Many people have higher priorities like food and rent and can't afford to waste a big chunk of cash going to see a Nascar race.. Even if they wanted to.

[@dcfcplans25]

@@judgegixxer A coworker of mine just went to the Richmond race. Took his wife 2 children and his Aunt. Spent maybe $300 total and had pit passes which are practically given away these days. Not that expensive anymore.

[@Thraser999]

@@nutzabout3 Well, there's one more, his master, herr Klaus S., all the way back in Davos...

[@retirementcorner]

NASCAR left their fans years ago now they are paying the price. No more independent drivers,stage racing, Tracks, COT, HP rules, ticket prices etc. Used to be when the race was in town you could meet some of the drivers at different places around town for autographs, pictures but it hasn't been like that in a long while. Used to go to Richmond atleast once a year, haven't been in years now and probably won't again same for watching on TV. They went uptown and left their fan base behind. Steve

[@jeffhenjes1722]

I turned my back on it and don't miss it a bit. Couldn't care less about it anymore.

[@grebnecher]

After being a ‘motörhead’ in my late teens-early 20s, I sorta ignored motorsports for 25-30 years; life & family took precedence. NASCAR got me back in the mid-late 1990s as the company I worked for sponsored a Cup car. When our sponsorship ended in 2004, I drifted away and started going to Saturday night short tracks around my area. ‘Real racing with real people’ is a lot more fun. $12-15 on a Friday or Saturday night is what now turns my crank. Three hours of in-person viewing sure beats three hours of TV with commercials every 5 minutes. 10-12 minutes of “race highlights” on KZbin is all I need from NASCAR.

[@jamesgouveia9843]

I love this! Support your local tracks, its real racing, except for the kids with rich parents pushing them, racing for the love of the sport not for money.

[@Frostrazor]

Absolutely!!! I love the local tracks. Especially Sprint Cars! Those are the most exciting of em all!

[@BartholomewSmutz]

One big drawback of car racing on TV is that you can't really get a sense of the speed the cars are travelling. The cars could all be travelling 80MPH instead of 180MPH and you wouldn't really notice any difference.

[@lonemindinacrowd]

Last Cup series race I attended was Martinsville 2007. I have no interest in going these days simply because of price. As far as watching on TV, I don't have the time to catch the race live, especially with how many forced cautions there are, stages, and commercials.

[@southcarolina6537]

They didn't want the south anymore so welcome to your new fan base haha

[@paulmoss7940]

Yup . Laughing in NC. How many you think will get carjacked in the Chicago street race ?

[@southcarolina6537]

@@paulmoss7940 if we're lucky majority haha

[@Rambler712]

NASCAR is scared somebody might display the battle flag

[@michaelroberts3004]

But but but they put underglow on the cars! I can’t believe that didn’t save NASCAR! end sarcasm

[@freebird1ification]

piss on the whole of it

[@colbranmx]

Too many suits calling the shots. Educated non racing types that don't understand racing.

[@oscarwinner2034]

When nascar loses all the big sponsors, the suits will go. I welcome the decrease in ratings and the empty seats. NASCAR needs to burn down so it can come back smaller and better.

[@michaelrumfelt3106]

my grandfather worked for junior Johnson's family and we went to several races a year and it's all I ever wanted to do as kid.....the stage races and new championship format was last straw for me. the new cars are like bumper cars. and last but not least they are obsessed with pushing bubba Wallace as new savior and he can't get out of his on way.

[@dragonmcgruff6294]

I won't watch because of the politics, a lot has to do with Bubba.

[@stevekrupey3611]

Although the product is hit and miss, I believe the alternative media attractions these days are a big factor as mentioned. The old days of cable and network as the only viewing attractions, created habitual viewing and that was reinforced by friends and family watching the same thing as well. Even during the Superbowl these days, look around the bar or living room. You 'll see a lot of folks looking down at their phones at total not related content.

[@chrisjordan6693]

The problem with big league stock car racing is it ain't down home anymore.

[@andrewmeadows2596]

There not stock cars now either. It's become a spec series.

[@lockburner2000]

Way to corporate. Drivers are not the same. Don't get their hands dirty.

[@samharris3508]

@Andrew Meadows they haven't been stock since the 50s/60s. Many other series that use spec rules have fantastic racing. INDYCAR is spec, and has an absolutely fantastic on track product. The cars being "spec" is not the problem. The overly gimmicky nature of the sport is.

[@mumulester]

@@samharris3508 Current-day Indycar is not great unless you weren’t around even 20-25 years ago when Swift, Reynard, Lola, Penske, and Rahal chassis’ were powered by Chevy, Ford, Buick, Mercedes, Toyota, and Honda engines, driven by some of the worlds best drivers where half the field could win any given race.

[@jonnie2bad]

@@andrewmeadows2596 my dood this has been spec racing for as long as i've been alive.

[@seanlewis575]

NASCAR did this to themselves. Stability and consistency are two key components to most people’s lives. NASCAR hasn’t done either in quite sometime. They change rules constantly. They add/delete tracks that the majority of people see as gimmicks and/or simply about the dollar. They seem to be trying to force themselves on people who at the end of the day, are going to be a casual fan at best. All the while, the decades old die hard fans were glossed over so the instant gratification fan can take center stage. They done this to themselves.

[@charlieromeo7663]

Seeing the ages of commenters tells the story very clearly. We 60-year olds grew up in the heyday of the sport with names like Petty, Allison, and Yarborough. We are a fading breed. Hell, we grew up in our cars and when we’re weren’t in them, we fixed them. Today’s youth are rarely seen out of doors for Pete’s sake, let alone tinkering with their cars. There are some exceptions, but those who do play with their cars are few and far between. Sadly, the popularity of all motorsports is fading. NHRA ratings are way down as well. The last race from Pomona, CA., the so-called “birthplace of drag racing” the seating on the west side of the track was covered with advertising tarps instead of being filled with spectators, and the other side was barely half-full. The cost of attending these events takes a way bigger bite out of fan’s budgets than it used to. The likely cause, TV contracts and greed. There are simply more choices that cost less these days and folks are choosing other forms of entertainment. I think the conundrum sanctioning bodies are in today is the mega teams are choking the sports, especially the NHRA, yet they are probably the only thing keeping it alive at the professional level. I hope NASCAR can figure it out, but I won’t hold my breath. I hope the NHRA can figure it out too, but I really don’t see them existing as we know them today in 10 years. Well, I’m off to the shop to fly cut some pistons for an amateur drag racer and prep my car for a local show going on this evening.

[@maxpower78-15]

I cut the cord and stopped watchin regularly. I stop by my moms for daytona, talladega and select races. But they have screwed the sport soooo bad, im done paying attention to the season. Hope my cars do well, but i cant care anymore. Its over

[@buckodonnghaile4309]

I'm Canadian, i attended at least 3 Nascar races a year since the mid 70s and my dad and uncle since the mid 60s (when they weren't racing at Cayuga or Oswego or the like) all the way up to 2005ish. Other than Michigan and Pocono (rarely) every track we went to was in the south . Nascar abandoning it's roots was foolish, even a canucklehead could have told you that. Greed and boring tracks is a bad mix. The local dirt track is cheap, the racing is out of sight, and I can sleep in my own bed.

[@BillDalby]

Did your dad drive a supermodfied

[@rickrack4812]

Other than the 1st 5 laps of a NASCAR race, only the LAST 40 laps are truly worth the time to watch it.

[@CD19755]

If nascar has been worried about viewership, they're probably terrified after seeing the stands at bristol... there was a day not so long ago when ticket sales were 3 years out.... today the stands are only half full IF that.....

[@rockymasel3317]

They screwed Bristol up so bad they had to cover it in dirt to try to make it interesting.

[@mikejones8866]

Even though the Daytona 500 is their "Superbowl," Bristol was their flagship event - hence the 3 year waiting list for tickets. They ruined it when they brought in dirt. NASCAR is not "sprint cars." I can go to my local fairgrounds dirt track every weekend throughout the spring, summer and autumn if I want to see dirt car racing. The stupid "stage racing" and "playoff" formats were the first things that drove me away, then Bristol covered in dirt. I was barely aware that they raced in the LA coliseum. By that time, I had completely lost interest and stopped watching for over 15 years.

[@christenn32]

It's been hilarious listening to drivers try to simp for Bristol ever since they ruined it with the repave. The most exciting race in the sport & the most demanding tickets. Now they can't give them away. LOL!

[@brewcrew5854]

thunderdome ! i think i recall on some ticket site the weekend packages for 4 were like 20 grand way back maybe 20 years ago . i was amazed !

[@closetpicker]

I've been a fan since 1973 when a 7 year old me saw these bright-colored cars roaring on a track on ABC's Wide World Of Sports. It was only a few minutes long, but the hook was set! I was already a "car guy", and this was the ultimate. I stayed true to the sport through the years, even imported a DTV system so I could watch more NASCAR content. But they nearly lost me with the dastardly fugly and downright stupid COT. They somewhat recovered from that, but this latest plastic car that no longer shows dents and wrinkles from contact(hell, drivers can't even put a congratulatory donut on the winner's door now with the tires inset so far into the fenders). And every team having the same spec car takes away the biggest reason for my continued interest. The engineering that each team put into the cars was a big draw for me. Now they get penalized for file-fitting the junk spec parts, FFS.... And the power limiting!!! WTF? I can go down to a Chevy dealership and buy a Camaro with over 600HP, but I'm supposed to get excited by this race car and it's 510HP "package"? WTF??? They were cranking over 900HP 10 years ago. Now each track type gets a designated HP "package"? Son, that's not racing. That's not a competition. It's just a show, and damn it, NASCAR actually even calls it a show. WWE is a show. Racing was a competition, not a show. Hell, the first thing I did to all my cars when I was in my 20s and 30s was to add gauges and a tach. Because, NASCAR. Now they have fekin' iPads for dashes in these "race" cars.... WTH??? FFS...... Oh, and the ONLY reason we still have a satellite TV system is because of my NASCAR habit. I'm in Canada, so I can't access the Fox or NBC sports apps to watch the races. Finances are getting mighty tight in our home and while I've resisted cancelling the sat. service(and going full streaming) because of NASCAR, methinks the writing is on the wall. I no longer enjoy the racing in all 3 series(the spoiled 18 and 19 year old millionaire's kids are ruining the trucks(my wife's term for the truck series is "amateur hour"...)

[@AftertheCheckeredFlag]

Great response! Thanks!

[@kevincampbell1395]

You gotta love the camrays though

[@mxbadboy263]

"Gauges and a tach". I miss those days.

[@joetriolo9161]

I'm a longtime fan from the Jersey Shore near Martin Truex Jr's hometown and NASCAR has basically told the Northeast to drop dead by taking races away from Dover (what?), Pocono and New Hampshire, which for the most part were well-attended and got decent enough ratings, replacing them with...dirt races? COTA? Charlotte road course? I like road racing but come on now. Plus, the scam that is stage racing and endless late-race cautions coupled with an inordinate amount of commercials at precisely the wrong times, as well as the new cars that IMHO have made races almost unwatchable, no wonder the ratings suck.

[@chainreaction6594]

Nascar is like watching Pizza Hut forever trying to re-invent the pizza.

[@billgoodman5614]

I remember, what wins on Sunday, sells on Monday. Not anymore. The cars don't even resemble what's on the lot.

[@SilverSylphide]

Nascar has spent years trying to turn itself into the NFL or WWE and I think they've finally achieved what they wanted.

[@melvinrobinson4493]

DON'T FORGET THE NBA!!!

[@robhurley5258]

Instead of trying to differentiate themselves from the NFL, they tried to BE the NFL with stages (quarters), overtime and playoffs (Chase). They couldn’t leave well enough alone - they did it to themselves.

[@AndyFromBeaverton]

They all have been sucking since the 90s too.

[@RW-bt6ex]

i think there's a woman running the show now trying to ruin a man's game .

[@randerson4383]

NASCAR did this to themselves when they stood behind Bubba Wallace, before any investigation was completed for a damn garage door pull. Having all of the racers help push Wallace’s car out to the pit area and talk about something that wasn’t even real was ridiculous. At that point I was done with NASCAR, maybe some others felt the same way. “Go woke, go broke”.

[@mostlyinterested1016]

It's not just the TV ratings, it's also the attendance. Did you see the attendance at Martinsville? Martinsville! Less than half-full. That's appalling.

[@mrbaldguy21]

They need to get rid of stage racing.

[@rybar928]

Cry

[@devinswearingen8756]

That will do nothing

[@scottb9868]

They need to rid of Danica Patrick.

[@jeffalexgreco]

Stage cautions in the very least

[@jeffalexgreco]

Stage cautions in the very least

[@AnOkayPerson]

I'll say whatever one else is saying. Go back to old points, no stages, no GWC finishes, and toe the line of boys have at 'em. How am I supposed to take this sport seriously when Kyle Busch is the 2015 Champion but didn't race almost half the races? That's a fucking joke.

[@ramman5784]

Simple. NASCAR says it's a Team sport. If let's say Tom Brady was injured and was out eleven weeks like Kyle was and then came back, played the rest of the season and won the Super Bowl, I doubt you or anyone else would question that. Kyle was the 18 teams quarterback. Was injured and came back and took the crown

[@MichaelEarnedIt-19]

I agree with that. The championships are a joke. I race rental kart leagues and what rewards you the championship is consistent finishes not wins. Consistency should matter as at the end that’s what matters.

[@JJ-zd5ld]

Exactly! Chase Elliot will probably be the champion this year! The old system will cure all that.

[@AnOkayPerson]

@@ramman5784 lol nope. That is why they have Owners points and Drivers points. That is why Penske or Gibbs would win Xfinity Owners points championship all the time in a car that had 7 drivers throughout the season. Yeah the TEAM can win the owners points, but Busch should never have been the drivers Champion.

[@AnOkayPerson]

@@JJ-zd5ld I know, it sad to think he definitely can be the Champion. I feel the sport has no integrity since the playoff system, the Chase was iffy, but the Playoffs is just a sham.

[@splewy]

If you think about it, NASCAR has become the exact opposite of what it started out as. It started out as just a bunch of good old boys, racing their hopped up street cars on simple tracks. Now it’s morphed into multi million dollar, high tech teams, driving purpose built race cars, plastered to the gills with sponsors around billion dollar racetracks. NASCAR is a series that can’t decide what it wants to be, so it ends up being good at nothing. They moved far away from “stock” cars decades ago. Yet they also impose needlessly strict rules that prevent them from deriving excitement from cutting edge performance engineering, like we seen in F1, LMP1 or other purpose built racing series. NASCAR really just needs to pick a lane. Either they can go back in the direction of more “stock” race cars, or they need to start racing purpose built race cars that don’t suck. Trying to have things both ways has made them redundant and soon irrelevant.

[@brianfl33916]

I cut my cable cord last year. NASCAR was the only thing I had it for and I couldn’t justify paying $1,200 a year just to watch.

[@chan13153]

Not to mention NASCAR was trying to attract, Chinese, blacks, Mexicans and Arabs into the sport. That was the biggest turn off of them all. Keep NASCAR White.

[@tjakr3869]

I liked NASCAR when cars were built “in home” garages where individual teams could get competitive advantages (Bill and Ernie Elliot). NASCAR seems to want a Formula One culture that doesn’t resonate with the fans.

[@jackofzerotrades631]

I agree 100% and Dan Elliott built their chassis. It's IROC and it's not great! Accident and caution after caution is e Novice stuff.

[@daniellang6112]

Attendance records @ Daytona. I know,I work for the city. Glad to have the crowds! Always welcome!

[@cmajaa1]

I've been saying this for years, Saturday night races mostly(Most people will not sit inside to watch a race on a beautiful summer day) and shorten the damn races, 2 + hours for a race is too long, takes the excitement out of it

[@spacecalander]

Not enough racing and too many cautions and commercials.

[@AftertheCheckeredFlag]

Common complaint.

[@chan13153]

@@AftertheCheckeredFlag Too many blacks, Chinese, Mexicans, and Arabs too. Keep Nascar White

[@gregdcross]

I doubt I'm alone in this opinion. I used to watch NASCAR regularly and went to several races; Bristol, Charlotte, Talladaga and Darlington. My interest in NASCAR started when the started doing stage racing and now my biggest issue is the Nextgen car. For many years teams would figure out ways to legally make their cars perform better by staying within the body templets but still doing fine adjustments here and there. Thst is now gone. With the Nextgen, unless you have a wreck or get a flat, your worst performing car doesn't go down a lap to the leader. Competition yellows allow the slower cars to catch up. Ask yourself if any marathon race or Irin Man Competition is done like that- ie let your competitors to catch up. In 2023, it's just a high speed parade lap. No one car dominates and the level of competition is lowered to an average level. So boring. And gimmick races like the Clash at the Coliseum was boring - a Legends race would have been more exciting there. The Dirt racing at Bristol is also ridiculous. Nascar is grasping at straws because they will not admit that their actions have taken away much of what made Nascar competition so interesting. If they keep going the way they are, I'll end up stopping fast forwarding my recorded races and not record them at all. And right now, I see no reason to plan a trip to see a race in person just to be disappointed in how it used to be exciting from green flag to the checkered flag.

[@douglashayes3167]

Bingo... agree 100% Greg.... NASCAR is to blame for a shitty product... NOT fans unplugging... I am so freaking sick of hearing that...

[@garlandalmarode6396]

I do agree about lower the standards. I would like to see more horse power in the cars. A couple years ago when some tracks had 750 hp there were a few guys running up front that could win it allowed the cream to rise. The next year they lowered the hp and something like 18 guys or so won races. I say have more hp and let's see who the real drivers are.

[@yomomnm5367]

I’m 64, master mechanic from a family of mechanic’s. My father was a huge NASCAR fan to the day he died. We raced short tracks around Las Vegas. I’m only saying this because I feel I understand the sport. I stopped watching when a manufacturer said it was calling it quits because it couldn’t win a championship. In that same year a driver for that manufacturer missed 10 races and won the championship. What’s wrong with this picture? You did this to yourselves!!!

[@Phantom_Garage]

I'm 74 and have been a Nascar fan all my life.... until the last 10 years or so. Nascar's problems can be summed up in three simple statements: 1. Mandating all cars be identical, 2. Three segment races, and 3. Allowing non US makes into the race. These are the three things that have killed Nascar. It's a shadow of its former self and will never recover. Sad, just sad how the powers at be have ruined "Stock Car" racing.

[@timg7627]

Nascar officials have destroyed nascar. Many factors for this including but not limited to; what appears to be fixing races with late race cautions, overtime, Stages within the race, convoluted playoff design, exhibition races trying to attract new viewers such as coliseum but is a terrible too small track and of course restrictor plates on the super speedways.

[@william121852]

When they lost the WINSTON sponsor , the writing was on the wall . 25 years ago going to a race was like going to a carnival . There were sponsor circus tents with products to try or buy , giveaways , photo booths , driver merchandise trailers , food vendors , etc ...... now.....zip ! I was at Watkins Glen one year , there were 125,000 fans there and for 3 days everyone got along great , had a good time !

[@burnout_2017]

Blame your elected officials for the lose of Winston and all the other tobacco sponsors. They were banned from advertising. Nascar cant even keep the beer sponsors anymore, thats crazy when you think of what it used to be like. NASCAR pandered to yuppie fans and now they have no " real " fans because yuppies are all about the next new thing. Ive got more nascar memorabilia than i know what to do with but unfortunately there isnt a resale market that would justify selling any. Hopefully in 50 yrs my great grandchildren will be able to get something for it because it will represent an extinct sport that nobody has heard of.

[@almostfm]

Of course, losing Winston wasn't a choice that either NASCAR or RJR made-it was the ban of tobacco sponsorship at events that forced that move.

[@christenn32]

I remember going home with bags of stuff I didn't even have to pay for back in the day after attending a racing event. It was a different time that I long for deeply.

[@william121852]

@@christenn32 Yes , back in 97' i left the track with 11 cartons of Winstons cigarettes , didn't cost me a dime ! I had saw blades , tape rulers , coolies and so on many of the free posters I still have !

[@berniestewart1738]

I have an opinion on the Richmond race. I have worked for the county that assists with traffic control since 2007 and I started noticing the decline when they banned smoking from inside the track. We used to get 50-60k for the old Friday night Busch race and now I don’t think we have cleared 40k for the Cup series in quite some time. Capacity has gone down from 120k to just over 40k.

[@brewcrew5854]

i think there was a time around the 70s that giant barrels were outside the track that held free smokes for anyone interested

[@bobmarlowe3390]

There was a time when you could tell the difference between a Ford, Chevy, Plymouth, etc. by just looking at the cars. It's no longer 'stock car' racing because the cars you see on the track are no longer on the street.

[@MinisterManDan]

It’s not really complicated. Nascars big ratings were usually always during the period of the year when there’s less competition from other sports, with ratings trailing off later in the year as football/college football starts unless there’s a real hot points race. Because the France family are stupid, they tried to engineer a hot points race every season, and all that did was 1) kill the novelty of a close points race and 2) kill the ratings for the earlier parts of the season when people actually used to watch because now those races mean nothing. Nothing is ever going to change without dumping the playoff, and at this point that may not fix it because the damage is done and nobody is going to pay for the second half of the tv rights without a gimmick to boost ratings.

[@JJ-zd5ld]

So true. Brian France thought he had a great idea with the playoffs to increase TV ratings and the fan base. He killed both. Obviously he was on drugs.

[@CrewGuyPJ]

@@JJ-zd5ld brian..the only person in stock car racing that can make mike dillon look smart by comparison.

[@RRaquello]

Other sports accept the fact that not every game is going to be close and not every championship is going to be a nail biter. In baseball or hockey, sometimes you get an 8-1 game. In football, sometimes the score is 42-7. Fans know this and accept it. I went to the 600 one year in Charlotte and Dale Jarrett led almost the last 500 miles, there were only about 3 cars on the lead lap, and he had about a 3/4 lap lead on the second place car. It was a rout, and so what? It happens. And you can appreciate it as a great performance on the part of the team and the driver. It's part of sports, if the sport is real. NASCAR doesn't respect the fans. They treat us like babies, that we always have to have shiny new gimmicks thrown at us to take our attention away from the race, like that's not what we turn the TV on to watch. So they fix races, try to engineer results, and it all comes across as bogus.

[@alanhyde1261]

As well as being a fan since 1966, I worked for several NASCAR Winston Cup teams from 1986 thru 1999. The biggest reason I see for the reduction is that we no longer have cars that relate to the average viewer. When you look at the past as a fan you could relate and get excited when your brand was up front, you could see the changes at every Daytona 500. Sponsorship was also very different than today, now it a different sponsor every week. I think it's just run it's course, stop the stage and overtime. I enjoy IMSA much more. I used to be proud of being a part of it, now it's embarrassing.

[@Dratchev241]

ah miss the days when you could look at the cars on track and pick the chevys fords pontiacs buicks olds out. now if you put current cars out with 0 markings you really wouldn't be able to honestly tell them apart.

[@nateburckhard8281]

What does NASCAR stand for? National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. What kind of cars do they race in 2023? Not a car that was sold from a dealers lot. NASCAR please put the stock car back in stock car racing. I would start watching if that were the case.

[@charlieyoung3616]

I think it boils down to stage racing and overtime and having the so called “experts” decide what’s going on instead of the owners and drivers

[@wdtaut5650]

Yep. One of my points on another comment. People had brand loyalty. Their cars looked like race cars without numbers. Now, a Ford or Chevy on the track is just the same car with a different label.

[@getinit56]

They gouged the fans. Loathed the Southern Heritage. Activly sought to replace fans and drivers with images they dont like. Turned racing into bumper cars with billboards. While society and privileges groomed themselves a group of snot nose weasels for drivers. In which their spoiled asses dont express the maturity level of a atock medium go kart race. With a retiring class that wasn't much better. All of the value has been bled from the entire sport of racing and it started when nascar ruined speedvision.

[@Sam-el6hq]

Spoon fed drivers that are in the sport due to who their family is or their ethnicity and so on might be a reason for the decline. Nobody can relate to anyone driving, most people actually work for a living. Plus nascar went woke and the whole garage stall noose incident lost many fans. People are just sick of watching spoon fed drivers go in circles.

[@JimbobZ17]

Perfect comment. Grew up a Bill Elliott fan. NASCAR went to crap when that generation retired.

[@jonnynash364]

Lack of respect on the track and the demolition derby, with no repercussions unless you retaliate, plus NASCAR’s consistently being inconsistent with when & who the rules apply

[@richardh3540]

Don't forget the suspenesion of Kurt Bush when his girl friend accused him of abuse. Later found to be false.

[@barrymcockner7288]

There’s too much money involved. We need the days where a car sponsored by Bills taxidermy would qualify for the Daytona 500

[@danhead2613]

Go woke go broke. Nascar did this to themselves. 6:06

[@tomb2334]

They should teach a course in Business schools on "How not to destroy a successful business" and use NASCAR as the model. It is hard to imagine a more successful business model than 1990's NASCAR. It wasn't broke, and they tried to fix it. The most damaging thing they did and that they will NEVER recover from is destroy their primarily southern, GENERATIONAL fan base. The loyalty of these fans was astonishing and NASCAR told them to drop dead. The stupidity astonishes me to this day.

[@user-bj8bk7fv1x]

"I'm gunna drive and I'm gunna go fast I'm gunna turn to the left sometimes!" Eric Cartman, Driver of Vagisil Car #5.

[@martinmurphy4852]

I live in SW FL. Use to be able to get a group together to go see both races at Daytona. Now there seems to be zero interest. I suspect part of the problem is most people are so busy trying to scrape together enough money just to keep a roof over there heads that they have little time for things like a trip to Daytona for the day. Most work a day/blue collar guys I know are now "small business owners" which pretty much equates to 70 hour work weeks with no benefits and most every penny going to service debt and they dont seem to realize they dont work for themselves they work for the bank.

[@brewcrew5854]

and what about trying to relate to kids who can barely vote or buy tobacco making more in a season then many make in a decade . and thats for finishing 10th in points and no wins !

[@539strt]

NASCAR shot itself in the head when it turned its back on the fans that brought it to where it was. That and the charter has r made it where it’s a rich people only sport, too bad those same rich people don’t give a crap about NASCAR! I can’t wait until the liquidation auction!

[@rodneyjaynes2485]

How can I watch when I only have over the air TV. No cable, no satellite; too expensive. Races are boring now, everyone drives the same package. The only way to tell cars apart is by the logo on the grill. Get rid of stage racing and overtime!!!

[@petebusch9069]

People are giving up on TV because its so hard to figure out where to go to watch what you want and are left scrolling through their usual app/Netflix looking for something good to watch.

[@skoffco]

People have better things to do on Sunday afternoon than to sit in the house and watch a slot car race😛

[@kevinhenry7273]

Nascar was in its growth when they had their good guys, bad guys, dominators, and when cars could pass because they were faster. People when to races to see if "my guy" would run better this week, if anybody could beat the "dominator" or the new fan came to see what their friends were talking about. If teams didn't do well they didn't come back next week with the same car, look at the things that would get thrown out today - front steer vs rear steer front end design, rear camber, power steering, brake ducting, etc. There was excitement in the race, teams weren't running races backwards and positioning themselves for the last XX number of laps. Drivers/teams needed $$ and lap leaders rec'd $$ - get up there and lead. It wasn't a sport trying to satisfy the masses, it was interested in the "stock" car fan. Unfortunately todays "stock" cars don't make good circle track cars.

[@campgas5344]

I to was a loyal race day fan. I remember when races were on one of the big broadcast channels. Look at drivers back in the 80's and early 90's. Those guys had brass balls. They actually drove the car. Now with all the technology and advancement the cars are racing the wind and aerodynamics. Now its kind of watching planes take off. It's cool for a few minutes. But not woth wasting 4 hours on!

[@coldlakealta4043]

I started drifting away when I had to read the decals on the car to figure out which kind of jelly bean I was looking at. You shouldn't have to do that to figure out if a car is a Chevy, Ford or Toyota. Look back when the cars on the rack looked identifiably like the cars on the street. There was a much stronger bond of identity which made it all much more exciting. I just don't get chills watching Tweedledum racing Tweedledee.

[@TN-Vols-Fan]

I'm 63 years old, been a fan since I was seven years old. As an adult, I used to attend several NASCAR races every year and watch all of them that I didn't attend. I now never attend, even though my disposable income is significantly more. I might watch parts of one to three races annually. Why? NASCAR has ruined the Cup Series with stage racing, their charter system, this new "cookie cutter" next gen car and their chase. Stupidity seems to abound at NASCAR now. I still keep up via KZbin but that's about it. We've started going to NHRA pro events and super late model events like the Snowball Derby. NASCAR has pretty much ruined it's product. They deserve what ever happens.

[@douglashayes3167]

Well said Steve!!! I used to have the countdown widget on my computer for the Daytona 500.... Totally missed it this year and haven't watched in years for the very reasons you have stated.....

[@TN-Vols-Fan]

@@douglashayes3167 I only watched the last 25 or so laps. I haven't watched another race this year.

[@larryduvall9475]

we said back in the 90s it was so good they would find a way to ruin it

[@TN-Vols-Fan]

@@larryduvall9475 So true my friend. So sad.

[@mitch_the_-itch]

Some Nascar fans are still convinced it was a Noose instead of a garage door pull.

[@ralphevans1290]

I started watching NASCAR in the late 70s, and participated in some dirt track racing at the old JAX Raceways in Florida in the early 90s. For me, I have always been a car guy. The allure and interest was, NASCAR handed out a rule book, and each team takes it and builds the best car they can around that, and put a good driver in it. It was always interesting to see this team is doing this with their car, and that team is doing that and so on. IROC was a curiosity, and NASCAR has become the same with cars all same in every way. Another issue I’m my mind are the ever increasing fines and penalties with no explanation as to really why. What was modified? How was it modified? Why was it modified? Was there some performance advantage involved? Was safety compromised? The everyday fan has these questions I believe. Every time NASCAR pulls these fines, especially how it’s come down in the last month, they lose more credibility, of which they really have little left. They want to celebrate history? They need to look back at that, learn from it, and get back to doing some of the things that made NASCAR racing the great racing it USED to be.

[@slicktwilly]

Great points. I love racing and I'm a racer myself. The fact is like you mentioned, most people aren't watching bc cable is pricey. All you need is WiFi if you wanna watch your favorite things. Nascar should have their own Network App that we could stream for a flat rate. Great video.

[@allenarneson4349]

Stage racing and the Car of Tomorrow back in 2007 - lost me. Give me one long race, with manufacturer cars that look like what the manufacturer builds and has engines that belong to them. The "old" days were the best. Sponsors were plentiful and easy to support. Now not so much now. "The chase" in 2004 started it. When Matt Kenseth won in the 2003 Championship with only a single race win - things changed for the worse. Brian France ruined NASCAR and tried to keep Jimmy Johnson from winning as well with ALL of the changes. Blame Brian France and his poor leadership.

[@jsetser001]

New car is a failure

[@coletrickle3101]

Like you trying to win the Daytona 500 😂 😂 😂

[@rchighfield1]

They wanted a fan base change and they got it! They ended the possibility of a small grass roots team, remember Bill Elliott? Was an avid fan since the early 60’s, haven’t watched a race in years COT was it for me.

[@oscarwinner2034]

NASCAR will have to go bankrupt to get back to the days of grass roots teams. I wouldn’t be surprised when the sponsor money keeps reducing that nascar will have to fall back down to a smaller league with teams with way less money. I can’t wait.

[@awestruck9075]

Adding to that decline could also be the financial strains on households and significant deaths in the elderly (the highest tv demographic) over the last 3yrs

[@danielstover3029]

Over 60 and a lifetime "stock car" racing fan. Simply sick of the direction and path that NASCAR has chosen. Refuse to watch any of it at all. When they go back to real cars, no restrictor plates, no lucky dogs and real racing, then it will be time to return. Most likely it will never happen and what we will see is the end of an era. Checkered flag - last place...

[@Ceemysix]

A young man named Garrett Mitchell (Cleetus McFarland on YT) has found some success at placing excitement back into racing at affordable price points by featuring races using identically prepped Ford Crown Victoria’s and Ford Rangers. He bought a local circle track in Florida but has since used Bristol configured as a dirt track in 2022 and is scheduled again this year. While his audience doesn’t have the sheer numbers as NASCAR, it’s taken on quite a following and proves you don’t need multi million dollar teams to provide good racing. You need a good promoter and good racing. His races are also streamed via his website.

[@bobharvey3147]

I have been a huge auto racing fan most all my life. I am 77 years old and have been watching since about age 15. I have lost interest, un NASCAR, primarily due to the fact that the same small group of drivers win just about every race. There is no chance for the smaller, less funded teams to be competitive. I have been to only one Daytona 500 and that was because I was given tickets. I live in Florida and didn't have to stay overnight, but even with free tickets, parking, concessions, etc, was very expensive.

[@Hog69head]

When you have more commercials than racing it’s easy to see why

[@andrewb8017]

I’m a big sports fan and watch when they are on free tv. No way I’m paying an outrageous cable bill every month just to watch 4 races a month.

[@debrahall3093]

NASCAR on tv used to be great. But now it's all talk, commercials and stage racing. I watch the first 20 laps and the last. Plus there's just not enough "superstar" drivers. Too many whiney little kids.

[@jasonconrad5772]

The season is spread out over too many channels. Need more saturday races so rained out events can be finished on sunday. Lower ticket prices would be more enticing. & several networks have stop airing before race is even over if they have a network program coming up that is not a rerun. So no more scheduling races before new programs or at least delay them. Nascar also needs to find what works & quit switching up every year.

[@photoman4692]

Since I report racing in my region many Sunday's I'm at a motocross or off-road track and at times either at a drag strip or go kart track. As a result I usually go to You Tube so I can see the highlights of a race. Only rarely do I have time to sit and watch a full race. I'm also disturbed at all sports, including NASCAR putting their events behind a pay wall. Personally I think that just hurts them. NASCAR needs to stop changing rules and focus on improving the racing. Right now if you want to see good racing, visit your local short track.

[@JamesJackson-dq2tj]

No we are leaving because the car, the format, and the penalty system all suck. Like the sports roots or not. The fan base was anchored in that tradition. Series like SRX and late models are gaining TV/streaming viewership. IRL and F1 are gaining fans because the competition is real and not like watching go carts at the local mini golf course.

[@ethanbundrick4650]

F1 and competition don’t belong in the same sentence

[@floydfan5993]

👍, love the SRX series.

[@JamesJackson-dq2tj]

@@ethanbundrick4650 comparing this years rule packages and races F1 has been more fun to watch.

[@Dexter037S4]

@@JamesJackson-dq2tj Red Bull are winning all 24 races, with Verstappen winning 23, Perez already had his token win.

[@JamesJackson-dq2tj]

@@Dexter037S4 I wouldn't place your bet on that just yet.

[@brewsandbass5572]

I got rid of TV five years ago and don't miss it. Increased prices and commercials were one reason.

[@guysmiley515]

I live pretty close to Atlanta motor speedway pretty much nobody I know it's going to the race anymore we haven't seen nowhere near the amount of traffic that we have in the past. I heard somewhere that NASCAR will probably be over and done by 25 or 20 30 due to this problem. They lost touch with the true fan base. I for one will not be wasting anymore money going to the races. And it is expensive.

[@GlockMan-oj2ik]

The clash should have stayed in Daytona

[@dannypowers4995]

100% agree. Fox wants fans from LA. Thinks that TV market will save them.

[@johnjarusik7383]

A local's perspective: I gotta tell you, nobody here liked that move. I enjoyed Speed Weeks (SSSS!) from afar in the past, but now that I'm down here I can tell you that the move to LA completely changed the scene around here. I mean the Daytona 500 is always the Daytona 500, but it was way different when The Clash was here. Families would take their winter vaca and hit The Clash, take the kiddies to Disney etc. al. for few days then hit the 500. Or hit up the DIS on the "off days" (for dad or mom) for the incredible amount of race type stuff events. Now, not so much. Pretty much the only people here that like The Clash move to Cali are the people who bought a condo 3 blocks down from an International Speedway and are now complaining about the noise. --- John from Daytona

[@redfox_84]

@@dannypowers4995 they've been thinking that since the 2000s

[@dannypowers4995]

@@redfox_84 Fox Corporate headquarters is in California. They just do not get it. Drop Fox asap.