There was suddenly lots and lots of prize money available and other full-time competitors like Bill Elliott, Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip joined up to give chase. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date NASCARs TV ratings began to fall; the once all-mighty numbers began to show not an increase, but a decline. "On the Spongebob series that my grandsons loved so much," Fulton, 71, said. And it will be pretty hard to turn back the clock on either of those. The decline of NASCAR from dominance started circa 2005, and there wasnt any big change to car specs in that time period. About NASCAR. You can only download this statistic as a Premium user. As with the 1989 Maxx Crisco and the 1991 Iroc cards, this 1988 Jeff. You only have access to basic statistics. But in a relatively short time, NASCAR corrected the car and the multiple issues with its design, and while the cars dont differ by manufacturer like they once did, at least were not seeing disastrously awful races just because of the cars construction. No longer tied to a box atop the TV or a diary that viewers filled out, the company started to figure out how to report who was watching on TV, on cable, and on streaming platforms. Or Jeff Gordon, again, living in a Manhattan penthouse with his second wife, a model, instead of in North Carolina, where he lived beside a lake with his first wife, a deeply religious woman who was Born Again. The addition of retired driver and fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. beefed up NBCs product in 2018, but four people in the broadcast booth are too many voices. Veterans like Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick are future Hall of Fame drivers with fairly large followings, and a strong crop of young drivers are making names for themselves. Are you interested in testing our business solutions? Though the couple'shealth insurance has gone from $300 to $800 a month, finances are not the main reason they stopped traveling to events. But that in itself wasnt necessarily the crime. While retired drivers still are visible within the world of NASCAR acting as team managers, commentators, or guests, without the familiar presence of these stars on the track, people can, and have lost some level of interest in NASCAR. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images), Nascar's TV Future May Or May Not Include Streaming Its Top Tier Races, WWE SmackDown Results: Winners And Grades As Rhodes And Reigns Finally Face Off, Billionaire-Run Villarreal, Almera And Valencia Near Mixed Fortunes In La Liga, Citi Field Scores Record Revenue And Profit For New York Mets In 2022, How Fanatics Collectibles New CMO Ken Turner Plans To Expand Its Reach Into A Younger And Diverse Market, Vikings Have Best Work Environment In NFL, But Key Cuts Must Be Made, Spencer Striders Raw Stuff Is As Good As Any MLB Starting Pitcher, Jalen Carter Had No Business Playing For Georgia. In 1994, there were six events held at intermediate tracks of 1.5-2 miles in length. Accessed March 04, 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/812557/average-us-tv-audience-nascar-cup-series/. The most obvious explanation for this decrease in popularity aligns with younger generations' seemingly shrinking attention span and demand for a faster pace than the game of baseball currently offers. NASCAR is clearly falling behind other motorsports in a new era of television. You couldnt entirely blame NASCAR for no longer holding events in places like North Wilkesboro or Rockingham or even Darlington, which lost a race on the schedule for several years. People have different views on why the motorsport has failed to join the upper echelons of American sports. Sundays race at Auto Club is also down from the second race of the 2021 season. Theyd pack their PT Cruiser, drive for a day or two and arrive at the racetrack to tailgate and soak up every moment of their favorite sport. Get in touch with us. Just over a decade ago the Daytona 500 would draw 19 million viewers. Weekly races at smaller locales have come off even worse. As Juniors fortunes continued to trend downward even while driving for the strongest team in the sport, his fan base became turned off. At the start of the 1990s, mention NASCAR to somebody in Europe, they wouldn't know much about it. The problem was the tracks that replaced themnearly all of them were characterless, cookie-cutter speedways where aero package ruled the day. Register in seconds and access exclusive features. Im not sure why people would think this, although Id actually had some heated debates with Tom Bowles at the Frontstretch about it. While NASCAR scrambles to address its national (and global) popularity problem, we wanted to look at exactly where its core fanbase is. NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the top 25 NASCAR Cup Series drivers as the calendar turns to 2022 and the new season is upon us. Then came the NASCAR popularity boom, the TV ratings and the $15 million per-car, per-season primary sponsorships. The graph below shows drivers' average 2022 finishes at intermediate tracks in yellow. NASCAR was founded in 1948. You could say it was NASCARs New Coke, except Coca-Cola was smart enough to change the formula back in response to furious customer backlash. Published by Statista Research Department , Dec 9, 2022 The statistic depicts the average viewership of the NASCAR Cup Series in the United States from 2014 to 2022. In contrast, basketball has incredible athletes and non-stop action. What are the biggest differences between these sports? About This Game. 2) When NASCAR established the franchise system in 2016, the league essentially became a closed shop. Now, they buy their way in. Though Nielsen had been king of all things TV for generations, the truth was they were having trouble keeping up as people began to shift their viewing habits. After years of seeing its once enormous audience dwindle to almost nothing, NASCAR is finally righting the ship. The franchise system has made NASCAR a closed shop. Editor's note: These rankings initially ran November 9, 2021. The NHL audience is the richest of all professional sports. Bowlesy thinks there needs to be an element of risk for racing to be exciting; I dont tune in to races to see a car potentially fly into a catch fence and injure spectators. They got famous because of word-of-mouth (Hey, didja hear about that new kid blowin em away over at Hickory?), weekly newspapers like National Speed Sport News (called simply Speed Sport and whos Editors Notebook by the late Chris Economaki was a Must Read) and magazines like Stock Car Racing. . Interestingly, it has been said that NASCAR has been getting younger (the drivers) and older (the fans) at the same time. Yes, all of those factors might have contributed to the decline of interest in NASCAR, But, in the end, I think the franchise system and the ride-buying are what did NASCAR in. interim Sports Wagering Supplier license, under license number SWS 066, issued by the West Virginia Lottery In NASCARs pre-1990s heyday, when it was still very much a regional sport, manufacturer identity was a big thing. The numbers are based on proportion of searches rather than total searches, so the population of each state is accounted for in the data. You may opt-out by. Sometimes theyd follow the circuit for two or three weeks at a time. We then plotted the data on a map to help to visualize the most popular regions across the country. Directly accessible data for 170 industries from 50 countries and over 1 million facts: Get quick analyses with our professional research service. No longer could a late-model driver from Syracuse or Spokane get a car and a team together and show up to try to qualify for any of NASCARs races. All our emails include an The future of IndyCar seems to be brighter when it comes to younger people. statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account. The one thing, though, that all those racing drivers had in common Petty, Pearson, Parsons, Bodine, Waltrip, Earnhardt, Wallace and the rest is that they all started racing on local tracks and created reputations for themselves as hard chargers who were winners. People love a winner, they love to hate a winner, and they love to see a dynasty get taken down. Related: NASCARs Daytona 500 ratings indicate a worrisome trend. most sites believe Iowa is in the top 5 in states for Nascar popularity. NASCARs viewership continues to fall after the ratings for last weekends race at Auto Club Speedway were released on Tuesday morning. In terms of tier one sports properties, he said. Photo credit: brandonzeman on Visual Hunt / CC BY-SA By anyone's standards that is an alarming fall. Arguably the best driver never to win a NASCAR Cup Series championship, Mark Martin was an easy pick to the NASCAR Hall of Fame last year. Rebel Penguin ApS 2023 (a subsidiary of Gaming Innovation Group Inc.) By anyones standards that is an alarming fall. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images), But it's an uphill fight for us and a lot of other sports properties. There are still plenty of obscene profit breaks, but its far less aggravating when you can still see the action and leader board on part of the screen. After two DNFs in the first two Chase events resulting from simple bad luck, just like that his title hopes were gone. ", Website (racingnews.co) & SportsBusiness Daily & Sports Media Watch, Average viewership of the NASCAR Cup Series in the United States from 2014 to 2022 (in million viewers) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/812557/average-us-tv-audience-nascar-cup-series/ (last visited March 04, 2023), Average viewership of the NASCAR Cup Series in the United States from 2014 to 2022 (in million viewers) [Graph], Website (racingnews.co), & SportsBusiness Daily, & Sports Media Watch, June 16, 2022. USA TODAY Sports asked about 200 fans at tracks, on the phone and on social media who have reduced their racetrack trips to explain why. I think that the momentum is good. California sitting third from the bottom may raise a few eyebrows considering it hosts two Cup races and a number of drivers hail from the Golden State, including 7x champion Jimmie Johnson. NASCAR 75. Instead of a midway with souvenir haulers, theres now one merchandise tent area. With Iowa and Vermont making up the remainder of the top five. You also dont often see post-race fisticuffs after races at Kansas or Vegas like you might at Martinsville or Bristol. There are not many. Their headquarters are located in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Amato et al., 2010 & Brunt, 1922) It is an analysis that synthesiz es variables and relations to understand the bigger picture. Auto Club Results. The Great Recession that swept across the landscape starting in 2008 changed everything. USA Today Sports' Jeff Gluck looks ahead to the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway and the story lines that fans should keep an eye on during the week. Use Ask Statista Research Service. Please email the author at nmcdonald@thestar.ca, Copyright 2023 | Powered by CityMediaInc.com, Happy Birthday, GM Canada, and thanks for the (many) ride(s), Racing Roundup: Great Grand Prix in Austin, despite actions by stewards; Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame induction video; Alonso wont drive in IndyCar in 2019 or ever. Photo credit: balpeck on Best Running / CC BY-SA The league has been privately owned by the France family . nascar popularity graph Each and every play in football can change the outcome of an entire game. A shot that shows the overall value sponsors receive. (Busch would have still won.). Gordon wasnt the only driver who turned in a spectacular season-long performance only to have it nullified. Photo credit: tequilamike on Visual hunt / CC BY Professional sports adapted as well, understanding, and learning, how to measure viewership and show that value to their stakeholders. South Carolina, home of Darlington Raceway, follows in third place. Instead of attending races, theyve taken trips to Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, Louisiana and South Dakota vacations, Jim said, where were not annoyed., The first year was tough, Lanette said. In addition, the current playoff format, while far from perfect, isnt nearly as unpalatable as the Chase was. So 16% drop in terms of total TV consumption of those TVs that are actually tuned in over the last two years, NASCAR shares up 18%. So overall if Iowa was in the top 5 in the country 20 years ago in Nascar popularity, it still is today, because the trends you are describing is happening everywhere, leaving Iowa still where it was. That's the first time in a decade that that has happened, Hebrst said. Yes, you had to be able to prove that you knew what you were doing out there but if your car passed technical inspection and you could either qualify to race through time trials or qualifying races, you were in. Wallace ranks among the public's most well-known drivers, according to a new Morning Consult poll. Related:15 Rules Every NASCAR Employee Has To Follow. They were passionately loyal fans who, even when they werent on the road, parked themselves in front of the television for every practice and qualifying session. The IndyCar race at St. Petersberg averaged 1.405 million viewers on Sunday. At the other end of the table, District of Columbia and Hawaii are by far the states least interest in NASCAR. So NASCAR racing has become just like European formula-car racing and IndyCar racing in North America. affiliate links and make purchases, WSN earns a commission from our partners, including ESPN and various Another reason why NASCAR is losing popularity is due to the fact that there are just too many races. Early stock car racing and the birth of NASCAR After World War II, stock car racing became one of America's fastest-growing. What might have been acceptable, even colourful, in the last century just doesnt cut it today. By subscribing, you are agreeing to That would be about it. NASCARs 2020 champion is also its most popular driverfor the first time since 1988. In the past NASCAR has tried to educate fans who might look at ratings and think the sport is in trouble and help them understand that things arent as bad as they seem. Surprisingly, there are no active NASCAR tracks in the Mountain State, but that doesnt seem to dampen the locals enthusiasm for the sport. These days, he still watches plenty of races, giving. The NASCAR season is a long and winding road held on 23 racetracks across America. Jim, 65, and Lanette, 63, said they were disgusted by some of NASCARs decisions in a five-month period starting in September 2013. It rewards winning, which rewards fighting for wins, which creates rivalries. Directly accessible data for 170 industries from 50 countries and over 1 million facts: Get quick analyses with our professional research service. I remember watching it and literally wondering if I was going to see the finish of the race. Nothing against Jimmie Johnson for winning titles with the rules as written, but he only managed that feat twice. People rooted for car brands as well as drivers, and car companies believed in the whole win on Sunday, sell on Monday mantra. The decline of NASCAR was a combination of ill-considered decisions: the implementation of a contrived playoff, poorly thought out broadcasting contracts, and departing from unique and venerable venues for dull, unexciting ones. Photo credit: sarahstierch on Visualhunt.com / CC BY Photo credit: Darryl W. Moran Photography on Visual Hunt / CC BY-ND NASCAR 21: Ignition redefines the official video game of the world's most popular stock car racing series. But theyve also improved the schedule, the broadcasts, and the method of determining a champion. NASCAR is a name synonymous with stock car racing in the United States. It is now an elitist sport because only those who can afford to pay to play need apply. Far from it. It may be difficult for younger people to imagine it, but the sport was once poised to overtake the NFL in popularity. Last years season-opener at Barber only averaged 914 thousand viewers which is almost an extra 500 thousand. TV ratings are no longer the end all be all for NASCAR. But the true cause of that fact . Fans said tickets are the smallest impact on their financial decision, because ticket prices are dwarfed by the cost of hotel rooms and transportation to events. The same story goes for NASCAR as the adverts that major companies place during their televised races are a major source of income for the organization and the teams. June 16, 2022. moving much higher in any Top 20 list. This article looks at several of the reasons why NASCAR is losing fans. As soon as this statistic is updated, you will immediately be notified via e-mail. It is possible that another playoff system to sustain interest in TV programming for nine months could be introduced with a radically revamped schedule in 2021 and it is possible that NASCAR could go back to the old way and determine a champ on points over an entire season. Those moments generate interestand rivalries, which every sport needs. Ill submit that this is a reason a few fans I know stopped watching the sport. Founded by Bill France, Sr. in Daytona Beach, Florida, the company evolved into what the race-sanctioning institution that it is today over several decades. NASCAR is notoriously closed-mouth about its earnings, making it difficult to gauge the financial fallout of NASCAR's fading popularity. NASCAR's oval. It was boxy, ugly, and top heavyand its shape was part of the reason for the Indianapolis debacle of 2008. So that's a positive viewership increase of 2%. September 10, 2020 at 1:56 pm ET. "Average Viewership of The Nascar Cup Series in The United States from 2014 to 2022 (in Million Viewers). North Carolina has also produced more NASCAR champions than any other state, including household names such as Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Dale Jarrett, Junior Johnson, Scott Riggs, Kyle Petty, and Rick Hendrick. (Photo by ISC Images & [+] Archives via Getty Images). For any fan that needs racing to be dangerous, there are still four restrictor plate races on the schedule. It was a radical change to a sport that didnt need radical changes. In, Website (racingnews.co), und SportsBusiness Daily, und Sports Media Watch. It was not a great race. Some argue that the retirement of its high profile drivers has had a big impact, with the new generation of drivers failing to break through into mainstream sports fame. That metric is down 16% over the last 24 months. If you feel like you're losing control over your gambling experience, call Social impressions, social following, a positive buzz of our sport, which is measured by third parties, like at YouGov is up 2.5 X over the course of the last two to three years.. By virtue of his fathers untimely passing, Dale Earnhardt Jr. instantly found himself with a larger fan base than any three drivers in NASCAR. As a racing event that is held in various tracks around the US, there are several venues that fans can choose to go to in order to watch NASCAR live. So no, Johnsons domination wasnt directly a factor in the decline of NASCAR but their failure to market it most definitely was. the or Disney plus; there's more competition for those eyeballs then there's ever been. Not just limited to NASCAR but to many other sports as well is the gradual retirement of its well-known athletes that were the main draw for people to watch the events. NASCAR blew off fan demand for picture-in-picture commercial breakssomething theyve since embracedwhile Fox Sportss indifference to fans went completely unchecked. Even more so than in baseball, the on-screen product is affected with the layout of a track. NASCAR rose to prominence in the 1980s and 90s as TV became more and more involved. Fox Sportss coverage was particularly abominable, with a seemingly endless parade of commercial interruptions mixed with the Ford Cutaway Car, the Home Depot Pit Crew Member, the Viagra Boner Of The Race, whatever, all during green flag racing. Just over a decade ago the Daytona 500 would draw 19 million viewers. With his brilliant head wrench Chad Knaus on the pit box, the #48 team for years remorselessly laid the field to waste when playoff time started. Advertising disclosure: WSN contains links to online retailers on its website. Compared to NASCARs 18-49 demographic, IndyCar has an average of 24%, while they are at 20.1%. --The experience is different. On the other hand, NASCAR will go to full-screen commercials on a regular basis which affects the way a fan can follow the race. The fan base that is paying attention to our sport now than probably two or three years agopart of that is the economic model of our sport is a little bit more sounder, on solid footing; the introduction to the Next Gen car, it brings on new owners like Justin Marks and Michael Jordan, Pitbull et cetera. Access to this and all other statistics on 80,000 topics from, Show sources information 18. However, the second race of the 2022 season saw a more significant drop in viewership compared to previous seasons. In the FOX/NBC era of NASCAR TV (since 2001), Daytona 500 ratings peaked in 2006 on NBC with 19.4 million viewers and an 11.3 rating. Yes, thats actually true; read it again if you need to. Petty, one of the last ties to the storied, and colorful history of NASCAR, announced Wednesday he was moving the bulk of his family business out of Level Cross, N.C., and to Mooresville, N.C. The IndyCar racing season is held over 5 months and consists of 17 total races. receive our occasional offers and news, you may opt-out at any time. There is no denying that NASCARs popularity has waned over recent years. The same race last year attracted 4.154 million viewers, and the 2017 race drew 4.662 million both of which had established respective viewership lows for the 36th and final race of the too-dang-long Cup season. So that's household using televisions. Thats exactly what NASCAR did when they took the Labor Day race out of Darlington and sent it to Auto Club Speedway in California. Most die-hard fans of NASCAR are those that have followed it the longest. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/812557/average-us-tv-audience-nascar-cup-series/, Average viewership of the NASCAR Cup Series in the United States from 2014 to 2022, Available to download in PNG, PDF, XLS format, NASCAR average TV rating in the U.S. 2019, TV rating Daytona 500 in the U.S. 2000-2022, Average TV audience of NASCAR Cup Series finale 2019, Average TV audience of NASCAR Cup Series 2022, NASCAR fans in the U.S. 2017, by ethnicity, NASCAR fans in the U.S. 2017, by ethnicity and party, NASCAR fan opinions on who sports fans are in United States in 2017, NASCAR favorability in the U.S. 2018, by political party, Top NASCAR purchases by fans in the United States in 2017, Racing teams of NASCAR ranked by revenue 2017, Revenue of NASCAR's Hendrick Motorsport team 2006-2017, Revenue of NASCAR's Team Penske racing team 2006-2017, Revenue of NASCAR's Roush Fenway Racing team 2006-2017, Revenue of NASCAR's Front Row Motorsports team 2014-2017, Most active NASCAR sponsors on Twitter 2019, Value of NASCAR's Hendrick Motorsport team 2006-2020, Value of NASCAR's Joe Gibbs Racing team 2006-2018, Value of NASCAR's Stewart-Haas Racing team 2010-2018, Average U.S. TV audience for motor sports events 2011, U.S. TV viewership of selected motor sports events 2011, TV viewership in the U.S. selected National Hockey League games 2011, Age breakdown of Nascar TV audience in the U.S. during 2013 Sprint Cup Series, Fast food consumption among TV viewers 2011, ESPY Awards - number of viewers 1996-2022, Number of viewers F1 Grand Prix broadcasts in the Netherlands 2016, by race, NASCAR TV viewers in the U.S. 2017, by ethnicity, Revenue of NASCAR's Chip Ganassi Racing team 2009-2017, Value of NASCAR's Team Penske racing team 2006-2018, Revenue of NASCAR's Stewart-Haas Racing team 2009-2017, Value of NASCAR's Richard Childress Racing team 2006-2018, Value of NASCAR's Roush Fenway Racing team 2006-2018, Watching frequency of Thursday Night Football in the U.S. 2020, by ethnicity, Top 10 primetime TV programs in the U.S. 2018, Women's professional sports watching frequency in the U.S. 2021, Alec Baldwin impersonation of Donald Trump on SNL viewership in the U.S. 2017, Poll on the most frequently watched TV channels in Hungary 2020, Average viewership of the NASCAR Cup Series in the United States from 2014 to 2022 (in million viewers), Find your information in our database containing over 20,000 reports.