"It's been a year since we've been here and obviously a lot can happen in that amount of time," Elliott said. Kevin Harvick is third, 38 points behind Chastain. Crowds have a significant impact on both ticket revenueand the overall vibe of a show. Team members walk down pit road after the NASCAR race was postponed due to weather at Dover Motor Speedway Sunday in Dover, Del. Kyle Busch Two-time Cup champion whose 59 wins ranks ninth on the all-time wins list and hes only 36 years old. After two DNFs in the first two Chase events resulting from simple bad luck, just like that his title hopes were gone. Maybe if you came in a little too hot in dirty air you would brake, but no. But the sports most dedicated fans were (and are) still in the Southeast, and Southerners are loyal to the core to their heritage. Martin Truex Jr., center, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR 400 auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Monday, May 1, 2023, in Dover, Del. It may be difficult for younger people to imagine it, but the sport was once poised to overtake the NFL in popularity. Gordon wasnt the only driver who turned in a spectacular season-long performance only to have it nullified. And the season will conclude at Phoenix again, a more exciting venue than Miami where the finale had been for years. The 2019 Daytona 500 viewership was just 9 million. Many observers consider Dawsonville one of the birthplaces of NASCAR. 43 Allegiant Chevy, you know, we were kind of back and forth on the balance throughout the day just trying to get some stuff better, but we came a long way from where we were in practice. In 2014, the average number of viewers for Cup Series raceswas 5.3 million. Determined to rebound from a winless season, Truex opened his 18th full season with an exhibition victory in the Busch Light Clash in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. All our emails include an $3 for 3 Months . For any fan that needs racing to be dangerous, there are still four restrictor plate races on the schedule. I was side-by-side with the No. But we have speed, and we were able to work steadily today and be solid. I feel like weve had a little bit of a stronger start to the season, but not always had the results. Yes, sports ratings as a whole are down, but NASCAR's fall is alarming: Daytona 500 viewership from 2001 to 2009 ranged from 16 to 19 million.. Save on AeroGarden indoor herb growing kits at Amazon, Create a bonsai tree out of bricks with this $40 LEGO set, Preorder 'The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom' today, Astros vs Phillies: How to get tickets and free swag this weekend, There are a ton of great patio furniture sets on sale right now. According to a recent UC Davis research, NASCAR supporters consider themselves to be some of the most patriotic sports fans in the world. He raced me hard but clean. Daniel Suarez lost control on Lap 36 and slapped the outside wall. National award, covering every NASCAR series. Its not so much that the points reset NASCAR introduced in 2004 was a monumentally stupid idea. In 2008 Kyle Busch smoked the field for the first 26 races, winning eight of them and setting the NASCAR world on fire with his brash and unapologetic racing style. You can only download this statistic as a Premium user. Those lucky fans may even get to brush shoulders with movie stars and music giants on occasion. So what caused the decline of NASCAR to the point where the sport is desperately trying to remain relevant? Speaking of disrespecting your fan base, how about needlessly putting an end to a beloved 54-year tradition? Another reason why NASCAR is losing popularity is due to the fact that there are just too many races. SPONSOR: MAKE: TEAM: Ross Chastain: 1: AdventHealth: Chevrolet: TRACKHOUSE RACING TEAM The recent banning of the Confederate flag, which has traditionally been most popular in southern states, has caused some core followers to split. It is best known for organizing stock-car racing. | This was a really good day. Even more so than in baseball, the on-screen product is affected with the layout of a track. I remember watching it and literally wondering if I was going to see the finish of the race. Yes, thats actually true; read it again if you need to. number 94414163), granted a vendor registration number VR007603-20-001 by the Michigan Gaming Control Board, Busch, enjoying a successful first season at Richard Childress Racing, won last week's race at Talladega Superspeedway. 2. Fans can vote for a single driver once daily at NASCAR.com/MostPopularDriver or on the NASCAR Mobile App. Who had a bad race: Noah Gragson crashed on the backstretch 29 laps into the race and couldnt reach the minimum speed to stay on track. So, I think it was the No. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) Getty Images I think this was about the time we hit our stride last year. When you sign-up through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. When you think of the venues that have showcased the most memorable events in the sports history, Daytona, Darlington, and Bristol often come to mind. And while 2020 has been anything but usual especially in the sports world, NASCAR was the one sport that didnt suffer a significant ratings drop. What NASCAR's Declining Popularity Can Teach Us About Responding to a Changing Market In February last year, the Daytona 500, the NASCAR season opener, drew a Nielsen Rating of only 5.3. Kyle Busch starts on the pole today and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell joins him on the first row. Jimmie Johnson As time passes, his accomplishments will be further revered. NASCAR Power Rankings of Cup drivers of all time 1. 3 (, Brennan Poole: Ross Chastain probably needs his butt whooped, I feel like I just got ran over, Poole said. Georgia drivers, car owners, mechanics, and speedways have long played an important role in the establishment, development, and growing popularity of the National Association of Stock Car Racing (NASCAR) sport. Although crowds and TV audiences have shrunk over the previous decade, NASCARs popularity has remained consistent. So fans can choose what race to watch online. Photo credit: tequilamike on Visual hunt / CC BY On Dec. 14, 1947, Bill France Sr. organized a meeting of drivers, officials and promoters at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida, to discuss the future of stock car racing. After the race, Chastain said on FS1: I first have to say Im so sorry to Brennan and everybody at Rick Ware Racing. We needed a little bit more there to be a little bit better, but overall with the amount of experience I have in Cup cars, I feel like to run about where we did was really solid. The decline of NASCAR from dominance started circa 2005, and there wasnt any big change to car specs in that time period. "I don't feel like it impacts me in the car at this point. affiliate links and make purchases, WSN earns a commission from our partners, including ESPN and various Richard Petty holds the record with at least a win in 18 consecutive seasons. The race drew a terrible 2.8 rating. North Carolina is close behind. Photo credit: Ford Racing on VisualHunt / CC BY Elliott Sadler has the most with four awards in the Xfinity Series, and Johnny Benson Jr. has the most awards at three in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. For how quick I lost the car, I think I had a tire going down or something because it happened instantly. Some say I lost a bet, Gragson said. I owe a big apology and a bit more. Jason Minto - freelancer, FR170619 AP. Poole later said Chastain probably needs his butt whooped. Poole parked for the day. Tiger Woods was great for golf. So, its kind of pathetic. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley, File), FILE -Chase Elliott during driver introductions before the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, in Daytona Beach, Fla. Chase Elliott will return to the No. These are bold changes, but this variety of tracks will test drivers and teams at every level. The NASCAR fan base is 63% male, 37% female. Just because no one has been killed at the Cup level since Earnhardts death doesnt make it less so. ET on NBCSN) and that provides plenty of time to debate this list and any of the drivers in the top 10. Photo credit: Zach Catanzareti Photo on VisualHunt.com / CC BY-SA Anyone who was watching then could tell you that wasnt unusual at all. The time has come. Photo credit: brandonzeman on Visual Hunt / CC BY-SA Martin Truex Jr. has won twice at Dover on Mondays. Just a strong showing. You need a Statista Account for unlimited access. Long run was pretty good. It was boxy, ugly, and top heavyand its shape was part of the reason for the Indianapolis debacle of 2008. However, like Johnsons dominance, I doubt that this would have been as much of a problem were it not for other factors that were far more damaging. Photo credit: eliduke on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-SA He bounced back from a Lap 124 pit stop issue that dropped him to 20th. The cars already were mostly spec at that point, and the sport was doing just finebooming even. This portable Cubii under-desk elliptical is $129 off today. Are you interested in testing our business solutions? Martin Truex Jr. hoists the trophy after winning the NASCAR 400 auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Monday, May 1, 2023, in Dover, Del. It seems likely that his five consecutive championships will join the mark of Richard Pettys 200 Cup wins as records that will never be broken. The wreck happened in the first stage of the race, a fact both Larson and Poole pointed out after the crash. The broadcasts have also improved. This is all just ultimately my opinion, but its a carefully considered one. Having followed the sport in the time frame when it began, I can offer what I believe are the real reasons for the decline of NASCAR. Whether youre shopping Way Day 2023 or Walmart, theres an al fresco set for you. Allison won four Southern 500s, three Daytona 500s and three Coca-Cola 600s. The track was good, the car was really good. The number of people living in that category decreased to 2.92 million in 2019. Truex, who won for the 32nd times in the Cup Series, held the lead despite the tire disadvantage. It was such a big day for our family to see Ryan do that on Saturday.. Withdrew his own name from future ballots following this year, The first non-American driver to win the award, This page was last edited on 15 March 2023, at 06:42. As the son of one of the greatest racecar drivers in history, Junior also had an impossible standard to live up to. OK, here we go. Those 17 victories account for 18.3% of his win total. Races are run on downtown streets, road courses and oval speedways. Here is a full ranking of NASCAR's popularity by state: West Virginia is the so-called 'NASCAR state' with the most interest in the motorsport. Chastain leads the season standings after 11 races with 370 points. No reason. If any single event hastened the decline of NASCAR, it was Indy 2008. Nothing against Jimmie Johnson for winning titles with the rules as written, but he only managed that feat twice. Voting closes Dec. 1 at 12 p.m. A Former Reporters Thoughts, Copyright 2023 A Great Number of Things. Photo credit: Zach Catanzareti Photo on Best Running / CC BY responsible handling and protection of your personal information. Advertising disclosure: WSN contains links to online retailers on its website. Elliott, who finished 12th last week at Talladega, said he's just "pushing forward" as he drives the No. Johnsons seven titles came in 11 seasons, a remarkable feat in what at that point was arguably the most competitive era of NASCAR. AGE DISTRIBUTION NASCAR fans are just as likely as the U.S. population to be 18-44 (98 index vs. U.S population). Photo credit: Fast Eddie Maloney on Best Running / CC BY-SA DOVER, Del. 8. Dale Earnhardt began his long career in 1975 and was renowned for his aggressive driving style, garnering him nicknames such as The Intimidate and The Man in Black for his ferocious competitiveness. Martin Truex Jr. (19) performs a burnout after winning the NASCAR 400 auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Monday, May 1, 2023, in Dover, Del. His 84 wins are tied with Darrell Waltrip for fourth on the all-time list. As Juniors fortunes continued to trend downward even while driving for the strongest team in the sport, his fan base became turned off. Getting a top five is great. It's just one of those things where you're going to have good days, you're going to have days that you don't get around great. The move of the Labor Day race to California was part of an ongoing trend. Or not in the top 10. Im really proud of our group. Kyle Larson is the 5-1 favorite to win, per FanDuel Sportsbook. It feels nice to get one to come around our way, Truex said. Brennan Poole on Ross Chastain at Dover pic.twitter.com/cyj2TBODqL, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), What drivers said at Dover Motor Speedway, Martin Truex Jr. wins NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway, Im not exactly sure, but I feel like I just got ran over. NASCARs popularity appears to be on the upswing once more. We know we could do this. And maybe this time, they will have learned from their mistakes. So, I think it was the No. If you want to attribute the decline of NASCAR to arrogant leadership, look no further than that single act. By anyones standards that is an alarming fall.