Interestingly, it has been said that NASCAR has been getting younger (the drivers) and older (the fans) at the same time. NASCAR is clearly falling behind other motorsports in a new era of television. Many fans, especially those who might want to disparage the sport, dont understand that just because the TV numbers are down or not at the sky-high levels they once were, doesnt mean NASCAR is facing any sort of loss of popularity. You also dont often see post-race fisticuffs after races at Kansas or Vegas like you might at Martinsville or Bristol. Now72 years old, the racing organization has managed to evolve through the decades in order to meet the changing trends, technology, and preferences that directly affect the sport. In 2006, for instance, more than 19 million people tuned in to watch the Daytona 500 on TV; in 2018, only a little more than nine million watched. While the 2023 NASCAR season kicked off Sunday with Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. racing his way into the May 21 NASCAR All-Star Race, North Wilkesboro Speedway construction crews are . And the same is true for NASCAR. In terms of tier one sports properties, he said. NBA players take a knee during National Anthem, screen image Get woke, go broke. 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.. Dr. Jon Lewis (aka Paulsen) has been covering the sports media industry on a daily basis since 2006 as the founder and main writer of Sports Media Watch. Not only is this tolerated by NASCAR but encouraged. Not all, of course, but most. Ricky Rudd, Ken Schrader, Geoff Bodine, Rusty Wallace and Trevor Boys were among several dozen drivers whose names soon became familiar, if not famous. The sport has grown from. I remember watching it and literally wondering if I was going to see the finish of the race. The share has become an increasingly relevant metric to sports leagues in recent months, as it is a metric immune from the broader trend of viewers watching less linear television. 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. Far from it. With all the different metrics used to measure a sport these days however, it can be complicated. NASCAR blew off fan demand for picture-in-picture commercial breakssomething theyve since embracedwhile Fox Sportss indifference to fans went completely unchecked. which is a 50 percent decline . Anyone who was watching then could tell you that wasnt unusual at all. The decision . . By Jack Davis June 22, 2020 at 8:10am. NASCAR has struggled with the 18-49 demographic and while IndyCar doesnt have as many overall viewers, the percentage of those viewers being in that demographic is higher. Follow along, because there will be a test later . 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. Below, we take a look at the NASCAR ratings over the course of the 2023 season with an up-to-date analysis of each event. Dr. Jon Lewis (aka Paulsen) has been covering the sports media industry on a daily basis since 2006 as the founder and main writer of Sports Media Watch. Karlo watched a lot of Mcgyver back in the 90's and grew up trying to be a Mr. fixit/jack of all trades. Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired at the end of the 2017 season. Meaning that in todays world even the smallest increase in a TV rating is a really big deal when considering how overall viewership is measured. . Photo credit: royal_broil on Best Running / CC BY-SA So what caused the decline of NASCAR to the point where the sport is desperately trying to remain relevant? Professional sports adapted as well, understanding, and learning, how to measure viewership and show that value to their stakeholders. However, by the time NASCAR was peaking in the early 2000s, there already wasnt much manufacturer identity left. Atlanta has had some classics, but that was partly by virtue of the venue hosting the championship race, such as Alan Kulwickis unforgettable title win in 1992. Comments Off on What Caused The Decline of NASCAR? Jerseyball Millvilles Mike Trout and Aaron Cox, Precision Pistol Shooting For Greatness, The Power of Fun Dave Raymond, The Original Phillie Phanatic, Being Relentless The HEADstrong Foundation, Surviving Until Tuesday Sergeant Andrew Einstein. What are the biggest differences between these sports? This marks a 25% lift versus NASCAR's analogous share in 2018, and is the strongest showing since Fox got off to a 10.5 share start in 2016. Goldco (Most trusted and best gold IRA company overall) Birch Gold Group (Best selection of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium) Augusta Precious Metals. NASCAR vehicles evolved over the decades to become safer for the drivers and spectators, the result of which is that cars today are uniform, standardized vehicles with their bodies basically just shells on top of a chassis. But that in itself wasnt necessarily the crime. Basicallythe first 2 races of 2015 have already soundly beaten the first 4 races of 2012 by 4.7 million viewers. In response to its rapidly growing popularity nationwide, NASCAR moved away from the Southeast fans who brought the sport to the dance, and began holding races in places like Vegas, Chicago and Los Angeles. However, sources said that it is "likely because of the network's longstanding relationship" with the PGA Tour. Those moments generate interestand rivalries, which every sport needs. HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 17: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, celebrates after [+] winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Homestead Speedway on November 17, 2019 in Homestead, Florida. Related: NASCAR power rankings during the 2023 season. One shining example was a 2010 Dover racea playoff race, no lesswhere ESPN broke away with 11 laps to go in a very much undecided event for an ad break. The 2021 campaign includes six road course races, a dirt race at Bristol (! 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. People love a winner, they love to hate a winner, and they love to see a dynasty get taken down. And that is for the Indianapolis 500 of stock cars. Photo credit: wjarrettc on Visual hunt / CC BY Then they sharply declined in Week Two. This year's NCAA tournament ratings were down 11%. 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. Looking back over the 2021 season to date in NASCARs top tier Cup series 12 of the 32 races had ratings that were higher over last year and had more viewers; that included a six race stretch leading up to Talladega that saw a consecutive increase in viewership each week. By: GP Racing. Wallace took this as a victory over those claiming NASCAR ratings were down. Those numbers of course, dont tell the entire story. Photo credit: tequilamike on Visual hunt / CC BY 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%. A driver dominates a race until the last lap and then gets crashed on purpose by the guy who goes on to win. NASCAR averaged 4.570 million viewers for Sunday afternoon's event at Auto Club Speedway. Fox reported a modest 2% increase in viewership of comparable Cup race from 2018 to 2019, but it needs to be noted that Foxs part of the schedule does not collide with NFL and college football, which NASCAR fans also enjoy watching. NBC reported Monday that its broadcast of the NASCAR Cup championship race from Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida drew an average of 3.759 million viewers, its best audience for its half of the season. NASCAR Las Vegas ratings hit a new low. It may seem good on the surface, but theres more beneath that makes this concerning. NBC was slightly ahead of last years pace before the Nov. 10 race at Phoenix, but it drew 2.567 million, the least-watched Cup race on broadcast television since 2001 (not counting rainouts). As Juniors fortunes continued to trend downward even while driving for the strongest team in the sport, his fan base became turned off. It was the first NCS race on the dirt in 50 years. I have reasons to believe that NASCAR can return to previous levels of popularitymaybe not on the verge of overtaking the NFL again, but at least back to a point where they have enough of a dedicated fanbase to be a solid performer in ratings and ticket sales. Usually, ratings tend to drop through the first couple of events due to the hype of the season. 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. The drops: 10% in one year, 19% in two years, 38% in three years, and, good golly Miss Molly, 51% since 2015, when NBC picked up the second half of the season in a giant 10-year contract, with Fox. Brian Herbst is the senior vice president for media and productions for NASCAR. The coverage goes through the entire event. Fans might be tired of the novelty of the playoffs. They hate all of the commercials. There are not many. In NASCAR's pre-1990s heyday, when it was still very much a regional sport, manufacturer identity was a big thing. The playoff system eliminates 25 or more drivers from contention with nearly a third of the season still to go. NASCAR Home. Making matters worse, within four years, the driver with the second largest fan base finished with the most points in a season twice, only to lose the title to a points reset. The season averaged 2.866 million sans-Daytona, down 1% from last year (2.91M) and a fraction of a percent from 19 (2.871M). Nepotism isnt dead in NASCAR. This is convenient if the city where a follower lives in has a track, but for those that live a long distance from NASCAR venues, the cost to go to watch them is gradually becoming more expensive due to the continually rising prices of fuel. The Truck Series averaged 594,000, up 16% from last year (511K) and 13% from 2019 (549K). And the season will conclude at Phoenix again, a more exciting venue than Miami where the finale had been for years. No longer do young NASCAR racers start at their local tracks and work their way up. The Monday portion of that race averaged a 4.2 and 7.03 million, compared to a 6.2 and 10.94 million for the first 20 laps on Sunday before weather rolled in. Sundays NASCAR Cup Series race from Las Vegas averaged a 2.6 rating and 4.36 million viewers on FOX, marking the lowest rated edition of the race since it debuted in 1998 and the smallest audience since at least 2001 (viewership prior to 2002 was not available). Furthermore, their retirements are probably not the sole reason for NASCAR's viewership issues either. The event was down 5.6% compared to last year at 4.570 million average viewers on FOX. NASCAR made an absurd amount of money with their television contracts in the 2000s, but that ultimately cost them a sizable chunk of the audience when networks were forced to make it worth their while. NASCAR sits on an upward trajectory for the first time in a while. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images). He said its important to look at the bigger picture, a bigger picture that shows how media is consumed. NASCARs NextGen car shows promise and one huge issue, NASCARs Daytona 500 ratings indicate a worrisome trend. Internal surveys show that 75 percent of Nascar fans overall approve of next year's schedule -- one that includes a dirt race at Bristol -- and 90 percent of the 18 to 34 demographic approves. Home Media FOX NASCAR hits Las Vegas low. Since earning a 7.7 rating and 13. Thirty-five percent of participants said they were now watching less sports due to political and social messaging, whereas only 11 percent said they now watch more. 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. And stage races have also not gone over well with purists. If NASCAR wants to fix the ongoing issues with viewership, fixing their way of broadcasting commercials would go a very long way in those efforts. It was boxy, ugly, and top heavyand its shape was part of the reason for the Indianapolis debacle of 2008. And those ways that didnt always involve traditional broadcast TV. Related: NASCAR ratings on big rise compared to recent years in 2022. Which might explain why, despite the denials, the people who are descendants of Big Bill France, the man who started it all, are quietly shopping the company around and hoping to get out while the goings good. It was a radical change to a sport that didnt need radical changes. No longer do young NASCAR racers start at their local tracks and work their way up. The future of IndyCar seems to be brighter when it comes to younger people. At the start of the 21st Century NASCAR TV ratings, meant everything. With the current playoff point structure, drivers are also somewhat rewarded for strong season-long performances as wellwhile the Chase completely disregarded excellence during the season. I was critical of the Chase in plenty of columns, but I felt like I really got the point across with this one about it. This was a problem that actually needed to be addressed and wasnt. 2 days ago The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to decline running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire's fifth-year option, which in turn makes him a logical candidate to be traded this offseason. Formula 1 and IndyCar are on the rise while NASCAR is slowly declining on a weekly and yearly basis. NASCAR was at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend and if I was NASCAR, I would be embarrassed. There's a catch, though. But plate racing still sucksnot only do plates produce multi-car crashes every event, they pervert the standings because of it. However, these deals may be stopping the brand from adapting to consumers' changing viewing habits. Drivers. Earlier this month, NASCAR said the Confederate flag no longer will be allowed at its events. People do not want to watch numerous full-screen commercials while green-flag racing is taking place. Overall, it is another positive and negative week. Though fewer fans were able to attend in person, with the improvements in internet bandwidth, and the rise of more and more cable channels, some were finding other ways to digest their favorite sports. While this already marks the third time that NASCAR has seen the average viewership go down, there is one major positive to take away from it. Danica Patrick just retired. 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