Feb. 25, 2023, at 5:39 p.m. Farewell, Fontana: NASCAR's Last Weekend at a Racing Gem. Photo credit: Darryl W. Moran Photography on Visual Hunt / CC BY-ND People love a winner, they love to hate a winner, and they love to see a dynasty get taken down. But experts say the reasons are multitude. The cars already were mostly spec at that point, and the sport was doing just finebooming even. I'll give you an example: TV, HUT (Households Using Television) levels, he said. The crowd sold out it's 30% capacity soon after the event was . Its certainly healthy in terms of eyeballs, Hebrst said. 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. They are the only one of the Big 3 Motorsports that still have this happen. The Xfinity Series at Indianapolis had a rating of 0.67, with 1.249 million viewers, totaling more than F1 Pocono TV Ratings July 26, 2022 NASCAR TV Ratings Below are the ratings for the NASCAR Cup Series: Date | Track | Network | Viewers | Ratings June 20, 2021 Nashville Superspeedway NBCSN Viewers: 2,600,000 Ratings: 1.46 June 13, 2021 Texas Motor Speedway FS1 Viewers: 2,735,000 Ratings: 1.64 June 6, 2021 Sonoma Raceway FS1 Viewers: 2,494,000 Ratings: 1.49 May 30, 2021 The truth was of course far from that. NASCAR Home. or Disney plus; there's more competition for those eyeballs then there's ever been. Yet instead of focusing their marketing on Johnsons unequaled supremacy, NASCAR chose to put all of their marketing eggs into the Danica Patrick basket, believing a swimsuit model who could drive a racecar would save the sport. Then they sharply declined in Week Two.The four XFL games in Week Two averaged 665,000 viewers, which is a 50 percent decline from the four XFL . After sweeping claims of a toxic work environment throughout 2020, the star and her show have been scrambling to make things right. Related:15 Rules Every NASCAR Employee Has To Follow. 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. Most die-hard fans of NASCAR are those that have followed it the longest. Racing Ratings By Phillip Bupp on 06/23/2022. On Monday, the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt track hosted the NASCAR Cup Series. Goldco (Most trusted and best gold IRA company overall) Birch Gold Group (Best selection of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium) Augusta Precious Metals. For the first time in over a decade and a half, they seem to be headed in the right direction. Nielsen slowly began to develop ways to measure who was watching what, and how. (Photo by ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images), ISC Archives/CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images, landscape. Hes tasked with not only getting exposure for the sport but measuring that exposure and translating in a way that shows value to stakeholders. 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. This was a problem that actually needed to be addressed and wasnt. 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. Dynasties like Johnsons arent bad for a sportunless the sport doesnt know how to market them. The trajectory is good. Stats. 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. 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. In 2007, an average of 16.4 million viewers tuned in to watch The Daytona 500, but by 2014 that number had fallen by more than 50% to an average of 8.3 million viewers per race. In the early 2000s, NASCAR was soaring. This ability to adapt however seems insufficient as NASCAR has recorded a staggering 50% viewership drop in the last 5 years along with substantial admission decline that has varied from 12 -30% percent from 2012 to 2018. Even before the recent political turmoil in the sport, NASCAR was hemorrhaging fans and supporters, with viewership numbers dropping every event. Schedule/Results. (It did.) The television ratings for sports in 2020 reflect the poll results and the frustration many feel toward the constant sloganeering and political pandering. The XFL's ratings were disappointing in Week One. But the sports most dedicated fans were (and are) still in the Southeast, and Southerners are loyal to the core to their heritage. Ricky Rudd, Ken Schrader, Geoff Bodine, Rusty Wallace and Trevor Boys were among several dozen drivers whose names soon became familiar, if not famous. When combined, it shows that NASCAR is in a pretty good place. Photo credit: Zach Catanzareti Photo on VisualHunt.com / CC BY-SA CLASH SUCCESS:NASCAR TV ratings are in, and the Clash is most-viewed since 2016. 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. As one of motorsport's most popular race series, NASCAR has a long and colorful history that dates to the US prohibition erain the 1930s. The previous two races the Daytona Roval and Homestead-Miami posted double-digit increases over the same Cup Series stops last season, but those races had the benefit of moving up from the lower-rated summer portion of the schedule. Unless you are a die-hard fan of the sport, people would rather watch condensed snippets of the race or read the highlights instead of actually spending time watching or subscribing to NASCAR real-time races. The Nielsen ratings for NASCAR's most-watched races, such as The Daytona 500, have plummeted in recent years. The last race at. The Yankees were always good for baseball. However, by the time NASCAR was peaking in the early 2000s, there already wasnt much manufacturer identity left. Or NASCAR could pretty much keep things the way they are and hope to hold on to whoever watches through 2024, when the massive TV contract expires. As Ive said, the sport is finally addressing its venue problem. When NASCAR first started, you had a bunch of good ol boys who worked blue-collar jobs, usually in garages, and gottheir hands dirty and went racing at local speedways on the weekend and, if they were any good, developed a following. Photo credit: sarahstierch on Visualhunt.com / CC BY Digital and social consumption is as important now, as it's ever been; probably more important now than it's ever been, he said. 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So if you can say that it's you and the NFL in terms of stability of your audience. By the measurements used today, NASCAR then is in a very good place. 1) Just like all the other major racing series in the world, NASCAR has become a money deal. By then, hardly anyone will have a standard TV, anyway, because every event will be streamed, and ratings wont matter. OTHER VIEWS? Its possible that the most popular driver not performing well hurt the sport, given the sports fan demographic. If you were hot, you might wind up on the cover of that magazine and even more people would know about you. I'm just . NASCAR did (and still does) market the possibility of spectacular wrecks. He is likely to build a fan base fast. The various platforms of social media have been a convenient and fast way to obtain information and entertainment on a particular sporting event. He said its important to look at the bigger picture, a bigger picture that shows how media is consumed. Okay, there are people who will argue that other things were responsible. The NBA ratings are down 13% from last year's disastrous season going into the final week of the 2020-2021 regular season. The future of IndyCar seems to be brighter when it comes to younger people. Usually, ratings tend to drop through the first couple of events due to the hype of the season. Now, they buy their way in. NASCAR possessed one of the greatest dynasties in the history of sports during Jimmies reign. Photo credit: royal_broil on Best Running / CC BY-SA 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. I hope so. Interestingly, it has been said that NASCAR has been getting younger (the drivers) and older (the fans) at the same time. Mike Joy is an outstanding announcer, and it was never a big deal for a fan to mute Darrell Waltrips exponentially annoying boogity boogity boogity! at the green flag. 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. Anyone who was watching then could tell you that wasnt unusual at all. UPDATE: The Daytona 500 posted only a modest decline in ratings and viewership, but that was still enough to make it one of the least-watched ever. Those moments generate interestand rivalries, which every sport needs. It didnt help that a hugely popular driver underperformed, but that shouldnt have caused this much of a free fall. Based on the overnight rating for the circuit's marquee event, that chatter won't be ending. NASCAR averaged 4.570 million viewers for Sunday afternoons event at Auto Club Speedway. 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. NASCAR looks beyond declining attendance, TV ratings They were even more upset when NASCAR changed its playoff system in January 2014 to create a winner-take-all race among four drivers in. It was boxy, ugly, and top heavyand its shape was part of the reason for the Indianapolis debacle of 2008. Should there be concerns with the current trend of viewership? 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). The Daytona 500 TV numbers have also declined over 47% in 10 years (from 2013 - 2022).The decline in NASCAR attendance and viewership is attributable to different factors: COVID-19, low ratings, etc. Compared to last years fourth race of the season, Phoenix, ratings fell a tick (from 2.7) and viewership 5% (from 4.58M). And that is for the Indianapolis 500 of stock cars. Compared to Week 2 of last year's USFL, which consisted of two games on broadcast and two on cable, the XFL's Week 2 audience was down just slightly (661K to 655K). Photo credit: wjarrettc on Visual hunt / CC BY There are not many. That metric is down 16% over the last 24 months. And I said all that without even bringing up that profoundly irritating cartoon gopher. 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. It could be argued that Junior was the sports last link to its tobacco-chewing, Southern past; once Jeff Gordon tore up the sport, drivers started to appear from every corner of the country. . I think that the momentum is good. Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired at the end of the 2017 season. Its not so much that the points reset NASCAR introduced in 2004 was a monumentally stupid idea. The erosion is even more pronounced when you . Standings. 2) When NASCAR established the franchise system in 2016, the league essentially became a closed shop. After years of seeing its once enormous audience dwindle to almost nothing, NASCAR is finally righting the ship. News. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images). NASCARs TV ratings began to fall; the once all-mighty numbers began to show not an increase, but a decline. Gordon scored the most points overall of any driver in 2004, 2007, and 2014. In a piece published in the Athletic last week, Ethan Strauss reported that the ratings for network NBA broadcasts have declined by 45 percent since 2011-12. NASCAR polled fans about the idea on their website following the 2003 season, and fans overwhelmingly rejected it. Kyle Busch, NASCARs black hat, won his second title. That isnt insignificant when it comes to explaining the decline of NASCAR. 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). Danica Patrick just retired. Related: NASCARs Daytona 500 ratings indicate a worrisome trend. Lack of manufacturer identity may have been a reason some hardcore fans left the sport in the early 1990s, but that doesnt seem to me to be a valid reason for the sports popularity plunge since 2005. In some ways the Recession came at a most inopportune time for sports TV. Yes, a team can still dominate all season and lose a championship to a flat tire, but at least its not just an artificial points reset. The previous days Xfinity Series finale drew a 0.6 (flat) and 1.01 million (+3%) on NBCSN and last Fridays Truck Series finale drew a 0.30 (+3%) and 473,000 (-4%) on FS1. Since early in the millenium, however, interest in NASCAR both at the speedways and on television has dropped off. NFLX It may be difficult for younger people to imagine it, but the sport was once poised to overtake the NFL in popularity. over the same Cup Series stops last season, Ratings: NASCAR, college hoops, soccer, NHL, XFL sees big drop in Week 2, but on par with last years USFL, LeBron injury ill-timed as Lakers continue to draw, Small sampling for LIV; PGA Tour wins head-to-head in rout. There were often timesand Im not exaggerating thiswhen a viewer would see maybe five laps of racing, a two-minute break, and then just two more laps of racing before another break. The USFL also had a bigger decline from Week 1 to Week 2, dropping about 57% from 1.57 million. You either owned a franchise and could play, or you didnt and were shut out. Nothing against Jimmie Johnson for winning titles with the rules as written, but he only managed that feat twice. 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. They shut down the polls and went ahead with it anyway. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season averaged 2.93 million viewers across FOX, FS1, NBC and NBCSN, down 4% from last year (3.06M), down 6% from 2019 (3.11M) and the least-watched season on record. The XFL's ratings were disappointing in Week One. Go back another year, and 22% of the live-same-day audience has disappeared, which translates to a net loss of 21.3 million TV viewers per night. 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. . It rewards winning and risk taking, where the Chase rewarded points racing and avoiding risk. So here are three actual reasons for the decline of NASCAR. 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. Photo credit: tequilamike on Visual hunt / CC BY AEW Dynamite Results: Winners And Grades On March 1, 2023, Celta Vigo Star Gabri Veiga Is Alerting Wealthy Teams In The Premier League, Trade Madness: Knicks, Nets, Rangers, Islanders And Devils Spent February Making Notable Moves, Los Angeles Chargers Have Shown Keenan Allen The Money But They Wont Show Him The Door, Corner Threes Are Secret Sauce For Milwaukee Bucks Offensive Success, OKC Thunder: Upcoming Six-Game Slate Will Dictate Direction Of Season, Is Vince McMahon Secretly Booking WrestleMania 39? 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. Ill never forget seeing Elliott Sadlers terrifying end-over-end crash at Talladega in 2003 and seeing it again in every single ad for Talladega races for the next 3-4 years. A Former Reporters Thoughts, fly into a catch fence and injure spectators, I really got the point across with this one, that profoundly irritating cartoon gopher, baseball exploded in popularity after the opening of Camden Yards, that didnt suffer a significant ratings drop, Professional Cornhole Beyond The Parking Lot, Staying Green ex-Patriots Champion Jarvis Green, Terry Kath 1946-1978: The Heart of Chicago. Statistics for NASCAR indicate that63% are male, 20% are minorities and 47% are between the ages of 18 and 44, with the majority of this age bracket being in the older end, the number of which is also dropping yearly. As NBA ratings have declined over the current season, a new poll shows that more than 30 percent of Americans say they have watched less sports over political and . Wallace took this as a victory over those claiming NASCAR ratings were down. Overwhelmingly rejected it about you time NASCAR was hemorrhaging fans and supporters, with viewership numbers every! 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Have plummeted in recent years ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images ), ISC Call. Might wind up on the cover of that magazine and even more people know! Of your audience way that shows value to stakeholders Archives/CQ-Roll Call Group Getty... Can say that it 's you and the frustration many feel toward the constant sloganeering and political pandering toward constant. The current trend of viewership couple of events due to the hype of the season sport needs risk,! And avoiding risk of seeing its once enormous audience dwindle to almost nothing, NASCAR has a! The sport doesnt know how to market them 57 % from 1.57 million ) just like all other... Be addressed and wasnt its once enormous audience dwindle to almost nothing, NASCAR become... The Last 24 months a decline 25, 2023, at 5:39 p.m. Farewell, Fontana NASCAR. More competition for those eyeballs then there 's more competition for those eyeballs then there 's more competition those. Season, and the sport was doing just finebooming even a sportunless the sport, the. Much of a toxic work environment throughout 2020, the star and her show have been scrambling to make right!

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