NASCAR attendance is up! While we may criticize other aspects of the sport it is clear just by looking at the stands that more butts are in seats compared to a couple years ago. Looking back only to 2019, the last full season before the COVID pandemic, you could see NASCAR struggling to get people interested enough to show up. Yet now, in 2024, many tracks are hitting multi-year highs and sometimes even highs that had not been hit in well over a decade. So, why is NASCAR's attendance up?
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59 comments
Why do you think NASCAR attendance is up?
Yes
Could be that we are seeing drivers from different series or the improvement of the racing
simple, the racing is great
people have seen more crashes and want to get in on the hype, nascar crash videos go ballistic and people watch it constantly.
Because the new generation is now out of their parents basements and attending the races now
The next step is to get the attendance up to 2001-2007 levels at ALL TRACKS. Even bring back the backstretch seats at Martinsville in the future.
That doesn’t need to happen. “Sell outs” look awesome on TV. Stretching everything to thin will create a bag image and that doesn’t inspire casuals to get excited or go themselves.
I was at the 2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix and the stands were packed.
For all tracks to be at 2001-07 levels, they need to bring Auto Club back and eliminate TexARSE, as well as improve the pre-race festivities
@@S.K.R.E.Inc. The old Auto Club is never coming back. Who knows what’s gonna happen with the reconfigure being that it’s in limbo.
@@S.K.R.E.Inc.Texas was not that bad this year and last fall.
The Xfinity series I’ve noticed has been getting better and better races as of late. Wouldn’t be surprised if that’s bringing people back to the Cup series.
I’ve noticed this especially at the tracks that have 1 race date, maybe the 1 race date thing truly does make sense
Best reply I’ve read
Oh it definitely is true.
Look at the crowds at Pocono and Michigan the last two years, it’s been packed! I think there’s a huge correlation between attendance and how many race dates.
I was even impressed, I haven’t seen NASCAR stands so full since the golden years of the 2000s.
I was in the campground the other night looking at all the campers with a tear in my eye…it really feels like its all coming back.
The golden era goes back to the 1980’s! Most popular spectator sport in America in the 90’s was Winston Cup!
@@MeettheCreatives What a thrill my friend.
@@user-zq1px9yb7g NASCAR is America’s culture, just like football, baseball, etc…
I am not a racing “purist”, I watch on Saturday and Sunday for the entertainment. I was part of the interest bloom in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, I was also one of the people who disappeared early in that decade. It stopped being entertaining, it was just too predictive, how many times can you watch the same few people win week in and week out. Don’t misunderstand me, I respect that these drivers and teams work incredibly hard to dominate the sport, but that doesn’t make it “entertaining”. I tune in to be entertained on Sundays, and the race in Texas was entertaining, despite yet another Henrick car win. NASCAR is supposed to be thrilling, exciting, it is supposed to be drivers barely hanging on to their cars while racing on the edge, and yes, the bumping, banging and spectacular crashes are part of what I’m here for. Hendricks and Gibbs are extremely successful organizations, but they are boring as hell, and that is by design, I don’t follow a sport for “boring as hell”. If NASCAR wants the ratings bubble it once had, they need to give us more Texas Speedway type weeks and less Martinsville weeks.
It was a Hendrick car that won but the driver hadn’t won since 2022
As someone who normally goes to race tracks that have struggled with attendance in the past, the 1 race a year strategy so far has worked tremendously. Hopefully some other tracks that have 2 dates will soon follow suit. I think having more variety in the schedule and bringing the sport into untapped markets will pay off in the long-term, they first, however, have to improve the racing product.
Daytona, Dega, Atlanta, Martinsville, and maybe Bristol or Darlington should have two dates and the rest should be one and done
I don’t even know if Bristol deserves 2 just looking at attendance for the spring races. If they ever get the Nashville short track then I doubt Bristol keeps its spring date.
I was at Pocono last summer, the attendance was crazy and there was so many first-time watchers and fans
on track attendance is up because the tv produced programing is nearly unwatchable at this point. if you’re within 4-6 hrs drive of a track get yourself a ticket! save yourself from the commercial 400 at wherever you are
PREACH!!!
Maybe that would be true if it was just the Fox races getting attendance boosts. But Michigan and Pocono have seen attendance growth and they’re in the NBC market. I truly believe it’s the one race date changes.
Ridiculous, yet valid at the same time
A lot of people might laugh at what you’re saying, BUT: Keep in mind, in the early days, televised sports were pretty much treated as infomercials meant to encourage viewers to come out to watch in person. Somewhere along the line, more effort was put into the TV angle because of how much money networks were suddenly throwing at the sports. I won’t go so far as to say NASCAR or any other sports organization would directly sabotage their telecasts now, BUT, given how traditional TV is on life support now and you just can’t expect that money to keep coming in forever… maybe sacrificing the quality of TV broadcasts in favor of encouraging more ticket sales isn’t a terrible idea.
At these fuel cost your nuts I’m not driving past 3 hours until fuel drops back down to 1.65 like it was
More tracks should have 1 date. Helps with schedule diversity.
I support that 100%. Very few tracks should have two dates. Daytona and other three or four, tops.
I went to the Dover race this year and I was shocked how many people were in the stands
I think the F1 series on Netflix helped people get into motorsports in general. Prior to that show, I didn’t watch any motorsports. I started watching F1 in 2021 and loved it. After 2 seasons of Max winning everything, I became bored and decided to watch the 2023 Daytona 500 and became a huge NASCAR fan since. I watch trucks, xfinity, cup and attend the local track here in Monroe, WA that runs late models too. I’m sure others have had a similar experience. I fell in love with the history and spent a few months catching up and find your channel and Eric Estepp. Planning on getting out to the Daytona 500 2025
Hear me out. The bad coverage by Fox and missing a lot of the action are bringing people to the track.
That was a big factor for me to go to more races
69 likes… nice.
That’s my conspiracy theory!
No, it’s not. Coverage is trash but it has nothing to do with attendance.
i started watching in that low attendance+rating time in 2017-18-19 so it’s pretty cool seeing it grow to what it was a few years ago
Speaking of missing what we had…… can we get 24 hour walmart back?????
Depends on if Walmart sees the value in it.
I have never understood how you can leave the sport all together when your driver retires
They weren’t ever nascar fans
When MTJ retires, Ty Gibbs will be my favorite driver
I’m not gonna stop watching just because my guy retired
@@Takingyoutojail same, I mean I got a while till logano retires hopefully but then I will move on
@@aidansmid2210 it’s the weirdest thing
I’m a Truex fan
But I’m a nascar fan first
Because things change every day. What’s not to understand
I think the problem is, that you’ve followed someone so long, that finding a replacement is difficult.
I was at pocono double a couple years back and it was I would say 50/70% full. Went to Dover this past Sunday and I feel it was damn near 100% capacity
Less stands, but glad they are full.
Dover was apparently almost sold out
I was there, I was in the infield of dover though, I was amazed how packed it was, although I went to rain delay Monday in 2022 and 2023 I went to the xfinity race so I have no fair comparison. I worked there too and everything was packed, especially bars. I was also shocked how energetic the bar was during the xfinity race was too
I lost interest once Jeff Gordon retired. Then a local farmer down the street from me in Alva, FL Ross Chastain got a opportunity in some better equipment and starting competing against the Hendrick and Gibbs guy and does not back down one bit when all of NASCAR is against him. Gives it all for his team look what he did when he rode the Wall at Martinsville to get in the Championship 4. Who else going to do that besides maybe the late great Dale Earnhardt! He’s made things way more exciting with his talent and aggressive driving when most of the drivers just want to be buddy buddy on and off the track.
Exatly – Making NASCAR Fun Again!
HE LIVED DOWN THE STREET? Thats so cool