Well, let me tell ya, some folks are sayin’ NASCAR is dyin’. Is it? I dunno, maybe, maybe not. Things ain’t what they used to be, that’s for sure.
Is NASCAR Really Dying? That’s the big question everyone’s askin’. Used to be, everybody and their brother watched the races. Daytona 500, that was a big deal. Millions of folks glued to their TVs. Now? Not so much. Heard tell it’s only a few million now. That’s a big drop, ain’t it? TV ratings ain’t what they used to be, that’s for sure.
- Used to be, more than 19 million watched Daytona 500 on TV.
- Now, only a little more than nine million watch.
And go to the races? Used to be packed, couldn’t find a seat. Now, plenty of empty seats, I hear. Heck, some folks say even fewer people are going to those IndyCar races. Only a few thousand at some of them! But that don’t mean NASCAR’s doin’ good, just means maybe the others are doin’ worse. But who cares about them, right? We care about NASCAR.
Some folks say it all started goin’ downhill around 2005 or so. Don’t rightly know why. Then they went and changed the cars, the “Car of Tomorrow” they called it. Ugly thing, looked like a box on wheels. Didn’t help nothin’. Made things worse, if you ask me. Folks like what they like, you know? Don’t go changin’ it all up on them.
Now, I ain’t sayin’ there ain’t still folks who love NASCAR. There are. They love the racin’, the drivers, the whole shebang. The paint jobs, the burnouts, the whole shebang. They like the strategy, how the drivers figure out how to win. They like the competition, seein’ who’s the best. They even like all that Southern stuff, the history, the whole package. And the patriotism, don’t forget that. Lots of folks like that part, too. And the rules, believe it or not, some folks even like the rules.
But there’s other things too, like the money part. Used to be, NASCAR was rollin’ in dough. Big sponsors, big money. Then that recession hit, things got tight. NASCAR ain’t as big as it used to be, that’s for sure. Still big, mind you, but not like before. Financial challenges are real, you know.
And let’s be honest, most of the NASCAR fans, they’re here in America. Ninety percent, maybe more. That’s a lot, but it also means if things go bad here, they go bad for NASCAR. And things ain’t as good as they used to be, that’s for sure. The numbers, the viewers, the money, it’s all smaller than it was ten or twenty years ago. Audience and revenue mostly come from the USA, and that’s a problem if things slow down here.
Some say NASCAR is tryin’ to change, tryin’ to keep up with the times. Changin’ the cars, changin’ the rules, tryin’ to get new fans. But is it workin’? I dunno. Maybe it is, maybe it ain’t. Some folks say it is killing what made NASCAR popular in the first place. You change too much, and folks don’t recognize it no more.
And then there’s this Formula One racin’. Heard tell it’s gettin’ popular over here now. Stealin’ some of NASCAR’s thunder, maybe? Could be. Competition is tough, you know. Gotta keep up, gotta give folks what they want. And maybe what they want ain’t what NASCAR’s givin’ them anymore. If those fancy foreign car races get too popular, that ain’t good for NASCAR.
So, is NASCAR dyin’? Like I said, I dunno. It ain’t dead yet, that’s for sure. Still kickin’, still racin’. But it ain’t what it used to be. Maybe it’s just gettin’ old, settlin’ down. Maybe it’ll come back strong, maybe it won’t. Only time will tell. But one thing’s for sure, it ain’t the king it used to be. Declining attendance and TV ratings are a real worry, that’s for darn sure.
But I still watch sometimes, when I can. Still like hearin’ them engines roar. Still like seein’ them cars go fast. It’s in my blood, I guess. Just hope it ain’t dyin’. Hope it sticks around for a while longer. But things change, that’s life. You just gotta roll with the punches, I guess.
