Sunday, when the big-league Monster Energy Series took the green flag, it was better but there were still an awful lot of empty seats. Just because no one has been killed at the Cup level since Earnhardts death doesnt make it less so. The fan backlash was loud and intense. Now, NASCAR might say, Well, 3.759 million for a race in November, even if it is half as much as four years ago, is more than 0.000 viewers for no race. And ratings are slightly better overall when you include the Fox half, which is better than another plunge, as in 2018. The last race at. (It wasnt a tough call to make, if you actually looked at her results instead of her figure.). In the early 2000s, NASCAR was soaring. 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. The NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway topped all forms of motorsports last weekend, with a 2.05 rating, 3.373 million viewers. 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. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images). 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. In todays media world they are now just a small part of what is used to measure the popularity of the sport. Motorsports encompass a wide variety of classes that offernumerous choices for fans ofauto racing. But more importantly, the racing isnt anywhere near as exciting at the cookie cutters, as I so eloquently explained here. People love a winner, they love to hate a winner, and they love to see a dynasty get taken down. However, NASCAR has been taking major strides as the on-track product is improving, the schedule is being changed, bold decisions are being made, and communication between each party is better. They are now just one part of a bigger picture: one pixel of a screenshot. Created and Designed by, Solving NASCARs Racetrack Problem, Part 2 Happy Hour Motor Speedway, on What Caused The Decline of NASCAR? The rise of social media as a tool, pastime, or source of information and entertainment has certainly affected most sports, NASCAR included. 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 one of motorsport's most popular race series, NASCAR has a long and colorful history that dates to the US prohibition erain the 1930s. Since this is a non-ideological blog, I wont get into the things that the NFL, NBA and MLB have recently done to drive away a significant portion of their fanbases. On declining ratings throughout NASCAR and other sports. But it was a never ending source of irritation to see five laps of racing followed by a several minute commercial break, which was then followed by another minute of a wide angle shot of the venue and This race is being brought to you by .. The Daytona Road Course averaged 4.750 million viewers during the event. 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. The XFL's ratings were disappointing in Week One. Photo credit: Darryl W. Moran Photography on Visual Hunt / CC BY-ND In the past NASCAR has tried to educate fans who might look at ratings and think the sport is in trouble and help them understand that things arent as bad as they seem. Its certainly healthy in terms of eyeballs, Hebrst said. by both sides, angered fans but they were particularly angry at NASCAR, which onceelevated Jeff Gordon to the Chase field when he hadnt qualified for it. NASCAR has managed to hang on to lucrative TV contracts despite its ratings decline. This brought even more attention and money to the sport and school was soon out. 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. Gordon scored the most points overall of any driver in 2004, 2007, and 2014. [Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 11.9, network PR]. On the other hand, NASCAR will go to full-screen commercials on a regular basis which affects the way a fan can follow the race. The NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway averaged 4.315 million average viewers on FOX last weekend. So no, Johnsons domination wasnt directly a factor in the decline of NASCAR but their failure to market it most definitely was. It may seem good on the surface, but theres more beneath that makes this concerning. Im also someone who became a disenchanted former fan myself. In todays world TV ratings arent the big deal they once were nor the only thing that matters. This article looks at several of the reasons why NASCAR is losing fans. A leading business development, project manager in the auction and liquidation industry, and consultant for various local and national government offices in the Philippines. Tiger Woods was great for golf. But experts say the reasons are multitude. Ill start with a few things that I dont believe caused the decline of NASCAR, then Ill share what I think really did. Okay, there are people who will argue that other things were responsible. All that said, the unveiling of the Car of Tomorrow in 2007 certainly didnt help. Last years season-opener at Barber only averaged 914 thousand viewers which is almost an extra 500 thousand. 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. 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. 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. They are the only one of the Big 3 Motorsports that still have this happen. NASCAR Fans Rebel Against Confederate Flag Ban. On the re-debut of the XFL, the league's TV ratings down in a pretty big way, according to Sports Media Watch. The half-mile dirt track was a success on many levels. Overall, NASCAR brought in 114.231 million average viewers throughout the entire 2022 season which marks its best since the 2018 season (120.454 million average viewers). The above car is a NASCAR entry that is supposed to look like a Toyota Supra. Why poll the fans if youre just going to ignore them? He said its important to look at the bigger picture, a bigger picture that shows how media is consumed. If they hadnt, youd probably be reading articles today about the decline of Coca-Cola too. But the ratings decline is hitting all of the leagues hard (including MLB, which has not embraced the movement on the field nearly as much as the WNBA, NBA, and NFL). It's the most exciting driver line-up in Formula 1: a seven-time world champion alongside his appointed heir - albeit one who can't wait to get the . By Jack Davis June 22, 2020 at 8:10am. However, these deals may be stopping the brand from adapting to consumers' changing viewing habits. Not all, of course, but most. Its not often noticed, but it was definitely noticed by Jeff Gordon fans: had NASCAR not implemented the Chase, the driver of the iconic #24 could have been the one standing aside Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty today with seven titles, instead of his protg Jimmie Johnson. But there is a big difference between changing your own spark plugs and battling your way to the front at your local speedway in hopes of catching the attention of a NASCAR car owner and calling up that same NASCAR car owner on the phone and saying two words to him: How much?. That is a decrease of nearly 50%, and in some races this kind of decline could be seen in the stands too. 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. The 2019 season was run as regularly scheduled as well. Elliott is a great driver and a likable kid, and he doesnt take any craphe doesnt shy away from wrecking a driver like Denny Hamlin if the situation called for it. I expect that will be a boon to NASCARs future. Those numbers of course, dont tell the entire story. From F1, Rally, Le Mans, Drifting, or Touring Car championships that are broadcast on TV or via the internet, viewers now have even more access to alternative motorsports events that can offer the same level of adrenaline fueled excitement that NASCAR can provide. Photo credit: Zach Catanzareti Photo on Visualhunt / CC BY-SA As streaming services provide instant entertainment whileNASCARhas scheduled andlengthy race events,thecomparison is similar toordering drive-thru (cheap and convenient) versusdining at a fine restaurant (pricier and takes longer before you can eat). When added to metrics from an agency known as Joyce Julius & Associates, which specializes in measurement and analysis of media promotions that showed just how much TV exposure a sponsor was getting, NASCAR teams were able to justify the high cost of the sponsorships they were charging. From their colorful beginnings to what is now a billion-dollar sporting event, NASCAR has continued to provide high octane entertainment for its millions of fans and supporters. It rewards winning, which rewards fighting for wins, which creates rivalries. In 1994, there were six events held at intermediate tracks of 1.5-2 miles in length. You can contact him here or on the Sports Media Watch Twitter page. NBA players take a knee during National Anthem, screen image Get woke, go broke. He pointed out that despite the ratings decline, NASCAR achieved a "double-digit share increase" last year. NASCAR star Bubba Wallace reacted to a chart on Twitter that showed last weekend's NASCAR race at Foxwoods Resort Casino as the top-watched sporting event of the weekend. 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. As Juniors fortunes continued to trend downward even while driving for the strongest team in the sport, his fan base became turned off. Gordon wasnt the only driver who turned in a spectacular season-long performance only to have it nullified. Far from it. . Speaking of disrespecting your fan base, how about needlessly putting an end to a beloved 54-year tradition? NASCARs viewership continues to fall after the ratings for last weekends race at Auto Club Speedway were released on Tuesday morning. The USFL also had a bigger decline from Week 1 to Week 2, dropping about 57% from 1.57 million. NASCAR tv ratings for the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt track. For any fan that needs racing to be dangerous, there are still four restrictor plate races on the schedule. A driver dominates a race until the last lap and then gets crashed on purpose by the guy who goes on to win. Mark Martin has the best take on the decline in NASCAR attendance, ratings Comment Leave it to one of the coolest customers ever to sit behind the wheel in NASCAR to come up with an. Thats exactly what NASCAR did when they took the Labor Day race out of Darlington and sent it to Auto Club Speedway in California. NASCAR power rankings during the 2023 season, NASCAR odds: Betting lines for each race and championship futures, NASCAR ratings on big rise compared to recent years in 2022, NASCAR standings: Cup, Xfinity, and Truck points during the 2023 season, Share up 9%, largest for Race #2 since 2017, Share up 2%, largest for Daytona 500 since 2016, Second most-watched non-points race since 2016. In terms of tier one sports properties, he said. 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. In NASCARs pre-1990s heyday, when it was still very much a regional sport, manufacturer identity was a big thing. NASCAR scraped bottom. HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 17: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota along with his wife [+] Samantha and son Brexton pose with the trophy after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Homestead Speedway on November 17, 2019 in Homestead, Florida. Kyle Larsons win, which averaged 3.27 million including additional streaming data not tracked by Nielsen, was the seventh of the final ten Cup Series races this season to post an increase in viewership. How media is consumed to hate a winner, they love to see dynasty. Half-Mile dirt track was a success on many levels performance only to have it.... 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