Why NASCAR is declining in popularity?

They are trading qulaity trakcs and quality racing for bigger markets.

Losing tracks with personality like North Wilkesboro and Rockingham. Plus cutting Darlington and Atlanta from 2 dates per year to 1 and adding dates at tracks with no personality like: Las Vegas, Fontana, Loudon, Kansas, Chicago, Kentucky and Homestead is killing the series.

IF NASCAR wants to add more juice to the series take away one of the 2 races at: Kansas, Pocono, Loudon, Michigan and Phoenix those tracks don't provide good enough racing to have 2 races per year. Give Darlington and Atlanta back their 2nd date, and add dates at North Wilkesboro, Rockingham and Iowa Speedway. That small change would have a large impact.

In other words Bruton Smith has been bad for NASCAR.

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Permalink Reply by ShaneH on February 22, 2011 at 8:31am
Both Darlington and Atlanta had greatly declining attendance. Had their attendance been better, they would not have lost their races.
Permalink Reply by Lucky 7 on February 24, 2011 at 3:10am
Darlington is one of the most traditional venues on the Cup circuit and NASCAR started messing with it and it ticked people off. In 2003, the Labor Day event was given to California Speedway and the Southern 500 was moved to Nov.

The 2003 and 2004 seasons Darlington still had 2 races 1 in March and 1 in Nov and people were furious and rebelled, it back fired. NASCAR thought it would better to have Darlington part of the new Pet Project called the chase. Some things are more important than tradition. Big Bro NASCAR knows best.

In 2005, NASCAR eliminated the Southern 500 altogether and for 4 years Darlington which used to have 2 races had only one 400 mile race. Southern 500 brought back in 2009, but still only one race. Not only did moving the Labor Day race at Darlington help to eliminate 1 Darlington race, but 1 Atlanta race as well. Atlanta was much more appealing in late October, when that worn out surface had more grip.

Bruton Smith intentionally tanked North Wilkesboro, no way he would have done anything like that to Atlanta right? Trading Atlanta for Kansas come on? Loudon for Wilkesboro same?


Rockingham was great. And so NASCAR switches it for this great racing in Cali.

Ironically with NASCAR battling becoming a Virtual League and people wanting to stay home on watch in HD. WIlkesboro and Rockingham are perfect tracks. They don't require many spectators and put on one hell of show. Too bad NASCAR.
Permalink Reply by putter on February 22, 2011 at 9:09am
Agreed with ShaneH. Darlington and Atlanta did not draw. Just because those races are in the south doesn't mean they deserve them. Nascar does have to many 1.5 mile tracks. I wish they have more short tracks, but North Wilkesboro would need huge upgrade and draw more than 50k fans.
Permalink Reply by Mike Kenyon on February 22, 2011 at 12:09pm
Wasn't there something goofy about Darlington's date.Early in the season,aluminum bench seats.Every one freeze there ass off.?
Permalink Reply by Rob Hoban on February 22, 2011 at 1:42pm
Good point about Darlington. The race was normally the 3rd Sunday in March and there were some COLD race weekends. On the flip side, Darlington had Labor Day weekend and there were some HOT race weekends then as well.

Honestly, some races just need to be shorter. The NFL is the top sports product out there and a game lasts 3 to 3 1/2 hours if it is an overtime game. The Daytona 500 was almost 4 1/2 hours. Pocono is a good 5 hours. I have too much to do on Sundays. We need more night races.
Permalink Reply by MAyersatUSC on February 22, 2011 at 9:47am
I think the COT had a lot to do with the decline in popularity. I do think NASCAR is on the rebound though, replacing the wing with the traditional spoiler and making the splitter less visible is helping. Along with the "have at it" mentality when it comes to beating and banging.

Plus I think recent repaving projects have messed NASCAR up, especially places like Bristol, Daytona, and Darlington where the repaving completely changed the way races are run.
Permalink Reply by MAyersatUSC on February 22, 2011 at 3:03pm
Also, ever since Brian France took over, there has been a sharp decline.
Permalink Reply by SlyFoxx on February 22, 2011 at 10:00am
1) Because Jr. isn't winning.
2) The car.
3) The perception that NASCAR manufactures cautions and penalties.
Permalink Reply by dj zellner on February 22, 2011 at 10:12am
NASCAR sucks as an adminstrative body. When they secretly fined drivers last year for the comments they made NASCAR lost the last tiny bit of credibility they had with me. People have said it is much like wrestling, I agree.
Permalink Reply by Michael Martinez on February 22, 2011 at 10:49am
I've been in this stock car game since I was 5 years old, watching my father struggle as a one man show running sportsman division at Holland Int. Holland New York 1970. I watched friggen figure skating on Wide World of sports waiting for the race to be patched in. I watched every step of the way. When the big boom happened in the 90s with the explosion of new Cigar smokers new NAZICAR fans big brother cracking down on football pools, the internet.....yes the net is to blame for much of societies growth spurts ect.ect ect.
In that big boom time as NAZICAR grew it became too big for its own britches and had big dreams of going Hollywood with expansion expansion and abandonment. Now most of those fans of the big bang walk around with a 15 year old Dale E jacket on and can't name 20 drivers on the circuit. I blew the same tune 10 years ago about what is wrong with NAZICAR. There is nothing wrong with NAZICAR, it's just that right now and for the last ten years or so they have been the guy who does not leave a tip at the buffet and sits and waits for more crab legs to be put out and leaves half of them uneaten as he only wants the best part. In other words NAZICAR can get what it deserves its just a fat PIG, who saw stars and $$$$$$
You sort of can't blame anyone for the increase in seating and the tracks that were built to fill a "need" but at the same time built garbage action tracks in doing so. As far as i'm concerned NAZICAR can and will survive with or without me, i'll be at the Glen enjoying my American freedom that many of our brothers gave their life to defend and NAZICAR will be enjoying their American freedom as a capitalist they are. And i'll worry about things more important in life other than whats wrong with fans being bored to death...on second hand I won't worry about anything it never does any good. Mike
Permalink Reply by WJM on February 22, 2011 at 1:31pm
There is nothing wrong with NAZICAR, it's just that right now and for the last ten years or so they have been the guy who does not leave a tip at the buffet and sits and waits for more crab legs to be put out and leaves half of them uneaten as he only wants the best part.

Well said.
Permalink Reply by David Z on February 22, 2011 at 6:02pm
Right on Micheal, When it comes to track bashing, as listed, people cite "boring" races. Most of the time they have never been at the track they call for taking races away from. I hate it when any track loses a race, and don't wish it on anyone.
There is no such thing as a boring race, just boring race coverage.

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