After NASCAR’s $50 Million Gamble Triggered International Expansion Debate, Insider Warns Against Putting All Eggs in One Basket

NASCAR has been daring in the 2023 season, to say the least. With the number of projects that it has undertaken, NASCAR is rippling across the world of motor racing. With a dwindling viewership, NASCAR is often termed a dying sport. But the success of endurance racing at Le Mans, as well as the inaugural street race at Chicago, seems to bring relief to NASCAR and revive its lost glory.

While the insiders and the fans of NASCAR had portrayed their apprehension about racing on the makeshift track in Chicago, NASCAR was optimistic about its ambitions and assuredly pulled off the feat with grace, thus opening a gateway to endless opportunities.

But is it too early to measure the success of NASCAR’s experimentation as it charts out future possibilities to enter international markets? Even Jessie Punch considers it too early to be resolute in making headway into international markets.

Will NASCAR’s ambitious projects turn out to be detrimental?

The inaugural race in downtown Chicago was the ultimate litmus test for NASCAR and the drivers. While NASCAR hoped to pull off a successful race without any major on-track chaos, drivers, on the other hand, prayed for the avoidance of any major wrecks. However, not only was the race a big success, but it also proved that NASCAR has the potential to recreate the same feat on any purpose-built course.

Even Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s Chief Operating Officer, had also expressed after the inaugural race, “I’m not going to put a timetable on it, but I think we’re all confident at NASCAR that we could take the Cup Series anywhere we want, and we do that with the industry, and I think — I don’t think, I know the race we put on today would sell and would be embraced globally for sure.”

Moreover, Jessie Punch revealed in an episode of Rubbing Is Racing, “I still think there are a lot of markets that NASCAR could break into it internationally. I  know may be looking at some markets maybe over in Chinese or may be interested in stock car racing. But here in America, I think I would love to see around Soldier Field. I think that might be pretty neat.”

Punch also asserted, “But also continuing to revive some of the dirt tracks I think is very important that we continue to do. I don’t want to dump all our eggs into one basket just because of one year of Chicago Street Racing. I like that we can continue to go back to our roots and revive some of these short tracks.”

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RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski’s views on NASCAR expanding internationally

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The Chicago Street Race, which pivoted around a whopping budget of $50 million, was nothing less than shooting an arrow in the dark. Nevertheless, the race did raise interest among the drivers in the Cup Series, especially Brad Keselowski.

Keselowski, unlike Punch, believes that NASCAR’s experimental success will open up the gateway to the world. In an interview with Bob Pockrass, the 2012 Cup Series champion revealed, “I think the biggest thing for me is last week opens up international more than anything else. I don’t see doing that type of event in another place in the United States. But internationally, it probably opens some things up. If we were to go race internationally specifically in a different continent, I think we’d prove that there’s an opportunity to that.”

The RFK Racing driver also drew a comparison with Formula 1 for racing across different tracks globally and how their logistics are able to support the continuous displacement. But Keselowski expressed his doubts about transportation being one of the challenges for NASCAR.

Nonetheless, there has been a past instance where NASCAR crossed the Pacific and showcased their prowess on the lands of Japan. But a long time has passed since then, and the world of NASCAR has undergone serious transitions, and repeating the same feat would be a demanding task. Even if NASCAR decides to take the leap of faith, there are serious challenges that might force the authority to reconsider.

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