Despite an Average Daytona 500 Turnout, NASCAR President Foresees a Promising Future for the Sport

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series kicked off in grand style with the Daytona 500 providing an entertaining watch. While William Byron presented Hendrick Motorsports with a historic win, the viewership numbers could have been better for the season-opener. Regardless, NASCAR President Steve Phelps strongly believes in a bright future for the sport.

In the recent past, there have been claims that NASCAR struggling to attract fans as it used to earlier. While it may not be true, staying relevant is and will always be necessary for any sport in the United States. Luckily, Phelps has some good news for the fans.

NASCAR President Steve Phelps feels there are plenty of opportunities for the sport to explore

Despite rain playing a spoilsport on the weekend, Monday’s Daytona 500 didn’t let the fans down. With multiple wrecks and some intense racing, it almost had everything. Fortunately for William Byron, it fell all into place as he registered a win on the 40th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports.

While it was a special outing for the Cup Series giants, the Daytona 500 race saw an ordinary viewership outing. Despite getting 6 million viewers, the rescheduled race couldn’t beat the 2020 record of 7.33 million viewers. With the numbers not being bad, it is not wrong to hope for growing numbers with time.

Having said that, it doesn’t affect what the sport’s president feels about the future. Speaking on the NASCAR Live Podcast, Steve Phelps explained how the sport is gaining popularity outside of the United States. He said, “There are a lot of fans that don’t know we have got four series. So Brazil came online last season, a really great partnership with the folks in Brazil, really excited about what that can meet for the sport.”

Furthermore, Phelps explained how NASCAR is going to benefit from old and new exposures. He stated, “They [Brazil] have a great tradition, rich history of motorsports in the country. [NASCAR has]Been racing in Canada for decades, in that series, and Mexico for a long time as well. In Europe, we are looking to expand that. We are having discussions with six different countries.”

Most certainly, there seems to be a plan in place to take NASCAR to the next level. In fact, Phelps gave an idea of how they are thinking to go about it.

Steve Phelps details the future growth trajectory for NASCAR

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At a time when NASCAR is facing a daunting challenge with its viewership, it certainly calls for aggressive actions. Fortunately, Steve Phelps and his team are planning to go big and diverse. However, they are not forgetting how staying relevant in the United States is equally important.

The NASCAR President explained a bit about it on the same podcast. He said, “We have got tremendous growth opportunities here domestically in the States. But really the opportunities outside are limitless and we are gonna be smart about how we grow. We think doing grassroots racing from a country standpoint is important.”

While starting from the base seems to help, Phelps used an example to prove his point. He said, “It develops drivers, it develops owners and it develops a fanbase in that country. We have seen that. Daniel Suarez who obviously won the Mexican race at the L.A. Coliseum.

“He is a product of the Mexico series, a champion in that series, an Xfinity champion and a winner in the Cup Series. That’s important for us. We need to have different personalities and Daniel is one of those.” Phelps certainly has a point here. With a plan of using diverse personalities and opportunities, NASCAR can certainly benefit and overcome its viewership challenges.

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