Social media has become a very essential part of NASCAR in the new age. As it aids the promotion’s goal of expanding across borders, drivers have begun making the best possible use of the medium. Perhaps, some more so than others. In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, CARS Tour star Ashton Higgins expressed his views on how much of a part online popularity plays in deciding the career paths of stock car drivers.

Having been recently fined for his on-track conduct in last week’s pro-late model race, Higgins faced criticism from NASCAR legend, Dale Earnhardt Jr. However, as he looks to set things right again and progress his career, it is one of Junior’s drivers who keeps his hopes up.

Ashton Higgins explains the difficulty of not being popular in the racing world

In the interview with EssentiallySports, one of the questions that was fired Higgins’ way was about the impact of popularity-inspired money on the sport. Using the examples of Toni Breidinger and Hailie Deegan, who are prominent figures on social media, the host asked, “How difficult is it for a car driver who isn’t really that popular to make it in NASCAR and stock racing?”

Racing since the age of 8, Higgins currently drives for his own team, ALH Motorsports. Expressing his regret over not indulging in social media himself, he said, “Yeah, it’s very difficult anymore. Anytime… anymore, you know, it’s all about social media, stuff like that, and all your followers. If I can go back and reset, I would definitely focus a lot more on social media, working more on that.”

Continuing on why he thought having followers mattered much, he touched upon the logical subject of sponsorship. Mentioning how being popular makes the money aspect of racing much easier, he continued, “All these sponsors, they want to see their money’s worth out of it and people, all these followers, can make that happen pretty easily. It’s definitely hard. The sport is in a weird spot right now.”One of the most recent examples of this would be Hailie Deegan. Despite struggling to find sponsors in the aftermath of an unimpressive Truck Series run, she has now not only found sponsors but also a seat in the Xfinity Series.

After his initial opinion and a rather sensible take on the matter, the 21-year-old still looked the other way. Perhaps keeping himself in mind, the driver took the example of the Cup Series-bound Josh Berry to instill hope in the chances of those not on the “most popular” list.

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After his brawl with a fellow driver Gavan Boschele, Higgins faced backlash from the CARS Tour co-owner, Dale Jr. Voicing out his disappointment with the youngsters on the pro-late model grid, Junior had said, “You got grown people fighting like kids, shouting over the roofs of race cars at each other. It’s a really bad look.” In the aftermath, the promotion came with racing probation for the remainder of the season and a $500 fine for Higgins.

Having expressed his apologies to Junior during the EssentiallySports interview, he took the example of JR Motorsports’ Josh Berry to make his case. Considering the possibility of a not-so-popular driver still climbing through the ranks, he said, “It’s still possible, I mean look at Josh Berry. He’s got a cup ride next year. It just takes the right person at the right time to make things happen. You just have to keep hoping and praying that it happens.”

Berry, who currently races for Junior in the Xfinity Series, will make his 2024 move to the #4 Stewart-Haas Racing car that Kevin Harvick currently commands. Hopefully, more drivers, including Higgins, will follow Berry’s path to the top and make their marks at the highest level of the game.

Read More: “It Won’t Happen Again”: 21-Year-Old-Driver Begs Dale Jr’s Forgiveness for Triggering Cars Tour Rampage Before Facing Serious Consequences (Exclusives)