It’s no secret that NASCAR is a ‘raw’ sport. The stock car racing series takes pride in being true to its roots, and its unfiltered version is what makes it appealing to many fans. Incidents like Kyle Busch’s brawl against Ricky Stenhouse Jr. stand out as just one of the many instances that make the sport what racing enthusiasts love, as it lacks the clinical refinement that is often seen in Formula 1. In a world geared towards political correctness and ‘woke’ culture, NASCAR remains one of the few motorsports disciplines that has stayed true to itself over the years.

Until now. Despite an action-packed Daytona 500, the sanctioning body received several complaints from viewers about drivers swearing in the on-board camera broadcast. Could this prompt NASCAR to begin penalizing its drivers for inappropriate language?

Is stock car racing following the footsteps of Formula 1?

Formula 1 made plenty of headlines in 2024. However, the most controversial one was because of the swearing ban, which came to the limelight after the Singapore Grand Prix after the FIA banned using inappropriate words used by drivers during live broadcasts. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem went on to say that the initiative helped their drivers “avoid being rappers, you say [the] f-word how many times per minute?” Further rules were enforced to prevent swear words from being used in press conferences as well, a decision that did not go down well with drivers.

In a calculated attack on the rule, reigning Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen said, “As soon as I went into qualifying, I knew the car was F—–,” when describing the state of his car ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. When questioned about the swearing ban, the Dutchman said, “Excuse me for the language, but what are we? Five-year-olds? Six-year-olds?” The stewards were unimpressed, despite the Red Bull Racing driver’s bold decision, and handed him community service as punishment, which further irked the racer.

It seems like NASCAR could also be heading a similar route. Punishing drivers for swear words is nothing new in the motorsports world, even the stock car racing series. Back in 2004 at Talladega Superspeedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. entered the EA Sports 500 third in the points standings, behind Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch. The DEI racer managed to secure a fifth career win after 188 laps, climbing to the top spot as a result. However, his lead lasted just two days.

When asked in the post-race interview what the win meant by NBC’s Matt Yocum, the North Carolina native said, “It don’t mean sh-t. Daddy’s won here 10 times.” While he was just paying respects to his father, the late Dale Earnhardt Sr., NASCAR fined Dale Earnhardt Jr. $10,000 and docked him 25 points, relegating the driver to 12 points below Kurt Busch in the driver’s standing. Kurt Busch went on to win the championship that year, while Dale Jr. finished 5th.

Top Comment by aloettejan

Maybe the public should just not be allowed to hear what anybody says in the radio & then no one...more

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Debate

Despite this fine in 2004, NASCAR has never punished drivers for swearing on board. In fact, they’ve celebrated it, with NASCAR uploading many clips of ‘NASCAR radioactive’ on their YouTube channel, highlighting the most heated moments captured on the radio. However, with multiple new broadcasters, including Amazon, as part of their latest deal, it would be interesting to see how they deal with this if it proves to be an issue in the future. As it stands, drivers have their freedom and fans do not want it any other way.

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Fans want NASCAR to stay true to its heritage

As expected, it didn’t take long for NASCAR fans to make their voices heard about the prospect of penalizing drivers for using swear words. While Formula 1 is trying to be a more ‘family-friendly’ sport, a motorsports enthusiast doesn’t want the stock car racing series to follow a similar route, going on to say, “No… That’s half the lure of having a scanner at the track is taking in the raw emotion and feeling. Quit trying to “G Rate” a “PG-13” sport.” Another X user urged fans who had a problem with swear words being used in the on-board cameras to switch off the ‘Driver Cam’ and said, “If you don’t like it, don’t listen. This is the way the sport has been for decades, deal with it.”

Even though the France family and NASCAR’s hierarchy have come under plenty of scrutiny in recent months, particularly because of the anti-trust lawsuit, a fan expressed faith that the racing series’ decision-makers will not compromise on the essence of the sport and wrote, “We are not the FIA.” Another motorsports enthusiast echoed that sentiment, claiming that Formula 1 is the sport for fans who are looking for the appropriate language to be used. The fan said, “HELL NO. Go watch F1 if you want clean radios.”

Another fan found the expectation unrealistic, especially considering that high-octane motorsports action will prompt drivers to inadvertently use words that may be considered ‘inappropriate’. Considering how high the stakes were in the season opener, the X user wrote, “No! You put a camera in their environment so you shouldn’t be surprised if they drop a F bomb or two! It’s a natural reaction!” It remains to be seen if NASCAR will take action for any cuss words that were heard from the on-board camera, but what’s clear is that any decision against the drivers or teams will be an unpopular one amongst the fanbase.