For a while now, fans have been upset with NASCAR. It seems that no matter what the organization does, there is uproar. From the playoff systems to track conditions to its latest electric cars venture, things are not going well for the sanctioning body. And now, there are threats from fans that they would leave NASCAR cold turkey.

Well, NASCAR has come out talking about a new strategy to tweak the playoff system, but fans are not happy, even though the strategy is being used in varied forms in the sport already. What’s happening, and why are fans resisting?

The rationale behind NASCAR’s latest strategy

NASCAR’s efforts to be at the vanguard of the racing world, marrying technology and innovation with traditional sports, have led to breaking ground. But it’s not getting the support it might have hoped for from the racing community. The latest in this list of new strategies is the use of generative AI to deep-dive into competitions and how specific changes like the playoff system are impacting races.

Motorsport journalist for Sports Business Journal, Adam Stern, shared on X, “.@NASCAR is evaluating how it can use generative AI for competition matters such as asking a model how playoff format changes could impact the sport, per COO Steve O’Donnell.”

It’s important to note here that AI can be used to boost real-time data analysis. Currently, several racing leagues, including NASCAR, are using AI to guide decision-making during racing. AI-based tools are known to aid in analyzing metrics, such as vehicle handling, acceleration, and GPS data. This can help teams in carrying out tweaks to a vehicle during a competition.

As O’Donnell explained, ” Just around racing, the strategy that now goes into a race, how that applies to our formats of the future, I think AI can play a really big role in that. When we created even the stages or playoff format, you did that with the best data you had and best minds you had, but now being able to plug in and work with AI in terms of, ‘OK, if you tweak the playoffs this way, what should we be watching out for’ or ‘How much could that affect the sport? There’s so much data and technology out there that you can now throw into a model. I think it’s going to be very helpful in looking at some predictive analysis of where the sport can go in the future, and then there’s the whole business side of things, too.”

However, it’s worth noting here that the playoff system itself is not being taken well in the community. From drivers to fans, there have been a lot of complaints, moaning and groaning about the ‘win and you’re in’ format, giving preference to inconsistent drivers. Notably, Kyle Larson, with 6 wins in the regular season, missed out on the Championship 4. Meanwhile, this year’s Cup Series winner, Joey Logano won just one regular season race and got the rest of his wins in the playoffs on his way to championship number three.

Just recently, Tony Stewart said that he does not regret leaving NASCAR. “I just stopped having fun of the direction it’s going,” he said in an interview with Terry Sullivan. Fans are unsurprisingly furious at NASCAR’s latest strategy update as they feel the fans’ and drivers’ voices are what should be heard and not AI.

“At this point, I don’t care”- Fans fed up with NASCAR’s antics

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For a racing organization whose bread and butter depends on ticket sales, it seems it’s not doing very well in keeping fans happy. Just earlier this year, it irked fans with the prospect of EVs entering the sport. Now, with AI, fans are wondering why NASCAR would ask a machine what would work well instead of asking them. One fan said sarcastically, “Because talking to the fans and teams instead would be so hard.” Another chimed in, “Feel like that’s a real slap in the face of NASCAR fans, drivers, and teams.”

It might be worth noting here that the confidence of fans in the organization seems low. Like one fan said, “At this point, I don’t care what Nascar is doing to ruin a once great series further. They officially joined the NFL and NBA on my no-watch list, both of which I haven’t watched in the last 20 years.” NASCAR seems to be piling on to their misery with new ideas as fans constantly reject them in favor of keeping the sport the way it was.

And this is not something new. Even while talking about EV, fans said, “No one will pay a ticket to sit there listening to other people have conversations, blast Bluetooth music like they’re at the beach, listen to PA as 38, 40 cars go around in a circle in silence.” The fans said that part of the reason they buy a ticket is the revving sound of the next-gen car’s engine and the acrid smell of the tires moving full-throttle.

There is also some humor among the fans when it comes to AI. But it’s laced with their true feelings. One person said, “Grok is gonna scan X and find my 20 billion posts about how the playoffs suck.” There is thread after thread and post after post of people discussing how “stupid” the system is on Reddit, X, and Quora, to say the least, fans are not pleased. What do you think about NASCAR using AI?