“The seats are literally colored in a way now to where it looks like there’s people.” – This is Jeremy Mayfield taking a dig at NASCAR for portraying good numbers of fans attending the show. He called it nothing more than a visual illusion created to hype online viewers. NASCAR’s credible popularity decline is not hidden anymore. It is heartbreaking to see a sport this enthusiasm-evoking struggling to garner views. But, all hope is not lost.

Many consider the Daytona 500 the Holy Grail of the NASCAR races. Back in 2005, up to 200,000 fans attended it, but now the number has slid down to around 150,000 live viewers. The conversation around the attendance crippling up is so evident that veteran Kenny Wallace opened up about it in his show. 

Why did Kenny Wallace talk about lost glory?

In modern days, the Great American Race in stock cars is nothing like the traditional one. Not only fans but many drivers also believe in this. The kind of crowd and cheers that used to be there in the good old days with drivers like Richard Petty and Dale Jr. has come down. But, as the generational transition kicked in, the drivers as well as NASCAR officials started to transition into different paths too. Kenny Wallace, on his show with Charlie Marlow, broke the race at the Madhouse, where they got to dive into NASCAR’s popularity.

“Let’s face it, we’ve already admitted it. NASCAR is never ever gonna be back to its glory days. So that’s not even an argument. We all admitted that. You’re never ever well, we can’t fit that many people because they took all the grandstands down, Charlie. So it’s like, you know, all they fit, you know, the Daytona 500, 1 year had 200,000 people. 250,000 people,” Wallace said. The glory days are far from back. With the inauguration race being at Bowman Gray, many NASCAR enthusiasts connected to the roots going back to pre-2005 era. But, not all can feel the same connection. Even if people show up, what about helping them sit?

Wallace added , “Well, you’re not gonna put that many people in there anymore because they took out all the grandstands. It maxes out at a hundred. So they took out all the grandstands realizing that the sport, was a rare time in life and we’ll never see it again. It was like, woah. You know, it‌ was really big, you know, and now it’s not that big anymore. This is where it’s gonna be.” This echoes some aches in fans’ minds who camped overnight for the match but, could not find a suitable place to see it. However, the number of broadcasting partners found around the track raises questions about NASCAR.

It looks like NASCAR is all set to reach the broader audience now in terms of scaling its market with more alignment with the modern audience. But, it comes at the cost of compromising the interest of older fans. Richmond, along with other major races besides Daytona, saw a dramatic decrease in physical attendance. Only a handful of people attended compared to nearly 103,000 who showed up in 1998. Well, it’s not just Richmond. Bristol, Pocono, Indianapolis, and Las Vegas are not less disappointed. 

It’s not like NASCAR is no longer popular. The demand is still high, and online views indicate good figures. But when it comes to the sellout for the grandstand, fans seem to have lost interest in live viewership. Moreover, the main question that pops up is how far will NASCAR go after so many changes that are being brought.

The upcoming race at the Daytona 500 will give fans the actual figures. Although all other race tracks might have lost their charm, this speedway has always attracted viewers since time immemorial. 

Daytona International Speedway to host the energetic crowd

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This time, the Great American Race, Daytona 500 has 44 cars that will compete to make their way to the main race. Starting pole qualifying race on February 12 and dual races on February 13. The main race however is taking place on February 16.

However, before going ahead to the Cup Series division, the speedway will also host the opening race for Craftsman Truck and Xfinity Series on the 14th and 15th, respectively. Coming to the breathtaking race of the Cup Series, fans can see 40 drivers in the main race after surviving the qualifier and duals. However, the race guarantees spots for 36 entrants, while others must race solely to bag a spot in the race. 

That seems like a big competition’s coming up. The competitive landscape has widened, but again, it’s going to be fierce. It’s like the only way to make a spot in the final race is to take your food through a group of hungry lions. So who are you planning to support this season, is it from the chartered side or unchartered?