NASCAR has been around for 75 years, and over the years it has seen a steady dip in popularity. This has largely to do with the TV ratings, especially when compared to other sports. In the age of social media and streaming platforms, the sport has been forced to evolve with the times. Then, the Chase for the Championship, now called the Playoffs, was introduced. Safe to say, it pretty much divided the NASCAR community. While it has produced close championship battles, some felt that it robbed the sport’s integrity.

This was soon reflected in the TV ratings shooting up, but the track attendance began to plummet. As the years passed, the regulations for the Playoffs were tweaked often and only served to confuse people even more. The introduction of the infamous Car of Tomorrow did not help matters either. Some blamed the dipping economy, but others felt that the Playoff system felt too gimmicky. Unfortunately for the critics, the Playoffs are here to stay and won’t be gone for a very long time.

A big change came to the NASCAR scene in the 2020s

Around the start of the 2020s, there were reports of celebrities becoming NASCAR team owners. To be precise, there were the likes of NBA legend Michael Jordan, boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and rapper Pitbull. Mayweather is currently the proud owner of The Money Team Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. Meanwhile, Pitbull teamed up with Justin Marks to establish Trackhouse Racing, and Jordan, as well all know, partnered with Denny Hamlin to establish 23XI Racing.

TMT made its debut in 2022, competing in four races, with Kaz Grala at the wheel. This year, the organization has competed in two races so far with Conor Daly, and there is no word on future participation. Apparently, the plan was to compete in six races, but with three races left on the calendar, they won’t be able to achieve it.

On the other end of the spectrum, Trackhouse Racing and 23XI Racing have been much more successful. Unlike The Money Team, Trackhouse Racing and 23XI Racing are running on a full-time basis. Both teams have also been successful on the track with wins under their belts.

How has the celebrity influx affected NASCAR and its popularity?

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Obviously, Jordan and Mayweather have their legions of fans. So with the new ventures, their fans would have flocked to NASCAR to see what all the fuss is about. Who knows, maybe most of those fans would have been captivated by the NASCAR action and stuck around for the long term. Meanwhile, Pitbull brings in a different kind of audience, as he has a musical background, and maybe he could get them hooked on the sport.

Speaking about his intentions, Pitbull told NASCAR, “The whole initiative when we got together with Trackhouse was all about uniting people and also creating awareness for Trackhouse and also for the sport and NASCAR.”

“So, I feel that music is a universal language. It unites, it doesn’t divide. It’s the same way that you can utilize the race car and how everybody loves racing. So, put ’em together, and that’s, to me, what it’s all about – how do we find different ways, unconventional, untraditional ways, to be able to create awareness, unite people, bring ’em out to the tracks and have fun and enjoy. Make them fall in love with Trackhouse on our journey.”

Celebrity ownership attempts have been made in the past

Of course, celebrity NASCAR owners are not a novel concept in the stock car racing series. In the mid-1990s, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson wanted to capitalize on his wrestling fame. The then NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler sensed an opportunity and reached out to Johnson. At that time, NASCAR and wrestling crossovers were not uncommon, with the latter appearing as a sponsor on multiple occasions. Sadler bought the struggling Joe Bessey Motorsports team and wanted Johnson as the co-owner. The team would then be renamed ‘Rock Racing’.

Unfortunately, the WWF still had the rights to ‘The Rock’ name, and they barred the team from using the wrestler’s likeness. Before long, the deal collapsed and Sadler lost around $750,000.

Former NFL star Brett Favre was also a team owner [Jarrett/Favre Motorsports], alongside NFL Hall of Famers Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. There are many more NFL links, including Jerry Glanville, Emmitt Smith, and the most famous and long-lasting one is Joe Gibbs.

Gibbs is actually the most successful celebrity NASCAR team owner. Since its debut in 1992, the organization has grabbed five Cup Series titles, along with four Xfinity Series and one ARCA Series title. The first title arrived, all thanks to Bobby Labonte in 2000, followed by two from Tony Stewart in 2002 and 2005. Then there was a 10-year gap until Kyle Busch in 2015 and 2019.

READ MORE: When Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Almost Became a NASCAR Cup Series Team Owner

Is celebrity endorsement the way to solve NASCAR’s popularity issues?

In the short term, it could be the answer, because those celebrities bring in their own fans. While it may be true that some may drift away because NASCAR does not interest them, others will stick around. Building its fanbase and attracting more fans would be great for the sport if it wants to compete against other racing series. The biggest rival is IndyCar, and Formula One is a perennial threat, especially with the latter having more races in America.

Another option to boost the sport is to explore the use of streaming services. With sports docu-series being in vogue, NASCAR should really exploit that and establish their own series. The more hype it gets, the more eyeballs it attracts in the long run. Additionally, if these docu-series can get Jordan, Mayweather, and Pitbull in front of the camera, it could be a big boon.

In a sense, fans would be glued to the TV screens to see their idols talk about something that they are passionate about. Who knows, they could even try and convince their fans to become fans of NASCAR.

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