Should NASCAR Begin Targeting a Younger Demographic by Following F1’s Example?

NASCAR has long been known as a traditionalist sport. In fact, a fair chunk of the fans are largely on the older side. According to a Spire Motorsports article, 761,000 television viewers come from the 18 to 49-year-old bracket. This is in comparison to an average NASCAR event bringing in 3.3 million viewers. However, one has to wonder what if the sport tries to appeal to an even younger audience and get them interested in stock car racing?

Compare this to Formula One, which has started taking steps to appeal to a younger audience. Earlier this year, F1 and Sky Sports collaborated on a special project. The two were launching a broadcast that specifically catered to children. This was the first of its kind for F1 and motorsport. Over here, the sport had an international feed dedicated to enhancing the viewing experience for younger fans. To make matters even better, Sky UK and Sky Deutschland had employed children to present the race as well.

Should NASCAR also follow a similar strategy to attract younger fans?

Safe to say, there have been some demands for NASCAR to try and market itself to more children. The 2025 season is actually a golden opportunity to try such a stunt. This is because of the new $7.7 billion media rights deal that the stock car racing series recently inked. Not only will NASCAR break barriers by broadcasting races on streaming services, but there is also a chance for experimentation.

Among the signees, is TNT Sports, which is reportedly owned by Warner Brothers. In addition to that, Warner Brothers also owns Cartoon Network. This move could also make sense because Cartoon Network used to sponsor a few NASCAR Cup cars. Once upon a time, former NASCAR driver Lake Speed ran a brightly colored paint scheme. That scheme included pictures of popular characters like Tom & Jerry and Droopy.

Not only will such paint schemes be eye-catching, but they can also appeal to children. Especially if they see their favorite cartoons emblazoned on the NASCAR Cup cars. There was even a time when NASCAR Cup cars ran paint jobs featuring characters from the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon series.

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Why this will work in the long run?

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If there is one thing that NASCAR and sponsors pride themselves in, it’s brand loyalty. According to the Spire Motorsports study, 86% of fans are aware that teams cannot run without sponsors. In fact, 63% of fans admit that they buy products from brands that are associated with NASCAR. Even better, is the fact that 55% of younger fans could be convinced to switch to a brand that is featured as a NASCAR sponsor.

Additionally, today’s generation of youth is particularly tech-savvy. As per a report, an average NASCAR fan spends about 10 hours consuming NASCAR-related content every week across different platforms. This includes watching TV, reading articles, and social media, which boosts NASCAR’s numbers among the youth. Formula One has understood this, which is why they came up with programs like F1 Juniors and Sky Next Generation.

The F1 Kids feed features 3D augmented graphics. In addition to that, child-friendly team radio transmissions are aired, and even technical explainers are in place. Finally, there is a bespoke package of colorful graphics and animations, because nothing attracts a child better than bright colors. The best part is that F1 created exclusive cartoon avatars for each of the 20 drivers on the grid.

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So if F1 can do it, why can’t NASCAR get in on the act and try to bring in a new wave of fans? All that needs to be done is to take advantage of the power of social media, and that will be a big boost. Does that seem like a viable step for the sport?