Racing Community Blames Chase Elliott Effect for NASCAR’s Sinking Ship

Chase Elliott has been NASCAR’s most popular driver for five years, but this year the scenario has been a bit tough on the No. 9. The 2020 champion is one of the most beloved drivers in the sport, without a doubt. Owing to this, NASCAR would have wanted him to be one of the names competing in the elimination rounds of the playoffs for the viewership numbers, which are one of the significant attributes that find a boost whenever Chase is racing.

The pattern of decreasing viewership has unfolded gradually. If the time span of a decade is under consideration, the underlying numbers show us that despite NASCAR being one of the most loved and dramatic sports in the country, its popularity has taken a hit, and it’s worse than one could have imagined.

The drop in NASCAR viewership is highly concerning

In 2012, the average viewership by year was estimated to be around 5.8 million, which could be considered a healthy number. The golden generation of the sport being in action around that time helped NASCAR’s cause and raked in a lot of new fans as well. An increase in fan favorites in the tracks with top-rated drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, and Jimmie Johnson taking center stage was also crucial.

However, on fast-forwarding to 2022, the viewership by year fell to a meager 3.7 million. These numbers show us how deep a hit NASCAR as a sport has taken. The 2023 season, in comparison, has gotten even worse, falling to 3.315 million average viewers after the conclusion of the regular season at Daytona.

Coming to the latest playoff race at Bristol, an average of 1.562 million viewers tuned in to USA Network to watch Denny Hamlin dominate the short-track venue. Compared to the same event from last year, it has undergone a drastic fall of about 12%. In 2022, the average was a bit higher, with 1.776 million viewers on the server.

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The decline in viewership started right off with the first race of the season. In 2023, 3.647 million average viewers watched the first race of the season, as compared to 4.283 million in 2022. The situation has been worsening at an alarming rate. To add to the misery, Chase Elliott being injured for six races in the initial stages and making a return at Martinsville only hurt NASCAR more.

NASCAR fans cite Chase Elliott as a reason for NASCAR’s viewership loss

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2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott struggling to find form this season can be considered pivotal to the decrease in viewership. A suspension and injury for him amid rain-shortened races and even some races lacking the necessary amount of racing action have a major contribution to this downfall. However, if you ask the fans, it’s mainly Elliott at the center of it.

“I think it’s a combination of Football, Chase missing the playoffs, and it not being on a National main stream channel” commented a Redditor, listing all possible reasons for such a low number of people being attentive toward last weekend’s race at Bristol.

Another fan hinted that the college football season starting to get aired on mainstream channels could be a reason for it, saying, “No chase in playoffs and college football will do that”

Inclement weather has been another major reason for concern for the fans. One fan commented about the same, as he said, “Doesn’t help that there was some early weather issues, ran on a Saturday, and Elliott not being in the playoffs”

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Conspiracy theories do not stay far away from such discussions, as some of the other fans had to bring it up in the argument. One of the fans implied the same as he commented, “I wonder how far ratings need to drop before NASCAR cheats drivers like Chase into the playoffs. Yes this is super conspiracy theory land but it’s still funny to think about.”

NASCAR needs to address the situation before it gets out of hand. Although it has been trying to bridge the gap between the fans, it looks like they have not been quite successful in diverting their attention as of yet.