UFC president Dana White dropped a bombshell recently when he revealed that he’s going to revolutionize NASCAR racing with an innovative project. White went on record to state that he is leading the charge of the electric project, making use of his ownership stake in Nitro Cross.

This isn’t the first time that NASCAR has tip-toed into trying their hand at rolling out an EV race car. A prototype model was even scheduled to be on display at the Busch Light Clash, but it had to be kept under wraps. Now that Dana White has revealed a brewing partnership is in the works behind the scenes, it is expected that NASCAR is indeed going the electric route.

But again, given the sentiment of the NASCAR community, being anti-EV could be a huge challenge for NASCAR. However, this time around, it seems like the sanctioning body isn’t looking to dilly-dally around changing the dynamics with its flagship series. Rather, they could be looking at branching out with a new racing product that serves their long-term ambitions.

Here’s why going electric isn’t entirely a bad idea for NASCAR

For a long time, the sport has been trying to attract new audiences who are not familiar with stock car racing. This was evident from taking the Clash event to Los Angeles, and it did serve its purpose. There are also rumors about a NASCAR event in Mexico City, which is again the right move to attract more attention to the sport.

But the game changer certainly would be an EV partnership, which would open the doors for a wide group of viewers who have yet to be familiar with NASCAR racing. Sharing a rather similar narrative during Rubbin Is Racing’s recent episode, Large Barstool stated, “It’s essentially meaning that NASCAR is going to partner with Nitro Cross, which is partially owned by Dana, partially owned by Travis Pastrana … But people are like, Oh that’s it; pit stops now are going to be swapping out batteries, not filling up gas tanks and sh*t.”

Moreover, Spider chimed in with his futuristic prediction of what an EV collaboration between Nitro Cross and NASCAR would look like. “I’m not saying make the Cup Series electric, but I would very much welcome an electric series in NASCAR … I think it would actually drive a new fan base. I think the idea of a hot-swappable battery, like when you come into pit and there’s just like a giant thing that slides in and out, or you switch it out for fresh battery that would be very cool.”

Another aspect of it is that NASCAR doesn’t have to aggressively spend resources and manpower on such a project. If it does pay dividends, well and good, the sport will have a new fan base and a new revenue stream. And again, if it doesn’t, they always have their good old-fashioned traditional road racing to rely on. In the changing dynamics of how sports are consumed, going against other major sports isn’t as absurd as NASCAR fans might think.

Moreover, Michael Waltrip also had another suggestion that could attract more motorsports fans to NASCAR racing. However, this is again a sentimental topic for the community, and Waltrip’s suggestion doesn’t sit well with a majority of the fan base.

Noise levels of NASCAR race cars are still an issue, says Waltrip

The former DEI racer has been a long-time advocate for reducing the noise of race cars in the sport. This has led to a growing debate among the community about whether or not the use of mufflers should be implemented in NASCAR, particularly in the Cup Series. These concerns were highlighted by Roland Dane’s report, where he compared the V8 car engines of the Supercars series to NASCAR’s mean machine.

Agreeing with Dane’s suggestion, Waltrip took to his X account and stated, “I’ve been an advocate of turning down the deafening noise of the engines for years. They are ridiculously loud. I proposed handing the sound of the cars project off to manufacturer partners. Create a decibel level that engines must meet. Give each brand their own unique sound.”

Most reports show that a Next Gen car’s decibel levels could be anywhere between 100 and 130, which could cause serious damage. The only places where NASCAR uses a muffler are at the L.A. Coliseum and the Chicago Street Race. Mufflers essentially dissipate some of the noise levels emitted by the race cars and perhaps could be put to a wider use. By no means would such a mandate eliminate noise levels from the race car. But rather provide a middle ground where the sport’s core essence is maintained and also make the sport more inclusive.

These certainly are interesting times for NASCAR as a sport. And who knows, the EV initiative with Dana White and Nitro Cross could usher in a new era of success and opportunities.