The past two races have brought about some thoughts on the state of NASCAR. To be specific, I am thinking about casual fans and hardcore fans. Furthermore, I am thinking about which fans NASCAR seems to be targeting with their changes. It would be unfair to assume that NASCAR is solely focused on one type of fan. The recent rules package used at Phoenix produced a race that I would associate with the hardcore fan, while the newly reconfigured “superspeedway” at Atlanta was targeted at casual fans.
In this article, I will attempt to look at this general area in an attempt to better understand NASCAR’s decisions. Furthermore, I will comment on the possibility of an alternate approach. Before this, however, it would be beneficial to start with definitions for both the casual fan and the hardcore fan.
Defining Casual Fans:
It would be a mistake to over-simplify casual fans as simply new fans. Yet, it would be fair to assume that most new fans begin as casual fans. The casual fan will definitely watch the big events. Also, casual fan may watch most of the Cup series races. Yet, it is rather difficult to quantify this categorization, as it is really based on the qualities of the individual fan. Ergo, I’m going to go with a more qualitative approach.
The casual fan is not going to know much about the specifics of NASCAR. They aren’t going to be interested in the back-and-forth between drivers and executives regarding rules packages. Instead, the casual fan will be focused on various generalities. They’re going to be focused on whatever drama NASCAR can generate. This could be spats between drivers off the track and in the media. It could also be on track incidents between drivers.
The casual fan will also have a different take on what makes a race exciting. The casual fan is going to enjoy a race with many lead changes. They will also enjoy a much closer race. Late cautions bunching up the field will be something the casual fan is hoping for when a race is in danger of finishing during a long green flag run. Wrecks, short green flag runs, and races in which it seems anyone can pull off a win will be what the casual fan defines as “exciting.”
Defining Hardcore Fans:
The hardcore fan is, in many ways, the opposite of the casual fan. The hardcore fan isn’t going to be solely focused on generalities. The details and specifics of the sport are important to the hardcore fan. While it would be tempting to automatically associate the hardcore fan with the length of time spent identifying as a fan, I’m not going to do this. Here again, it comes down to the qualities of the fan, which are difficult to quantify.
The hardcore fan is focused on both generalities and specifics. This can be seen in a multitude of ways. For example, the hardcore fan is going to care about things like rules packages. Their focus on NASCAR is going to be more intense. Much like drivers, the hardcore fan isn’t going to forget on track incidents between drivers. They’re going to be more involved in narratives which are at least a season long. The hardcore fan will be interested in both the historical and statistical data of the sport.
While the hardcore fan may enjoy many types of races, they will also enjoy the races that most casual fans would not. For example, the hardcore fan is capable of finding long green flag runs exciting. They’ll be watching the ticker to see if anyone is catching a leader who may have pulled out to a sizable lead. The number of lead changes doesn’t necessarily equate to good racing for the hardcore fan. Pit strategy can be exciting for the hardcore fan. Ultimately, they are more invested in what some may call “the integrity of the sport.” For example, the hardcore fan isn’t necessarily going to be happy about an unnecessary late race debris caution.
A Tale of Two Races:
Whether or not NASCAR has succeeded in their recent attempts to make each type of fan happy, the past two races represent attempts to please each type of fan. The Phoenix race, in my opinion, was a race meant to appease the hardcore fan. On the other hand, the Atlanta race was, at least, meant to play to the casual fan. Having said that, I need to make clear that it doesn’t necessarily mean that these two races accomplished these two goals.
Phoenix with much less Downforce:
For me, Phoenix was a step in the right direction towards pleasing hardcore fans. I say this because it was the first race with the short track rules package. Generally speaking, if the car is harder to drive, the event is going to lend itself to a style of racing that many hardcore fans might enjoy. The two inch spoiler went a long way in improving the racing at Phoenix over last year’s championship race, in my opinion.
I didn’t mind that Kyle Larson was able to get out ahead of the field. It was fun watching the ticker and wondering if Kevin Harvick would get a long enough green flag run to catch and pass him. That had me on the edge of my seat. I haven’t really enjoyed a lot of the racing with the next gen car. The short tracks were especially disappointing last season.
Personally, I loved the racing of the late 1990s. Therefore, I found having the downforce levels from that era promising. Furthermore, I believe it played a role in the final racing product. While not every hardcore fan may have enjoyed it as much as I did, the race at Phoenix had a lot for the hardcore fan to enjoy. It had lengthy green flag runs, cars that were stronger at different points in a run, and even had pit strategy come into play at the end. Was the race perfect? Absolutely not, but it was a step in the right direction.
New Atlanta and Pack Racing on an Intermediate Track:
Pack racing began as a result of the sanctioning body attempting to slow the cars down with the introduction of restrictor plates at the super-speedways of Daytona and Talladega. Many hardcore fans still enjoy these types of races, but it definitely produces a type of racing that is aimed at casual fans. Many casual fans will tell you that this is their favorite type of racing.
In an effort to bring about more pack racing, NASCAR has done a number of things. The cars have been made easier to drive. We’ve seen ridiculously tall spoilers put on the race cars. They’ve even switched to the next gen car, which is essentially spec racing. The increase in parity increases the chances of anybody winning. They’ve even allowed Atlanta, a favorite track of the drivers, to be wildly reconfigured into an intermediate length super-speedway.
While the changes to the rules package at Phoenix were somewhat successful, this reinterpreted Atlanta was a tremendous failure. Pack racing didn’t even come in until the end of the race when the bottom lane became more of a viable option. Much of the race was nothing more than a single file super fast parade. While the changes to Atlanta seem to be the type of changes that were meant to satisfy and bring in more casual fans, this past weekend was a total failure. There was very little racing that would have been considered exciting to casual fans. Right now, Atlanta looks like a ruined race track.
Conclusions:
Gimmicks like throwing dirt on Bristol for the spring race or ruining tracks like Atlanta to try to bring in more viewers have really turned off the hardcore fans. These actions have also upset the drivers. It isn’t as simple as paying attention to hardcore fans more, either. Fontana had a great race this year, but that was its last race in its current state. It will be replaced with a new short track. This is an action which feels like it is an attempt to appease hardcore fans. Generally, we love short tracks. Yet, it is still very disappointing to see Auto Club go, given how it is producing great racing even with the next gen car.
There has to be Another Way:
NASCAR is in a tough situation. You could hear the desperation in the booth as announcers tried to sell the audience on this most recent race. Personally, I believe NASCAR started putting themselves in this situation when they started trying to micro-manage the sport in the early 2000s. It began with tinkering with the points system. Then there was the car of tomorrow. Rather than realizing their error, they have doubled down time and time again. Now they’re in a situation that requires bringing in new fans. New fans pretty much start out as casual fans. The problem with casual fans is that they are just as likely not to tune in.
Right now NASCAR seems to be aiming in multiple directions in order to grow the sport. They are doing things that will make both types of fans (casual and hardcore) happy. The results have been hit or miss lately. Maybe NASCAR could put some effort into converting casual fans into hardcore fans. I think that would require stepping away from micro-managing the product. It would also require making the drivers and teams happy. I don’t envy the position NASCAR is in. I don’t have an answer for how they get out of this situation. Still I know that gimmicks, more road courses, more downforce, track ruination (aka reconfiguration) and less horsepower are not the solutions.
Great article