For years, the series of steady declines and plateaus of NASCAR’s ratings have been well documented. Now, after a week in which the sport took many progressive strides in growing the sanctioning body on both a competitive and a societal level, it appears as if a once dying organization has found its recipe for success.
There had already been an inherent buzz surrounding the possibilities of the inaugural night race at Martinsville Speedway. By Lap 500, it was apparent why both fans and drivers alike had been campaigning for weeknight short track races. The primetime event had it all; intense side-by-side racing, insurmountable amounts of redemptive rebounds, and pit strategy.
In an unconventional twist to the half-mile track’s storied history, there were only a total of seven cautions, including the stage ends — a factor easily overshadowed by the competitive nature of this race. This was a testament to NASCAR’s modified low-downforce package implemented for 2020. We saw everything from smaller budget teams being common namesakes near the top of the leaderboard, superstars surging their way from the depths of the field, and just flat out great racing. After getting a look at these setups at venues like Phoenix Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway and now Martinsville, it’s evident that the sport hit a home run with this rule change.
Another theme that aided in this increased on-track performance was the new tire that Goodyear brought to the track. Said to have been more durable, robust, and able to lay down rubber with ease, they allowed different drivers to shine. Having no prior activity on the racing surface, many teams feared the worst as the “green track” cause immense fall-off until Stage 2. Drivers like Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney were lapped early on. While Joe Gibbs Racing was unable to acclimate to the ever-changing track and tires, the Penske pair rebounded nicely and even ended up finishing second and third — another attribute to a great call by NASCAR and Goodyear.
After an overwhelming response from fans and drivers, it could be argued that NASCAR may have struck gold in finding a remedy to its ratings and viewership woes. While the overall racing product proved to be wildly successful, perhaps the sport’s most significant victory may have come in its progressive strides towards inclusion and evolution.
The Black Lives Matter movement has been sweeping the nation to bring awareness to social injustices. Bubba Wallace has been a high profile advocate in shedding light on his experiences, and he’s grown to be a public figure for not just NASCAR, but the nation as a whole. The driver of the No. 43 has talked with his fellow competitors and even went on to appear on various major news outlets to tell his story.
Just hours before the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500, NASCAR announced they would be banning the Confederate flag from being brought to any future events, effective immediately. This garnered praise and attention from everyone ranging from other professional athletes like LeBron James, Russell Wilson and Jamal Adams, as well as pop sensation, Demi Lovato. This statement even prompted New Orleans Saints running back, Alvin Kamara, to expand his horizons and attend the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday.
In the same week, NASCAR also announced it would be taking part in the You Can Play program — an organization devoted to ensuring the safety and inclusion of athletes, coaches and fans within the LGBTQ community.
These were vitally important statements made by NASCAR all within days. In a time where it’s easy to get down and lost in the troubles of the world, the sport did not submit but instead took action to progress. As a result, the sanctioning body is now receiving widespread appeal and could be on the fast track to a prosperous future. Although, this is bigger than the sport — this is about growing and changing the landscape of the world as we know it.
It should also be noted that with prosperity and change comes controversy. Many of the elder fans in the NASCAR community have come forth and criticized the sport for their progressive adaptation to the current climate. This is precisely the reason why these implementations were made. For not just the sport, but the world to succeed, we must break away from those outdated stereotypes. In all actuality, while the sanctioning body may lose fans here and there, its net gain will likely outweigh the ones who claim to be fleeing. It’s time to bring in a younger and more open-minded audience.
As Wallace said on numerous occasions, you don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable at any sporting event. This goes for fans, athletes, any gender, any race and sexual orientation. These progressive strides, coupled with the racing that fans were exposed to in the Wednesday night primetime event all point to signs of a prosperous future for NASCAR. Schedule more weeknight races with the low-downforce package, act on these impulses to promote inclusion, great things should follow.
