5 Things NASCAR is doing right

 5 Things NASCAR is doing right

By Brian H Cotnoir

In 2018, I wrote an article titled "5 ways we can (hopefully) save NASCAR, which is still one of my most viewed and read articles to date.  I was very critical of many decisions NASCAR had been making, and thought there were so many things NASCAR could and should be doing to keep their core fanbase and recruit new fans to the sport, and while they have gone on to do some of the things, I thought they should do (investing and promoting developing drivers they already have instead of depending on beloved veterans & crossover superstars, and including more diversity in the sport) they have actually gone above in some cases and done things and done some things that have only improved the sport as a whole!  So here as a follow up are 5 things I think NASCAR is doing right!

1.)  The Charter System

One of NASCAR's biggest flaws--in my opinion-- was determining field sizes.  At tracks like Martinsville, they'd run as few as 36 cars, and tracks like Daytona and Talladega would have 43 cars entered.  For a while NASCAR was settled on a field size of 43 cars (42 entrants and driver who could be locked in a Championship Provisional).  As NASCAR's popularity began to decline during the early to mid 2000's, teams began entering races as Start & Parks, running only handful of laps before pulling off the track.  This not only diluted the competitiveness of some race fields, but also made it difficult for some teams to qualify.  For a while NASCAR had a rule that only guaranteed starting spots in the races to the Top 35 in Owners Points.  

In 2016, NASCAR made some big changes.  First of all, they shortened field sizes in the Cup Series from 43 cars to 40 cars--limiting the number of "field fillers"--and secondly, they introduced the Charter System.   The Charter System gave charters to 36 teams in NASCAR which guarantee them a start in each NASCAR races.   The remaining 4 spots on a NASCAR grid have to qualify for the race.  Teams are allowed to sell or lease one of their charters to other teams, and for the most part has kept the racing more competitive since its inception.

2.) Buying ARCA

ARCA is a Midwest-based racing series that has always had strong ties to NASCAR.   Many drivers before attempting NASCAR got their first taste of big-time racing in ARCA.  ARCA was always seen as the D-4 version of Stock Car Racing.   From the late 90's to mid 2000's ARCA saw steep decline in full-time season entrants.  In 2018, NASCAR bought ARCA and eventually merged them with the K&N series.  Now instead of having one main ARCA series we have 3 (ARCA East, & ARCA West are both regional series then there's the ARCA Racing Series National Championship).   I think it was in the best interest of both organizations for NASCAR to buy ARCA because without them, I don't think ARCA would still be around today.

3.)  New Tracks, Old Tracks, and Return to Dirt!

For years NASCAR and drivers have griped and groaned about racing at the same old "Cookie-Cutter Tracks".  In the early 2000's NASCAR had begun leaving beloved NASCAR tracks of the Southeast and running more races around the country at mile and a half tracks like Chicagoland, Kansas, Las Vegas, Texas, Homestead-Miami and Kentucky.   And while races at mile and half tracks like Charlotte and Atlanta still produced good racing, the other mentioned tracks failed to produce the same good and exciting racing.  During this time the best races were typically at tracks like Daytona, Talladega, Bristol, Atlanta, and Watkins Glen.   Fans began to make requests for better and newer tracks and after years of listening NASCAR heard the pleas....well sort of.  

 Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the world had to change very quickly.  Due to things like Travel Restrictions NASCAR had to find new ways to make races exciting for fans at home since fans weren't allowed to watch races at the track for the majority of 2020.   NASCAR decided to copy what they had done at the Charlotte Roval and let NASCAR run their first ever race at the Daytona Road Course, and it was a great race!   They followed this up by making their debut on tracks like Circuit of the America in Austin Texas, Road America, and the Indianapolis Road Course.    But besides that, NASCAR made a long overdue return to racing at Nashville Superspeedway in 2021.   Not only that, but they ran their first dirt race in the Cup Series in over 50 years at Bristol of all places!  The Xfinity and Truck Series would also go on to return to Gateway Speedway (or whatever the hell its corporate sponsored name is) and the Trucks would run another dirt race at the world-famous Knoxville Speedway in Iowa!  Now, with the NASCAR Clash in 2022 set to be run at the LA Coliseum and talk of NASCAR possibly returning to North Wilkesboro someday, NASCAR fans should have lots of good racing to look forward to in the future!

4.)  Taking up Social Causes

I'm going to be honest as far as professional sports organizations taking up social causes, NASCAR is one of the top one.  In addition to taking up Going Green initiatives and the excellent "Road to Recovery" programs, they've also shown support for drivers of color with the "Drive 4 Diversity Program".   One of their proudest moments came when NASCAR President, Steve Phelps, read aloud a speech while the drivers stopped on the front stretch of Atlanta Motor Speedway.   In Phelps brief speech, NASCAR acknowledged the social injustice against the Black Community in America.  It may only have been words, but it was one of the most powerful moments--I personally--have ever seen during a NASCAR event.  The way the whole garage rallied behind Bubba Wallace, after a noose was found in a garage (it fortunately turned out to be a big misunderstanding but Thank God it was not as bad as it could have been) was another beautiful moment of the 2020 season.   

5.)  Replacing Brian France as CEO

Brian France's tenure as NASCAR's CEO from 2003 to 2019 was a very difficult time for NASCAR.  He didn't have the ambition and leadership of his Hall of Fame grandfather Bill France Sr., and he didn't have the business mind and marketing of his legendary Hall of Fame father, Bill Jr.  While Brian France did have some success early in his career, helping create the NASCAR Truck Series division, his overall leadership of the sport as an organization saw ticket sales decrease, fan interest plummet, and an overall decline of interest in the sport.  He made a lot of tweaks to the points changes and how races were run, which was a huge turn off for many lifelong fans of the sport, and then there was the Car of Tomorrow disaster.   Although, I can applaud him for implementing safety changes to NASCAR, the Car of Tomorrow was probably the ugliest race car creation ever.

France's reign over NASCAR came to an end following an arrest near Watkins Glen, NY for DUI and possession of oxycodone.   France's Uncle, Jim France, took over as CEO, and has held on to the role since.  Since Brian France's exit from NASCAR, the sport has slowly, but most definitely been showing improvements.