I finished watching the NASCAR race in Texas. The race was over, and the driver interviews were ready to begin. But before we could get to the canned responses, a brawl broke out.
This melee was slightly more aggressive than most. One driver addressed another about driving practices. Then a third driver pushed one of those drivers into the other, sparking a chain reaction of brawls. What was fascinating was that initially drivers, then crew members associated to those two drivers, and finally persons with unrelated sponsor IDs threw a few haymakers. Good grief, the female ESPN commentator nearly got hit.
The driver that started the fight is from a humanitarian organization. He made sure to put on his logo-embroidered cap for the post-fight interview. Does hand-to-hand combat have a favourable impact on potential donors’ gift decisions? The other driver represents a beer company. He was the non-aggressor who claimed he was at the track to race, not fight. Passivity and a twelve pack? Perhaps that’s the better option.
I have some new survey data (N = 495) on NASCAR fans, and it is clear that fights and automobile wrecks have a substantial association. But, among the sport and its sponsors, I would argue that bouts are catering to the current audience…and that audience is shrinking by the season. One only has to look at the video footage from this past weekend’s event to notice the alarming number of vacant seats. Almost the entire back stretch and a large chunk of the turn four stands were empty.
So, if it’s not working, how can you fix it? I don’t believe fights help to attract the targeted new audience. NASCAR’s “Boys, have at it” attitude does not reflect well on the interests and motivators of future fans.
Sure, I understand that fights on Sunday result in higher TV ratings on Monday. However, this just represents short-term success. I’d like to spend time learning more about millennial consumers and how to attract them to men (and some women) and machines. We are no longer the automated culture we once were, especially when it comes to hands-on hot rods and the demand for speed.
Perhaps a punch to the mouth isn’t the best option. Maybe those empty stands aren’t for the driver I saw on TV with a bleeding lip. More research is required to attract what has become a marginally involved, low-consumption “fan” with a passing interest in the sport.
I have developed a new psychological model for the low-consumption NASCAR fan. Perhaps my research, and that of other applied scholars, will uncover new communications trends that resonate and help build a fresh fascination for the sport.
I have some skin in the game. In 1986 and 1987, I served as Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s public relations representative for the Wrangler brand. My idea is based on a specific era, and I’d like to see NASCAR sizzle again. It can only get better, and I want to help.
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