NASCAR (The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) has become more than the name describes and certainly more than the association actually sanctions. Founded primarily by Bill France Sr. after World War Two to promote stock car racing, NASCAR has grown beyond the boundaries of the tracks and even beyond the sport itself. It has grown into the lives and friendships of ordinary people in nearly the entire world.
At first NASCAR races were followed only by the faithful fans via track attendance, some radio and newspaper articles and some newsreel coverage of the highlights. There was little in the way of interest except in the Southeast United States. TV coverage began as an offshoot of the newsreel coverage and still included only the highlights until the mid to late 1960’s. In the 1970’s race coverage on television increased with delayed edited coverage on ABC. Fan interest and geography grew. Once called ‘the moonshiner’s sport’, stock car racing had hit the mainstream.
In 1979 CBS aired the Daytona 500 from Green to Checkers on live television making the name ‘Richard Petty’ well known as he passed the wrecked Allison and Yarborough for the win. Through the ’80’s and ’90’s the sport’s fan base grew as more and more races were televised live. Spin off products such as model cars and race memorabilia became an income source for the sport and promotions increased. Earnhart, Waltrip and Petty became familiar names in the US. With the advent of cable and satellite television, dedicated sports channels expanded coverage of the sport even more, allowing fans to learn more of the strategies within the races and more about the drivers and crews.
This decade of blogs and websites has created a fan interaction like no other time in the sport. The INTERNET has taken over the fan’s source of information and allowed them to respond to NASCAR, the drivers and crews. NASCAR no longer belongs to the promoters. The fan input is immediately available to the decision makers.
At the tracks the sport has always had a ‘community’ of fans which follow the sport from race to race as well as local track ‘communities’ which tailgate at every local event. Wireless devices have now added a ‘ride along’ like intensity for fans attending the races. Competitor/coach communication during an event is a unique aspect of NASCAR that increases fan loyalty and fervor.
The fervor carries off the track through driver fan circles and INTERNET fan communities. Fans communicate from the track and from in front of the TV to increase the excitement level of the race just by the sharing. Sport ‘haters’ who may have said, “Why would I want to watch cars going in circles,” are being won over by the learning of team strategies and nuances of the cars, drivers, crews and tracks.
What is NASCAR, really?
NASCAR is an elderly woman sitting on a couch commenting on the looks of drivers while her granddaughter twitters the comments and laughs with others in a chat room. NASCAR is an aging construction worker attentively watching a race and laughing with her. NASCAR is fellow fans from around the world getting updates of the race from a chat room even while in a battle zone. NASCAR is the sanctioning body, the team owners, the drivers, the crews, the tracks, the promoters and the fans. The sum, though, is far, far greater than it’s many parts.
