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Sunday was a beautiful day for the sport.
First things first, the WISE Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway was sensational. There were a lot of lead changes, multiple grooves, cars that were difficult to drive, unlikely drivers up front and a thrilling finish. Even with Kyle Larson ultimately grabbing the win in a less-than-popular move on Chase Elliott, it’s hard for a racing fan to be disappointed with what we saw yesterday. NASCAR reporter Jeff Gluck’s post-race poll currently sits at 93%, one of the highest scores since he’s started polling races in 2016.
More importantly than that, this is an audition that NASCAR is hitting out of the park. It’s been a great audition for the new racecar, which has put on a good show at a ¼ mile track, a superspeedway and now an intermediate. The car has passed every possible test with flying colors outside of the tires. This is a big test to gauge the fanbase, and see if there’s an increase in viewership and by how much. NASCAR is surprisingly going to enter a critical stretch this year, and it’s due to another sport’s downfall.
For those living under a rock, the MLB is in a pretty heated lockout. The MLBPA and the owners are still so far off on just about every major issue, with today being the self-imposed deadline to start the season on time. By all accounts, this isn’t going to get done; and it’s anyone’s guess as to when discussions, let alone the season, will pick up. That is one of the four major American sports potentially losing an entire season. Where are those fans going to go? Well that’s who NASCAR should now pander to.
The seeds were planted this week, as Albert Pujols drove the pace car before the race. We’re headed to plenty of areas with MLB teams nearby, like Phoenix which has the Diamondbacks as well as Cactus League play in Spring Training. There’s also Atlanta, who hosts the world champion Braves. That’s an opportunity for NASCAR to give those fans something to do on a Sunday they’d typically spend watching baseball. They need to attract these fans now, because they won’t be alone in the quest.
I see leagues like NASCAR, the PGA, IndyCar and the MLS really fighting for the MLB’s fans. There are some weeks that both the PGA will dominate with their four majors, same with IndyCar during the Indy 500. But I question if they’ll have the same support week-in and week-out. The MLS is interesting, mostly because the FIFA World Cup starts this November. Will they make a big splash and start getting those fans?
I really think NASCAR is in the best spot out of these four. They’ve got the history, after all they were at one time the second-biggest sport in America. NASCAR is coming off a great 2021 season that saw some promising improvements, and 2022 is off to an exceptional start. As good as the racing and entertainment has been, it’s going to take a lot more to sustain this and win out a fanbase that has nothing to watch come April. Keep it up guys.
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