Urban Adventure Racing

By far the most popular spectator sport in US, NASCAR racing boasts seventeen of the twenty highest attended sports events in America. NASCAR betting boast corporate sponsorship of all kinds and consists of teams of drivers competing in each race not only to win the race but to compete in exciting points competitions over the course of the entire racing season.

What Makes NASCAR so Popular?

While non-racing purists may claim crashes make NASCAR racing so popular, this cannot be the case. While crashes are exciting whether watching the race live or via television, crashes are not the single factor that causes fans to tune in week after week. If crashes were the lone draw, it would make sense that any demolition derby would outdraw NASCAR, which just is not happening.

The persona of the well-known racers, such as the Dale Jrs, the Mark Martins, and the Jimmy Johnsons (sponsored by FullTiltPoker.com) of the world could be the main draw. However, considering the masses of fans that have been loyal for years – even before the emergence of such racers, this would be an illogical conclusion. Surely these personalities factor into the equation of popularity, however this cannot be the primary motivating factor for popularity NASCAR has within our culture.

While many a fan is brand loyal to their favorite team, the sponsors do not bring fans to the race in large scale. Instead, it could be argued that NASCAR assists greatly in both brand recognition and brand loyalty. As consumers and fans, we associate Miller Lite with Rusty Wallace and Coors with Sterling Marlin when heading to the store to buy beer. We also associate Lowe’s with Jimmy Johnson, as well as Home Depot with Tony Stewart. We may even shop based on loyalty to our favorite racing team. It makes sense that sponsorship in NASCAR helps us feel loyal to a brand; however, the brands do not help us feel loyal to NASCAR.

I would argue the main factor in NASCAR’s immense popularity is due to the nature of the everest competition. NASCAR odds runs cars and trucks similar in look to those many people drive on the highway. While not nearly as sporty, nor as expensive, the cars look like your car and my car. Subconsciously, I cannot help but feel as if I could be behind the wheel, living vicariously through my favorite driver’s dash cam. I could never get this feeling when watching IndyCar, as I have never flown a spaceship, which is what I associate the IndyCar style of racecar to.

Yes, NASCAR racing is in fact most attractive because it is a sport everyone feels they could do. As a result, we are better able to relate with the “common folk” drivers in the NASCAR circuit, feeling like they are one of us, and we are part of their team.