The View from Here: The Business of NASCAR

The NASCAR diversity disparity would make anyone wonder why there isn't a larger percentage of drivers that aren't Caucasian or male.
Could it be that James Brown's song "This Is a Man's World" is the breathing image of NASCAR?" According to About.com, "In 2009 there are no women competing in the Sprint Cup or Nationwide series. The Craftsman Truck Series has had a few female competitors in 2009 including Gabi Dicarlo, Michelle Theriault, Caitlin Shaw and Jennifer Jo Cobb. However none of these women have full-time ride in the series."
I believe that if there were more women drivers more women fans would be attracted. I know women will come out in droves for "girl power". However, my only question is, if there were more women drivers, could a man handle them winning? In the case of more ethnic drivers, I believe that an increase in ethnic drivers will also increase a more ethnic fan base. At some point these disparities will need to be addressed because I believe that if people are going to enjoy a sport they would like to see themselves reflected in some sort of way.
And that's the view from here.
RW

Posted by at 9:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Diversity has been on e of the biggest issues in NASCAR over the years. As in the past with people trying to be equal depending on race or gender, in NASCAR too there is a big gap of diversityl. Other sports such as basketball, football, and baseball have been making lots of changes to make the environment more diverse and the results of these efforts are outstanding because they have brought more fans to the sports.

NASCAR is usually seen as a predominately white American sport, while most other sports are trying to become more diverse. Juan Pablo Montoya, a Colombian, who is currently a NASCAR driver, has made a difference in NASCAR. He has performed well in many races and he has done a great job overall. Due to his performance in NASCAR, Juan has attracted many Spanish fans to follow and watch NASCAR. The Indy Racing League has Danica Patrick, who has broken the male dominance of the sport and has given women the opportunity to see anything is possible.

So my concern is why is NASCAR is not so diverse? Why there are no African Americans or women involved as drivers in NASCAR at the upper levels? Why can't there be a Tiger Woods in NASCAR? Why can't there be more women like Danica Patrick in NASCAR? All of these are concerns that are very important because I think that by bringing women and other races to the sport a more diverse environment can exist. The biggest result of this diversity would be a more diverse fan base in NASCAR.

And that's the view from here.

EK

Posted by at 9:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

With the changing times, consider the following: declined fan attendance at NASCAR race tracks, the recent downturn in today’s economy, and downsizing of corporate firms like Circuit City and DHL (current or former NASCAR sponsors), and General Motors begging for bailout, which incidentally forced an end to its relationships at Bristol and New Hampshire tracks. NASCAR should take a closer look into exposure in foreign markets and, even yes, going public. NASCAR is money mad and a money guzzler and why not gain more fans, exposure, and increased revenues in other tracks outside U.S. borders. The Nationwide Series has made appearances in cities like Mexico City (over 100,000 fan attendance) and Montreal in the past; NASCAR should take part in the opportunity to grow further.

Although there has been criticism to considering going outside the U.S. boundaries because it might be difficult for American sponsors due to trade barriers, there is the opportunity to also pick up new sponsors and increased airtime abroad. Existing sponsors like FedEx, UPS, and Coca Cola also increase their benefits by gaining additional international exposure; these companies already have benefited by providing services thus for both NASCAR and its global sponsors.

At the same time, NASCAR can easily promote its “drive for diversity” program, because of exposure to foreign spectators and publicity. Thus, it comes down to the question of whether NASCAR should go abroad. With the opportunities for international expansion, NASCAR’s image of once a Southern red neck sport on dirt will fade into a global empire in international racing on different tracks and maybe surpassing F1 in popularity. Aside from its grassroots of fans and history, arguably there should be no limits to the future direction of NASCAR.

We have the World Cup of soccer and the Summer and Winter Olympics, why not have an international NASCAR?

And that’s the view from here.
JLY

Posted by at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am no expert on NASCAR that is for sure. But, I have learned a lot about the organization throughout this semester. Recently in our business of NASCAR class we had a discussion about whether it is NASCAR’s responsibility to make the sport more diverse. So far we’ve seen just one non-white American male in the sport since its start. But does NASCAR need to establish rules or requirements for teams in order to get minorities and women into the sport?

My opinion may be a little old school, and a little surprising being that I am female, but I think no. If you start trying to make too many rules or establish quotas, you’re taking the realness away. People who shouldn’t be racing and people that are only interested in getting a paycheck will be out there on the track taking the place of someone who should be there. It won’t matter who is best, whether they’re a better racer, or if they’re more dedicated to the sport. This is not to say that there aren’t a few drivers out there that don’t belong there already, but that’s another thing.

I have always been a strong believer in the idea that people will become what they want to be. Everyone makes choices and decisions, works hard at a young age or doesn’t, gets involved with certain activities or subjects in school and as a result excels or doesn’t, becomes dedicated or lets their interest wane. I think people and industries should be left alone with little toying to direct what they become. That approach is the only way you can surely know that it’s pure.

Especially with the results of this year’s election, we can see now more than ever that things are changing. And it’s not because the government imposed a new amendment to the Constitution saying that one out of every 44 presidents must be a minority. Our country elected a non-white American president all on its own. The United States, a country that half of a century ago was in the midst of a civil rights movement where women and minorities were fighting for their rights, is changing. Who’s to say that NASCAR, a sport tagged as the redneck’s entertainment of choice, won’t one day be just for the South.

If NASCAR wants to get more involvement from minority groups and women, then I think the thing to do would be start children’s programs that make racing available to young kids of all backgrounds. Many minority groups may not think about a sport like racing as something to get their child involved in. Not to mention the price. If NASCAR decides it wants to become an equal opportunity racing league, then all it needs to do is make racing available by sponsoring children’s events and developing carting leagues.
And that’s the view from here.
SK

Posted by at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There has been discussion about what the future holds for NASCAR. Will it expand into more markets in the United States? Will it go into Mexico or Canada or perhaps overseas? First and foremost, NASCAR is a business and there is no question that it wants to increase its market size. I don’t think, however, that NASCAR can expand while hanging onto the Southern image.

When people who aren’t fans hear about NASCAR, an image of drunken, redneck, good ol’ boys pops into their heads. People don’t want to associate themselves with that type of lifestyle, especially the wealthier ones, if that is the image conveyed to them. If people don’t want to associate themselves, there is no fan base in that area and thus no expansion into that market.

What NASCAR needs to do is figure out a way to portray the American values, which are found in the South, to these potential new fan bases. These values include hard work, dedication, and passion, to name a few. In reality, however, many people worldwide possess these core values. They are able to relate to the sport thus increasing NASCAR’s fan base. These values are just as easily virtues that everyone wants to strive for.

The key for NASCAR is to separate the American/Southern values from the Southern image. That is the only way for new domestic and international markets to embrace this sport. People may not be able to relate to corporate sponsorships or the business of the sport but NASCAR can hook them with an image of being a dedicated hard worker just as cigarette ads got teenagers hooked by sending a message it was cool.

Internationally, NASCAR needs to make the sport seem so universal that it is easy for people to accept it. Not many Europeans would want to associate themselves with a sport whose American fans’ lifestyle they dislike. Everyone can relate to the values, not everyone can or wants to relate to the image.

In closing, the southern image cannot survive in NASCAR if NASCAR wants to expand. NASCAR can’t expand if it wants to keep the Southern image. Emphasize the American/Southern values if NASCAR wants to grow and eradicate the image. NASCAR management needs to decide which way it wants to go because it can’t do both.
And that’s the view from here.
MA

Posted by at 4:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I think of diversity in NASCAR, three primary topics come to mind: age, race, and gender (in that order). Since the fundamental idea behind the business of NASCAR is to make money, team owners are looking to recruit younger drivers each day. The older drivers are beginning to phase out, while the owners are looking for long-term investments.

Joe Gibbs Racing is the easiest target right now; they just signed 18-year-old Joey Lagano to a long-term contract reportedly up to 5 years, an added bonus to the normal 3-year contract. An 18-year-old signs a very lucrative sports contract, sounds like I have heard of this before. NASCAR seems to be more like other sports than many people give them credit.

Do we really know how much this kid has to offer? There is the question of experience: is he ready to move up the ranks of racing? Well, Joe Gibbs answered that question by replacing Tony Stewart. Being a Hall of Fame NFL Football coach and accomplished “investor”, what does he have left to do but find ways to make more money? Many people think Lagano has the talent, and we will soon find out whether that holds true.

Age, then what? Ah, Joe Gibbs Racing is also working with 18-year-old African-American Marc Davis as a developmental driver. He already made his truck debut with Randy Moss Racing this past month and will be making his Nationwide Series debut on October 25 in Memphis, TN. This situation embodies the diversity of age and race, implying that Gibbs is looking for all young talent.

As far as gender goes, female drivers date back to 1949 with Sara Christian, the year after NASCAR was formed. Most recently the names Patty Moise, Shawna Robinson, and Danica Patrick have been in the mix. It is obvious that female drivers have made appearances on the circuit, but were not able to make a successful run in the NASCAR world. The looming question is whether women can compete with men in this business.

What will be the next minority group to take a shot at NASCAR?

And that’s my view from here.

PM

Posted by at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The statement that NASCAR does not glean international attention may no longer be true. About ten years ago NASCAR tried exhibition races at Twin Ring Motegei and Suzuka Japan with little success. Fast forward ten years and NASCAR now has points-paying races for the Nationwide Series in Montreal, Canada and formerly Mexico City, Mexico. True, these sites are still in the Western Hemisphere and just north and south of the United States, but it is a start.
If you take a look at the drivers, many of their backgrounds are much different than the drivers of a few years ago. Sponsors have changed as well. The sport has moved from Winston and Goodwrench to M&M’s and Red Bull energy drinks. This is where the future of NASCAR lies.
Team Red Bull Racing is a new form of NASCAR team in the series. This team is not owned by a single owner or small group; it is owned by Red Bull. This is new to the sport because never before has a sponsor owned the whole team. From top to bottom, executives at Red Bull Racing make the personnel decisions, which brings us to the topic of Scott Speed.
Speed broke into the world of big-time racing when he got a ride with the Red Bull Formula One team after winning a driver-talent competition put on by Red Bull. After a couple of poor seasons in Formula One, Red Bull dropped Speed and put him in the stock car ranks. He came up through the ARCA ranks and is now poised to take the seat vacated by A.J. Allmendinger on the Sprint Cup Series team.
The interesting thing about this driver switch is that the decision was not made by the NASCAR team; it was made by Red Bull executives in Austria, the company’s home country. In my opinion, I believe this is what is on the horizon for NASCAR: powerful international companies owning teams from top to bottom and making driver changes in the board room far away from the race shops.
With Scott Speed on the scene, even though he is an American, Red Bull and companies like it may look to buy into NASCAR along with international drivers to make a statement in an American sport. The money is definitely there and the coverage is plentiful, enough to pull the likes of Jacques Villeneuve, Dario Franchitti and Juan Montoya over. Maybe in ten years the next Justin Wilson will be in a Vodafone Chevy and not a McLaren.
And that’s the view from here.
AT

Posted by at 3:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Phil Richards of the Indianapolis Star takes an overview of NASCAR's diversity issues. Includes comment from Jon Ackley.

Posted by at 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)