Youth Movement Benefits NASCAR’s Future

NASCAR is currently experiencing one of it’s biggest youth movements and that could lead to a future growth of the fanbase.

One of the most exciting parts of auto racing is watching young talent grow before your eyes. A glimpse into the future, with impressive moves or veteran-like actions, proves to be the reason why we like to track newcomers on their journey to stardom.

NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series has seen an abundance of youth explode onto the scene in the past few seasons, and the influence from younger drivers seems to be growing as the sport moves forward.

2009 Rookie of the Year Joey Logano just happens to be one of the best drivers in NASCAR today and is finding success at 26 years of age. With a Daytona 500 win to go along with a spot in the Championship 4 in 2014 (his breakout season), Logano is leading the youth surge in the sport.

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He’s joined by 26-year-old Austin Dillon and 23-year-old Kyle Larson as drivers who have proved why they are the future of the sport with their incredible racing in the past couple of seasons.

But in 2016, we’ve seen even more young talent bust onto the scene.

There’s 20-year old Chase Elliott, who took over the duty of driving the No. 24 car after Jeff Gordon’s retirement. There’s also 22-year-old Ryan Blaney, who is single-handedly bringing Wood Brothers Racing back into the conversation in the Cup Series.

Both of these drivers have been battling it out to win the Rookie of the Year award for 2016, and both seem like they could win a race on any given weekend.

Even Tony Stewart has noticed that NASCAR is in good hands for the future as he spoke about the rookies after his win at Sonoma (via NASCAR.com):

"“You see Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott, there’s two guys right there that are filling seats that got this under control. I got in trouble enough one day that I got invited to fly down to Daytona Beach, Florida, and go to (NASCAR Chairman & CEO Brian France’s) office … and I was only in there for 10 minutes and then I got to drive back and fly home. But I remember him telling me, and I’m only saying this because it’s the truth, he was right, and it was something that resonated. He was like, you’re not bigger than the sport. You’re a star in the sport, but there were stars before you and there’s stars coming after you. With Jeff (Gordon) and I leaving, Chase Elliott is going to win a championship, and if the Wood Brothers keep going the way they are, Ryan Blaney is going to win a lot of races, too, and potentially win championships. … The sport is healthy, trust me.”"

So how does this impact NASCAR’s future?

Well it certainly gives fans a good feeling about what’s to come as drivers like Jeff Gordon have already retired, drivers like Tony Stewart are on the verge of retiring and drivers like Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are already past age 40.

It gives the sense that NASCAR still has young talent developing and that there’s more to come, in terms of great racing.

But there’s also another way that it helps: NASCAR’s audience.

It’s no secret that the sport is desperately trying to build a better fanbase. Take a look at some of the races this season, especially at iconic tracks like Atlanta and Bristol. The bleachers don’t look as full as they used to.