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NASCAR: Part 2: What’s RIGHT with NASCAR? – The fans

By William Richard

PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 10: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, signs autographs for fans during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Can-Am 500 at ISM Raceway on November 10, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 10: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, signs autographs for fans during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Can-Am 500 at ISM Raceway on November 10, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images) /
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Welcome in to part two of “What’s RIGHT with NASCAR?”! Join me as I discuss why the fans are one of the biggest things going RIGHT with NASCAR!

What’s up, NASCAR family? As we get one week closer to the 2019 Daytona 500, I can’t help but get more excited as the days pass by! With a new package and multiple driver changes, 2019 has the potential to be one of the greatest NASCAR seasons in recent memory!

Now, enough of the chit chat. Let’s get to what your here for! Welcome to part two of “What’s RIGHT with NASCAR?”.

Last week I previewed the series and laid out the eight articles you can look forward to reading over the coming weeks. You can click here to be refreshed and to learn more about the upcoming series! Now that you’re updated and ready, let’s get to the nitty-gritty.

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In part two, I will discuss why the fans are part of what’s RIGHT with NASCAR!

Obviously, fans play an integral role in the sport, and without them, NASCAR as a whole will slip into the abyss of what the sport once was. While thousands of fans have walked away in recent years, a new breed of race fan continues to support the sport for which times can’t get much harder.

Whether young fans are finding the sport on their own or carrying on family traditions, a young fanbase is building for NASCAR, slowly but surely. As I surf online, I witness young, passionate NASCAR fans discussing the sport every day!

Add this to thousands of dedicated race fans who have seen the sport through its peaks and valleys. NASCAR continues to find ways to keep fans entertained.

It’s no secret that the sport will have to try new to improve methods to gain the fanbase that once was. Luckily, a window of opportunity is emerging.

With a young crop of drivers, fans of ages 20 and under are becoming more and more important to the aging sport. Fortunately, a youth movement seems to be slowly gaining momentum.

Whether it’s online or at the race track, I see more and more young people showing interest in the sport all the time! The social media community, which I will discuss in a later piece, is a great example of the younger generation’s potential.

We are already seeing the effects on the Most Popular Driver Award and merchandise sales. Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney are slowly becoming household names with a large support from younger fans.

The emergence of these stars also gives a tip of the cap to fans who have been around for decades.Without their continued interest and dedication, the stars of tomorrow would have been gone yesterday.

NASCAR’s big window of opportunity lies within the next five to seven years. New marketing strategies and a better product will have to emerge for the sport to rebound to its former glory.

A tough road is ahead, but there are fans out there — young fans who want to see the sport flourish and become the mainstream sport it used to be along with millions of veteran race fans who have continued to support it for decades. Considering myself a “younger” fan at 24 years old, I’m excited to be on NASCAR’s journey to finding success again!

The future is bright and NASCAR has millions of dedicated fans waiting for the sport to live up to its potential.

I personally want to applaud all race fans for continuing their support of the sport I have grown up admiring! To race fans my age and younger, I look forward to traveling on this journey with you! To fans who have been around long before I was thought of, thank you so much for allowing my generation to grow up and enjoy this great circus we call NASCAR!

Without you, the sport would have been dead years ago!

Next. 5 teams that should join Truck Series. dark

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed part two of “What’s RIGHT with NASCAR?”. Next week, I will jump into one of my favorite topics to discuss –the drivers! Find out how the current generation of NASCAR drivers are preparing to hand the torch to the next era of NASCAR!

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