NASCAR and WWE can be a double-edged sword

Marketability and NASCAR go hand in hand. It all depends on who you work with and who you want to market towards; that’s Business 101.

NASCAR has been all about marketability. They want to appeal to the widest range of audiences possible, and they will do anything to do it. Examples include the rapid expansion and construction of mile and a half ovals in places such as Texas, Kansas, and Chicagoland. Another example is the whole creation of the Chase and playoff formats.

But another angle of this marketability is towards kids.

There was the whole “Kids Drive NASCAR” campaign, which got children 12 and under into Xfinity Series and Truck Series races in for free, as well as discounted Monster Energy Cup Series tickets.

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Now, obviously, this was much after I discovered NASCAR, but NASCAR appealed to me when I was six (in 2006), so I guess their way of marketing worked then as well.

How about in today’s social media age?

Kyle Busch and Michael Waltrip appeared on WWE’s Monday Night Raw (A PG-13 rated show) and got involved with the show when Waltrip surprised the 24/7 champion R-Truth by wearing a referee outfit, which is when Busch pinned him. Waltrip counted to three and Busch kicked off NASCAR Champion’s Week in style by winning a WWE championship.

Yes, you read that entire paragraph correctly.

Busch joins such wrestling greats such as John Cena, Triple H, and The Undertaker by being a WWE champion. But unlike his counterparts mentioned above, his reign lasted for about three hours when R-Truth got it back.

Well, so much for that.

But, it might have paid off for NASCAR’s sake. It’s not like this is the first time NASCAR and WWE have crossed paths.

In 2008, both Busch and Joey Logano hosted an episode of Monday Night Raw, and John Cena was the Honorary Starter for the 2012 Daytona 500 and the Honorary Pace Car Driver for the 2016 Daytona 500 (let’s not forget about “that” ponytail flip from FOX reporter Jamie Little).

If NASCAR and WWE want a solid relationship, which I think they should, they need to be aware of who they might gain, and who they might lose.

WWE is all about the kids, so obviously that’ll be who NASCAR looks to gain, and it’s obvious they’re already doing that. There is a youth movement happening in NASCAR not just with drivers, but with fans. It just makes good business sense that if you want to appeal to kids, go where the kids are.

NASCAR has been losing its hardcore fan base for years; they remember Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip. It’s the “good old boys” and “boys have at it” attitude that they pine over. If they see NASCAR drivers going on a “male soap opera”, that’ll tick them off even more, push them further away, and push more of them away.

NASCAR is aware of this, and it seems as though they have no intention of turning back. They are all-in on a new generation of potential fans. Marketability: It’s what keeps businesses making money. And sometimes, it involves once unlikely partnerships that can help attract a new core fanbase.