NASCAR: 5 significant changes that need to be made
By Randy Smith
NASCAR has shown its vision for future success with recent changes to the sport, but it has room for improvement in other areas.
To say NASCAR fans have seen a change in the sport in recent years is an understatement. New track locations, teams, and new owners, all complemented with a new car, have highlighted the changes made since the sport came back from the COVID-19 hiatus in May 2020.
Some changes don’t always work out, such as the Daytona International Speedway road course, which proved to be a placeholder until Auto Club Speedway could return to the circuit. However, it still shows NASCAR’s flexibility, and that change is something the sport is actively looking for, not ignoring.
With several changes already having been made and the 2022 season more than halfway done, here are five changes the sport should make for future success.
Changes NASCAR should make: No. 1 – TV broadcast presentation
NASCAR has shown in recent years that television and broadcasting are where their financial success lies. When crowds such as the ones at Texas Motor Speedway both last year for the playoff race and this year for the All-Star Race are less-than-stellar, the sport could rely on TV ratings to alleviate the issue.
But the presentation itself on television hasn’t helped. Constant cuts to shots of fans while a caution breaks out, pumped-in crowd noise, and forced storylines have been a theme throughout the sport’s television broadcasts. In addition to comedic segments and reenactments that fall flat, the viewer is left with a show that doesn’t help combat the stereotypes associated with the sport.
NBC showed just what NASCAR’s broadcast could be when it aired an informational video on the single lug nut feature on the Gen 7 car during their first race of the year at Nashville Superspeedway. The fans knew since the start of the season that loose wheels were a problem, but the NBC video informed the audience as to why this problem keeps occurring.
With a constant rumored move to streaming services, NASCAR will need TV networks to create content for the viewers to fully understand what they’re watching. If not, the idea of paying for something that no one can understand or explain in further detail will only hurt its target and prospective audience.