CEO says NASCAR ‘not isolated’ in fighting to attract fans

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France says the challenge of connecting with a new, younger generation of fans is something that all sports are trying to figure out, and one that NASCAR will take some time to figure out.

Speaking at Richmond International Raceway on Sunday, France compared the challenge sports are facing to the one retailers are facing because of the popularity of online shopping.

NASCAR has seen crowds shrink at virtually every track, many of which have removed seats, and its television ratings have plummeted. At Richmond, which once routinely seated more than 100,000 fans for races in the premier Cup series, only 60,000 seats remain and they were not close to full for Sunday’s 400-lap race.

“We’re not isolated here,” France said. “Every sport is trying to unlock the new consumption levels and fan interest by a younger demographic. Of course we love our core fan and everyone does, but every sport is thinking carefully about how to reach the millennial fan to get them excited about their sport.”

He said NASCAR will convene a summit next month in Charlotte, N.C., bringing in experts from various fields, to discuss the issue.

France also downplayed the difficulty that some teams are having securing sponsorship for next season.

“It’s only April. Those kinds of decisions from corporate America typically get made in August and September, something like that,” he said. “We’ll always have that. That’s not anything abnormal.”

One advantage NASCAR gives sponsors, he said, is, “They can’t own a team in any other sport, but they can here.”

France also paid tribute to Dale Earnhardt Jr., the sport’s most popular driver, who announced last week that he will retire at the end of the season, making him the fourth star to plan to quit racing in less than three years.