article: How NASCAR can get fans to return and retain them

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From the article posted below

Jeff got over a combined 2,000 replies to these tweets and probably saw some trends among the replies, considering he read each and every reply. However, no one has tried to analyze these replies. Until now.

screen-shot-2019-01-10-at-1.04.30-pm.png

The results of the sample show no one specific thing that would make people start watching again, but the top five results are:

  1. Track variety – people want more variety in tracks. This means more road courses and short tracks and less intermediate tracks.
  2. Closer racing – and this isn’t just talking about a leader pulling away by 10 seconds (although they want less of that too). People want constant battles around the track and passes for the lead and for 20th place. (This is different from parity, which I have defined in this as “a variety of winners.”)
  3. No stages – people don’t like stage racing. They want to get rid of it.
  4. No playoffs – people don’t like the playoffs. They want to get rid of it.
  5. More personalities – and there are many drivers that already show their personalities like Ryan Blaney, but people want to see more of the drivers’ personalities on social media and during interviews.
Second question:

screen-shot-2019-01-10-at-12.55.45-pm.png


Unlike the last question, it seems like there is clear reason why people still watch NASCAR. But we’re still going to break down the top five results:

  1. Love racing – YOU LOVE RACING! That’s why you watch.
  2. Certain driver – people watch to keep track of their favorite driver and see how they’re doing in the race. (Note, this is different from “driver broadcaster,” which is watching just because your favorite driver is on the broadcast team for the race.)
  3. Habit – people have been watching for as long as they remember. They may not enjoy racing as much, but it’s hard to break the habit of picking up the remote every Sunday and watching for four hours. I mean, what else are you going to do on Sunday anyways?
  4. Competitive – people love the competitiveness of the sport. Every single driver on the grid wants to win, and every single driver will do whatever it takes to win.
  5. Personalities – it seems like people are split on this, considering this was also #5 on the other list. But perhaps maybe drivers are already showing enough personality to satisfy your needs.
So what can we take from all of this? NASCAR can’t possibly change everything to satisfy the needs of everyone because let’s be real, they will never be able to satisfy every single person. However, my suggestion to NASCAR based on this research is for them to find ways to get people to fall in love with racing by producing closer racing and going to a variety of tracks. If this is done correctly, NASCAR should see the number of fans increase.
If you would like to read more about this research, you can read more in this PDF File.

https://cindymeliyen.wordpress.com/2019/01/10/how-nascar-can-get-fans-to-return-and-retain-them/
 
Really shallow stuff there. Calling that "research" is a hell of a stretch IMO. Meaningful market research is hard to design, hard (and expensive) to execute, and hard to analyze. But it's often worth the effort and the cost in my experience. But this half-assed tabulation of tweets isn't gonna reveal anything meaningful, IMO.
 
yeah a Nascar reporter asking Nascar concerned fans..has to be a problem there right? :p Every one of those topics have been discussed here for ages.
 
Seems like more Twitter trash that is on display early and often unfortunately.

The fact that the guy talks about what it would take to get people to watch Nascar again shows how out to lunch he is. NASCAR doesn’t need a bunch of people in their 60’s and 70’s tuning in again......they need new younger fans that advertisers love. If Nascar gets a younger audience a lot of their problems go poof.
 
Looks like at least one short track is in the works unless the wheels fall off, Nashville, and pick your favorite (any) road course as far as I am concerned for 2020. those two would help the situation a bunch for a start.
 
Doesn't look good for the 1.5 mile tracks as I expect.
Nascar needs to double the road course races and remove the second date at any tracks over 1.25 miles. Of course some of those tracks were made for open wheel and so if they don't have any open wheel racing why don't they cut the tracks shorter or install chicanes to make them harder and more interesting.
One thing this does show is Nascar wanting higher speeds is not what the fans want if they are voting for short tracks or road courses. IMO the fans are asking for drivers to show their abilities.
 
Really shallow stuff there. Calling that "research" is a hell of a stretch IMO. Meaningful market research is hard to design, hard (and expensive) to execute, and hard to analyze. But it's often worth the effort and the cost in my experience. But this half-assed tabulation of tweets isn't gonna reveal anything meaningful, IMO.
Coming from someone who has years of market research experience, this is the best answer.

This is no different than Glucks’s “was it a good race” poll.
 
Really NASCAR is in a jam here. On one hand we mostly prefer road courses and short tracks, I never miss one and according to the polls us diehards want more. Yet the TV ratings say Daytona and Talladega are what the majority of fans like
 
Really NASCAR is in a jam here. On one hand we mostly prefer road courses and short tracks, I never miss one and according to the polls us diehards want more. Yet the TV ratings say Daytona and Talladega are what the majority of fans like
Daytona and Talladega are popular because non-NASCAR fans tune in to see the junkyards form then they’re gone until the next plate “race.”
 
Really NASCAR is in a jam here. On one hand we mostly prefer road courses and short tracks, I never miss one and according to the polls us diehards want more. Yet the TV ratings say Daytona and Talladega are what the majority of fans like

Eh, I don't know, I think the majority of fans think four races a year at those super speedway tracks are enough. I know that is enough for me anyway. Fans have been clamoring for years for more short tracks and road courses where closer racing happens more frequently. This is the jam Nascar has been in for awhile. Nascar has been stonewalling doing anything about getting away from the 1.5's and losing their huge investment in them by all parties involved. Their solutions have been trying to change the cars to race better at those places. Version 3 for that direction is on tap this year. Who knows if that will help with the numbers. On the track front, Speedway is trying to secure Nashville for short track racing and built the Roval. Everything is on the table Nascar says, but nothing is in the wind on their side except a merger and layoffs. One thing about it, changes this year and in the future are coming down the pike. some think they are going to bail, Penske thinks it's a good move to get leaner and be able to make changes without the numerous stockholders to deal with.
 
What makes you think they were referring to Jr.? If you're going to be delusional, go all the way.

Dale Sr has been gone for almost 17 years. I know it sucks and his personality with his input on today's racing would be refreshing to hear with his honesty. There will never be another one of him, but those fans need to embrace the new generation. Plenty of personalities in the garage. Its pretty sad that so many are still stuck on it after all of these years.
 
Almost 18 years actually. He was an icon for sure, but I don’t understand the “the sport died with Earnhardt” crowd.

Exactly.

One driver should not change someone's passion for the sport. I enjoy this sport and support it no matter the drivers. The depth of drivers have improved over the years as well.
 
Personality and culture matters much more than this suggests. When NASCAR actually culturally targeted the audience that cared about the sport we saw NASCAR flourish to unimaginable heights.

There's a direct correlation between NASCAR shooting for a more nationwide audience and fans losing interest.

During NASCAR's peak the sport had larger than life personalities that acted without fear of losing their sponsors. The NASCAR bubble popped when the sport lost that extreme financial security, the decline spiraled out of control.
 
The 60,000 foot view is so stupid. "Closer racing".....Isn't that like NASCAR fans/target demographic/prospective fans/or whatever in the hell we call them folding their arms across their chests, and saying, "I want constant battles, or I won't watch." We are clear that in all sport those kinds of battles are rare, right? That's what makes them special, right? Wonder what the stands would look like in the NFL if the fans insisted on a winner by no more than 7 points? Completely and utterly stupid. Once again, the NASCAR problem shows up at the same time there is a rise in social media. We have a problem, but we are using faulty data to solve it. NASCAR needs to settle down. Create a consistent product. Be patient. This will not resolve overnight. Might be more loss of jobs and money, but it will turn around if it can figure out what it needs to turn around from.
 
Personality and culture matters much more than this suggests. When NASCAR actually culturally targeted the audience that cared about the sport we saw NASCAR flourish to unimaginable heights.

There's a direct correlation between NASCAR shooting for a more nationwide audience and fans losing interest.

During NASCAR's peak the sport had larger than life personalities that acted without fear of losing their sponsors. The NASCAR bubble popped when the sport lost that extreme financial security, the decline spiraled out of control.

I agree. Do not underestimate the power of the loss of tobacco sponsorship. Huge for all of racing. Maybe gave us a false sense of popularity.
 
Do we really prefer road courses and short tracks, or the finishes they produce? This is important. We either like the whole 2-3 hours, or we are saying we just like the last 2 minutes?
Stages have hurt road courses the most, IMO. The optimal strategy is far and away to pit just before the pits close because track position is so important.

Short tracks are usually good for a few hours of solid action. I don't think it matters if it's lap 90 or 490 at Bristol, there's always something going on.
 
I want to make sure I understand what is going on here. A writer, Jeff Gluck, who primarily covers NASCAR sent out the following tweet...

"For those who have replied that you’re losing interest/don’t watch anymore, what’s the No. 1 thing that would make you start watching NASCAR regularly again?
"

But the author uses the following text.

"What's the #1 thing that would make you start watching NASCAR again?"

Doesn't take long to lose credibility when you completely change the question. She is implying that those that responded no longer watched NASCAR. My assumption is most of the respondents still watch NASCAR and used this question as a way to sound off. How many people who have given up on NASCAR would be following Jeff Gluck (primarily a NASCAR reporter) on Twitter and would take the time to respond? I used to be a big major league baseball fan, but stopped watching years ago. I do not follow any baseball writers and rarely even look at the standings. It would be fairly hard for someone to reach me for my opinion on MLB.

With all that said, it is interesting to see the results of Jeff's work on this subject summarized and I don't think she intentionally tried to mislead the reader.
 
I suggest:
1. Stay with the Daytona 500 (as is) for the season opener.
2. Change the track to a road course race for the second race.
3. Leave Dega as is for the 1st race.
4. Change Dega to a road course for the second race
5. Change the 1.5 mile tracks by adding chicanes to increase
the difficulty and create hazardous racing on the straightaways.
6. Some tracks could be changed to shorter tracks with minor construction.
7. I like Stage racing for the simple reason it forced drivers to race because of the points.
I think they can stop using the caution at the end OR give the teams 3 laps at which time
the TV will take their commercial breaks. Any team not lined up for the restart goes to the rear.
8. I also think this "last race determines the champion" hurts Nascar more than anything.
If there was one reason for me to quit watching Nascar it would be the championship.
Nascar could continue the Chase, but change the format. All race winners who have attempted to start every race are in and the highest in points to fill a field of 10 (or more if there are more than 10 winners). All teams race 3 races and the top 6 in points continue. Those 6 teams race
3 races and the top 3 teams continue. The team scoring the most points in the final 4 races
is your champion. One bad race does not ruin a whole season.
 
^ They have to have commercial breaks so lets schedule them to have the least impact on the racing. Foolish caution IMO drove a lot of fans away.
 
8. I also think this "last race determines the champion" hurts Nascar more than anything.
If there was one reason for me to quit watching Nascar it would be the championship.
This :beerbang:. Watching the last race at Homestead this past year with the top four drivers in the top four positions looked a bit manufactured by NASCAR and the teams.
 
I want to make sure I understand what is going on here. A writer, Jeff Gluck, who primarily covers NASCAR sent out the following tweet...

"For those who have replied that you’re losing interest/don’t watch anymore, what’s the No. 1 thing that would make you start watching NASCAR regularly again?
"

But the author uses the following text.

"What's the #1 thing that would make you start watching NASCAR again?"

Doesn't take long to lose credibility when you completely change the question. She is implying that those that responded no longer watched NASCAR. My assumption is most of the respondents still watch NASCAR and used this question as a way to sound off. How many people who have given up on NASCAR would be following Jeff Gluck (primarily a NASCAR reporter) on Twitter and would take the time to respond? I used to be a big major league baseball fan, but stopped watching years ago. I do not follow any baseball writers and rarely even look at the standings. It would be fairly hard for someone to reach me for my opinion on MLB.

With all that said, it is interesting to see the results of Jeff's work on this subject summarized and I don't think she intentionally tried to mislead the reader.

Here are both of Gluck's questions
upload_2019-1-12_11-46-18.png
 
7. I like Stage racing for the simple reason it forced drivers to race because of the points.
I think they can stop using the caution at the end OR give the teams 3 laps at which time
the TV will take their commercial breaks. Any team not lined up for the restart goes to the rear.
8. I also think this "last race determines the champion" hurts Nascar more than anything.
If there was one reason for me to quit watching Nascar it would be the championship.
I think the one-race for the championship and the stages are two major beefs that fans have with the sport. Like you, I actually like the stages, but I know it’s turned a lot of people off. If it’s any indication, NASCAR TV viewership last year was down 43% from 2013 (the last year without the playoff) and down 27% from 2016 (the last year without stage racing).
 
no stages and no playoffs were ranked 3rd and 4th in fan dislikes whereas likes for stage racing was 9th, so entirely it isn't a bust. The playoffs weren't even mentioned about what people liked. I kinda go along with that and stages would be higher if they eliminated them from the road courses. Not a fan of the playoffs very much. That is one place where I don't care if the leader runs away with it, there are plenty of battles for second on down to concentrate on.
 
The 60,000 foot view is so stupid. "Closer racing".....Isn't that like NASCAR fans/target demographic/prospective fans/or whatever in the hell we call them folding their arms across their chests, and saying, "I want constant battles, or I won't watch." We are clear that in all sport those kinds of battles are rare, right? That's what makes them special, right? Wonder what the stands would look like in the NFL if the fans insisted on a winner by no more than 7 points? Completely and utterly stupid. Once again, the NASCAR problem shows up at the same time there is a rise in social media. We have a problem, but we are using faulty data to solve it. NASCAR needs to settle down. Create a consistent product. Be patient. This will not resolve overnight. Might be more loss of jobs and money, but it will turn around if it can figure out what it needs to turn around from.

When I’m watching stick and ball I love to watch talented athletes astound, good coaches calling a game and it doesn’t hurt if it is a good matchup either.

IMO the things athletes do are easy to see and marvel over but great “plays” in Nascar are very subtle and often times unseen by many.

The biggest draw for non Nascar fans to see are the big wrecks which they watch for 15 seconds before resuming daily life. IDK what Nascar can do to have new fans appreciate the nuances in races.
 
I think the one-race for the championship and the stages are two major beefs that fans have with the sport. Like you, I actually like the stages, but I know it’s turned a lot of people off. If it’s any indication, NASCAR TV viewership last year was down 43% from 2013 (the last year without the playoff) and down 27% from 2016 (the last year without stage racing).

The stages have gone over better than I thought they would and if they didn’t stop the race I would look on it like the old halfway challenge.

Prior to the stages being implemented there was a lot of talk about Nascar going to timed events. Then one day stage racing was announced and apparently it was what the fans had been asking for:D
 
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