This is for all the ladies out there: Women in NASCAR

L

ladyNASCAR629

Guest
Hi...I am a college student doing some research on marketing to females. For a research project, I am trying to gauge feelings about women's involvement in and appreciation of NASCAR. I was wondering if I could get some thoughts on the following questions:

Does NASCAR do enough to market to women?
If no, what could NASCAR do to market themselves better to female race fans?
If yes, what are they doing that women like?

Would you (as a female fan) benefit from a NASCAR 101 for women? (Where women can learn the basics of NASCAR, about drivers and teams, history, rules, points, etc., similar to the NFL's program?)

Do you think that NASCAR's sponsors are geared towards women?

What sponsors would you like to see associated with NASCAR?

Would a women's NASCAR group be beneficial? (A group where women can discuss NASCAR, apparell, driver insights, charity components, etc.)

That is all for now. If anyone has any thoughts on these questions, please drop me an email at [email protected] or just respond to this post.

Thanks!

;)
 
i think they do enough to market women------cute male drivers attract many

i would not want a women's 101 because if they watched the sport enough they would know as much as the guys and i'd find it offensive because i know more stuff about it than some guys do!!!

the sponsors are not really targeted to women----its not like the male drivers would drive a beautyco car.

i would like to see walmarts be associated because its genderly "indifferent"

i wouldnt particularly support a "Womens group" i figure i'm just one of the guys.


hope this helps
 
I agree with Zoe! I'd rather not be thought of as a female race fan, but just a race fan. :)

And I don't see how a course in "NASCAR 101" could be geared towards women without being extremely condescending, as if women learn any differently than men. Racing is racing, after all. ;)
 
I agree with both zoe and abooja...a race fan is a race fan; gender doesn't play into it. I've only been following NASCAR for about 3 years now, but learned about it like learning anything else - read everything I could get my hands (or fingers using the internet) on. :)

Sure there are women who follow the sport simply because "so and so is hot" but you have that type of fan in every sport.

Any woman oriented sponsor would have to be careful in how they market the team unless they have a woman driver. I just can't see any of the guys out there driving the pink Mary Kay car! ;)
 
Thanks so far to everyone who has posted! I have one more question.

In your opinion (besides having hot drivers because NASCAR doesn't really control that) what does NASCAR do to attract new female fans to the sport and maintain a large female fan base?

For instance, is there a line of apparel geared towards women, do the sponsors (not just on the cars, but all sponsors) reflect female consumer needs equally as men's?

Do women feel equal and included in all marketing, advertising, communications, etc.?

I know these questions seem leading. I too am a NASCAR fan and feel that I should be treated as any other fan. Unfortunately, in most male dominated sports, like NASCAR, women fans are perceived as not having their own identities and are just following their husbands or boyfriends. I was on a chat earlier where most comments geared towards women were condescending and focused on women fan's as only being interested in good looking drivers, not racing itself.

I am trying to prove one way or the other wether marketing strategies are equal and are equally successful for targeting men and targeting women.

Again, thanks for your help so far. It is all very interesting.

Best.

;)
 
I don't know that NASCAR does anything in particular to attract female fans, per se. If they have, it's been awfully stealth because I haven't noticed it. :)

As for women's apparel, there are certainly many items to be had -- both at the track and on the Net -- made specifically for women. For instance, I purchased a checkered flag bikini top at Charlotte a few years ago. (Never wear it!) And I've seen women's tank tops and hair scrunchies that are NASCAR related. Most of it's really tacky, though. Then again, so is most of the stuff for men. :D

I'm sure this didn't help much, but there you go. :)
 
I'm not a woman by a long shot. But here's my two cents.
For the most part NASCAR doesn't gear it's marketing to either gender.....men or women. Some of the sponsors might (Viagra, Hooters, Team Marines, etc) but the marketing I've seen for NASCAR is pretty much gender neutral. Take the "how bad have you got it" commercials......both male and female are characterized as "over the limit" in their enthusiasm.:) As for the "support group".......my wife got started with NASCAR because of me. She didn't know a damned thing about it but she picked up on it quickly and really has become quite a fan of the sport. She learned mostly by watching, listening and a little research on the internet. It isn't a complicated sport to learn.:) I don't see much of a need for support.......unless you are thinking about something along the line of a "golf widow" group (but, that's another problem!). A fan of the sport can be either male or female........NASCAR does not and should not cater to one over the other.
 
I know NASCAR, and life in general is geared toward marketing, but I agree with the other ladies on the forum.

I am a racing fan and happen to be female, but hate to be labled as such. It's enough that I feel like I have to make myself gender neutral on boards and what-not so as not to be labled a "cheerleader" for a driver or only like him because he's "cute".

Trust me, the true racing fans are only turned off by ploys to attract new people to the sport for the sake of anything other than watching drivers race week in and week out. Attempts to market to "females" may attract some in the short run but truly turn off those that have been supporting NASCAR endorsed products for years.
 
A lot of women, young women in particular, go to racing because it does have a lot of eligible young men running around in sexy-looking firesuits. Some may stick around and actually learn something about the racing, most won't.

A NASCAR 101 is a nice idea, but, it does engender the idea that women have to be taught about racing and men do not. A real fan learns because she wants to.

As far as marketing goes, NASCAR does a very subtle job of piquing women's interest. Just watch the commercials for upcoming races ---- good looking young men in sexy firesuits. And men are appealed to by the constant showing of wrecks. I understand why, I don't have to like it.

I would love to see more companies getting involved in racing. However, I don't see an Oil of Olay car in black and pink coming to a track anytime soon. LOL

Wal-Mart is a prime candidate for racing. I can't understand why it doesn't get involved.
 
Originally posted by TexasRaceLady

A NASCAR 101 is a nice idea, but, it does engender the idea that women have to be taught about racing and men do not.  A real fan learns because she wants to.
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Well put TRL!!!! Try "NASCAR for Dummies" by (among others) Mark Martin for the basics. No need to single out the ladies, it's for all who want to learn! :)
 
Originally posted by Lap3Forever
 

Glad to hear that DE. Lappy was getting a little worred about you. :D :rolleyes:
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Lappy, we're a little worried about you with that avatar! :D
 
Originally posted by HappyHour


Lappy, we're a little worried about you with that avatar!  :D
Click to expand...

Yeah Yeah Yeah, Look i lost a bet. now i have to keep it tell i win again or get it changed. :(
 
My thoughts on how NASCAR is trying to attract female fans:
How many men do you know that watch "Regis and Kelly" on a regular basis? But yet Jeffy Gordon has hosted (I think) three times. That is one example where I think they are trying to get more females that may not know about NASCAR at least to tune in to the race. And the fact and Jeff if "clean cut" will help draw the female viewers.
I, personally, started watching races because of my husband. But I am more of a NASCAR junkie than he is and I know more "off the track " stuff than he does. (this board helps :) )
To quote "Larry the Cable Guy" you will never see the "Tampax 400" as a race.
 
I also am not female, so I don't know if my input can be used or not. But I am a NASCAR fan with over 30 years tenure, and I have a psychology degree with some emphasis on marketing, so if I may....

NASCAR is doing a good job marketing the sport to both male and female fans at this time. That was not always the case. By reducing the emphasis on beer and petroleum sponsors, the door was opened for more types of companies to sponsor. Today we have cars with everything from Budweiser to Rubbermaid, from Pennzoil to Tide, from Lowe's to M&Ms, and from Viagra to Target. Additionally, it's not as if only men use Pennzoil; women do drive cars and in some cases know more about home improvement than their male counterpart (myself included). So both genders utilize the products on almost all cars. The commercials are starting to reflect this.

NASCAR 101? I too fel that gearing something like this toward women is condescending. Some female fans on this board are far more knowledgeable about racing than some of the men. I respect their opinions and insights every bit as much as I do one from a man. Most NASCAR fans don't care if you are male or female as long as you know what you talk about.

New sponsors to attract more women? I have mixed reactions to this question. On the one hand, I felt very sorry for Sterling Marlin when he drove the Underalls car. I also feel a twinge for Mark Martin and his crew with Viagra pasted all over everything. The jokes they must endure are endless...the hardest workig crew etc. But as I stated earlier, most products are used by both genders to some degree, so I don't know what company could enter the fray. Some products would be perhaps better accepted on a car with a female driver, I certainly don't see Jimmy Spencer driving the Tampax Chevy!

NASCAR already has the Racing Wives Auxiliary, which while a rather exclusive group, does many of the things you suggested. If enough female fans wished to organize and join such a group, I think the racing community would welcome it. NASCAR and its drivers have always been very generous with their time, money, and with lending their names and reputations to a wide variety of charitable causes. I am certain this would continue.

Hope my ramblings are of some use to you. I wish you luck in your study, and congratulate you for finding such a unique method for gathering data.
 
As a fan of females I would also like to know how to attract more women to.....oh wait, my bad :D
 
And here I thought you was a prison guard....hmmm....must be brain dead.
 
Originally posted by 71Fan
And here I thought you was a prison guard....hmmm....must be brain dead.
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Who, me? I'm a parole and probation officer, so you're not too far off I guess. I got burned out working with mentally ill people, so I switched to the "legality challenged" I suppose.
 
ahhh, that's right.

heck of a job, considering the odds, I hope you do some good now and then.

....and now back to your regularly scheduled thread.....
 
Wow! Everyone has been so great! I can't believe all of the insight I am gathering! I also enjoy the jokes, makes doing work for my master's even better!

Please keep the comments coming. The more I learn, the more I can shape my thesis and the marketing plan that must accompany it!

Again I appreciate all of the feedback and good luck to all of your drivers this weekend at Darlington!

Best,
Tara
 
Heres one women that dont need to be tought about nascar

Shawna Robinson
February 6, 2002
10:25 PM EST (0325 GMT)
In the late 1980s and early 1990s Shawna Robinson was more than just a pretty face behind the wheel. Born a racer, Shawna drove anything from snowmobiles to diesel trucks competitively until she began to race in NASCAR sanctioned events.

In 1988 she made her NASCAR debut finishing third in the Charlotte/Daytona Dash Series Florida 200 at Daytona International Speedway. Robinson was the first woman ever to win a NASCAR Touring event when she took home the checkered flag at New Asheville Speedway in 1988, her rookie season.

The same year she won her first race in what is now the Goody's Dash Series, she also captured the Charlotte/Daytona Dash Series' Most Popular Driver Award and Rookie of the Year honors. Robinson repeated as the Series' most popular driver in 1989, becoming only the second driver to win the award in consecutive years. NASCAR Winston Cup standout Michael Waltrip is the other, when he accomplished the feat in 1982 and 1983.











In her first two years in NASCAR, Shawna started all 30 races in the Charlotte/Daytona Dash Series winning three of them and finishing in the top-10 a remarkable 21 times.

In 1991 Shawna moved into NASCAR's Busch Series, Grand National Division. The crown jewel of Robinson's NASCAR Busch Series career came three years later at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Shawna became the first and only woman ever to win the pole position in the NASCAR Busch Series with a track record of 174.330 mph. The weekend wasn't all roses for Robinson though, on the first lap of the race Mike Wallace moved alongside of Robinson's car, making it three abreast in the third turn. Wallace's car disrupted the air around Robinson's causing her to come into contact with Joe Nemechek. Robinson's best finish in a NASCAR Busch Series race was 10th just a little less than a year before her last series race in 1995.

Shawna temporarily retired as a driver with her first pregnancy. While she married and raised a family, she was still involved in NASCAR as an interior decorator in the Charlotte, N.C., area, where many of her clients are NASCAR drivers and car owners.

Robinson returned to the sport in 2000 driving a Ford for former Winston Cup car owner Michael Kranefuss in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, where she finished in the top-10 in points. She and Kranefuss hope to eventually move into the Winston Cup Series.
 
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