The 2025 season is just about at its end, with only five races left, and NASCAR has already been planning something different for the 2026 season. This urgency comes amidst the shifting fan interests and the ever-evolving media landscape. But it’s not your regular marketing move.

NASCAR is looking for a new refresh for its brand. And to make their vision a reality, it has partnered with 72andSunny, an LA-based agency. At the core of this new identity is an objective to “reintroduce its brand in a way that plays up its rebellious, Americana roots, satisfying its core fan base while reaching new audiences.”

Moreover, NASCAR is also eyeing to climb the popularity charts among the blue-collar fans, which they’ve lost due to rising ticket prices and changing entertainment habits.

The entire idea of this back-to-roots campaign will be built around a bold two-word headline that you’ll find in the comment section of any video remotely related to cars: “Hell yeah.” This was shared with the sponsors and executives at its Fuel for Business meeting in New York, where a rough-cut spot with some of the sport’s most historic drivers was also screened.

NASCAR has not publicly released the creative and has declined to comment, but the internal presentation hints at what they are going for. Think speed, tradition, and pride; these are the emotions NASCAR is trying to channel through this new rallying cry. 

Under the hood, though, the “Hell Yeah” campaign is meant to satisfy the core audience while also being ever so welcoming to the new one. The initiative instantly sparked a lot of social media buzz as Adam Stern shared, “@NASCAR has developed a back-to-roots marketing campaign that has the tagline, “Hell Yeah,” per people familiar, as the racing series prepares its branding efforts for the 2026 season.”

NASCAR has been in this downward spiral for a while now. With the playoffs making things more complicated and the league appealing to a newer metropolitan crowd, they’ve lost their core fanbase from the southeast, and this is an effort to get those fans back.

There is still quite some time between the testing and final adoption of this campaign. Moreover, the chief brand officer of NASCAR, Tim Clark, even came out and said, “No tagline has been finalized, no spot has been created, and no campaigns have been planned.” But the caveat is that this creative will live or die by how it relates to the actual sport rather than just the image of it.

Fans have been demanding 36 race championships, more horsepower, and no stage caution. So, the campaign (if it ever comes to life), without all the accompanying changes that will actually make the sport as it was before, would just be a band-aid at best. 

If “Hell Yeah” ever becomes the sound of NASCAR, its success will be judged on whether the tone carries to the constituents of the sport, the drivers, the intros, and everything in between. The next update on this will be directly from NASCAR itself, whether during a playoff broadcast, the award season, or maybe during the ‘26 testing. Either way, the intentions are good, NASCAR grew from its Americana roots, and in these tumultuous times, only those roots can help it get back on track.

Who is to blame for the viewership crisis?

Through all the events that have been tracked this season so far, Cup Series races have been averaging about 2.52 million viewers per race. That is around 300,000 less than what they averaged in 2024. Moreover, the four playoff races have averaged 1.56 million viewers, yet again down 250,000-300,000 viewers from the previous year. So why is this actually happening?

The cable windows are at play here. Analysts have noted that the shift towards more cable telecasts in 2025, with fewer homes willing to toil and find USA Network/FS1, is the reason.

Denny Hamlin became the voice of reason in this discussion. Sports-wise, the Sundays are crowded, and he said, “It all comes down to shares… If football’s on, I’m watching it… It’s tough for any sport to grow when it’s up against that juggernaut.” The NFL averages more than 17 million viewers per game, all while NASCAR’s playoff races barely scrape 1.3 million on some weekends.

Broadcaster Danielle Trotta has also talked about the same time-slot problem, saying, “Going up against the NFL is really tough.” Moreover, other motorsports are eating away at NASCAR’s viewership, too. F1 broadcasts are getting around 1.1 million viewers courtesy of their friendlier and dynamic time slots, which makes the race towards higher viewership even more tedious for NASCAR.

Ultimately, NASCAR’s viewership slump is due to those tough time slots, cable access, and stiff competition from sports like football. If they want to turn things around, they must rethink scheduling, favor more accessible broadcasts, and work something around clashing with other sports.