Getting more people to watch the sport at the expense of the existing fans is just not what NASCAR needs. Or for that matter, that’s not what any sport needs. There needs to be a healthy way of growing viewership, without disappointing the loyal fans. On a similar note, NASCAR needs to strike a balance between where it is and where it wants to be.

When so many fans are already upset about late starts, rain delays, and tracks without lights, the last thing they want to hear is NASCAR got more TV subscribers. For people who planned their weekends around NASCAR races can also as easily forsake it for something that better aligns with their schedule.

Why is NASCAR inclined on late starts?

As every organization wants to grow with time, so does NASCAR. It has been trying to increase its popularity and attract younger viewers to the sport. Considering that various TV networks are spending a lot of money to also gain broadcast rights while the sport grows, NASCAR wants more people to be able to watch the races on these channels.

Adam Stern quoted Brian Herbst, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President for Broadcasting & Innovation, in his tweet, “If the overarching goal is to drive fan interest in the sport and make sure there’s as many people that are paying attention…as possible, trying to get those 300,000 extra viewers on a typical Sunday is important.”

Herbst explained that for every hour that the race is pushed back, the viewership takes a 5% hit. So, to achieve its goal of maximizing fan interest, it is pursuing a balancing act of scheduling late race starts. However, the balance is not quite struck when the people who want to attend races are left disheartened. Moreover, not all races are in mid-afternoons. The broadcasters use their discretion in deciding which shows will garner more TRP and when.

The bottom line is that the hardcore fans are being dissuaded from both attending races and even watching from home. Watching late-start races from home is also an inconvenience because when it gets delayed, fans tend to either opt out, make other plans, or miss out on watching till the end.

There has been data to prove that late race starts have increased viewership, but those are temporary viewers who can switch at any point in time given a more trending option. NASCAR fans, therefore share grave concerns around the matter and complain about the way they’re being ignored and disregarded.

“The product is what attracts people”

It is easy to gain quick traction with some marketing tactics, but it takes effort, patience, and a really good product to build meaningful engagement. This is what fans believe in and it is undeniably true. “If you have to get “gimmicky” with your product then you are already in trouble. The product is what attracts the people, put on a good product and it won’t matter what time it’s on, the problem is it’s not a good product so they have to mess with the time,” expressed a fan.

Another user commented about the short-term gain aspect as they wrote, “When does the risk outweigh the reward though? How many are you losing with rain delays and Monday races. Could argue that 1pm every Sunday could gain traction amongst the casual fan. They know where and when to find it every week and can begin to plan their weekends around it.” Even Dale Earnhardt Jr. asserted the long-term loss when the Michigan Speedway race got postponed last Sunday.

One user strictly shunned Herbst’s logic and said, “one of the dumbest quotes ive read in some time… cause nothing grows the sport like rain shortened or monday races. absolutely tone deaf.” Another one added, “We should just stop going to the fucking racetrack if the people at home matter more” And you cannot blame the fans for feeling that way.

All things considered, NASCAR should put more research into getting more subscribers without hurting the sentiments of their loyal fanbase.