NASCAR has long prided itself on being one of the most fan-friendly major sports. Long gone are the days when folks would wait for endless hours post-race just to get autographs from NASCAR legends like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Davey Allison, among many more. But with the new age stepping in, a lot of things have changed, and one NASCAR insider is left reminiscing about what was.

Speaking on the Kenny Wallace Show, Dave Moody didn’t hold back on his emotions.

“And it wasn’t really the autograph,” he said. “It was the fact that once you got to the head of the line, those drivers, those heroes, would look you in the eye and pat you on the head and say, ‘How you doing, kid?’ And you know, talk to you about their race. It was like it was really amazing.”

In the early 2000s, NASCAR didn’t just feel popular; it felt personal. Race weekends were full-blown events where fans rolled into campgrounds days early, fired up grills before sunrise, and wore the driver’s colors like a badge of honor.

You didn’t need a VIP pass to feel close to the action either; drivers regularly wandered through the garage or campground, signed autographs until their hands hurt, and actually talked racing with fans who waited patiently just to shake their hand.

Merchandise haulers were everywhere, sponsored displays handed out free swag, and kids grew up believing it’s normal to meet legends like Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Jeff Gordon.

But things look quite different these days.

Beyond in-person meetups, drivers like Hailie Deegan and Corey LaJoie have embraced social media by signing digital autographs for fans who send in photos.

This definitely has a kick of its own, but nothing beats shaking the hand of your hero.

In fact, last year, Brad Keselowski made a fan’s day. While the fan was walking through New Hampshire campgrounds, he remarked how his meeting with the 2012 NASCAR champion was warm and of genuine demeanor, noting that, “I met Brad Keselowski while he was roaming the campgrounds in New Hampshire. Couldn’t have been cooler, and just made me feel important.”

And that may be exactly what Dave Moody is warning the fans about, a connection the younger generation of racers simply don’t have in the same way.

“And I’ve been very fortunate…I would go to Thunder Road on Thursday night after the races were over, they’d throw open the pit gates, and nobody went home after the races,” Moody added. “All the racers would just sit on the tailgate of the pickup truck with a cold beer in their hand and sign autographs every night after the races.”

But as the landscape of NASCAR shifts, not only fan-wise but also with the playoff system, one NASCAR team owner sounds off on any future fan connections to the sport.

Why NASCAR needs a modern solution for the modern fans

While the sanctioning body previously suggested that clarity about the long-anticipated format would come last year, the decision was pushed back another season as officials navigated a complicated mix of factors.

An ongoing antitrust lawsuit, extensive internal data reviews, and mounting fan bait over what structure best serves the sport all contributed to NASCAR choosing patience over urgency.

Kaulig Racing’s CEO Chris Rice explains why a full return to the traditional points system isn’t as simple as nostalgia might suggest.

In today’s landscape, the book must account for younger fans. Long seasons decided by massive point margins struggle to retain attention in an era shaped by short attention spans and instant gratification.

While Rice longs for the return to the traditional point system, he also mentioned that older races lacked the drama modern audiences expect.

“Man, I go back and watch them old races on Tuby, and it might be one car on the lead lap, and somebody’s winning the point series by 487 points,” he said. “Like, I mean, that ain’t exciting to the young guy or the young woman.”

Ultimately, it’s all about finding the right balance. NASCAR needs to preserve excitement without undermining legitimacy, a reality that likely rules out scraping the playoff format entirely.

Instead, the future may lie somewhere in the middle, blending credibility with the kind of drama modern fans demand.