Are we racing/car fans a dying breed?

[Iam Tellin]

You're more of a fan of the drivers than the driver/car/team aspect. There's no problem with that, and it's one of the reasons why NASCAR is so popular. It's the stick-and-ball-ification of motorsport. NASCAR did well by making the driver(QB) and the crew chief(coach) the most visible people in the sport.

Excellent explanation of the newby nascar fans! I have a good buddy who fits that mold to a t.

[doitagain]

Just remember that stereotypes are only useful up to a point.

[ptclaus98]

Pup!!!

Just funnin' ya. But you probably knew that

I went to Talladega and saw Terry Labonte win that year.

I also saw Kyle Petty race a NASCAR type modified in 1989. In December no less!

I was born in 1989...



To the kiddie table...

[Turn13]

Exactly, I would not attempt to define Turn13 without even personally knowing the person. I met him for 2 seconds at Camp and Brew last year and that is it.

Sorry, Chris, I was just going by the thousands of posts. I shoulda known better

I dont fantasize about Jimmy Johnson, my fiance would but not me.

I just recall you mentioned a time or two you could relate to him, could imagine having a beer with him.

[KevMcNJ]

Turn that frown upside down -the early 20s is typically a pretty good time to be alive

Now go take out the trash and grab me a beer on your way back in

[fasteddy]

Yes. The average age of the crowd at every short track that I attend is going up & up & up. The demographic shift is not a good thing for motorsports overall.

From what I have witnessed the street festivals still draw a good cross section of demographics, but ovals are an aging demographic.

Agree. The last USAC show I went to I probably brought down the average age by 10 years, and I'm 61!!

[PenelopePitstop]

Just remember that stereotypes are only useful up to a point.

People like you always say that sort of thing.

[KevMcNJ]

Agree. The last USAC show I went to I probably brought down the average age by 10 years, and I'm 61!!

I was pleased when I went to Bowmay Gray a year or two back. You had little kids running around and many packs of high school aged boys and girls seeing and being seen

But yes the crowd at some short tracks look like the crowd youd probably see at a Crosby, Stills & Nash concert now

[Captain Spyro]

I think it is a fair point to make. I am not a car fan at all. While I may like certain cars and swoon over some (new Viper for instance), I am just not drawn to them. Racing, on the other hand, get my heart pumping.

As for others around me, I rarely hear anything about racing from my peers, co-workers, and family. Even with NASCAR's popularity, it is still fairly niche when compared to the NFL, MLB, NBA, and college sports. When I was in college, it seemed like no one was really into racing at all, outside Formula 1.

While I think racing will be fine for years to come, some series will likely die out eventually. As much as some complain about gimmicks, it has surely helped in F1 it seems.

[Openracer]

I think that's what has changed. When I was a kid and in college and I went to the track (Indycars, IMSA, F1 at Montreal, stock cars) people were into driving and cars. Most people knew a lot about or were interested in driving techniques. Most drove a manual transmission. People were into it.

To me, if you are into driving, you are more connected to the sport and understand it better. You can relate to what the drivers are doing.

Today, it seems like the fans I see could be at a ball game. That's about as connected they are with what's going on, which isn't much. Today people buy SUVs based on how much bigger they are and how many apps. They don't care about or understanding driving. Just what they look like to others.

Younger people also generally don't care about cars, more about apps. There's obvious exceptions, but it really is quite obvious.

I guess times change.