NASCAR- A Family Sport by David Stargel

There are a lot of sports that are trying to market themselves to a wide variety of audiences. And one of those audiences is "the family market". In this day and time, we don't see too many sports that are really family oriented, but more importantly, that the whole family would enjoy.

NASCAR has always had the reputation of being a family sport. Families seem to love it and can be involved in it together. For once, Mom is not shut out of sports talk. NASCAR estimates that 40% of their fan base is female. Mom has her favorite driver, dad has his favorite and the two have a friendly competition while sharing an interest and hobby. It's an activity you can do with your teenager without him thinking you are totally out of touch and that, as we all know, is priceless! Families can also watch races together on television without fear of inappropriate material searing their young children's eyes. And if you think that it is only something that the "South" loves, you would be surprised to find that 50% of NASCAR fans are "white collar". It has become a sport for all people and all families.

As the NASCAR Circuit has grown and worked to expand their markets and fan base, they have definitely experienced change throughout the years. When Brian France took the helm he made major alterations such as allowing hard liquor companies to sponsor cars and he also decided to drop Winston as a sponsor, effectively sending an "against tobacco" stance. He is the one responsible for dreaming up the Chase for the Cup, which has changed so much about the competition. Now they have brought in international drivers and there is talk of a female driver. But one thing that hasn't changed is that NASCAR wants drivers to be good role models. In October 2005, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. stepped out of line by using a mild curse word in Victory Lane. That action earned him a fine which in the end took him out of the running for the Cup.

Now I'm not saying that NASCAR racing is perfect and "lily white" clean. But in this day of greed, overexposure, loss of family values, and many more challenges, NASCAR seems to be working to keep it something that fans of all ages and all backgrounds can enjoy. As long as they keep that up, they will be successful with the family.

The bottom line is that NASCAR is family fun and that seems to have stayed the same year in and year out. We hope that it stays that way!

Author Resource: David Stargel publishes several golf related websites in addition to writing about all sorts of golf related topics.
Visit NASCAR THINGS!

MOST READ ARTICLES