NASCAR hopes new fans join the sport in push for equality

This is NASCAR in 2020: An opening weekend that h a visit from president and a death-defying crash . A pandemic-forced hiatus that drove virtual racing popularity boom. Empty grandstands. And suddenly, perhaps surprisingly, a prominent role in push for racial equality . All with second half of this unusual season still to race.

stock car series was a pleasant diversion when it resumed in May, for a while only rth American sport to brocast a live product each week on national television. Even without fans in early going, racing was back.

past two weeks have been something else entirely: NASCAR has been dominated by matters of race and racism , t unlike nation as a whole. Those empty stands did more than put a hearty dent in bottom line as tracks open for business: y have temporarily staved off some difficult challenges when fans return, including any enforcement of series’ new ban on Confederate flag.

“That is t something that’s going to be accomplished overnight,” said former NASCAR consultant Ramsey Poston, w president of communications firm Tuckahoe Strategies. “ sport will want to look forward to how y continue to invest in things like Drive for Diversity program. How do y attract new fans to sport? How do y continue ir effort to diversify ir sport from track to executive suite?

“I kw sponsors in sport are er for this to happen,” Poston said. “y can work toger with partners and ir sponsors to make this a reality.”

NASCAR will eventually have to wrestle with whatever heaches are caused by stubborn Confederate flag holdouts once gates are again open to all fans. y could get a taste of things next month when 30,000 fans will be allowed at All-Star race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.

But at least cash will flow n in a sport in desperate need of it. At Poco Raceway this weekend, fans are again barred from attending, putting a severe crimp on balance sheet without hard-core base on hand to splurge on tickets, food, drinks and merchandise.

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TV money can sustain a track even without fans lining up for $16 beers. Race hosts receive 65% of NASCAR’s $8.2 billion, 10-year television pack and that accounts for most of what tracks bring in.

For example, Dover International Speedway is a publicly tred company and filings showed its two NASCAR weekends in 2019 me about $24 million -- after prize money was subtracted -- with missions providing just under $5 million and sponsorships, concessions and merchandise sales topping $6.5 million.

“Sixty to 70% of our revenue is being driven by our brocast fees and I’m guessing that or venues would probably be in same situation as we are,” Dover International Speedway Inc. President and CEO Michael Tatoian said.

Still, without fans, re’s juice to weekend and re are few sights in sports as depressing as a half-empty NASCAR track on race day. Scores of tracks over last few years have ripped out seats and downsized as NASCAR’s popularity waned.

Tracks lose more than beer money with an empty facility. re are lost chances for data collection and marketing and sponsorship opportunities dry up. re is, of course, savings on operations and logistics.

As long as TV money can prop up series, NASCAR will get by, even as it goes through this season without a title sponsor.

potential of what’s ahe came Monday when a small number of Black fans rushed fence and cheered for Wallace after he finished at Tallega. If last fans from a bygone era refuse to come to track, NASCAR must hope a new, diverse generation is set to blossom and connect with sport. Much in way it took death of Dale Earnhardt to spark meaningful changes in driver safety, events of last few weeks could help NASCAR strike during national reckoning over racism and emerge a leer in diversity.

“I think we need to encour more fan participation, which I think will be a lot easier to do, seeing how we don’t have Confederate flag and those s of things in our mix,” said Br Daugherty, lone black owner in Cup Series. “I’ve always talked more bringing more young kids of color to race track. Letting m come, see, touch, be around se race cars. I think as NASCAR continues to evolve as a sport, a company and a culture, just having more opportunity and more access to sport is what it’s truly about.”