How popular is NASCAR around the world?

[Cryogeneric]

It's obvious that NASCAR is very popular in the United States. It's covered wall to wall and the drivers are national celebrities.

But I have to ask--how popular is NASCAR in other parts of the world? Is it televised? I've always assumed that it was really only popular within the US.

Thanks

[Alfa Fan]

I'd say that on the whole thats a correct assumption. It's very much a minority sport in the UK and Europe. By minority I mean ealy morning highlights on the most downmarket free-to-air channel, and live race coverage on subscription TV in the UK. It's got better in the last 5 years tho, people are becoming more aware of what the "NASCAR" brand is.

[call_me_andrew]

Montoya's enterance has changed things a bit. According to alexa.com, about 10% of NASCAR.com's traffic comes from Colombia now.

[Haulin'AssAndTurnin Left]

NASCAR would be more popular here if they spent some money on promotion. I dont think NASCAR spends a cent on promotion outside north america. Also if they took a little notice of how their product is shown over here. It seems like NASCAR just sells the rights and forgets about it.

For NASCAR to succeed in europe it needs its own local series. Not necessarily an oval based schedule. We have Rockingham (uk) and Lausitzring (germany) the rest could be road courses. But how much would it cost?, I bet it wouldnt be cheap. And to be honest i dont think NASCAR cares.

[Lee Roy]

And to be honest i dont think NASCAR cares.

I agree. And if NASCAR did have any international ambitions in the past, the recent failure of the NASCAR race in Mexico and the current global economic downturn has probably put any plans for expansion outside of the US on the back burner, if not back into the 'fridge.

[jso1985]

Montoya's enterance has changed things a bit. According to alexa.com, about 10% of NASCAR.com's traffic comes from Colombia now.

The sport is certainly more popular now in Colombia, but in the rest of latinamerica(or at least the southern cone) the sport is still behind F1, WRC, MotoGP, Argentine TC-2000 and Turismo Carretera and even IndyCar Racing in terms of popularity

[gary_580]

NASCAR would be more popular here if they spent some money on promotion. I dont think NASCAR spends a cent on promotion outside north america. Also if they took a little notice of how their product is shown over here. It seems like NASCAR just sells the rights and forgets about it.

For NASCAR to succeed in europe it needs its own local series. Not necessarily an oval based schedule. We have Rockingham (uk) and Lausitzring (germany) the rest could be road courses. But how much would it cost?, I bet it wouldnt be cheap. And to be honest i dont think NASCAR cares.

Totally agree, NASCAR doesnt care about Europe and i think that mainly comes from the fact that they will never run a race in europe due to the intense schedule. A bit dumb really as europe could have been a good place to have sold all the cars that will be of no use once the COT gets into NNS

[call_me_andrew]

Forget about running a race in Europe. Think about a feeder series in Europe. First a corporate branch, say NASCAR Europe, would have to be created. Then just purchase and rebadge VSR V8 Trophy.

Of course the economic situation is causing companies to cut advertising which hurts companies that depend on advertising and sponsorship the most.

[Jonesi]

Totally agree, NASCAR doesnt care about Europe and i think that mainly comes from the fact that they will never run a race in europe due to the intense schedule. A bit dumb really as europe could have been a good place to have sold all the cars that will be of no use once the COT gets into NNS

Old NNS (really old Busch) cars aren't really a problem. There's, East, West, Canada, & Mexico Development Series and plenty of local tracks. I think with Canada & Mexico (what happened to the Asian series?) series to grow, (as well as shore up Cup, NW & Truck) it's not that Nascar doesn't care about Europe, but it's down their list a bit. (I also suspect any foray into Europe would cause either major conflict with, or require major payoff to, FIA & Bernie.)

[ShiftingGears]

I assume it's more popular than the IRL here, considering that the IRL isn't broadcast here.
There's Sprint cup highlights, and the nationwide series, so I assume that someone's watching.

[raybak]

Heard a rumour that NASCAR is starting up again at Calder Park Thunderdome near Melbourne, Australia.

Would be interesting if it was like the big days of NASCAR at the Thunderdome when they used to get sellout crowds in the late 80's.

Ray

[colinspooky]

There will never be NASCAR races in Europe - one simple reason - no tracks.

The Rock and Ring just don't just it - they ain't Texas or Atlanta, or Charlotte. So, no races then because there is no money to build the facilities for a race a year.

Now as someone said, we did our own version, then maybe, but that is decades away, because no one will spend money going.

Road courses are soooo boring with these cars.

[Haulin'AssAndTurnin Left]

There will never be NASCAR races in Europe - one simple reason - no tracks.

The Rock and Ring just don't just it - they ain't Texas or Atlanta, or Charlotte. So, no races then because there is no money to build the facilities for a race a year.

Now as someone said, we did our own version, then maybe, but that is decades away, because no one will spend money going.

Road courses are soooo boring with these cars.


I wouldnt say that. Stock cars round Brands Hatch Indy would be amazing. Remember the days of Eurocar?. My dad took me in '98/99 i think and it was by far the best racing i have ever seen at brands.

The UK is crying out for a full blown loud V8 racing series. I think the now long dead SCV8 series would of been huge. In todays current climite launching a new series in europe isnt/shouldnt be on NASCAR's "to do list". And with attendance down i think the France Jr's arrogance and lets face it complete ignorance to what fans want, NASCAR is shooting itself in the foot. He needs to get things in order at home before Promoting the Series abroard. And to be quite frank most Motorsport fans in europe would look at the chase format and tell Mr france where to stick it.

[carracing]

I would say that NASCAR is as popular in other countries as F1 is popular here in the US. They know NASCAR exists - we know F1 exists. They know maybe one or two top NASCAR drivers - we know maybe one or two F1 drivers. Every now and again they might find a NASCAR race on some obscure television channel late at night - and every now and again we might find a F1 race on some obscure channel late at night.

It's a "passing fancy" on both sides - an interest, because it IS racing and most race fans dig all types of racing - but will never be a cross-continental obsession like it is for either fan of their own continent's race series.

I love F1 and wish we could see it more - but truth be told my passion is for NASCAR and other types of stock car/oval track racing. I have a very good friend in the UK who feels the same way about F1 and road course racing. We ask each other - in passing - about the other's sport, but the real passion is at our home tracks.

I like sites like this where all types of racing are discussed and sites like carracing.com where many different types of racing are reported. I would love to learn more about other types of racing and wish I had the opportunity (and the cash) to be able to travel to see them in-person as well. I think others feel the same about North American-based racing too. It would be very cool.

[Robert Ryan]

I just did a 26 day tour of Northern Europe , Scandinavia and Russia. 10 countries in all . Motor sport I saw on TV: F1 race in Singapore and someone falling off a bike in practice at a GP.

[dc10]

I've become a fan of NASCAR since April this year when we took out Sky satellite TV subscription. Most Sprint Cup races are televised here in UK at prime time on Sundays with just one or two being shown after midnight but those are 're-run' during Monday afternoons.
From what I can gather from the Sky commentary team, it now has quite a good following in the UK.
We also watch Indycar on the same channels and that seems to be getting more popular too.

[Mark in Oshawa]

NASCAR has limited or NO interest in anything not in the US. Their foray into Mexico was not very well thought out (customs and security issues made this event a pain in the you know where) and the market there isn't really able to pay the ticket prices needed to make it work.

Canada is finally on their radar ( long overdue really ) with the race in Montreal and their buying up CASCAR. Canada is the most like the US in market and wealth and is easier to access yet until 2006 NASCAR pretty much ignored us. That should say VOLUMES of how cautious the boys in Daytona Beach are. They had a 3 race sojourn to Japan at one point but that was a novelty and I am still trying to figure out if that was Winston's idea or someone with NASCAR had a Japanese mistress.

NASCAR has little standing outside of North America with the odd exception being the JPM army or the hard core stock car fans in the UK but it is a fringe thing. NASCAR doesn't seem to mind this either. One thing is for sure though. If they decide to take the world seriously, look out. NASCAR is like the BORG collective. They saturate the market and pretty much dominate the idea that the only form of racing is stock car racing....THEIRS.

[Jonesi]

snip.. They had a 3 race sojourn to Japan at one point but that was a novelty and I am still trying to figure out if that was Winston's idea or someone with NASCAR had a Japanese mistress...snip

It was probably done to attract the attention of Japanese auto manufacturers. If one had commited imediately there was probably still enough room in the schedule for a regular points event there. By the time Toyota did commit it was far too late since the schedule was more than full. An Autoweek article at the time said GM in particular was very eager to use the races as a showcase to help sell more cars in Asia.

[wedge]

It was probably done to attract the attention of Japanese auto manufacturers. If one had commited imediately there was probably still enough room in the schedule for a regular points event there. By the time Toyota did commit it was far too late since the schedule was more than full. An Autoweek article at the time said GM in particular was very eager to use the races as a showcase to help sell more cars in Asia.

Something to do with Motegi?? They ran Suzuka a couple of times and then ran non-points Cup race at Motegi but then the schedule expanded.

Suzuka was really popular from what I remember at the time. The fans but not the un-Japanese like frenzy that you get with F1.


I just did a 26 day tour of Northern Europe , Scandinavia and Russia. 10 countries in all . Motor sport I saw on TV: F1 race in Singapore and someone falling off a bike in practice at a GP.

I did a tour of Japan a few years ago. I'd thought it was full of motorsport fans. No different to the UK. People generally care more about F1. Moto GP, NASCAR (tape delay) even SuperGT were found on cable.

[slorydn1]

Id pay to see these cars on some of the beautiful European
road courses, especialy the true classics like Spa, or Monza, maybe even Hockenheim (I hate what they did to that beautiful course, they neutered it). The big Nurburgring track would be an absolute hoot in one of these cars.

I could see the following conversation at Spa:

Rookie Driver: Hey Juan, I thought you said u went through Eau Rouge on the mat. Now I gotta go to a back up car!

JPM: NO, I said that I did it in an F1 car, there's no way in hell you could do that in this car!!!!

[wbcobrar]

If you want to see NASCAR on a big bueatiful european (style) road course , wish for them to have a weekend at Road America . I dont see NASCAR ever going to europe . And I dont see NASCAR developing the fan base , or the local drivers to field a series . For every NASCAR series sceduled track , there must be 1000 small local short tracks or dirt ovals where for genarations scores of drivers race there modifieds , sportsmans , latemodels ,etc. hoping to become the next Niel Bonnet , Richard Petty , or Alan Kalwicki . How many ovals are in Europe? I can think of ten within a 45 min drive from my house .

[courageous]

The stars did not align, it could have been very different.

*A real increase in european and/or single seater drivers that have done NASCAR in the past 2 years.

*Sky Sports shows most NASCAR races live or tape delayed (if Indycar clashes, they take it in turns to be live) + a rerun at a sensible time.

*5-7 years ago, ASCAR had quite big name drivers (Plato, McRae, Papis, Collins, Manning, Minassian...)

TV coverage, Local drivers, Ability to go see that sort of race - you need all 3 to make it work.

[courageous]

BARB - Official viewing figures for UK:

DAYTONA 500 - 43,000 (Sky Sports 2) + HD viewers (no data for them)

16th March A1GP Mexico - 39,000 (Sky Sports 3)

27th April NASCAR Talledega - 42,000 (Sky Sports 2)

Indycar INDY 500 - 62,000 (Sky Sports 3)

28th Sep NASCAR Kansas - 31,000 (Sky Sports 3)

5th Oct NASCAR Talledega - 17,000 (Sky Sports Extra - Limited coverage)

11th Oct NASCAR Lowes - 28,000 (Sky Sport Extra - Limited coverage)

[call_me_andrew]

Do you have the numbers for an Indycar race other than the Indy 500?

[courageous]

Only other Indycar figures I can find ( http://www.barb.co.uk )

Nashville 13th July (Sky Sport 2) 30,000
Sonoma 24th Aug (Sky Sport Extra - Limited Coverage) 16,000

So NASCAR does seem to be more popular than the IRL, which supprises me.

[Lee Roy]

So NASCAR does seem to be more popular than the IRL, which supprises me.

It doesn't surprise me.

[willracefan]

of course nascar is more popular than the irl. any motorsport that doesnt air weekly is gonna have problems competing with nascar.

[ShiftingGears]

of course nascar is more popular than the irl. any motorsport that doesnt air weekly is gonna have problems competing with nascar.

The IRL's unpopularity is not because it doesnt race every single week.

[Lee Roy]

The IRL's unpopularity is not because it doesnt race every single week.

Bingo. Formula One doesn't race every weekend and it's more popular than NASCAR.

[jeffmr2]

How popular is nascar in the USA nowadays? I know theres the recession but its impossible not to notice all the empty seats in the stands and there seems to be growing discontentment amongst hardcore fans from what i'm reading on here.Ive only followed nascar since 2003 so have no experience of the good old days but I personally think the season is a little too long,the chase is a waste of time and the fake debris cautions are really annoying.Apart from that i more or less think its an amazing sport.

[Lee Roy]

How popular is nascar in the USA nowadays? I know theres the recession but its impossible not to notice all the empty seats in the stands and there seems to be growing discontentment amongst hardcore fans from what i'm reading on here.Ive only followed nascar since 2003 so have no experience of the good old days but I personally think the season is a little too long,the chase is a waste of time and the fake debris cautions are really annoying.Apart from that i more or less think its an amazing sport.

You may find that there's a difference of opinion on NASCAR between the people who actually attend the races and malcontents on an Internet Forum.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=bm-fansreact110508&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

[call_me_andrew]

How popular is nascar in the USA nowadays?

Going by TV ratings, it's more popular than hockey and basketball, but less popular than baseball and football (and I don't mean soccer).

[Mihai]

In my country people heard of NASCAR thanks to the "Days of Thunder" 1990's movie, that is still being aired about 2 times a year by major national TV stations. Otherwise, NASCAR is virtually unknown, even with Montoya in it. Oh, and Dale who ?

Actually, once every while, the hi-rating evening sports news show images of some Dega-style multiple car pile-up (when occured), ofter reffering to the NASCAR race as a "rally" (as in WRC rallying).

I reckon that there are a coupe of dozen people that can name the Cup reigning champion. I live in a soccer-mad country. :(

[Mark in Oshawa]

One day...Europe just might catch onto NASCAR....but first they have to cleanse their minds of the idea that f1 is actually racing....

As for the IRL being behind NASCAR in Europe, that is part and parcel of the brain dead way OW racing has been ran in the last 15 years...

[Wim_Impreza]

Eurosport stopped the TV-coverage here around October 2002 and since then, there was never NASCAR again. I liked the races and I have 2 PC games from NASCAR, but unfortunately I can't follow now races since 6 years. The last and only things this century in the newspaper here about NASCAR were the dead of Dale Earnhardt sr. (RIP), Jeff Gordon with a Belgian girlfriend and the crash of Montoya in 2007 (?) at Daytona 500. :( NASCAR was never on the Belgian television, motorsport isn't popular here (only motocross).

[Mark in Oshawa]

Slory...you are like me. You love watching these heavy and undertired beasts with all that power fighting and clawing their way around a road course. Alas, the majority of NASCAR fans don't seem to grasp the skill this requires and moan for more races on ovals, which often are so exciting most fans have a nap through the middle of the race...

[steve_spackman]

Going by TV ratings, it's more popular than hockey and basketball, but less popular than baseball and football (and I don't mean soccer).
soccer..is the US term for Football...

[Mark in Oshawa]

How popular is nascar in the USA nowadays? I know theres the recession but its impossible not to notice all the empty seats in the stands and there seems to be growing discontentment amongst hardcore fans from what i'm reading on here.Ive only followed nascar since 2003 so have no experience of the good old days but I personally think the season is a little too long,the chase is a waste of time and the fake debris cautions are really annoying.Apart from that i more or less think its an amazing sport.



Empty seats at racing facilities that have 150000 seats still mean 130000 plus are THERE. Plus you factor in the ratings on TV and I would hardly say NASCAR is suffering. They have levelled out in their popularity but they are not really losing ground.

The Chase is something people are getting used to. Fake debris cautions are actually not fake at all. Usually there is something up there to be picked up, just TV doesn't always show it.

The "Good ole Days" meant you rarely saw anything but the last 20 laps on TV. You saw 1 or 2 cars 2 laps up on the the third place car. You saw maybe 10 cars that could win a lot of weeks. You saw only about 10 teams TRYING to win a championship by racing all the races. You saw 20000 fans at Bristol. You wouldn't see any short track or road course races on TV. You might have to dig through 5 different networks to see the race on tape delay and rarely live assuming you saw more than that last 20 laps.

The good ole days of NASCAR are RIGHT NOW......

[call_me_andrew]

No, the good old days were the 90's. Debris cautions (real or imagined) were few and far between and caution free races were plenty. Three distinct cars raced against each other. TV covered all races and the covering networks were many and diverse.

I suppose a lot of things were better in the 90's.

[trumperZ06]

:dozey: NA$CAR'S pretty much locked into the US market. The cars while BIG & LOUD... don't fit into local markets elsewhere. It's hard for the average foreign fan to identify with the Nascar model... when the majority of them are drivng econobox 4 bangers.

:rolleyes: The COT is causing the same indentity crisis with fans here too, as they don't resemble any of the models coming out of Detroit.

2009 will be a "Telling Year" for Nascar. Track attendance and TV viewers were down considerably in 2008. Now we have fewer teams and drivers are changing rapidly. Sponsors are abandoning Nascar, and the Big Three along with other auto manufacturers are in for at least a tough year or two.

Racing will recover... but probably only after the economy gets back on its feet.

[Mark in Oshawa]

No, the good old days were the 90's. Debris cautions (real or imagined) were few and far between and caution free races were plenty. Three distinct cars raced against each other. TV covered all races and the covering networks were many and diverse.

I suppose a lot of things were better in the 90's.

Andrew...I will grant you this one. When I say the good ole days are now...I am really taking in the last 15 years or so. The distinct cars pretty much were gone by the early 90's when the twisted sister look started to become more apparent.

I do wish the COT was more individual but I must say this season they really put on some decent races at tracks where the old car wasn't putting on good shows. If they could just put on better shows on the 1.5 mile tracks and the 2 milers at Fontana and Michigan, we would be set.

[Haulin'AssAndTurnin Left]

Andrew...I will grant you this one. When I say the good ole days are now...I am really taking in the last 15 years or so. The distinct cars pretty much were gone by the early 90's when the twisted sister look started to become more apparent.

I do wish the COT was more individual but I must say this season they really put on some decent races at tracks where the old car wasn't putting on good shows. If they could just put on better shows on the 1.5 mile tracks and the 2 milers at Fontana and Michigan, we would be set.

Teams will get the handle on these cars sooner rather than later i would think. And when they do i think we'll se a return to some good racing on 1.5. I just wish NASCAR would let them get rid of the bump stops and get back to a more traditional suspension setup thats a little more adjustable and forgiving.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I think the Bump stops are here to stay because under the way the rules are written, to get the ride height the teams need to make the cars handle and NOT wreck the splitter, the bump stops work better than coil binding....

[call_me_andrew]

If NASCAR got rid of the bump stops, they would just go back to coil binding. The end result of keeping the splitter on the ground will stay, the means by which that happens is the only difference.

[Chris Rochester]

Heard a rumour that NASCAR is starting up again at Calder Park Thunderdome near Melbourne, Australia.

Would be interesting if it was like the big days of NASCAR at the Thunderdome when they used to get sellout crowds in the late 80's.

Ray

G'day,this is my first post.I don't know if anyone has ever put any info about Calder Park Thunderdome on here,anyway here is a bit about it,sorry if it has been on here before but too many threads and replies to go through :eek: .
Here is the link anyway.
http://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/stadiums.php?id=26

[colinspooky]

don't they go 'the other way' in Aus? :p

[Chris Rochester]

Only Auscars(Ford and Holden) right hand drive cars went clockwise.

[Allyc85]

Since we got Sky TV ive been watching the re-runs of the ARCA and really gotten into it so will be following NASCAR and ARCA closely in 09.

Everyone else I talk to about it says its boring saying they just go round and round. It is kind of true but since ive been watching ARCA ive noticed how much the cars move about and how the tactics come into play, great stuff :D

[Fred Basset]

Since we got Sky TV ive been watching the re-runs of the ARCA and really gotten into it so will be following NASCAR and ARCA closely in 09.

Everyone else I talk to about it says its boring saying they just go round and round. It is kind of true but since ive been watching ARCA ive noticed how much the cars move about and how the tactics come into play, great stuff :D

"tactics"? :mark: :dog:

[colinspooky]

"tactics"? :mark: :dog:

Fuel, tyres, when to pit, lay back, you know, that sort of thing. Racing stuff.

[colinspooky]

Since we got Sky TV ive been watching the re-runs of the ARCA and really gotten into it so will be following NASCAR and ARCA closely in 09.

Everyone else I talk to about it says its boring saying they just go round and round. It is kind of true but since ive been watching ARCA ive noticed how much the cars move about and how the tactics come into play, great stuff :D


Get a decent PC, and a MOMO wheel and pedals setup, and then play NASCAR 2003, and see just how hard this is. If you think it's easy, you are not going fast enough. Especially in traffic

[Maccoll]

I often think in the UK there might be some sort of hidden agenda with coverage of Motor racing in general. Everything is blinkered towards F1, it's almost like Bernie Eccelston makes sure that none of the other series get decent PR or for that matter proper airing. We still don't have confirmation of any Nationwide on TV for this season!

I love Nascar but I also love ALMS and Moto GP for different reasons. I've seen me walking into a bar where a father and Son have just come back from Silverstone raving about how great there experience was and the barman has said "this guy is into motorsports too" so I mention that I'm following Montoya in Nascar and there like "he was rubbish, what a looser for going to a boring sport" So I like mention he has already had a great career in two other series like Indycar and their like "who's interested". It's almost like they were programmed only to like F1.

I'm also reading Dario Franchitti's book just now and discovering that he might well have become an F1 driver but felt that the car offered to him at the time had no chance of winning whether or not he had the talent so he made the brave move to go to America. The reason this happened was because he raced a season at DTM and Mercedes gave the chance to race for Hogan racing in the CART series. I might also add that there is a perception that he failed in Nascar but most us know that the funding was pulled from his ride.

So back to my point. Basically I don't think Nascar will ever have a chance to become big over here just like other fantastic series like ALMS. I would love to have the speed Channel over here. The pathetic amount of the Rolex Daytona 24hr coverage weget is so well broadcast compared to F1 too with all the info and stats. Thats what I love about American racing because within seconds you know whats going on.

I think I'll just emigrate lol.

[Haulin'AssAndTurnin Left]

I often think in the UK there might be some sort of hidden agenda with coverage of Motor racing in general. Everything is blinkered towards F1, it's almost like Bernie Eccelston makes sure that none of the other series get decent PR or for that matter proper airing. We still don't have confirmation of any Nationwide on TV for this season!

I love Nascar but I also love ALMS and Moto GP for different reasons. I've seen me walking into a bar where a father and Son have just come back from Silverstone raving about how great there experience was and the barman has said "this guy is into motorsports too" so I mention that I'm following Montoya in Nascar and there like "he was rubbish, what a looser for going to a boring sport" So I like mention he has already had a great career in two other series like Indycar and their like "who's interested". It's almost like they were programmed only to like F1.

I'm also reading Dario Franchitti's book just now and discovering that he might well have become an F1 driver but felt that the car offered to him at the time had no chance of winning whether or not he had the talent so he made the brave move to go to America. The reason this happened was because he raced a season at DTM and Mercedes gave the chance to race for Hogan racing in the CART series. I might also add that there is a perception that he failed in Nascar but most us know that the funding was pulled from his ride.

So back to my point. Basically I don't think Nascar will ever have a chance to become big over here just like other fantastic series like ALMS. I would love to have the speed Channel over here. The pathetic amount of the Rolex Daytona 24hr coverage weget is so well broadcast compared to F1 too with all the info and stats. Thats what I love about American racing because within seconds you know whats going on.

I think I'll just emigrate lol.


Fans here just have it pumped into them that F1 is the be all and end all of motorsports. I went to Monza last year for the F1, i had a good time but the experience didnt even come close to Daytona. But talking to alot of the fans, anything out side of F1 was "crap" or "rubbish" or another expletive.

Their just ignorant, and Im generalising here so dont any of you F1 fans that like NASCAR have a pop at me.

[colinspooky]

Fans here just have it pumped into them that F1 is the be all and end all of motorsports.

talking to alot of the fans, anything out side of F1 was "crap" or "rubbish" or another expletive.

Their just ignorant, and Im generalising


Sigh.... :rolleyes: Have to agree with that. I like a bit of F1, and I enjoy NASCAR because it is close and very fast (at the fast tracks). But mostly because it is close. I used to play NASCAR 2003 A LOT and used to come out of online races exhausted because it needed so much concentration.
Those that say it's boring confuse me. Stand on the inside of turn 1 at Charlotte and tell me that when the field goes by. God I wish I was going to a race this year.
:mad:

[Rusty Spanner]

I don't think Nascar is really all that interested in an international audience outside of the americas. They pay lip-service to it and if there is some easy money to be had they'll happily collect but they don't seem to want to put any effort in.

[DazzlaF1]

I don't think Nascar is really all that interested in an international audience outside of the americas. They pay lip-service to it and if there is some easy money to be had they'll happily collect but they don't seem to want to put any effort in.

I agree, outside the US, its F1 thats pretty much seen as the most popular form of motorsport, but i agree with some of the others here that NASCAR is beginning to get a good following over here, close racing is one reason, another is Montoya's defection to the series and also the fact its a 36 race season, more races, more often.

Also for us in the UK, we have a good choice on terrestrial telly, either F1 or MotoGP on the BBC or (growing in popularity again) the BTCC on ITV, plus we've got A1 Grand Prix, NASCAR and IndyCars on SKY Satellite and those are pretty much the mass audiences get to watch over here.

[Mark in Oshawa]

To those of you in Europe, I say get used to watching from Afar. NASCAR doesn't seem to really care about the international market. It took them until 2005 to figure out there was enough fans in Canada to make having a race up here doable, and even then they failed to grasp that they would actually sell it out. The NASCAR Nationwide event in Montreal will likely outdraw some of the Cup events this year and it is for the second rung of NASCAR. What is more, those fans are paying more for their tickets than most of the fans in some tracks in parts of the US for the same series (one level below the Cup cars). Now if NASCAR is surprised by all of this and overwhelmed that someone in CANADA could actually watch their series and pay for the priviledge, it says two things:

1) they never have grasped there is a market out there for this sport and they have not thought about it or 2) they know now and they may exploit it in Europe some day also.

It has never been really in their corporate mindset to pay any attention to overseas fans. Canadian racing culture has as much stock car racing in its roots as some parts of the US and oval track racing isn't new to us. Yet they ignored our market for the most part in the modern era despite having Canadians compete on and off most of the history of NASCAR. I think if they are so insular to ignore the obvious right on their doorstep, the hopes of seeing NASCAR anywhere but on TV in Europe is just a dream.

For those fans in Europe who don't get oval racing, that is fine...go watch your parade that Bernie overcharges you for year after year. No one really minds. I love road racing and sportscar racing as much as I love NASCAR but I have never been negative about racing on ovals. Oval racing is a discipline that is every bit as hard and techinical as setting up cars for a road course but in the case of NASCAR in particular, the strategies of adjusting to the changing conditions and altering the pit strategy make the racing enter dimensions you don't see in f1 or sportscars. Furthermore, for anyone to say they are just going fast and turning left and that requires no skill should note that the very skilled Juan Pablo Montoya has yet to win on an oval yet he had won in f1. If oval racing is easy, ask Juan why he hasn't won yet.....since we all know F1 drivers are so good right?????

[Haulin'AssAndTurnin Left]

To those of you in Europe, I say get used to watching from Afar. NASCAR doesn't seem to really care about the international market. It took them until 2005 to figure out there was enough fans in Canada to make having a race up here doable, and even then they failed to grasp that they would actually sell it out. The NASCAR Nationwide event in Montreal will likely outdraw some of the Cup events this year and it is for the second rung of NASCAR. What is more, those fans are paying more for their tickets than most of the fans in some tracks in parts of the US for the same series (one level below the Cup cars). Now if NASCAR is surprised by all of this and overwhelmed that someone in CANADA could actually watch their series and pay for the priviledge, it says two things:

1) they never have grasped there is a market out there for this sport and they have not thought about it or 2) they know now and they may exploit it in Europe some day also.

It has never been really in their corporate mindset to pay any attention to overseas fans. Canadian racing culture has as much stock car racing in its roots as some parts of the US and oval track racing isn't new to us. Yet they ignored our market for the most part in the modern era despite having Canadians compete on and off most of the history of NASCAR. I think if they are so insular to ignore the obvious right on their doorstep, the hopes of seeing NASCAR anywhere but on TV in Europe is just a dream.

For those fans in Europe who don't get oval racing, that is fine...go watch your parade that Bernie overcharges you for year after year. No one really minds. I love road racing and sportscar racing as much as I love NASCAR but I have never been negative about racing on ovals. Oval racing is a discipline that is every bit as hard and techinical as setting up cars for a road course but in the case of NASCAR in particular, the strategies of adjusting to the changing conditions and altering the pit strategy make the racing enter dimensions you don't see in f1 or sportscars. Furthermore, for anyone to say they are just going fast and turning left and that requires no skill should note that the very skilled Juan Pablo Montoya has yet to win on an oval yet he had won in f1. If oval racing is easy, ask Juan why he hasn't won yet.....since we all know F1 drivers are so good right?????


I agree with you on all counts there mate, Us in europe aint even on NASCARs radar.

And as far as im concerned that suits me just fine. i dont want the series to become international. What really got me into the sport was the fact that the series is very american.

A local series would be cool but it aint gonna happen anytime soon thats for sure.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Haulin....I saw some of the races from the UK series on Speed once from Rockingham. It didn't seem like a bad series but comparable maybe to the Camping World series for level of talent and quality of field. Maybe ARCA.

I don't think NASCAR style racing will ever really disappear off Europe's radar but you are right in saying it likely wont ever take off either. As for it being American, well I would like to see a little more international flavour, such as a few of my fellow Canadians keeping regular rides. Stock Car racing is big in Southern Ontario and in Eastern Canada and the number of short track aces that have not been able to find a way south is pretty large. Lately though the rungs of the ladder have been there for guys to get opportunties and that is all a fan up here could ask for.

Still, the idea of a guy like Nigel Mansell racing in NASCAR would have just been MASSIVE if he had come to the US in the 90's to race NASCAR.

[wbcobrar]

In America NASCAR has a hard enough time competing with lord football (not soccer),baseball,basketball etc..and is doing a damn good job of it . motorsports in the U.S.A. is rarly covered in any debth by "sports" stations be they TV or radio. Any cash extended to expand beyond our borders is cash not spent competing with stick and ball sports here.

[Mark in Oshawa]

NASCAR I think is still to a certain extent an underground sport. Most of the mainstream media pay lip service to it but don't really understand it.

[NoahsGirl]

In Europe, NASCAR is looked down upon - see Jenson Button's quote after JPM left McLaren. Quite frankly, these people are wrong, it is a lot harder than "just turning left". I will admit I started to watch NASCAR because of a) Juan Pablo Montoya and b) there was nothing else on TV that night and i ignorantly thought of it as "the closest thing to racing on TV".

I'm now hooked on NASCAR and whilst I won't pretend to be an expert, i thoroughly enjoy it.

The Frances' missed a trick in promoting NASCAR in Europe on the back of Montoya and Franchitti's participation. In these tough times, surely getting a non-stereotypical view of NASCAR would be prudent?

[millencolin]

Nascar is not overly popular, but it gets semi-decent coverage. due to the Ambrose factor, its now on a Free-to-air station on a week delayed basis, and on pay tv live. Thats better than IRL coverage atm (which is nil), but without Team Australia, I dont think many people would care.

But its far far FAR behind V8supercars, Formula One, MotoGp, SBK and possibly A1gp

[Haulin'AssAndTurnin Left]

Nascar is not overly popular, but it gets semi-decent coverage. due to the Ambrose factor, its now on a Free-to-air station on a week delayed basis, and on pay tv live. Thats better than IRL coverage atm (which is nil), but without Team Australia, I dont think many people would care.

But its far far FAR behind V8supercars, Formula One, MotoGp, SBK and possibly A1gp

Your lucky buggers to have V8Supercars. I would kill for a series like that in the UK.

[muggle not]

So, all of you flying the non-U.S. flags, what brings you to Nascar since it is obviously not very popular in your Country?

[RaceFanStan]

To tell the truth I don't care how popular NASCAR is outside the USA ...
I do know that there are NASCAR fans outside the USA & they are welcome ...
I like NASCAR best of all the motorsports & that is all that really matters to me. :D

[wedge]

So, all of you flying the non-U.S. flags, what brings you to Nascar since it is obviously not very popular in your Country?

Mainly due to Days of Thunder and satellite/cable TV but generally because we're petrolheads and love racing. It's like exploring and learning a whole new culture and history.

That's why NASCAR will never full succeed outside North America. It's so unique, because the rest of the world moved away from ovals/speed bowls decades ago and to the point domestic racing saloons/GTs are heavily marketed within their unique markets eg. Super GTs in Japan, Touring Cars in Europe, V8s in Australia.