Kyle Busch admits NASCAR failed to “transition” die-hard fans of the 90’s to supporters of modern-day racers

Kyle Busch details the issues with star power in NASCAR.

Kyle Busch admits NASCAR failed to “transition” die-hard fans of the 90’s to supporters of modern-day racers

Kyle Busch (Via IMAGO)

NASCAR has long been working to get the sport back to the level it was once in it’s peak years. But they haven’t been able to tap into the masses as they used to, mainly because the fact the sport doesn’t have the same star power in drivers. Recently two times NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Busch has highlighted another factor that has contributed to the decline in fan size.

He pointed out that throughout the 90’s NASCAR has die-hard fans of the sport. They were either fans of racing or big dans of legendary drivers of the sport such as Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt or Rusty Wallace. Their flair and the drama they created on the track was able to attract a lot eyes to the sport.

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But according to Kyle Busch as the sport evolved, it became a different world. NASCAR wasn’t able to keep hold of the legacy fans. They were able to make them transition into the fans of current generation of racers including the likes of Willaim Byron.

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I’m not sure what it is, but you have the die-hard fans of NASCAR, of Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Terry Labonte, Mark Martin, Harry Gant … you name it — guys from the ‘90s, mid-90s, late-90s, all of that. Our world now, today, of 2024, is a lot different fan base that’s following along. I don’t feel like we were able to transition a lot of the fans that were fans of those drivers into a William Byron fan, into a Kyle fan or whoever.
Kyle Busch told the Kansas City Star.

Kyle Busch claims drivers star power gets sport it’s fans

While talking further about the die-hard fans slipping away, he pointed out that through out the sports history it has been the star power of drivers that has brough in attention to the sport. But now they are struggling to market current generation of racers on the same level.

Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson
Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson (Credits: IMAGO)
They kind of all probably went away, just stopped following as much. Which is hard to say because honestly, when you look at NASCAR, the fans love the drivers. The driver star power, that’s what brings people to the racetrack, is the drivers.
Kyle Busch said.

NASCAR was kind of slow to adapt to the world of digital media and streaming. This put the sport in a tough situation as they now have to make decision, that won’t sit well with the old fans for a sustainable future and to attract new fans.

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