Fans are leaving NASCAR because the drivers lack personality: Hailie Deegan

Haile Deegan is the only full-time female racer in the NASCAR top 3 series and is among the most marketable NASCAR faces.

Fans are leaving NASCAR because the drivers lack personality: Hailie Deegan

Haile Deegan

Hailie Deegan is the most promising female racer in the Stock car racing scene right now. The ThorSports Truck driver is among the most marketable drivers on the entire NASCAR grid. Deegan is expected to become the next Danica Patrick or better and hopes to contribute to NASCAR’s mission to make the sport more gender inclusive.

 But all these efforts will go to vein if the fans no longer show up, The sport is experiencing a fall in its market share in the young demographic, and the Ford racing star believes it is due to the lack of characters or personalities in the sport, unlike the past. She pointed out that fans are struggling to find drivers they can relate to, which is essential to build a fan following.

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“I feel like generationally, but I feel like what doesn’t help it is the lack of personality is shown. People like to relate to other people, and it’s hard to relate to someone and care about someone’s career if there’s not much there, not much being shown of them, and them saying nothing. So I think that there’s a big lack in that,” she said in Monster Energy’s Unleashed podcast.

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NASCAR witnessed a decent increase in its viewership and race attendance numbers in the 2022 season, which saw the Next-Gen cars debut. But in the 2023 season, they are struggling to sustain the same number in broadcasting while the race attendance number remains pretty solid. The increasing share of F1 in the US motorsports market is also a threat. The sanctioning body has worked on strategies to attract new fans to the sport while keeping the old guards happy.

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Haile Deegan claims that NASCAR driver’s fandom is for life

Hailee Deegan
Haile Deegan

While discussing NASCAR fan engagement and arguing that drivers lack personality, Haile Deegan shared the opinion that NASCAR fans are among the most devoted. She claimed that once someone becomes a fan of drivers, it is a commitment for their whole life.

“I think there are two different points. I feel like drivers, as a driver, you have to want to. In all honesty, NASCAR fans are the most devoted fans, some of the most devoted fans. When they like someone, they are going to stick with that person their whole life,” Deegan said.

“And I feel like what drivers lack though for new fans and, say a dad that was committed to being a Jimmie Johnson fan, well his son now is going to be watching racing a little bit, he could be devoted to being an Alex Bowman fan,” Deegan added.

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