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The 2021 NASCAR season started with a bang after Michael McDowell won the Daytona 500, and Christopher bell's win the following week only furthered that sentiment. In fact, NASCAR had a 2.8 rating during last week's Daytona road course race, and it was the most-watched sporting event that weekend.
While NASCAR seems to be doing relatively well in the ratings, especially after being rained out in their season opener, one has to focus on the reasons why. With that in mind, and the first two races of the season taking place at a Super Speedway and a road course, the answer seems obvious.
It appears NASCAR fans are responding to the new schedule positively, and are more firmly invested in the product. The only problem with that is the fact that the sport is coming up on a month of mile-and-half-tracks that don't always offer the most exciting racing.
NASCAR's "cookie-cutter" problem
Not to say that there aren't moments of excitement, but they seem to be a lot harder to find at the "cookie-cutters", as they are known for being nearly identical in length, banking and shape. That's why the upcoming leg of races will be an interesting test for NASCAR and could decide what they end up doing in the future.
For example, if NASCAR loses ratings during the next month, it may have something to do with these tracks being less interesting to watch. Instead of just lopping Homestead Miami, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Atlanta from the schedule, however, why doesn't NASCAR just manufacturer the excitement they want out of these events?
One way to do that would be to make these races a bit shorter. Although some fans will be upset at there being less action to enjoy, the condensed race could end up being more entertaining to watch. NASCAR could also increase the number of stages to create more points strategy among drivers.
If the Homestead race was shortened to 300 miles and more stages were introduced, it could create a lot of enticing situations. Not only is that evident by the constant thrill of strategy versus speed, but also by how condensed and action-packed it would be.
More cautions, more restarts, more pit strategy, and more excitement should be NASCAR's strategy, which could help carry it to new heights. Now, there are people out there that call this the end of the sport, but that seems more like hyperbole than anything else.
Rule changes are nothing new for NASCAR
The sad truth is that the rules change with the times and the need for certain types of entertainment. That means while NASCAR fans of the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s might be against this, it is a needed evolution for the sport to survive. Keep in mind that at one point, the sport determined their Cup Series champion by miles run during a season.
Again, things change, and so has NASCAR over the course of its existence. That's why they need to embrace the manufactured excitement they have managed to create, and build upon it. Make 1.5-mile track races shorter, increase the number of stages, and continue to play into the gimmick of creating excitement. It could help ease the boredom by a lot.
Those that say this isn't how NASCAR is supposed to be, obviously don't know their history. They don't understand that every sport evolves and can even look vastly different as years go by. At the end of the day, the sport needs to survive, and that's why manufactured excitement might just be the answer.
In the end, there are always going to be fans that hate what NASCAR has become. What they can't do though is discredit the 16 driver, four-round playoff system that has made for some of the best finishes in sports history. It might even be what is keeping the sport alive today.
