Originally posted by Robcatt24:
I've never been much of a NASCAR fan, but I've worked with several hard core racing fans over the years. Almost 100% of them have stopped following the sport.
These are the type of fans that grew up loving the sport. The type of fans NASCAR can't afford to lose.
Here are the 3 reasons I've heard from these guys as to why they are no longer fans.
1. The death of Dale Earnhardt. Love him or hate him, he was THE face of NASCAR. Earnhardt fans are every bit as devoted as the BBN. It's scary some of fanaticism I've witnessed from fans of the Black 3. His death had a huge negative impact on the sport.
2. Taking races away from the traditional Southern tracks and going to places like Chicago, Las Vegas, Phoenix, etc. Many fans were pissed beyond reason to see places like Rockingham and Darlington lose races.
3. The introduction of Toyota into NASCAR. Believe me, the old guard fanbase went apesh!t when that happened. It doesn't matter how American of a company Toyota is nowadays, the redneck portion of the NASCAR fanbase went ballistic.
Down here where I live, the week leading up to the Bristol races, there would be hundreds of campers, motor homes, RVs, etc. coming through on their way to Bristol. Hell, not sure I saw a single one come through last week.