NASCAR has a star problem.
The topic has become a hot topic of conversation recently, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. entered the discussion this week. He weighed in on the issue, suggesting that teams and drivers are to blame for the lack of star power, and offered a familiar solution that will help bring drivers back into the mainstream.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was active in increasing his fame
During his racing career, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was not a NASCAR star. He was a sports celebrity. He hasn’t limited himself to publications or broadcasts specific to NASCAR. Instead, he appeared in mainstream national publications like Playboy and Rolling Stone.
“I loved MTV. I loved Rolling Stone. I love music,” Earnhardt told NBC why he included the 2000 Rolling Stone article about him in his Hall of Fame case. “I wanted this audience to know me. So the Rolling Stone article, for me, was the one that kind of took me out of the NASCAR bubble.
But Junior wasn’t alone. His father preceded him on the big stage, making appearances on Tonight’s show And Late Night with David Letterman.
Jeff Gordon also got in on the action, appearing on Saturday Night Live.
Jeff Gordon gives his opinion on sports stars
Speaking of Gordon, the four-time Cup Series champion recently made headlines for his remarks during an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and how he considered Denny Hamlin a “distraction” and “too controversial.” . He stressed that he did not want Hendrick Motorsports drivers to behave this way. The HMS vice president suggested other ways for his drivers to attract attention. It was the same business model that had worked for him and others in the past.
“Again, I want other guys in the sport to do things like that. If they come to Hendrick Motorsports – and you can call us stiff. You can call us whatever you want,” Gordon said. “But we run a business, and a business is all about winning races, taking care of your sponsors and letting them market you. Let the sport determine how to market you. Build your brand through who you are on social media and be your best self.
Brad Keselowski notes how much the landscape has changed
Last week, Gordon attended the Racers Forum at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which included panel discussions with key stakeholders on the state of the motorsports industry. Driver and team co-owner Brad Keselowski joined Gordon on a panel on growing the fan base.
The 2012 Cup Series champion spoke about star power in sports and suggested the old sponsor-driven model of promotion wasn’t as relevant in today’s business landscape. Gordon mentioned that teams don’t necessarily want to take on this responsibility because it can be a risky investment.
“Right now there’s not a very good return on investment for teams – it takes a long time to invest in driver power unless you have some inherent – you think of Chase Elliott , which had the ability to build off a name and a brand, but most drivers don’t do that,” Keselowski said, according to Race America.
“It requires a significant investment on someone’s part. In the past, it was the partners. I look at a guy like Rusty Wallace, and you look at the Miller Beer company and what they’ve done for him to build his brand. This represented a large investment over many years. Same with Jeff and DuPont. He’s certainly earned it with the wins that come with it, and these two connect into something very powerful. I think our partners are less willing to do this than they were in years past, which really puts a heavy burden on the team. And I think it’s a huge burden on them, and at that point, if a driver leaves, it’s a big loss on that investment, which isn’t huge. And they get no lasting value from it.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Blames Lack of Star Power, Offers Ideas for Resolution
This week on his Dale Jr.Download podcast, Earnhardt spoke at length about the star power of NASCAR with co-host Mike Davis. Their conversation touched on the past, the present, and what could help improve star power in the future.
“I don’t think Brad, as an owner, should feel responsible for spending money, investing in creating a star,” Earnhardt said. “I think he should ask these partners to do what they can and use this pilot as much as possible. That this driver is at their disposal. You put your name on this car; I will arrange for my driver to go where you need him. And if it can actually help get it in front of more people, whether it’s a national media spot or attending their national sales convention in front of 10,000 of their employees, it doesn’t matter, n ‘is this not ? I need you to tell me, and it’s yours.
Earnhardt cites his own experiences as an example. Davis, like Keselowski, highlighted how there has been a change in the way public relations is handled. It’s now internal and managed by the teams, which can sometimes be a problem.
“Because what happens when it’s controlled by the race team, the driver can start to manipulate things a little bit,” Earnhardt said.
“Thank you,” Davis agreed. “And that’s what happened.”
“And now the driver says, ‘Yeah, I’m not available,'” the NBC analyst said.
Earnhardt and Davis agreed that to prevent the driver from “manipulating” the situation, a conversation needs to take place where the responsibility for the promotion rests with the sponsors, with NASCAR’s blessing on said promotion as was the case at the time. .
“I mean, I think that should be a better way of working because the sponsors are the ones who really have the best media connections, right? To the magazines,” Earnhardt said.
This is an ongoing debate that has no simple solution. But it is a solution that must be found as soon as possible because the future of the sport and its growth depend on it.
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