NASCAR: Kyle Larson's Kansas win in front of a bunch of empty seats exemplifies NASCAR's fundamental problem
Kyle Larson's win at Kansas Speedway in front of a sparse crowd was a great example of the fundamental problem NASCAR faces as it navigates the 2020s and beyond.
To be clear, that problem has nothing to do with Larson's excellence overall and his dominance on Sunday. He won all three stages and clearly had the fastest car, though there was a bit of drama on the final lap. Larson's car slowed abruptly on the final lap as he nursed it to the finish line less than a second ahead of Christopher Bell. Had the race been 268 laps and not 267, Larson may not have been the winner.
Advertisement
Instead, the problem was with just how few people were in attendance to watch Larson get his second straight spring win at Kansas. After years of sellouts in the 2000s and 2010s, the grandstands on Sunday were roughly half-full. People had ample room to spread out and if you looked closely, you could roughly see how the seats in the middle spell out 'Kansas Speedway.'
Kansas is the best track in NASCAR. The 1.5-mile oval's asphalt has aged exceptionally with the rough-and-tumble midwest winters for great tire wear and the progressive banking creates multiple racing lanes. It's a three-lane track on its worst days and can produce four and even five-wide racing immediately after restarts.
Just a year ago, Larson beat Chris Buescher in the closest finish in NASCAR history. Larson won the race by 0.001 seconds after the immediate timing and scoring loops showed that Buescher had crossed the finish line first.
Yes, the close finish was the product of a restart with two laps to go, but it was a fitting way to describe just how good the racing has been at Kansas. If the track was located a few hundred miles south, it'd be a no-brainer candidate to host a championship race in early November when NASCAR starts rotating the site of its title races after the 2026 season.
Advertisement
But will fans show up even if Kansas did get a title race?
Marketing the best track in NASCAR should be easy. Yes, Sunday's race was held on Mother's Day and high school graduation season is upon us in Kansas City. But the local buildup to the race was nearly non-existent. NASCAR weekends were big-time events in this city for years. They've felt like an afterthought recently.
That can't be only a Kansas City problem, either. NASCAR has heavily cut back on its public relations departments in recent years in the name of cost savings. It's hard not to see a correlation between those cuts and a lack of promotion.
Advertisement
NASCAR still can tout itself as the top motorsport in the United States. A week ago, the Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway went head-to-head with the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. The Cup race got more TV viewers than the Miami Grand Prix on ABC did even though the NASCAR race was on Fox Sports 1. But the F1 race easily won the coveted 18-49-year-old demographic in both total number and share. Over a third of the F1 viewers were in that age range. Less than 20% of NASCAR's viewers were.
It's still hyperbolic to say that NASCAR is facing an existential crisis. TV ratings for the Cup Series have stabilized after years of declines and NASCAR is in the first year of its new TV deal. But it's also fair to say that NASCAR has little hope of getting back to the heights it experienced 20 years ago. If NASCAR can't come close to filling the grandstands for its best product, how can it say that everything is OK?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
26 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
‘He just finds a way': Panthers' Brad Marchand, at 37, has another big playoff moment
Anton Lundell retrieved the puck on the left side of the defensive zone midway through double overtime, took a couple strides and saw Brad Marchand streaking toward the neutral zone uncontested. 'He's a fast guy,' Lundell said. 'I saw him open. I just tried to give him the puck.' Once Marchand got the puck on his stick, he was off to the races. He charged down the ice, pushing toward the net on a breakaway. As he prepared to take his shot, Marchand felt a backcheck from Leon Draisaitl, trying to stymie the attempt and keep the game alive. Marchand adjusted on the fly. He moved the puck to his backhand and flicked it past Stuart Skinner. Marchand, at 37 years old, is the hero once again. His second goal of the game sealed the Florida Panthers' 5-4 double overtime victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Friday in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, a win that leveled the best-of-7 series at 1-1 as it now shifts to South Florida for the next two games. Marchand leapt in the air before being mobbed by his teammates as the euphoria of the win took over. 'Pure excitement and adrenaline for the whole group,' Marchand said. 'It's obviously a very important game for our team. We all knew we were one shot away, and luckily it went our way. You can tell the excitement that we had in that moment for sure.' Marchand has had his share of big moments in the playoffs throughout his career. He had 13 postseason game-winners, including three in overtime, during his first 15 seasons with the Boston Bruins before being traded to the Panthers in March. On this run into the Stanley Cup Final, on this chance for Marchand to win the Cup for the second time in his career, he has seven goals, 17 points and a pair of overtime winners. Three of his seven goals have come in the first two games of this Stanley Cup Final series, giving him 10 in his career — the most among active players and making him one of just 37 players in NHL history with double-digit goals in the Stanley Cup Final in his career. 'He enjoys the moment,' forward Evan Rodrigues said. 'He doesn't shy away from it. He's not worried about making a mistake, per se. He goes out there, he competes and he lives and dies by his game. He's done a great job for us, and we'll need him to continue to do that.' Added defenseman Nate Schmidt: 'He just finds a way. He did a great job throughout the game, finding open ice around their net, and I think he just, I dunno, just shoved a pitchfork or however he gets it in there. We'll take it.' They'll take everything Marchand has to offer. Obviously his production on the ice has been critical as Florida attempts to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. But what he provides off the ice is just as critical. He's vocal. He's brash. He's authentic. 'Brad's an honest man, and that's why he fits in our room,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. 'He loves the game. He loves the people around him. He's very open, very gregarious, so he just fits right in. He's completely accepted. An incredibly positive human being. He's up and down our bench all the time just pumping tires, stay in the fight. He is going to be the same way at breakfast tomorrow morning. He's just going to be jacked, high-fiving everybody at the table.' And he's defying the clock while he does it. At the ripe age of 37 years and 26 days old, Marchand became the fourth-oldest player in NHL history to score an overtime goal in the Stanley Cup Final, behind Igor Larionov (41 years, 187 days; Game 3 in 2002), Steve Thomas (39 years, 322 days; Game 4 in 2003) and Ron Francis (39 years, 95 days; Game 1 in 2002). He plays with the joy and youthful exuberance of the rookie who has the experience of a veteran who has seen 1,276 NHL games between the regular season and the playoffs. 'He could play till he's 47 the way he's going,' star Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk said. 'Unreal player, unreal competitor. He's scored, when you think about it, two of our biggest goals than playoffs so far. Hopefully he can keep it going.' Marchand's goals — he also scored on a shorthanded breakaway in the second period — helped give the Panthers life in this series after it almost slipped away from them again. Florida saw a two-goal lead in Game 1 slip away when it gave up a goal in the second, another in the third and lost with 31 seconds left in the first overtime. In Game 2 on Friday, the Panthers led 4-3 after two periods — overcoming a wild, five-goal first period after which they trailed 3-2 by scoring twice in the second — and was in control for most of the third period until Corey Perry scored with 17.8 seconds left to tie it and force overtime for a second consecutive game. 'Obviously you're disappointed they tied it up like that, but the emotion on the bench and in the room after the third, we've always had a very calm team,' Marchand said. 'I think you draw from your experiences. We do a really good job of focusing on the moment. A lot of guys have been through big moments, and we have a lot of really good leaders on this team, so you just try to draw on that. It didn't seem like there's any panic. There's a good feeling in the room. It doesn't faze guys. You can't let it this time of year.' Florida didn't. It weathered through the first overtime, one in which Edmonton had a 13-8 edge in shots on goal and waited for its opportunity to strike. It came 8:55 into the second overtime, with Marchand's breakaway ending the game and tying the series. 'It's just a huge play at a huge time and he's been incredible for us this whole playoffs,' center Sam Bennett said. 'He's scoring massive goals at massive times. That one was definitely the biggest.'
San Francisco Chronicle
38 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Stanley Cup Final for old men: Brad Marchand and Corey Perry shine on hockey's biggest stage
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Brad Marchand and Corey Perry are by far the oldest players in the Stanley Cup Final. Marchand just turned 37 last month, and Perry is 40. Naturally, they combined for a third of the goals in Game 2 on Friday night, showing this is indeed a Cup final for old men, not for the earth but certainly in hockey. Marchand scored his second of the game to win it in double overtime for the Florida Panthers after Perry got the latest tying goal in the history of the final in the waning moments of regulation to give the Edmonton Oilers hope. "You saying he's old, or what?" teammate Seth Jones said of Marchand. 'I'm going to tell him you said that. He's a dog. He's a gamer. He's a competitor. He brings so much energy to our team on and off the ice.' Where does that energy come from to play 22 important minutes? Anton Lundell hopes it comes from him and fellow linemate Eetu Luostarinen, the pups keeping an older dog like Marchand feeling young. 'He likes to spend time and be around us,' said Lundell, who set up each of Marchand's breakaway goals. "He's in great shape, and it seems like nothing is stopping him.' Marchand is not slowing down in his 16th NHL season and 13th playoff run, the first away from the Boston Bruins. He is in the final for a fourth time, this one 14 years removed from his first when he and Boston also faced a Canadian team, the Vancouver Canucks, and won the Cup to keep the country's title drought going. His two-goal game came on the anniversary of scoring short-handed on Roberto Luongo in the 2011 final. Luongo now works for the Panthers in their front office and posted on social media after the game, 'Favorite player of all time.' "Lu is awesome," said Marchand, whose 10 goals in the final are the most among active players, one more than Perry. "Happy to be on his team.' Perry even longer ago helped beat a Canadian team in the final when he and Anaheim defeated Ottawa in 2007. He's playing for the Cup for a sixth time in his career and for the fourth time over the past five years and is still producing at important moments. His tying goal with 17.8 seconds on the clock in the third period was just the latest example. 'Determination, finding a way to find the puck and then obviously putting it in the net. He's got a skill for that,' Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'Knowing in the playoffs it's hard to score and you need guys around the net and finding ways, he's as good as anybody finding ways to score.' Plenty of folks might be surprised to see Marchand and Perry doing this at their advanced ages. Paul Maurice, who has coached more games than anyone in NHL history except for Scotty Bowman, is not one of them. Maurice credits rule changes coming out of the 2004-05 lockout and sports science around the league for paving the way for players to contributed later into their 30s and even 40s. 'I think we're coming into an age of that,' Maurice said. "A tremendous amount of care for the players, whether that's the meals that they eat, how we travel — there's a lot of money that goes into allowing these players to play. The old guys and the young guys benefit from the rule change, and they're better fit, conditioned athletes over their entire lives.' Marchand has his own routine, one that goes beyond the Dairy Queen Blizzard jokes that keep swirling around him this playoffs. He rode a stationary bike before overtime, something he likes to do after most periods. 'You're trying to keep your legs going in overtime," Marchand said. 'Keep them feeling good.' The Panthers are feeling good after acquiring Marchand at the deadline from Boston and unleashing him for goals in Game 2 that tied the series. Winger Matthew Tkachuk thinks Marchand scored two of their biggest goals during this run, aging like a fine wine. 'Hopefully he can keep it going,' Tkachuk said. Unreal player, unreal competitor. ... 'He could play till he's 47 the way he's going.' ___
Fox Sports
44 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Stanley Cup Final for old men: Brad Marchand and Corey Perry shine on hockey's biggest stage
Associated Press EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Brad Marchand and Corey Perry are by far the oldest players in the Stanley Cup Final. Marchand just turned 37 last month, and Perry is 40. Naturally, they combined for a third of the goals in Game 2 on Friday night, showing this is indeed a Cup final for old men, not for the earth but certainly in hockey. Marchand scored his second of the game to win it in double overtime for the Florida Panthers after Perry got the latest tying goal in the history of the final in the waning moments of regulation to give the Edmonton Oilers hope. "You saying he's old, or what?" teammate Seth Jones said of Marchand. 'I'm going to tell him you said that. He's a dog. He's a gamer. He's a competitor. He brings so much energy to our team on and off the ice.' Where does that energy come from to play 22 important minutes? Anton Lundell hopes it comes from him and fellow linemate Eetu Luostarinen, the pups keeping an older dog like Marchand feeling young. 'He likes to spend time and be around us,' said Lundell, who set up each of Marchand's breakaway goals. "He's in great shape, and it seems like nothing is stopping him.' Marchand is not slowing down in his 16th NHL season and 13th playoff run, the first away from the Boston Bruins. He is in the final for a fourth time, this one 14 years removed from his first when he and Boston also faced a Canadian team, the Vancouver Canucks, and won the Cup to keep the country's title drought going. His two-goal game came on the anniversary of scoring short-handed on Roberto Luongo in the 2011 final. Luongo now works for the Panthers in their front office and posted on social media after the game, 'Favorite player of all time.' "Lu is awesome," said Marchand, whose 10 goals in the final are the most among active players, one more than Perry. "Happy to be on his team.' Perry even longer ago helped beat a Canadian team in the final when he and Anaheim defeated Ottawa in 2007. He's playing for the Cup for a sixth time in his career and for the fourth time over the past five years and is still producing at important moments. His tying goal with 17.8 seconds on the clock in the third period was just the latest example. 'Determination, finding a way to find the puck and then obviously putting it in the net. He's got a skill for that,' Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'Knowing in the playoffs it's hard to score and you need guys around the net and finding ways, he's as good as anybody finding ways to score.' Plenty of folks might be surprised to see Marchand and Perry doing this at their advanced ages. Paul Maurice, who has coached more games than anyone in NHL history except for Scotty Bowman, is not one of them. Maurice credits rule changes coming out of the 2004-05 lockout and sports science around the league for paving the way for players to contributed later into their 30s and even 40s. 'I think we're coming into an age of that,' Maurice said. "A tremendous amount of care for the players, whether that's the meals that they eat, how we travel — there's a lot of money that goes into allowing these players to play. The old guys and the young guys benefit from the rule change, and they're better fit, conditioned athletes over their entire lives.' Marchand has his own routine, one that goes beyond the Dairy Queen Blizzard jokes that keep swirling around him this playoffs. He rode a stationary bike before overtime, something he likes to do after most periods. 'You're trying to keep your legs going in overtime," Marchand said. 'Keep them feeling good.' The Panthers are feeling good after acquiring Marchand at the deadline from Boston and unleashing him for goals in Game 2 that tied the series. Winger Matthew Tkachuk thinks Marchand scored two of their biggest goals during this run, aging like a fine wine. 'Hopefully he can keep it going,' Tkachuk said. Unreal player, unreal competitor. ... 'He could play till he's 47 the way he's going.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and recommended
