Who Watches NASCAR Races?
According to the historians at NASCAR-Info.net, “NASCAR has evolved to a point where racing is no longer a sport for Southern ‘rednecks.’ It has grown from its Southeastern roots to places nationwide.” A recent Gallup poll has shown that 28% of all Americans are full-blooded race fans. Of that group, 38% are women; 53% work in professional, managerial, or skilled labor positions. The median yearly total income of a family of race fans is over $50,000. In addition to the huge crowds who fill the grandstands at the NASCAR tracks, millions more of viewers regularly tune in to the races on network television. The races now seriously compete with football in popularity. Why does this motor sport attract so many spectators? When we posed this question recently in an interview with John R. Calton, retired 35-year”Dirt Track” race driver and owner of Calton’s Used Auto Parts in Elkridge, Maryland, he replied, “It’s the thrill and excitement of it. People come to see them tearing up the cars an
