NASCAR chief hits out at F1 and IndyCar 'competitors' claims

NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps has highlighted the differences between the Cup Series and its feeder competitions versus open-wheel competitions like F1 and IndyCar.

The 62-year-old was named as NASCAR's first ever commissioner earlier this year and has been responsible for overseeing all aspects of the sport, since the beginning of his tenure as the sport's president since 2018.

Apple are expected to take up the baton on F1 in the US market from ESPN, capitalising on Drive to Survive and the new F1 movie, while IndyCar has seen a small but noticeable hike in its viewing figures since its move to Fox.

When asked by Puck if F1 and IndyCar were NASCAR's competitors, Phelps said: "I don’t think so. They’re in a different subset. If you go back five or six years, motorsports was really struggling."

"F1 wasn’t doing very well. IndyCar wasn’t doing very well. We were in a slow, steady decline for about a decade. But since 2019, that’s changed.

"We celebrate F1’s success. We celebrate IndyCar’s success on Fox this year. It’s a positive thing if motorsports is growing. If you consider that we’re the top of the heap of motorsports domestically—and we are, by a wide margin—it’s a good thing."

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NASCAR boss refuses to be threatened by F1's success

Local governments and F1 fans have been clamoring for new race destinations from South Africa to Bangkok, while existing races have reported record ticket sales. For example, this year's British Grand Prix saw a record number of fans attend, with the circuit confirming ticket sales of over 500,000.

However, Phelps remained unfazed by F1's success and instead pointed to NASCAR's accessibility for race fans in the US.

"Our audience isn’t F1’s audience. The crossover is really only 6 percent. IndyCar is probably in the mid-20 percent range. We are different brands. F1 is all about restricted access. Ours is all about accessibility," he said.

"Our fans can stand on pit road, where the cars are. The other part of accessibility really is about the cost to attend a race. Going to an F1 race is incredibly expensive. Fans can get NASCAR race tickets for $30 to $50. Typically, parking is free. Fans can walk in with a cooler filled with their favourite beverages.

"That doesn’t mean that one is better than the other. It just means they’re different, with different audiences and different accessibility. We lean into the Americana that we are."

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