NASCAR aims to take sport back to its roots as major update emerges

If at first you can’t grow your audience, how about you pay somebody else to do it for you - right NASCAR?

That appears to be the scenario in Charlotte right now as the sport looks to halt slumping TV ratings and the general feeling of discontent among the legacy fanbase.

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While current analysts and fans howl about the Next Gen car and the playoff format, new fans are not joining them in worship on race weekends. Which is a big problem.

While series like F1 have somehow managed to grow at a crazy rate in recent years, NASCAR it appears is contracting. So the folks in Charlotte have decided to bring in outsiders to fix things.

NASCAR hires new creative agency

Per ADWEEK, NASCAR has chosen Los Angeles-based creative agency 72andSunny to head up its efforts to pep up that withering fanbase, after a detailed process which involved asking 11 agencies to pitch for the project.

NASCAR spent an estimated $37million on offline marketing and digital in 2024, so why would this new spend be any different? The early talk is quite interesting.

Zach Hilder, executive creative director for 72andSunny, says his team will not try to take the sport in a new direction, but will instead play up its past to entice in new fans.

“NASCAR is an iconic American brand. Its roots - bootleggers forming a racing league - are so tied to American history. The stories are limitless. We want to make NASCAR felt, not just seen, and turn casual fans into avid fans.”

This plan plays perfectly into what NASCAR believes (rightly or wrongly) is the overriding issue it faces heading towards 2026.

NASCAR on NASCAR's 'problem'

Chief brand officer Tim Clark said: “We don’t have an awareness problem - just a perception problem. It’s time we told our own story, in our own voice.”

He added: “This is about being comfortable in our own skin and telling our story on our terms.”

Is Tim right? Only time will tell, starting from February 2026 when 72andSunny starts to roll out its new NASCAR vision for the Daytona 500 and beyond. We await that with interest…

Hilder hinted at what is to come by revealing: “We’re not changing the DNA of how we show up. It’s just time to lean into it harder.”

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