Is NASCAR So Back Now?

1. Maybe NASCAR Has Some Momentum (for Now) After Atlanta

Do you spend any time around older kids or younger adults? If so, you’ve probably heard someone say “we’re so back” at some point.

The phrase itself, not to mention memes around it, is a commentary on our short attention span society. People are as quick to declare that something is over as they are to say it’s back, and the pendulum seems to swing ever quicker in the 2020s.

That’s just as true for an entire sport/organization the size of NASCAR. There are aspects of top-level stock car racing that will never return to what they were at the sport’s peak, including attendance levels at the races and TV ratings in an increasingly fractured entertainment landscape.

But there were signs going into this season that perhaps NASCAR had some forward momentum. Maybe it was the Netflix series, a new fresh face (Ryan Blaney) as NASCAR Cup Series champion, or some combination of those and other factors.

Then all that buzz threatened to go right down the tubes thanks to the early season weather, which affected both the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum and the Daytona 500. When the 500 did run, viewers were treated to a long stretch where cars were running about half-throttle to save fuel. In the Great American Race, no less!

Cue the “it’s all over” memes. But keep the “we’re so back” ones ready too, because then Atlanta Motor Speedway’s race happened. No big deal, just one of the most entertaining start-to-finish events at that track (though your mileage may vary a bit if your favorite driver was out of contention on lap 2) topped by the most breathtaking finish in recent memory.

It’s an ongoing exercise to wonder what would happen if you showed non-race fans one race to see if you can get them hooked, or at least intrigued, especially if something like NASCAR: Full Speed has piqued their curiosity. Normally, you might opt for the Daytona 500, since it’s supposed to be the biggest and best race of the year.

Turns out you just needed to wait a week this time around. Thank you, Atlanta, for getting people talking about NASCAR again. Las Vegas Motor Speedway, please don’t tilt the scales back to “it’s all over,” if you would.

2. Daniel Suarez May Have Just Saved His Job, Now Can He Do More?

It wasn’t hard to find Daniel Suarez on those inevitable “Drivers on the Hot Seat” lists before the start of the season. In fact, one of…