Marketing Motorsports: Learning lessons from Formula 1's rise and limits in America

By now, NASCAR fans are likely tired of hearing about how Formula 1 is gaining in America and why stock cars don’t compare. Of course, in America, NASCAR is still king. There is nothing outside of football on most weekends that can consistently outperform the sport in TV ratings. Still, it is obvious that motorsports are in a different era now.

In the era of Drive to Survive, there is a clear path for motorsports to take here. The entertainment product has to go deeper than just surface level on race days. Fans want to know the behind-the-scenes stuff. They want to get to know these drivers and have a reason to be invested. They also want unique destination races.

You see examples all over in series and organizations doing the most to expand their footprint in this rising tide of motorsports fandom. The SuperMotocross championships. NASCAR jumping into the Netflix game with their own docuseries, as well as adding the Chicago Street Course. IndyCar is talking about heading to Argentina in 2024!

Of course, Formula 1 is there, waiting to make a splash in Las Vegas and keep the American bandwagon moving. But have the wheels already started to fall off?

I spoke with Matt Ferrel, sports marketing expert and current vice president and head of growth at TickPick, about the general feeling around F1 hype in 2023, how NASCAR fits in that picture, and more.

Lessons NASCAR can learn from Formula 1 Netflix series

Since NASCAR is dipping its toe in the Netflix docuseries genre, there are lessons they can learn from Formula 1 and Drive to Survive. NASCAR has so much drama potential already built in. Contact between cars is common and often encouraged, as is contact with drivers off the track.

Formula 1 was able to produce drama in their series with far fewer on-track incidents than stock car racing has.

“I think what’s interesting about the timing of that content series, is that there was a narrative and a story,” Ferrel explained. “Obviously, it was all dramatized to a certain extent. But the idea of Max [Verstappen] and Lewis [Hamilton] being close in points, teams have principals that genuinely dislike each other and then a batch of young drivers that was particularly interesting. … I talk about this to my team all the time. The best thing that sports in general can have is a narrative and a storyline.”

“The product has to be good or there has to be a particular point of interest and then we see it almost directly affect the sales, price, etc. We saw it with Taylor Swift in concert, we see it with Deion Sanders and Colorado football.”

Here’s the thing with NASCAR, due to the playoffs, you don’t get runaway champions. F1 has a competition issue at this point with Red Bull and Verstappen dominating 2023. In the NASCAR Playoffs, one bad race can end your title hopes.

Motorsports are becoming pop culture again

One thing is for certain, motorsports are cool again. It isn’t just racing and TV ratings. Vintage NASCAR and motorsports apparel is basically high-fashion at this point. There hasn’t been a pop culture moment for motor and action sports since the early 2000s.

Having products like Drive to Survive on Netflix helps. It makes people want to pay attention. No one wants to feel left out talking about the latest show with their friends or coworkers.

“I don’t think you have to like motorsports, but I think that Netflix made you feel if you don’t like motorsports you weren’t part of the popular zeitgeist,” Ferrel said.

Fans of DTS were treated to great storytelling in those early seasons. It might have been manufactured a bit, but the stories were there. Now NASCAR has to find a way to tap into that potential and give viewers a story they can connect with.

“The hope [of the NASCAR series] would be exactly what took place with enough drama and enough connection to like base human experience. … This redemption arc, this heartbreak. I think the other side of this coin is it catching a more mass market audience and showing that like, these races are really fun.”

Showing off the actual racing product is going to be just as important as any behind-the-scenes moments in the garage.

NASCAR has to show driver skill compared to Formula 1

Time and again, people dismiss NASCAR. It is pushed aside as “just turning left” when there is so much more that goes into a race. A Netflix show might be able to change that for the sport. There’s a reason why most of the world doesn’t race on ovals like they do in America.

“There’s an international glamor that is associated with F1 but I think NASCAR can sort of show this American motorsport prowess, they can show this skill,” Ferrel said in our conversation. “I think what’s interesting is that F1 never focuses on actual driver’s skill. … I think if you can show the skill of NASCAR drivers too, I think that will bring up the unfortunate association most people have with NASCAR is that they just go in a circle. Then you go, okay well there’s a street race in Chicago.”

There’s also the wrecks. In Formula 1, you get black-flagged for making contact most of the time. A time penalty. There are course limits you must abide by. NASCAR comes in and says, actually, forget that! Let’s swap paint and drive in the dirt coming off this turn at COTA!

Hopefully, as they do in racing, NASCAR sees the limits of F1, and shoves them aside. The danger and physical aspect is a major difference between NASCAR and almost any other motorsport. It’s also likely to be the biggest factor when pulling in new fans via Netflix.

“If they can showcase the danger a little bit too which up levels the respect and the type of work that they’re doing, that is where there is a real opportunity to – I think NASCAR sort of has a broad image issue and I think it has a skill gap [issue] compared to other motorsports, but it’s as big if not bigger.

“It gives them an opportunity to restructure that language. Because for people that actually do like it and love it and are aware of what’s happening, it is the right sport.”