NASCAR enters Daytona 500 as a sport without a face. Can Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott be it?
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Troy Young sat in a lawn chair outside his trailer next to his wife, Toni Divittore, on Friday surveying a sea of makeshift bars, decorative artwork of empty beer cans, cornhole boards and “Trump” flags atop high-end trailers.
Parked in their reserved spot at Daytona International Speedway near turn four, they were in prime viewing position for NASCAR’s marquee race. That’s where Dale Earnhardt was killed in a crash nearly 20 years ago. And it’s only a few rows back from the inside edge of the track, where they “like to be as close to the action as possible” when watching the race from the roof of their trailer.
As longtime racing fans (since the 1990s), Young and Divittore have strong opinions on NASCAR and its decrease in popularity: ”There are too many rules,” Divittore said. “I think they won’t let (teams) do their own thing sometimes.” She also mentioned NASCAR gatekeeping events by hiking ticket prices. Though, she acknowledged, the sport is trying to make up for missing fans by raising the costs on those who do attend races.
But there was one trend that stumped the motorsports fans: Young and Divittore could not definitively answer which active driver represented NASCAR as a whole.
“Probably Chase Elliott,” Young said. “Or someone like that. One of the newer ... ”
“Ladies!” Divittore cut in. Reeling off names of female phenoms like Natalie Decker, 22, and Hailie Deegan, 18.
Decker is in her second year driving part-time in the Truck Series, and Deegan is still racing ARCA. If they’re to become NASCAR’s next poster children — and that is a possibility — their time at the top is years away. Today, at the 62nd running of the Daytona 500, NASCAR is a sport without a face.
JIMMIE JOHNSON WILL END AN ERA
Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired in 2017. Jeff Gordon in 2015. Tony Stewart entered the Hall of Fame last month.
Jimmie Johnson, the seven-time Cup champion, will step away from full-time driving after this season.
NASCAR’s living legends — the ones longtime fans of the sport like Young and Divittore came up watching — are all but retired. That’s not to say there aren’t talented drivers in the Cup series, but stock car racing doesn’t necessarily have a Rory McIlroy to take the torch from its Tiger Woods. There is yet to be another superstar to put in a Pepsi commercial and have the average consumer instantly recognize him or her the way they did Gordon.
“It’s not every day that Jimmie Johnson announces he’s going to retire,” NASCAR Chief Marketing Officer Jill Gregory said. “He’s such an iconic voice in our sport, but we know those days are going to come.”
Gregory said NASCAR has prepared for these moments by identifying talent and fan interest early (as early as the ARCA and Sprint Car Series), and then providing drivers with resources, such as FOX telecast cuts, photo and radio opportunities as well as media training, to help “build their brands.”
“We have all of these established veterans like Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch that are in the prime of their career,” Gregory said. “ But at the same time, we invest resources in Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott and Hailie Deegan now, who are young and up-and-coming.“
Gregory said the sport tries to share the wealth when it comes to investment in driver marketing, but there is a focus on bringing in the next class.
“Those drivers are now going to take their rightful place in this era of driver transition we have,” Gregory said.
Hendrick Motorsports’ Elliott is one of those drivers. The 24-year old is a two-time winner of NASCAR’s “Most Popular Driver” award, which is determined by a fan vote. His father, Bill, won the award a record 16 times — one more than Earnhardt Jr.
“There are a lot of guys playing a key role, but the pretty face?” Johnson said. “It would be Chase.”
Although Elliott has six wins since his rookie season in 2016, most recently at the Roval 400 in Charlotte, he isn’t the most dominant. That badge belongs to the only driver on the circuit with multiple Cup series championships not named Johnson — two-time winner Kyle Busch.
Busch, NASCAR’s highest-earning driver at $17.8 million in 2019 (Forbes estimate), diplomatically responded when asked who he saw as the face of the sport: “That’s not for me to decide. Not for me,” he said. “Your sport’s most popular driver is Chase Elliot.”
But the best driver?
“You’re looking at him.”
KYLE BUSCH’S BAD-BOY IMAGE
The response was typical of Busch, who’s seen as a villain on the track, and can give NASCAR and sponsors pause before trotting him out as the face of the sport.
“It is what it is,” Busch said. “I live my life just the same as you live yours. And mine’s just a little differently perceived as yours probably. It’s all fine. Just the matter of being able to go out there and do whatever it takes to do my job is what I focus on.”
His off-the-cuff, occasionally prickly, interactions with media are part of what has created that image. He garnered criticism a few years ago for racing in lower-tier series despite being an elite driver. He has been booed by fans after winning races, to which he responds by smiling, waving and even throwing in an occasional bow. Busch’s demeanor has earned many fans and haters.
“I’m a fierce competitor,” Busch said. “But also a little demanding in the things that I expect my people to do, so I guess that’s just the part of my nature and the way I was brought up.”
While he has embarked on his own business ventures, such as launching an energy drink line called Rowdy Energy this past offseason, or being featured the reality show “Racing Wives” with his wife Samantha on Country Music Television, Busch has remained focused on winning races. That has earned him the respect of his peers. He was recently voted the “least favorite driver to race against” as well as “one driver you would want on your team” on the Observer’s unofficial survey of Cup drivers at the Daytona 500 Media Day.
“Kyle has definitely been dominant over the last couple of years in the Truck Series, Xfinity Series and Cup Series,” John Hunter Nemechek said. “He’s someone that I’ve looked up to since I was a little kid.”
DOES NASCAR NEED A FACE?
Nemechek was one of the rookies with a full-time Cup ride this year who named multiple drivers as the face of the sport.
“If you can take one quality that they do best for every race they’re in,” Nemechek said. “You’ll be the best driver ever.”
NASCAR agrees on the marketing front. It does not see the lack of a singular, shining face as a negative, but it is a contrast from when Earnhardt Jr. and Gordon dominated a decade ago when viewership was at its peak.
Since then, sponsorship and viewership have declined, and last year’s Cup championship saw only 3.7 million viewers tune in, a 10 percent slide from the previous year and the lowest viewership for the final race in almost 20 years, according to Forbes.
Gregory said NASCAR is utilizing digital outlets and social media to combat sliding or stagnant viewership, by allowing drivers to establish their own voices and connect directly with fans.
“The more story lines, the more individuals we have, (the better),” Gregory said. “We don’t want every driver to be the same.”
She added that NASCAR “needs” various personas in the sport, contrasting Johnson, Busch and Elliott.
Other top drivers and personas for the face of the sport, according to both fans and drivers during Daytona Speedweeks, included Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin or Martin Truex Jr., Team Penske’s Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, or Stewart-Haas Racing’s Harvick.
“I like Kevin Harvick (age 44), but my 8-year-old son loves Joey Logano (29),” said NASCAR fan Robin Bruzzese.
Drivers are embracing a new era that is not defined by a singular, dominant name or face.
“There’s a lot of older drivers that are retiring,” rookie Cup driver Quin Houff said. “There’s no Gordon. There’s no Stewart. There’s not gonna be a Johnson or an Earnhardt, so it’ll be neat to see the transition.”
“... You don’t want one person to have to carry the flag themselves.”
This story was originally published February 16, 2020 at 3:00 AM with the headline "NASCAR enters Daytona 500 as a sport without a face. Can Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott be it?."
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