A pit crew loading a car at the NASCAR Michigan International Speedway, 44th Annual Pure Michigan 400, August 16, 2013.
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Television is dealing with the same problems by trying to adjust the picture. "The presentation needs to be cool," says Fox Sports co-president Eric Shanks. "We're trying hard to present NASCAR, to make it look more like a video game." High-definition television, oddly enough, can make a race appear slower, says Shanks. So Fox has been experimenting with slowing shutter speeds, which creates a blurring effect to convey the velocity better. "We're actually, probably, trying to go back a generation: to make it look faster, more dangerous," he says.
NASCAR also took back control of its digital rights, including its website, from Turner Sports and redeveloped its social-media platform to keep younger fans engaged. Meanwhile at the track, some races have been shortened. "We've got to look at, What does the fan want?" says Roger Penske, founder of Penske Racing and head of the $19 billion--plus Penske Corp. "If you've driven 200 miles to come to the race, you might want it to go on all day. If you're watching on TV, shorter might be better. There is some conflict that has to be resolved."
The drivers, who can easily earn more than $10 million annually, have adapted to the new environment. "Yes the economy obviously held us down," says Carl Edwards, who drives the No. 99 car. His main sponsors are UPS and industrial supplier Fastenal. "But the other thing is that people are using technology to be entertained differently, to gather information differently. The attention span of the viewer is lower, so we give more value to everyone involved." That means more autograph sessions for fans, more glad-handing for sponsors--and lower appearance fees.
Some of the sport's harsher critics say that NASCAR's leadership still doesn't get it. To conclude, well into the 21st century, that you need to get younger and more diverse isn't the mark of an innovative multibillion-dollar company that anticipates changing consumer tastes. Even with a diminishing fan base, though, networks still need NASCAR's programming. That's why NBC ponied up billions to win the television rights for the next 10 years.
Stewart, who takes no prisoners on the track, is willing to play it out. Earlier this year, he got NASCAR to run its Camping World Trucks Series on the small dirt track that he owns in Ohio rather than on a huge raceway. "NASCAR was really trying to think out of the NASCAR box," says Stewart. "This sport was ruled with an iron fist for a long time. The equation worked for a long time." Now France says NASCAR is serious about transforming itself. "We are gearing up to be a much more innovative sport," he promises. It may have taken a while for NASCAR to embrace new technology and reach out to wider audiences, but this is, after all, a sport that became wildly successful in the first place by going around in circles.
A previous version of this article misstated the name of Pocono Raceway and misidentified a race and its location. The race, held at a track owned by Tony Stewart, was part of the NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series and was held in Ohio. We also misstated the number of women in NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program; the correct number is two for 2013.