I\u2019ll start by stating the obvious, Daniel Suarez being a Mexican and winning the NASCAR Xfinity series championship is a good thing for Daniel Suarez and NASCAR in Mexico. Now I\u2019ll start with the less obvious. It isn\u2019t just good for NASCAR in Mexico, this is the fundamental next step NASCAR needed to take if it wishes to continue to evolve.<\/p>\n
Rewind your mind back to the 1950s and think about NASCAR at that time. It was a regional sport centered in the southeast of America. To cement this fact in your mind, reflect on this tidbit: The \u201879 Daytona 500 was the first race broadcast live on TV nationally, and Big Bill France was completely intent on blacking it out in the southeast<\/a>. It didn\u2019t happen, but just chew on the fact that it almost did.<\/p>\n Next, think about the 90s. NASCAR grows and is thought of as a national sport. The drivers, and, more importantly, the champions, stop having southern accents, and start appearing on New York based late night talk shows. The sport had evolved, and it had reached record crowds, record TV ratings, and record sponsorship contracts doing it.<\/p>\n Now it\u2019s 2016, almost 2017. Crowds are smaller, TV ratings are shrinking, and Brian France is having to fend off claims that Monster Energy is sponsoring the main series for a paltry $20 million a year<\/a>. One could speculate to the point of being boring about why this is, but the fact remains that it is happening. Moving on, the question becomes where does NASCAR go from here? Why is Suarez winning the XFINITY championship more important for NASCAR than it is for Suarez?<\/p>\n Momentum is everything, and Suarez\u2019s championship is the only indicator NASCAR currently has of positive momentum. It comes in the form of evolving to international relevance. As in, starting to claim something that Formula 1 has always had, and NASCAR has never had.<\/p>\n For many Americans, the only time to\u00a0watch women\u2019s basketball is during the olympics. \u00a0The ratings show that the numbers during the Olympics are much, much bigger than the WNBA. Why is this the case? It would appear that the event being about national pride makes the stakes high enough for many casual fans to notice and pay attention. The Olympics are also the only time many Americans watch curling. This is true for a number of other sports. The nationalistic aspect of the event drives ratings.<\/p>\n In this way\u00a0NASCAR can, hopefully, use the momentum of Suarez\u2019s championship to \u201cgo global\u201d, and not just in some lip service paying way. Can you imagine the idea of AN ENTIRE COUNTRY caring about a NASCAR race? Can you imagine 10 years from now (or sooner) Mercedes and Volvo exploring options to race in NASCAR.<\/p>\n Maybe you couldn’t last year, but now you can, because Suarez won. He’s captured the attention of a country that has rarely paid much attention to NASCAR. \u00a0We can see it in this tweet from the President of Mexico.<\/p>\n Un orgullo para M\u00e9xico y Latinoam\u00e9rica el \u00e9xito de @Daniel_SuarezG<\/a> en NASCAR. \u00a1Muchas felicidades! pic.twitter.com\/u6dtPjF0GX<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Enrique Pe\u00f1a Nieto (@EPN) November 20, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nNASCAR Today<\/h3>\n
Capturing a Mexican Audience<\/h3>\n
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