NASCAR: What's missing?

Here’s another tip for restoring NASCAR’s mojo:

Restore the cars’ relevance.

NASCAR improved safety and standardization (allowing for easier assembly) when it rolled out a next-generation chassis three year ago, but the move came at the expense of brand identity. Virtually the only way to differentiate the four manufacturers competing in Cup is via the front-bumper stickers listing their models.

It’s a far cry from the 1970s and ’80s, when it was easy to tell the cars apart at speed. That drove fan loyalty and interest, and many believe re-injecting showroom-esque characteristic into the cars would boost attention now. The introduction of sleeker Mustang and Challenger bodies in the Nationwide Series was well-received last year, and NASCAR is considering an image makeover for its boxy (some would say ugly) cars in Cup for 2013.

Peter De Lorenzo, editor of the Autoextremist.com, which monitors the automotive industry, says NASCAR should go with a “zoomier, sloopier” look. “It means a total re-think of how these cars look,” De Lorenzo says. “The bulkiness and blob shape of the Cup cars is a turnoff. A lot of the hard-core fans liked rooting for Ford, Chevy, Dodge, and once they removed that, some of the hard-core enthusiasts drifted away.

“We’re also dealing with a bigger-picture societal shift in that there’s still a majority of young people who can’t wait to get their driver’s license, but there’s a growing number of kids who are more interested in the latest technology, smart phone and video game. NASCAR has to redouble efforts to reach those people.”

Team owner Chip Ganassi says if the automakers view NASCAR as a marketing vehicle to help move product, the manufacturers will be more inclined to invest more heavily in its teams.

“We have to embrace the car companies, not chase them away, because they’re the growth fuel for the sport,” Ganassi says. “We need to do what they need to do to sell cars and move in the direction they’re moving.”