According to NASCAR legend Kyle Petty, there are no longer any real superstars in the racing garage.
And it’s not as simple of a matter as merely dominating on the track. There’s also a lack of off-track personalities to compliment a proper piece of driving.
No More Superstars in NASCAR?
According to Yardbarker, “Ever since the mid-2010s there seems to be a lack of a proper ‘superstars’ in NASCAR. This may be due to the sport now being generally closer in terms of performance, leading to no driver being able to dominate and separate himself from the pack.”
That may be an interesting point – as technology improves, more and more garages are going to be near-parity in terms of actual performance on the track. Cars end up being similar enough that the driver makes the difference.
But what if drivers aren’t making the difference? Then, naturally, we have to look off-track for ways to stand out from the crowd.
“This has been a massive shock for NASCAR as a sport because people outside NASCAR doesn’t have a driver or individual that could attract them not just with their on-track activities,” the story continued. “This also gave other motorsports’ such as Formula 1 or MotoGP to come in and attract potential fans. Ex-NASCAR driver Kyle Petty spoke about this topic during his visit to the Out of the Groove with Eric Estepp.”
Petty said, “So, how do you establish yourself as a superstar when you can only win two or three races a year. How can you establish yourself, separate yourself from the pack when you can only win four or five races. You’ve got to figure that out as a driver and I think NASCAR or the teams have to figure that out, how to create superstars.”
It’s a very interesting question and problem. Obviously, obnoxious behavior off the track can raise one’s profile – but sometimes this backfires. Just look at Bubba Wallace, for example.
Petty, who is 63, added how NASCAR currently has a lot of good drivers but none of them are major stars on the same level he was accustomed to in his prime.
He said NASCAR needs to figure out how to create superstars to bring more attention to the sport.
Petty recently praised Hendricks Motorsports and spoke about how they have won 14 championships and keeps getting better over time.
“For 40 years there’s been seven presidents!” Petty said. “Since he [Rick Hendrick] won his first race to this last race, they’ve had 14 championships. That’s a walk-off, people. That’s a walk-off. That’s saying we’re here for the first 40. We’re going to be here for another 40. Count on us doing the same thing.”
