Are NASCAR Races Too Long?

Are NASCAR races too long?

In an era where the average American cannot even watch a two hour movie, how can they be expected to watch a four or five hour race?

While other racing series still draw in audiences, the sad fact is that NASCAR is dying a slow and painful death. 

There are still the diehard fans that tune in every week, but the casual fan gets bored watching drivers circle around the track for 400-plus miles.

I enjoy my weekends of sitting down and watching hours of NASCAR coverage, but would our sport attract more fans if we cut even 100 miles off of the longer tracks?

Many of the reviews I read about Pocono say “boring until last 50 laps”, “too long”, etc. 

The same can be said for most of the longer tracks where drivers settle into a routine of follow the leader for most of the race. Even Talladega (which I find to be one of the most intense tracks on the circuit) has its boring moments during races.

If races were shortened or the high level of late race activity continued through all of the laps, NASCAR may be able to get out of the hole they have dug for themselves. 

More viewers would tune in to a race two hours long instead of four. This would be beneficial because more viewers means more sponsors.

Sponsors make the sport go round (no pun intended) and support the teams so we see the best equipment and drivers on the track every week.

I can hear the purists taking a deep breath before jumping in to argue that change isn’t always good. 

But in these times, change may be the only thing that keeps this sport alive.