Jeff Gordon says teams have to 'build our brand' to connect with NASCAR fans

Improving the marketability of NASCAR is on everyone’s minds, and Jeff Gordon thinks he knows how to fix it. Gordon at the Racers Forum, talked about fan outreach. How can teams and drivers best market themselves to fans so that they tune in on TV, come out to races, and keep the sport alive and well?

When Jeff Gordon was still driving, his brand was huge. He was the young guy battling with Dale Earnhardt. A war between generations. He was emotional and wore his heart on his sleeve. Gordon has shed more than a few tears in victory lane.

As a kid, I had no idea Gordon was a Hendrick driver. I didn’t care about Rick Hendrick. All I wanted to see was that 24 car leading laps and winning races. Let’s not forget how involved sponsors were with marketing talent.

Gordon feels that NASCAR took a big hit when a number of stars left the sport in a short period of time.

“Joe Montana, of course, was one of my heroes, and I loved him because he was a 49er,” Gordon said, via Toby Christie of Racing America. “When he left the 49ers and went to the Kansas City Chiefs, I was like, ‘eh, who’s the new quarterback?’ I think we have a role as race teams to build our brand up, maybe not as much as the star power of the driver, but in a way where drivers — and we’ve seen this recently with Jimmie Johnson, Dale Jr., and myself, several big drivers that have huge fan followings stepped away from the sport, and I think it had a big impact on the sport. Because the fans seem to not have a connection to the team as strongly as they did to the driver,” Gordon stated.

So, what’s the answer here?

Jeff Gordon is right, losing star power hurt the sport

The best argument Jeff Gordon had for NASCAR losing fans is that star power. Seeing JJ, Gordon, and Dale Jr. all leave within the same time frame is tough. And that is just the Hendrick Motorsports camp. Let’s talk about the rest of NASCAR.

I decided to go back to the 2015 season. That was the final year Jeff Gordon raced full-time in the Cup Series. Now, let’s go through the list of drivers who were part of that full-time season, who are no longer racing.

Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Danica Patrick, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Trevor Bayne, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, and Clint Bowyer. Those are just the drivers that were full-time that season and no longer are. A number of other drivers such as Michael Waltrip were part-time at this point in their careers.

Those are personalities that you just don’t get in NASCAR today. Jeff Gordon made a very good point, but it can’t be all on the teams. Or the drivers. Or the sponsors. This has to be a full effort. Pepsi didn’t just sponsor Gordon on Sundays. He was in TV commercials and activations and all kinds of promotions.

Trackhouse Racing and others are doing it right

If you look at what Trackhouse Racing, 23XI Racing, and a few others are doing – that’s the blueprint. Drivers shouldn’t be afraid to make a fool of themselves if it is in service of pushing the overall brand of the team and the sport.

Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez were willing to get down to their Jockey underwear for a sponsorship extension. They just released a great Kubota Tractors video.

It feels that NASCAR drivers are the only athletes who are told to keep quiet due to sponsors. Nike isn’t dropping NFL or NBA players over heated comments. Those leagues use controversy and goofy quotes to their advantage.

When a player tweets something random or throws shade at another – it’s awesome. Fans embrace it. Rivalries and feuds are not something to shy away from in sports. Choir boys and girls don’t race cars at 200 MPH. So, let’s stop pretending that’s what these drivers are.

Jeff Gordon is right. Build a brand. But if you aren’t going to put some investment into the drivers and into promoting the sport itself, then no one is going to car. It’d also be nice if Gordon himself wasn’t so behind-the-scenes nowadays. He has a big role to play in the HMS brand of the past, present, and future.