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Mike Joy Weighs In On NASCAR’s Biggest Problem And How To Fix It

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Alexandra Lange | Last updated Apr 24, 2025 1:27 PM ET

Over the past few years, there’s been debate in the NASCAR community about how to reach new audiences and expand the fanbase. Some say the sport lacks superstars, others believe it’s perfectly fine as is, but longtime NASCAR announcer Mike Joy has thoughts of his own on the topic.

During his appearance on fellow FOX broadcaster Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, Joy weighed in on what he believes is NASCAR’s biggest challenge and what he would do to change it.

“We have eighteen and twenty year olds coming into the Cup Series and making a mark,” he said. “The fanbase is getting older. We’re not attracting a younger fanbase that we need to move this sport forward into the next decade.”

Joy continued to point on the changing sponsorship landscape saying, “I can’t blame COVID, I can’t blame the sponsors, but when NASCAR transitioned to being a sport with mostly B2B sponsors, the sponsors stopped activating toward the general public and toward the race fans, the sport just took a giant dump in the relationship relative to everyday life, and we lost a lot of that young fanbase that we need to covet if we’re going to grow the sport again."

Harvick shared his own thoughts, referencing his experience, saying teams and sponsors used to prioritize PR training and media relationships, but he believes the world of social media has changed things.

NEW EPISODE@KevinHarvick talks with @mikejoy500!

Right here: https://t.co/MD13iwFhq3 pic.twitter.com/twBOVvxSCF
— HarvickHappyHour (@HarvickHappyPod) April 24, 2025

Joy agreed, saying, “The maturing process is hindered by what is permanently attached to our pocket and that's the cell phone. A lot of these younger drivers, their social skills have been determined by their cell phones. People skills and media skills take a while to develop.”

“That self-motivation of wanting to build your brand is not because the drivers don’t want to, it’s because the drivers don’t know how,” Harvick added.

How to fix the problem?

“My first thing would be to energize the teams, the PR people, the sponsors to get out there and activate,” Joy told Harvick.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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