While NASCAR drivers may draft various plans for their off-season, two staples are almost always on their agenda: quality time with family and catching up on NFL games. Despite stock car racing’s popularity as the country’s most-watched motorsport genre, a recent event highlighted the contrasting popularity of the two leagues.
2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick recently attended to support the Carolina Panthers in their game against the Dallas Cowboys with his son Keelan. Before the 1 p.m. ET kickoff, Panthers safety Sam Franklin Jr. stopped by to greet the father-son duo. Franklin and Keelan quickly created a unique handshake on the spot, earning a proud smile from Harvick, who watched from the sidelines.
The NFL later shared the moment on their official X account, captioning the video, “Sam Franklin Jr. has an incredible handshake with this young fan.”
However, the post didn’t sit well with many NASCAR fans, who noted the lack of acknowledgment for Harvick in the caption. Fans expressed disappointment, feeling it reflected NASCAR’s lower visibility compared to the NFL, with some suggesting it highlighted the gap in recognition between the two sports.
Comments quickly flooded the post. One fan remarked, “If im nascar this is embarrassing, the nfl just called a former cup series and daytona 500 champions son some random ‘young fan’ lmfao.” Another wrote, “NASCAR so irrelevant the NFL admin posted Kevin Harvick the f**king 2014 Cup Series champ like hes just some nobody at a game thats crazy dawg.”
That’s a former NASCAR champ and a future NASCAR champ.
— Kevin Zabloudil (@zabmoto) December 15, 2024
A third chimed in, “Damn they did harvick and his son dirty. Acting like they just some random ass fans. Thats a nascar champion with 60 career wins with his son. Just tells you how niche nascar has become unfortunately.”
While NASCAR continues to expand its reach, the game served as a clear reminder of the NFL’s dominant place in American sports culture.
Despite prominent examples from the league such as Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing; Terry Bradshaw, former owner of Fitz Bradshaw Racing; and Dan Marino, former owner of Elliott-Marino Racing leaving their mark in the racing series, it’s an undeniable fact that NASCAR doesn’t quite match the NFL’s massive popularity.
Ryan Blaney believes NASCAR offers better fan engagement than NBA or NFL
While many NASCAR drivers such as Bubba Wallace (a Tennessee Vols supporter), Austin Dillon, and Todd Gilliland (Carolina Panthers fans) have a strong affinity for the NFL, Ryan Blaney believes NASCAR stands head and shoulders above other sports when it comes to fan interaction.
In a 2024 interview, the #12 Team Penske driver shared his perspective: “I think it’s something that NASCAR does really well is that access and that experience. I think we do it better than any other sporting event. I look at baseball and football and basketball, you’re not really meeting the players or the athletes before the game. You can still see the athletes up close and personal.”
It would be intriguing to hear what seasoned drivers like Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick might say on the topic, now that the dust has seemingly settled amongst the fanbase.
2024-12-16 02:25:55