Carson Hocevar has never been the one to shy away from giving his opinions, be it about his on-track rivals or the state of NASCAR. He recently shared his thoughts on how the sport compares to its bygone era that fans often look back on as the 'golden days'.

NASCAR’s golden era, often associated with the 1990s and early 2000s, saw the sport reach unprecedented heights in popularity. It consisted of packed grandstands, entertaining races, high television ratings, and household names such as Dale Earnhardt Sr, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson, among others, who helped make it America’s biggest sport. 

Carson Hocevar recently gave his opinion about the same. On Tuesday, he uploaded a post on his social media account while watching the 2000 Talladega race, and it was while watching this race that Hocevar realised how much the sport has changed over the last two decades. 

"It’s insane we as a sport produce the product we give to fans and wonder why fans have lost interest." Hocevar wrote in the post on Facebook. "This race is beautiful. The sights, the sounds, the cars, the production, the commentators. It’s clear as day why the sport is where it’s at and not where it once was. The entertainment value of this race is so much better and so visually more appealing."

The No.77 Spire Motorsports driver also wrote about how the present NASCAR model is catered more towards the casual fans who "don’t care about aero, engine packages, downforce, drag, tire wear."

Elaborating on his stance further, the No.77 Spire Motorsports driver said that the sport has lost its drive to continually innovate and improve. 

"We’re on the ventilator and asleep at the wheel of what the real problems are." He wrote in the post. "Back in the day you can see the innovation year to year of the broadcast quality and them trying to always improve. Now it’s just cutting stuff to improve the bottom line and wondering why people lose interest or are no longer impressed." 

Hocevar’s comments come just days after fans complained of a dull Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

NASCAR’s Indianapolis race TV ratings rise despite fan backlash

Despite the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis being a memorable one, many fans were left wanting more. Some fans complained about the racing product the track produced and went so far as to say "to take a break from the venue"

Despite all of the criticism the race received from the fans, the TV ratings tell a different story. According to Sport Business Journal’s Adam Stern, the rating for the race was up by 8%. 

".@TNTSportsUS got a 1.34 rating and 2.384 million viewers for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 @IMS, up 8% in rating but down 3% in viewership from last year, per @Nielsen's panel-only data." Stern wrote via his X account. 

Last year, as per Jeff Gluck of 'The Athletic', the Brickyard 400 amassed 2.5 million viewers. 

While the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s television racing suggests NASCAR continues to attract a sizable amount of fans, Carson Hocevar’s comments highlight the broader perspective of the sport's long-term direction. 

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Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco