Danica Patrick is one of the most recognizable names in motorsports. After a half-decade away from the driver’s seat, Patrick revealed one issue she believes is plaguing NASCAR today.
Patrick currently serves as one of the announcers for ESPN’s broadcasts of Formula One in the US. The driver-turned-broadcaster was interviewed by Daniel Kaplan of Awful Announcing following the recently-concluded US Grand Prix held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Kaplan asked Patrick about the health of auto racing as a sport in the United States given NASCAR’s dip in TV ratings from its peak.
Patrick responded by citing one issue: the races are too long. She pointed to shifting consumer habits and the shortening of content in today’s day and age.
The 2008 Indy Japan 300 winner said that she even sat down with a “really important person within NASCAR” and relayed that message.
“People’s consuming habits change,” Patrick told Kaplan. “People can’t keep their attention span long enough. So when you’re asking them to sit in front of a television for five or six hours, with pre-race and the race and everything, that’s a lot of time to expect someone to be attentive.”
Patrick also pointed to Formula One’s rise in popularity in the United States.
NASCAR remains king in the US, but F1 has seen a sudden spike in popularity thanks in large part to the Netflix series “Drive to Survive.” In line with that, Patrick stated Formula One has done a good job with cultivating the “marketability” of its drivers.
On the other hand, Patrick believes NASCAR is reeling after the loss of some of its big names such as Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart and herself.
Patrick last raced during the 2018 Indianapolis 500 after five full seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series.