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Has NASCAR Lost The South? Ex-Driver Unloads After Seeing "100,000 Empty Seats"

It hasn't been the greatest week in the world for NASCAR. Sure, they've had a better week than Dianna Russini, but that's a low bar. Other than her, though?Yeah, it's been a rough go of it for the folks in the big glass building across from Daytona International Speedway. Of course, that's because of two major headaches in the racing world: TV ratings, and attendance. Those two things drive folks who make a lot more money than me crazy, and both took a major hit at Bristol last weekend. Because I'm always ahead of the trends, I already wrote about both. I told you on Monday that the grandstands at Bristol were embarrassing. They were. I wrote on Wednesday that the TV ratings for Bristol were alarmingly bad. They were. And now, former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield is officially hitting the panic button after what he saw last weekend:"Check out what the NASCAR grandstands used to look like when I raced at Bristol," Mayfield wrote in a lengthy Facebook post. "When the biggest story is how many people are staying home to watch a golf tournament in Georgia, the sport is in a coma."Ty Gibbs gets his first win in front of 100,000 empty seats. It looked like a COVID era race out there. If the ‘World’s Fastest Half Mile’ can’t out draw a Sunday at Augusta, then NASCAR has officially lost the south."Is it the car? Is it the drivers? Or has the "Colosseum" just become a graveyard? Tell me I'm wrong."Yikes. Just a brutal takedown from a driver who doesn't exactly have the greatest relationship with NASCAR. That's fair. I will admit, you have to take everything Jeremy Mayfield says with a grain of salt because bridges have certainly been burned. I don't want to get into it here, but it all stems from a drug test back in 2009. You can look up the rest if you'd like. Anyway, back to Bristol … Mayfield is 100% right in this case. The stands were half-empty. FS1 averaged fewer than 2 million viewers for the first time in the history of that channel. It was bad in the stands, and it was equally awful in living rooms across America. For example, the grandstands certainly look … bare … when you watch this in-car camera from Kyle Busch:Not great! Has NASCAR "officially lost the south," as Mayfield said? Perhaps. I've long said that NASCAR abandoned its fanbase years ago. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out, though. They left places like Rockingham and Kentucky for Mexico and downtown Chicago. They spent all of 2020, and beyond, virtue-signaling their tails off. Nobody likes the Next Gen car. Steve Phelps was a disaster for the sport in terms of public image. Now, they've gotten better in recent years. I will admit that. The series has, somewhat, returned to Rockingham. Chicagoland is back on the schedule. The Clash at Bowman Gray is miles better than Los Angeles. Phelps is out, thankfully. The playoff format is gone. Again, they've taken steps to improve. You can't say they're not trying, because I just gave you 14 examples of how they are. But is it too late? Maybe. We'll see. Jeremy Mayfield certainly has his doubts, for whatever that's worth. 

Read moreHas NASCAR Lost The South? Ex-Driver Unloads After Seeing "100,000 Empty Seats"

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ponders JGR’s Future Without Joe Gibbs

Dale Earnhardt Jr. pondered what the future holds for Joe Gibbs Racing after longtime car owner Joe Gibbs eventually steps away from NASCAR.In the wake of Joe’s grandson Ty Gibbs’ first career NASCAR Cup Series win on Sunday at Bristol, Earnhardt Jr. believes the future of the organization will dictate the driver of the No. […] The post Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ponders JGR’s Future Without Joe Gibbs appeared first on Heavy Sports.

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NASCAR Needs A Red Flag As Viewership Sinks To Alarming Levels

We're two months into the 2026 NASCAR season, and it's probably time to throw the red flag. At the very least, we need a yellow so we can regroup, refuel, and throw on some fresh Goodyears. Because buddy, folks ain't watching like they used to. And I'm not even talking about "back in the day." I'm talking about last year. Last year!Yes, viewership for the NASCAR Cup Series, specifically, is struggling this season. I say the "Cup Series," because ratings for the O'Reilly (Busch) Series on the CW are doing just fine. Thriving, actually. But things are looking bleak at the Cup level, and last Sunday's race at Bristol was a low point. Take a look:That's not all, by the way. Sunday's race at Bristol was the first time a NASCAR Cup Series race on FS1 averaged fewer than 2 million viewers … in the history of NASCAR Cup Series races airing on FS1! Think about that. That's an alarming data point. And it's true, by the way. No, it's not the lowest ever viewership for a NASCAR Cup Series race. I've seen numbers dip well below that for a summer race at New Hampshire on the USA Network.But that's the USA Network in July. That's understandable. This? This was BRISTOL, in April. In no world should a Bristol Cup race ever dip below the 2 million threshold. Yes, it was going up directly against The Masters, which had a massive year. I get it. This wasn't the first time the Cup Series had gone up against The Masters. They do it every year. The Masters had been around for a long time. So has NASCAR. This wasn't new. What is new(ish) is something I warned everyone about last season. NASCAR's new media deal, now in its second year, has completely changed the game. I'm not talking about streaming. That's a headache in its own right. I'm talking about Cup races being relegated to FS1 instead of FOX for all but THREE races so far this season. Three. In fact, we haven't had a Cup race on broadcast since COTA … on March 1. In just three years, the splits have essentially flipped. In 2023, through nine races, 66% of Cup races were on FOX. This year, that number is just 33%. That's obviously a massive swing, and the numbers are starting to show it. Any way you spin it, this has been a disappointing season for NASCAR in terms of ratings. The Daytona 500 was up slightly, but last year's race was also rain-delayed, so it's tough to compare. Viewership in nearly every other race has declined year-over-year:Yeah, forget the caution flag. We need a red flag, STAT. Let's stop the field and reassess this whole thing, because something stinks. Now, things will probably steady somewhat over the next few weeks. That's the only bit of good news I can give NASCAR today. For starters, FOX gets the next two races, including Talladega in two weeks. That race always does well. The competition also goes away for a bit, too. I don't think the NBA and NHL playoffs are going to make much of a dent in NASCAR viewership. Not a ton of crossover there. But otherwise? Yeah, it's been a bad season for the NASCAR Cup Series … so far. It could turn around. We're only in April. But, in my experience, this time of year is supposed to be when ratings are solid. They usually take a dip in the summer months. Don't even bother in the fall, because that's football season and nobody wins that battle. I've begged NASCAR to quit going up against college football and the NFL, and they, so far, haven't listened. Idiots!Anyway, the vibes aren't great at the moment. Ratings are down. Viewership is down. It's been a poor showing. And it deserves a red flag. 

Read moreNASCAR Needs A Red Flag As Viewership Sinks To Alarming Levels

NASCAR’s Todd Gilliland Reacts to ‘Massive’ Bristol Effort

A 12th-place finish at COTA was Todd Gilliland’s best finish of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season heading into Bristol.Aside from that, the driver of the No. 38 had failed to finish top 20 in the other six races to start the campaign.On Sunday at Bristol, Gilliland found some daylight. The Front Row Motorsports driver […] The post NASCAR’s Todd Gilliland Reacts to ‘Massive’ Bristol Effort appeared first on Heavy Sports.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Caught Red-Handed Doing The Unthinkable, Embarrassing NASCAR Crowd & Race Wives Do Pilates

Always a tough ask when you put NASCAR up against The Masters, but at least they tried, right? I mean, it's Bristol, baby! If any track is gonna give Augusta a run for its money, it's Bristol, right?Right?!Yikes. Not a great race. Not a great crowd, as you'll see. This Next Gen car has just completely ruined short tracks, hasn't it? I know I've said it a dozen times now, but every time we go back — especially to a place as sacred as Bristol — we're reminded that the track just doesn't have its fastball anymore. But look … Ty Gibbs won! That's something, right? At least it wasn't the usual suspects. Joe's grandson — under a ton of heat his first few seasons — finally broke through, so that's a cool deal. Other than that? Eh. Just not a ton going on. That's never stopped us before, though!We'll get to Ty. We'll also get to Kyle Busch showing the youngins what payback looks like at Bristol. I've also got cars BURSTING into flames, Dale Earnhardt Jr. pulling a pretty controversial act with a beer, the most insane crash you'll ever see, and the NASCAR WAGs doing palates before racing 500 miles. See? You ain't getting content like that out of the AP this morning. I promise! And thank God for that, too. Four tires, enough fuel to get us to the Strait of Hormuz and back (whatever that means) and a Budweiser for Dale Jr., of course … Monday Morning Pit-Stop — the ‘This Place Used To Be PACKED’ edition — is LIVE!Congrats to Ty Gibbs. Seriously. I could joke about the nepotism stuff, and perhaps there's some merit to that, but I won't. Frankly, I don't have it in me today. I had a tough weekend. Watching four straight days of golf isn't for the weak, you know. Anyway, Gibbs is only 23, but the clock was ticking — louder and louder — for him to win a Cup race. He's been a full-time Cup driver for 3+ seasons now. Think about that. This is Ty's FOURTH season, and he still hadn't won a race. And he's in a Gibbs car! Duh. It's in his name. But, he's still in one, and couldn't finish the job? Not great. For those who forgot, Gibbs won a Busch (O'Reilly) Series title back in 2022. That night, his dad, Coy, died in his sleep. I mean, goodness gracious. I still remember seeing that news, mere hours before the Cup finale at Phoenix, and being stunned. Coy was Joe Gibbs' son, and also a co-owner and executive at JGR. See? Cool moment. Cool win. Ty Gibbs ain't the most popular driver in the world, but I imagine this will help. Again, at least it's someone new. I don't think I could take another Tyler Reddick win. Now, would it have mattered? I don't know. I've seen some pictures of Bristol circulating the internet this morning, and I gotta be honest … I'm rattled:Yikes. It wasn't great. It didn't look great. I'm also not quite sure why the race was on FS1, but, clearly, I'm not in a position to ask those questions. Anyway, should Bristol lose a race? I don't know. Probably not. It is Bristol, after all. The spring race has never looked like the fall race. And, frankly, the fall race has never looked like the August race. If I were in charge, I'd drop the spring race and move the other one back to August. I'd also bring back Terry Labonte, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace, but I'm also an out-of-the-box thinker, so I realize the stiffs who run NASCAR may not be ready for that just yet. And for those of you saying I'm cherry-picking photos of Bristol to make it look empty, here's Kyle Busch getting dumped by Riley Herbst – with half-empty seats in the background!Just another miserable day at the office for Kyle Busch, who now hasn't won a Cup race since the early days of the Autopen administration. Sad. I do love that clip of Herbst where his spotter basically tells him to wreck Kyle, and Riley, without literally skipping a beat, does it. Just flat out dumps him. What balls. But then again, Kyle gets to go home to Sam Busch, so I assume he's just fine getting to leave the track a few minutes early:YES! Welcome back to Cabo, Sam Busch! Looks like you had a great week of R&R. One of the very few off weeks for NASCAR drivers during the season, and you guys nailed it. I understand being miserable during a … 1,044 day windless streak … but still, Kyle, it could be worse!Yes, you read that right. One thousand, forty-four. Goodness gracious. OK, let's hit the gas and get to some quickies on the way out. Speaking of NASCAR WAGs … what a heater we're on right now in that arena:I mean, what an off-week! Hooters Gianna is BACK. It's been a long road back, but our girl seems ready to rock and roll. Can't wait. And how about the WAGs getting together for a little pre-race Pilates at Bristol? You ain't getting that sort of #content in the NFL or MLB. Only in NASCAR. They were on FIRE this week. Speaking of … let's quickly check in on how things went down in the Busch Series Saturday night:Amazing. Reminds me of a few years back when Dale Jr., running his yearly race at Bristol, also caught fire. Something about Bristol and burning down, I reckon. Speaking of Junior … he was BACK behind the wheel this past weekend at Nashville, and sent the internet into a tailspin after the race:Honestly, it's a fair point. Sure, Dale is known as the Budweiser guy, not only in NASCAR, but around the world. He's synonymous with Budweiser, even though he quit driving the No. 8 Bud Chevy back in 2007. Wild. But, everyone just assumes he still pounds Bud Heavys. He's 51, folks. Bud Heavys ain't the easiest beer to just throw back. Lord knows I'd hate it. I'd take Busch Light and Mic Ultra over Bud Heavy any day of the week, and twice on Sunday. And please, don't you dare come at me with the always exhausting, "If you were really a man, you'd be drinking an IPA!"No, I wouldn't. I promise, I wouldn't. OK, that's it for today. Good week. Here's an absolutely insane motorcycle crash from Nashville qualifying over the weekend, which was captured in just the funniest way possible. See ya at Kansas. 

Read moreDale Earnhardt Jr. Caught Red-Handed Doing The Unthinkable, Embarrassing NASCAR Crowd & Race Wives Do Pilates

Ty Gibbs Joins Elite NASCAR Company with Bristol Win

Ty Gibbs recalls watching the likes of Kyle Busch dominate NASCAR races at Bristol in his younger days.Now, the 23-year-old can call himself a Cup Series winner at “The Last Great Colosseum.”After fending off Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson to earn his first career Cup Series victory in Sunday’s Food City 500, Gibbs reflected on […] The post Ty Gibbs Joins Elite NASCAR Company with Bristol Win appeared first on Heavy Sports.

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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Bristol Race Results, Winner and Finishing Order

Full race results from the Bristol Motor Speedway NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Tennessee Army National Guard 250.

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NASCAR's Tone-Deaf Easter Reversal, Libs Panic Over Controversial Jesus Car & Race Wife's Dark Side Revealed

What a RACE! We've had some decent ones to start the year, but yesterday? Goodness gracious. Put her on the Mount Rushmore of All-Time NASCAR races … ever! No notes. 10/10. Perfection. Bristol delivered. It always delivers, but on this Easter Sunday? She rose from the dead and blew our minds. Amazing. OK … has the bit gone too far at this point? Probably. But, it's one of the rare off weeks in NASCAR, which means I'm gonna need to fill some space today. So, yes, I vamped just a bit longer than normal, and ran the same joke I always run on our bye weeks. Whatever. Just let me have this one. No, there was no Cup race this weekend because NASCAR … quietly? … fixed one of its most controversial problems this season. Should there be a Cup race on Easter? There has been the past few years after decades without one, and I'm not sure how I feel. We'll dive in here in a bit. What else? I've got Daniel Dye quitting after the NASCAR #MOB freaked out because he used a "gay voice" on live stream, rising (that putting it lightly) gas prices starting to impact race teams, and a Good Friday paint scheme has the LIBS in shambles. Oh yeah! I've also got a new NASCAR drama series coming to AMC that will undoubtedly piss off a purple-haired Starbucks barista who accidentally clicks on it. So, you know, that's nice. Whew. That's weirdly a lot of stuff for a Monday with no Cup race. This is why we win awards, you know. While the rest of the woke media is sleeping in today, we're up GRINDING our tails off for you guys. Choose your fighter. Four tires, enough fuel to get us to Bristol (but not too much because times are TOUGH), and maybe an updated TV Guide for our older folks in class so they can find the new NASCAR TV show this fall … Monday Morning Pit-Stop – the ‘We’re Just Gonna Throw Stuff At The Wall Today And See What Sticks' edition – is LIVE!I'm not trying to get anyone fired up today, but sometimes, the #content just lends itself to it. Some weeks, we all get along just fine. Other weeks, we're ready to rip each other's faces off before 8 a.m. on Monday. This one, it appears, is one of those weeks. There's A LOT of weird tension right now. Let's go ahead and spin the wheel, and start with … This paint scheme, illustrating the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ – which was run by Garrett Smithley in the Busch race Saturday at Rockingham. Yes, there were races this weekend! Just not Cup ones. Garrett, how's that Chevy looking?!Today is Good Friday. You can’t have the Resurrection without the Crucifixion. Honored to be racing this special scheme to tell the Easter Story on our racecar.I'll tell you what, 90% of the comments under that tweet are positive, which was nice to see. Stunning. RARELY do you get that sort of agreement out of the internet nowadays. Sure, there were some haters, like Jessicahellcat from above, but I'm sure she appreciated Bubba's BLM scheme a few years back. So, even stevens!Garrett, by the way, finished 29th. Not the best look for our Lord and Savior, but it's the thought that counts!The good news for those who did NOT like Garrett's scheme is there's a new show coming out that should make you all feel a lot better!And by that, I mean AMC is basically coming up with their own version of Yellowstone, but making it about a NASCAR driver. Should do well in blue states!Amazing. I knew the SECOND I saw Dennis Quaid as the lead actor, the replies were going to be … something. And buddy, they were! The left HATES Dennis Quaid. Hollywood doesn't love him, either. He's a Trumper. He was literally flying with Trump, for some reason, while we launched our initial attack on Iran in February. What a time to be alive. And now AMC has ordered a new NASCAR drama called "Thunder Road" with Dennis as the lead. By the way, it sounds promising, and I don't say that often anymore, because TV nowadays is generally awful. But …The show is described as "a multi-generational saga of the Whitlock family, whose legacy in stock car racing is as deep as the family’s ties to the southern hill country roots that shaped them," per the official logline. Quaid will star as Duane Whitlock, a.k.a. The Wrecking Ball." He is described as "a NASCAR legend" and "a towering figure who built a racing empire from a legacy of moonshine runs and dirt tracks… and refuses to let it die. This is a story about a blue-collar dynasty at the edge of extinction — and the old king fighting to hold onto his crown.I mean … I've certainly heard worse ideas for a show. Shockingly, Taylor Sheridan is NOT writing this one. Hookstead will be crushed!OK, let's get to a couple quickies because it's a long drive to Bristol … and gas ain't cheap!"We actually have a group text, it's called the ‘traveling group text’ for Kaulig Racing where we plan our trips accordingly," Rice told Sirius XM last week. "If we can wait a day and pick up more stuff in a day, we'll do that. I was talking to our truck (hauler) drivers and saying, ‘Hey, watch fuel prices to make sure that, since we’re only going to Rockingham, do we need to fill it all the way up?"Will the fuel prices come down? We keep our eyes on that. We look for ways that we can find locations that sell it a little bit cheaper. Every dollar matters with us and in the Truck Series."As Trump so elegantly put it on … EASTER SUNDAY … "Open the F----- Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell!"Next? Remember last month when that very same Kaulig Racing suspended driver Daniel Dye because they thought he was being homophobic on a live stream? Well, he's recently been reinstated … and promptly quit:Yeah, I'm not gonna rehash that whole incident. I wrote about it plenty last month. But, that's the video. That's it! That's why NASCAR benched Daniel Dye. And I'm not a Daniel Dye fan. Believe me. But come on. What are we doing here?Anyway, he's now a free agent. Step right up! Hey, not all at once! Form an ORDERLY line!Finally … let's end the day – and start the week – with a question. Did y'all miss having a NASCAR Easter Sunday race yesterday?The NASCAR world is fairly divided on this one. Some think we should corner the market and dominate Easter in the way the NFL dominates … pretty much every other holiday. I'm in the other camp. NASCAR tried to have an Easter race for the past few years, and having NONE for decades, and it flopped. Sure, you could argue that the Bristol Dirt was a bad place to test it out, and maybe you'd be right. But, I think in this sport more than any other, Easter is a big deal. Dale Jr. said as much years ago. I mean, did you see the paint scheme I just talked about? I'd leave it alone. I'm glad NASCAR did.OK, that's it for today. Honestly, I think we nailed it. Sometimes, I dread these off-week classes. They can be tough. Not today. Good work, everyone. Take us to Bristol, Sam Busch!

Read moreNASCAR's Tone-Deaf Easter Reversal, Libs Panic Over Controversial Jesus Car & Race Wife's Dark Side Revealed