New Fans Discover NASCAR Radio Broadcasts

A new study released by AdLarge Media reveals that NASCAR broadcasts stand to attract a significant number of new fans this year.

Hungry for live play-by-play, sports fans are getting their fix from NASCAR races, which are broadcast live on 435 U.S. radio stations from the Motor Racing Network (MRN): The Voice of NASCAR and the Performance Racing Network (PRN). AdLarge, the longtime ad sales partner for both, partnered with radio research firm NuVoodoo Media Services, which used its Consumer Insights service to conduct the study.

According to the study:

• 84% of those who intend to tune in to the live broadcasts this season are existing NASCAR fans
• 16% are new to NASCAR this year
• 87% of existing NASCAR fans have a positive impression of brands that sponsor or advertise during a NASCAR event
• 28% of those new to NASCAR this year share that same positive impression of sponsors and advertisers associated with a NASCAR event
• 75% of NASCAR fans reported they are more likely to purchase brands from those sponsors and advertisers

“Everyone at MRN is proud to deliver live broadcasts to our legions of passionate fans for the first time since early March and hope that this provides some relief during this very difficult time,” said Chris Schwartz, President of MRN. “We are also excited at the opportunity to introduce NASCAR racing to new fans, as we know there is pent up demand across the American sports public.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, races currently take place without fan attendance at the tracks, giving even more value to the live broadcasts.

“We’ve seen the loyalty of NASCAR fans transfer to brands associated with their racing events,” noted Don Wachsmith, Chief Revenue Officer for, AdLarge Media. “With so many new listeners tuning in to broadcasts from MRN and PRN, our advertisers can reach an engaged audience that will likely turn into loyal customers.”

Last week, AdLarge announced NASCAR’s return to live broadcasts with the May schedule that began this past Sunday in Darlington and continues all month with races in Darlington, Charlotte, and Bristol.

NASCAR recently announced more May dates and the June schedule of races, indicating a strong and continued commitment to bringing live broadcasts to sports fan listeners.

AdLarge and MRN commissioned an audience report for last Sunday’s Darlington race from Ipsos Sports EAM KnowledgePanel® Omnibus, the standard industry measurement for live sporting events.