When NASCAR hit Las Vegas for the action-packed weekend, The Daily Show stopped by and checked out what was going on at the track. Believe it or not, comedian Kal Penn has been a NASCAR fan for more than a decade.
If you were going to pick a NASCAR weekend to attend, Las Vegas is one of the best. You get all three national series races, great weather, and a lot of fun everywhere you look. The Daily Show went out to give people a look at the sport they have never seen before.
Kal Penn talked to Austin Dillon, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, and plenty of other stars. It was a lot of fun and showed that NASCAR isn’t what people think it is. There is so much more to it than meets the eye.
Racing, at its core, is a passion that comes from many places. Sometimes you go to a race and get hooked. Other times you get into it because you grew up a shade tree mechanic handing dad wrenches and bolts and took an interest in how to make things go fast.
The point is – those interests and hobbies are all over the place. They don’t belong to this group or another. Kal Penn gave a great look at the fans, drivers, and atmosphere that makes the new-look NASCAR so much fun.
‘The Daily Show’ Proving NASCAR Isn’t Dead
When it comes to TV ratings, sure. The writing is on the wall. People do not watch the race on television. But is that really different than any other sport that isn’t the NFL? Meanwhile, NASCAR has put together a more diverse schedule and brought a new product to the track with the Next Gen car.
If you aren’t online, you probably would buy the idea that NASCAR has been dying. And to be frank, it has in many aspects fallen from its golden days. But The Daily Show is going to NASCAR races. Pete Davidson and Tiffany Haddish are coming to races.
Drake was wearing a DALE SR. jacket the other day!
Motorsports as a whole are having a bit of a revival. As F1 picks up American fans it will remind them that there is an American product already here to watch in NASCAR. Doesn’t hurt to have F1 legends racing in the Cup Series this year.
The sport has to change and evolve. To their credit, the executives at NASCAR have been doing all they can to evolve. Perhaps this is just a marketing ploy. Maybe it’s just a flash in the pan. But it’s better than where things were five to ten years ago. NASCAR has cultural relevance again, even if it lasts just a moment.