More Women Cheer For NASCAR

NASCAR is truly the great American spectacle. Forty weeks a year, NASCAR — the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing — brings its unique brand of traveling circus to a speedway near you.

"It's loud cars goin' too fast with hundreds of thousands of half-clad humans in the stand and hundreds of thousands of gallons of beer," author of a book on NASCAR, Jeff MacGregor told Sunday Morning correspondent Tracy Smith. "What would America like about that?"

But for all the beer and baseball caps, a NASCAR race is a surprisingly female-friendly affair. NASCAR says that in the past three years, the male-dominated circuit has seen a big surge in female fans.

Better than 40 percent are women and their numbers are growing fast. Politicians court NASCAR dads, but out at the track, NASCAR moms are now out in force and to the racing community, that's a good thing.

"The future is bright any time there's females," Ruth Crowley, who runs Motorsports Authentics, said. "I think that, number one, the fan base for females is growing in NASCAR. And the amount of females at track is growing at NASCAR. And so, we want to just make sure that we accommodate all of those fans."

Crowley's business sells race-related merchandise, including a new line launched this year made specifically for women who feel the need for speed.

"I think women like the sport of racing because it's fast," she said. "There's this element of danger. There's an element of skill. And it's just something that they can enjoy. You know, women understand the sport of racing. And I think that there's pieces of this sport that really appeal to them.

"And it doesn't hurt that the drivers are all cute as well, and they look great in their fire suits."

She's not being flip: The drivers are crucial to the sport's appeal.

"The drivers themselves are a key factor in our success with our female fan base," Steve Phelps, NASCAR's marketing chief, said. "Our drivers are seen as courageous, heroic, down-to-Earth, they're regular guys and our female fan base certainly identifies with that."

One reason they're so appealing: NASCAR drivers make themselves available to their fans as few professional athletes do.

NASCAR fans typically choose a favorite driver. They wear their colors and before every race they stand in line to meet their driver in person.

Angie Skinner got hooked on NASCAR racing when she met her husband, champion driver Mike Skinner. She's also the author of a book on what some NASCAR families eat at the track — race day grub. Forget turkey legs and fried baloney; her NASCAR team eats shrimp cocktail.

"That's one of the concepts I'm trying to do away with when it comes to NASCAR racing," she said. "I think everybody thinks that we eat hamburgers and hot dogs every weekend.

But female race fans are drawn to the sport by more than good looking drivers and upscale food. It's the sound, many say, that hooks them.

That sound is the full-throttle roar of a V-8 engine — a skull-rattling din that shakes your soul, regardless of your age or gender. Mike Skinner says women are here for the cars.

"I think they'd be shocked about how much women know about the sport," he said. "I have women come up to me all the time and start talking about gears and tires and sway bars and springs. I'm like, 'How the heck do you know about that stuff?' But they pay attention."

Skinner says that NASCAR hasn't tried to become more female-friendly, but more aligned with corporate America. Is NASCAR changing their image so it's more female friendly?

"It's not just the good 'ole tobacco chewing, whiskey running farmers that's racing these cars anymore," he said.

And that new image sells: NASCAR has become a promotional Mecca for a large number of fortune 500 companies and customers of both sexes.

"Per capita, they're among the highest earning sports fans across the board in America," Jeff MacGregor said. "They earn well. They spend well. They buy a lot a stuff. The average NASCAR fan spends over $800 a year on NASCAR themed stuff. You know, that's a lot a shot glasses."

MacGregor knows: He and his wife, photographer Olya Evanitsky, spent an entire season on the NASCAR circuit, and that became the basis for a book, "Sunday Money."

"Racing is sexy," he said. "Risk is sexy in its way. Also — and this can't be understated — NASCAR is very smart about who buys the stuff in any given family. Who's walkin' up and down the aisle of the Wal-Mart in Mooresville, N.C? It's not dad. I mean dad goes once a week, but he's there to buy light bulbs and duct tape. Generally, it's mom who's in and out of the store. So, you do see plenty of sponsorships now on those cars for women's products or household products that women are in charge of buying."

In other words, instead of car parts and motor oil, the cars now sport logos for breakfast cereal, dog food and cake mix.

"For American corporations, you have got 43 200-mile-an-hour billboards," MacGregor said. "These are 43 marketing platforms that people at home are gonna stare at on television for four hours at a time. What could possibly be better?"

NASCAR says the only thing better would be a female driver.

"We believe that in the next three or four years we very well might see a female driving in our top series which we would actually love," Phelps said.

It seems the racing community is betting on women to help make NASCAR the mother of all motorsports.

"It's not going to end," Crowley said. "It's just beginning. It's a race, man. And there is no finish line. This is going to continue going. There's more drivers joining the sport. There's more people who love the sport. We are just getting started."