More Women Cheer For NASCAR

The "Mother Of All Motorsports" Counts Many Females Among Its Most Ardent Fans

(CBS)  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."

[rocknrodss]

I watched the show on May 13,2007.I do like the idea of women enjoying motorsports,the only problem I had with the story was the comment that soon women will be behind the wheel of a NASCAR Race car and NASCAR will really appeal to women. I was dissapointed that there was no mention that women have been behind the steering wheels of other motorsports,How bout giving the INDY CAR SERIES some publicity.Does anyone realize that in the 2005 INDY 500 DANICA PATRICK was the 1st women to lead a lap in the race and had a shot a winning in her rookie season or how bout the fact that there is the possibility that there will be 3 ladies in the starting lineup in the 500 on MAY 27th. I do get disgusted about all the hype about NASCAR.To see real drivers watch open wheel racing .....ROD

[seven-pesos]

redneck idiot southern creeps...

confederate bush loving nascar snakes.

makes me sick!

anybody got a confederate flag so i can wipe my azz?

ha,ha,ha.

war, hate, arrogance, ignorance, 9th grade educations...

nothing good comes out of the south!

[dlpracer]

cheybaer says:

...Shame on you. You are disgracing thoughtful, earth loving mothers everywhere this Mothers Day.

---------

Hopefully, your kids will be more open-minded than you are. There are a lot of things wrong with the world and auto racing is NOT one of them.

I noted you didn't have anything to say about being a small percentage of this planet that enjoys the perks of modern society (using a computer) consuming energy to state your opinion, with no sympathy for the thousands that will die in Darfur TODAY.

Try again

[alexma50085]

How can anyone be excited about cars driving in circles? Boggles my mind.

[us_army_ret]

Nascar . . . ( Lead Foot Circle Racing ) is a perfect example of the decline of America.
Tsk . . Tsk . . .Tsk

[us_army_ret]

Nascar . . . ( Lead Foot Circle Racing ) is a perfect example of the decline of America.
Tsk . . Tsk . . .Tsk

[cheybaer]

I take great offense as a mother this mothers day thanks to CBS Sunday Morning. I cannot believe that CBS would choose to celebrate mothers via Nascar. This is a leap i cannot take. As a mother there is nothing that i appreciate about Nascar. The gas guzzling, corportae loving, environmentally unfriendly sport is about as unmotherly as it gets. How do we look our children in their eyes and tell them that this is a legacy worth leaving them, given the current state of the world. There are so many other areas of life where CBS could be celebrating the wonderful mothers of the world and somehow NASCAR gets the vote? How about mothers of soldiers who's children will never come home. Or how about mothers of special needs children who dedicate their lives to something meaningful. How dare you trivialize motherhood and equate it to racing a car around an endless. resource consuming track. I wonder who is running the show and whether or not i want to be tuning in to this corporate venue with a very obvious "hidden" agenda. Shame on you. You are disgracing thoughtful, earth loving mothers everywhere this Mothers Day.

[cheybaer]

I take great offense as a mother this mothers day thanks to CBS Sunday Morning. I cannot believe that CBS would choose to celebrate mothers via Nascar. This is a leap i cannot take. As a mother there is nothing that i appreciate about Nascar. The gas guzzling, corportae loving, environmentally unfriendly sport is about as unmotherly as it gets. How do we look our children in their eyes and tell them that this is a legacy worth leaving them, given the current state of the world. There are so many other areas of life where CBS could be celebrating the wonderful mothers of the world and somehow NASCAR gets the vote? How about mothers of soldiers who's children will never come home. Or how about mothers of special needs children who dedicate their lives to something meaningful. How dare you trivialize motherhood and equate it to racing a car around an endless. resource consuming track. I wonder who is running the show and whether or not i want to be tuning in to this corporate venue with a very obvious "hidden" agenda. Shame on you. You are disgracing thoughtful, earth loving mothers everywhere this Mothers Day.