“I've noticed some concerning trends”: NASCAR YouTuber raises alarm on Daytona 500 issues citing Kyle Larson and fellow drivers' input

NASCAR YouTuber Eric Estepp has raised concerns about the gradual loss of significance of NASCAR season’s biggest race, the Daytona 500, using feedback from Kyle Larson and other drivers to back their points. It’s considered the most prestigious race in the NASCAR calendar and is known as “The Great American Race.”.

Winning the Daytona 500 can cement a driver's legacy in NASCAR history, but that’s not the case for now, according to Eric Estepp, after warning signs began to flash a few years ago when Kyle Larson ranked the Chili Bowl Nationals higher than the Daytona race on his winning list priority. It was the start of the trend, as Noah Gragson said that he would love to win another Snowball Derby over the Daytona race.

Eric Estepp, known for making content on NASCAR, believes that NASCAR has season-opener race problem, and it’s becoming another NASCAR event.

In his YouTube video, raising concern on Daytona 500 issues ahead of the 2025 edition, Estepp said:

“NASCAR is the most popular motorsport in the United States; the Daytona 500 is NASCAR's biggest race. It's been that way for decades and likely will be that way for years to come. But the past few seasons, including those comments I already shared with you, I've noticed some concerning trends. From fluke winners to shortened speed weeks to a lack of official broadcasting, I worry that, slowly but surely, the Daytona 500 is becoming just another NASCAR race.”’ [1:20]

NASCAR veteran journalist Jeff Gluck also once said that winning "The Great American Race" doesn’t define a driver’s legacy.

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“It does not define a legacy the way it did even 10, 20 years ago” – NASCAR YouTuber on Daytona 500

Winning "The Great American Race" is a major accomplishment in NASCAR and can define a driver’s career.

In his YouTube video, Eric Estepp further stated that the “Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing” is still the pinnacle of motorsport in the US, but it no longer holds the same defining power for a driver's legacy as it did in the past.

“In my opinion, While the Daytona sis still the single biggest race in stock car racing, it does not define a legacy the way it did even 10, 20 years ago. Look, I want to make myself perfectly clear, the Daytona sis still a huge deal. Any sporting event that has over 60 years of history, still attracts over 100,000 spectators every year, is seen by upwards of 8 million people on television, that's massive.” Estepp said.

"The Great American Race", the first race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, will kick off the season on Feb. 16.