'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Front Row Motorsports driver, Todd Gilliland touched upon the shocking decline of Daytona 500 over the last few years. Gilliland, speaking about this, stated that the recent viewership of NASCAR's biggest race saw a huge decline compared to the earlier days, and that it is hard for the sport.
Gilliland recently sat with Jeff Gluck of The Athletic, where he participated in the tradition of answering 12 customary questions. In one of the questions, Gluck asked Gilliland about NASCAR and what the sport should do to increase its popularity.
Answering it, the FRM driver talked about the decline in terms of viewership for the Daytona 500 before moving on to the broader aspect of NASCAR. Here's what he said:
"I saw a video where the guy said the Daytona 500 used to get 20 million viewers (the record was 19.4 million in 2006). That’s a massive difference (the race drew 6.8 million this year). That’s our biggest race, and it seems like it’s doing good, but it’s hard. We have to get into bigger audiences, but how do you get people to show up or to come to the race?"
Trending
Following this, he addressed how NASCAR went to Los Angeles for the Clash at the Memorial Coliseum and tried to make it a huge event, but only just. He added:
"Going to L.A. (for the Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum) was super interesting because we put it right in the middle of everybody. It made it the easiest possible for people to come. And it was a big crowd, but it wasn’t sold out and it wasn’t as much of an event as I felt like it should have been. And NASCAR and all the drivers and the team side did a super good job of promoting it and everything."
The Daytona 500, held at the iconic Daytona International Speedway, is indeed the biggest NASCAR Cup Series race. The 500-mile race takes place as the first of the season and attracts the most viewers for a NASCAR race. However, over the last few years, it has seen a constant decline in terms of viewership, as explained by Todd Gilliland.
Todd Gilliland named the drivers he would congratulate after a race win
During the conversation with Jeff Gluck, the former asked Todd Gilliland to name the drivers he would congratulate if they won a NASCAR race. Answering it, Gilliland, who called himself a bit 'selfish' stated (via The Athletic):
"Harrison Burton or Christian Eckes in Xfinity. In the Cup Series, to be honest, probably nobody. I am just not really like that. It’s a very selfish thing to say, and I don’t like that part, but if someone else is winning, I’m just truthfully not that happy for them. It’s cool to see people win, and everybody has worked really hard, but at the same time, I want that most for my team and myself."
Todd Gilliland is racing in his third full year in the NASCAR Cup Series. He is driving the #34 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse alongside teammates Zane Smith and Noah Gragson.
