Can Bussin’ With the Boys Be the Beginning of NASCAR’s Survival Plan?

The exciting world of the creator economy means there are no limits on content. Growing up, we became accustomed to basketball players only working on basketball programs and baseball players only joining baseball programs. Today, the world is more blended than ever, with creators navigating ways to expand their reach and audience through different verticals. That’s why Bussin’ With The Boys announcing that they’re beginning a NASCAR vertical didn’t come as a shock to the system.

Years ago, some may have scoffed at the idea of football personalities with a football audience attempting to branch into NASCAR. However, times have changed. The announcement also shows that more leagues are becoming increasingly dependent on the creator economy.

It’s been seven years since former NFL players Will Compton and Taylor Lewan began their independent content journey in the back of a bus. Literally. If you don’t know the story, check out this video.

Since then, the podcast has grown into partnerships with Barstool Sports and FanDuel. The brand has expanded into other verticals, including The Locker Room and For The Dads. Lewan and Compton have interviewed athletes and celebrities from sports and entertainment. They also partnered with ESPN this past football season for weekly guest appearances on several studio shows.

Business is good for the Bussin’ team. They continue to honor their community by blending authenticity with adaptability. Their focused approach and willingness to remain curious continue to drive engagement with their audience.

Now, NASCAR is the next venture — the brand’s first major branch into another sport. You could say there’s a lot of crossover between college and professional football and NASCAR. It’s a safer transition for a first move outside of football than basketball, hockey, or even baseball. Without a doubt, the move is significant for the Bussin’ team. However, it’s an even more significant play for NASCAR.

Can NASCAR Save Itself?

If you’ve followed viewership figures over the past year, many sports have benefited from updated measurement methods. With the adoption of Big Data + Panel, nearly every sport has posted near double-digit viewership increases year over year.

Except NASCAR.

According to the latest data, NASCAR on FOX Sports and FS1 is averaging 3.3 million viewers, down 1% from its points races at this stage last year. Even though NASCAR saw an 11% leap in viewership for the Daytona 500 in February, nearly every other race has delivered flat or declining viewership.

The situation has become concerning enough that NASCAR is shifting away from the Big Data + Panel measurement system and moving back to a panel-only model. That’s the older measurement system the sport used for years. According to NASCAR, the concern centers around issues tied to the sport’s data sets, particularly among select demographics and metered markets.

Even this weekend, Dale Earnhardt Jr. implored his social media following to turn on the All-Star Race at Dover International Speedway to “inflate the numbers.”

It’s not just viewership. Attendance has become an issue as well. That same race Earnhardt Jr. begged fans to watch featured a noticeable number of empty seats. By the way, that was during an All-Star Race.

NASCAR driver Kyle Busch said last year that he believes NASCAR is battling a “culture problem.” Other fans have argued there’s not enough star power, while some believe the sport has lost its way because of too many technological advances.

Make no mistake, there are plenty of concerns surrounding the future health of the sport. Dwindling interest, declining viewership, and attendance issues are not a recipe for long-term success. Even moving back to an older measurement model won’t revive interest in a sport that once commanded far greater attention across the sports landscape.

NASCAR Hops On The Bus

That brings us to Bussin’ With The Boys, NASCAR’s latest attempt to try something new. The sport is opening its doors to the creative team at Omaha Productions alongside Taylor Lewan and Will Compton. The question is whether a 14-episode run can create momentum for a sport that desperately needs more attention while network television continues to overlook it.

At the end of the day, this partnership feels far more like a test for NASCAR than it does for Bussin’ With The Boys.

Lewan, Compton, and the Omaha Productions team already have proof of concept. They’ve built a successful brand, cultivated a loyal audience, and shown they can expand beyond traditional football conversations without losing their identity.

The greater uncertainty rests with NASCAR and whether the sport can still create meaningful cultural momentum outside of race day itself.

That’s not a knock on Bussin’. If anything, it’s recognition of the impossible expectations often placed on creators entering legacy sports spaces. A single podcast, even one with a passionate audience and strong reach, cannot reverse years of declining interest overnight. It also cannot solve attendance concerns, fractured fan sentiment, and changing consumer habits.

Fourteen episodes won’t magically restore NASCAR to the level of relevance it once enjoyed during its peak years.

What this partnership can do is give NASCAR another opportunity to reconnect with younger audiences through a more authentic voice than traditional television coverage often provides. However, if the sport is expecting one creator-driven collaboration to serve as a cure-all, it’s chasing the wrong solution.

Fixing NASCAR’s long-term issues will require far more than adding one successful podcast to the ecosystem. It will take stronger storytelling, bigger personalities, greater cultural relevance. More than anything, and a clearer understanding of what made fans fall in love with the sport in the first place.

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John Mamola

John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.

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