It was a busy sports weekend in Kansas City with rookie minicamp for the Chiefs, Lorenzo Cain’s retirement ceremony with the Royals, and the Advent Health 400 at Kansas Speedway. It was all broadcast on the Motor Racing Network, which Todd Leabo of Sports Radio 810 WHB’s The Border Patrol happened to be listening to while in Louisville to witness Mage’s Kentucky Derby win.
“Motor Racing Network does a great job – no questions,” Leabo said Monday morning on The Border Patrol. “We had it on the air yesterday, and NASCAR has maybe fallen in popularity in many places, but that was a nice crowd out there yesterday.”
Partially responsible for that drop in popularity has been the rise of F1 Racing, attracting athletes and celebrities including Patrick Mahomes, Tom Cruise, Elon Musk, Serena Williams, Shakira and Jeff Bezos.
Last year, the Miami Grand Prix averaged the same number of viewers (2.6 million) as the NASCAR races at the Darlington Raceway, marking the first time in history that had occurred. This has raised the question as to whether NASCAR will soon be overtaken as the most popular motorsport entity in the United States. The Walt Disney Company is reportedly paying $85 million annually on media rights for the F1 property through 2025.
“It’s not what it was 20 years ago or something when the track opened, but still, that was a really good-looking event and a good crowd,” Leabo said of the race. “There are plenty of times where you turn NASCAR on and they don’t even want to show the stands because it’s not many people there.”
Show co-host Nate Bukaty was broadcasting the morning program from Fort Lauderdale where he is staying in a hotel containing many people who traveled for the race. He came from Nashville, where he had broadcasted Sporting KC’s first win of the season yesterday on FOX.
“A guy and his whole family showed up dressed like they were on the pit crew for the Red Bull racing team, and they had the whole gear on; everything from head to toe,” Bukaty said.
“That sport is growing in leaps and bounds,” added Leabo, “and there’s only a few chances to watch it in America.”
