NASCAR isn't as popular as it was in the 1990s and 2000s.
Whether it's a lack of star power, more competition from other forms of racing (like Formula 1), or just a growing lack of interest, there's been a decline in the sport's popularity over the past decade-plus. Earlier this year, the NASCAR Cup Series drew 2.174 million viewers for its race at Iowa Speedway. That's an 18% decrease from the same race last year, a common trend in the sport.
NASCAR is working on fixing that, coming up with new ideas for the sport and new slogans to market.
NASCAR has been attempting to market itself as a “working-class, Americana brand,” according to chief brand officer Tim Clark, via AdAge.
The organization has adopted a new “Hell Yeah” tagline for the upcoming season, as per Sports Business Journal.
"At its Fuel for Business meeting last week in N.Y. with industry executives and sponsors, the series shared a new spot around the campaign, according to people familiar with the matter. SBJ has not viewed the spot, but one of the people said the creative shows the sport’s most historic drivers. NASCAR declined comment. It was not immediately clear when it planned to make the new spot public," SBJ reported.
One group is offended by it
The conservative group, One Million Moms, which is a part of the American Family Association, is offended by the slogan.
They find it "inappropriate."
"NASCAR’s new brand spot “Hell Yeah” is the biggest oxymoron there is! There is nothing “yeah” about Hell since it is a place of torment and anguish," the group writes.
"Sadly, when a driver wins a race, this phrase is often the first thing spoken through the helmet microphone exposing families, including children, to this foul language. This has prompted some fans to stop watching altogether.
"NASCAR has deliberately decided to produce controversial branding instead of wholesome ones. One Million Moms finds this highly inappropriate."
A petition has since been launched.
"TAKE ACTION: If you agree this marketing campaign is inappropriate, please sign our petition urging NASCAR to cancel this “Hell Yeah” marketing campaign immediately," they added.
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Oct 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the NASCAR section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
