David Brown

For decades, the organization has invested heavily in building or buying race tracks.

It now controls dozens of speedways across the U.S., many located in rural areas that once formed the heartland of stock car racing.

But maintaining those facilities is expensive, and many are located far from the cities and younger audiences that NASCAR hopes to attract.

So NASCAR looks to reduce its reliance on far-flung tracks and experiment more.

The boldest example arrives in 2023 when NASCAR stages a street race through downtown Chicago's Grant Park, where its stock cars thunder past skyscrapers and along the edge of Lake Michigan.

For a sport traditionally associated with oval tracks carved into farmland, this is a dramatic shift.

At the same time, NASCAR deploys camera crews to capture behind-the-scenes footage of the championship chase, now rebranded as the Playoffs, for its own documentary series, NASCAR Full Speed, which premieres on Netflix in January 2024.

Like Drive to Survive, NASCAR Full Speed leans into personalities as much as racing.

NASCAR champion Ryan Blaney allows cameras into his personal life away from the track.

Denny Hamlin embraces his reputation as NASCAR's villain, happily playing the role of the driver fans love to hate.

Bubba Wallace speaks candidly about the pressures of competing at the highest level.

The stories are there, but the impact isn't.

The first season of Full Speed draws about 3.4 million viewers, roughly a third of Drive to Survive.

Here's the thing, execution matters, but timing often matters more.

NASCAR didn't get the strategy wrong, it just got there late.

This is the risk of reacting instead of leading.

You end up solving yesterday's problem.

Following a competitor can feel safe, even smart, but it usually means you'll finish in second place.

The real advantage comes from moving early before a trend hardens into expectations.

Right now, what NASCAR really needs is a path of its own, but Formula One is setting the pace.