Not your grandpa’s NASCAR: How Michael Jordan, Carson Hocevar, Rajah Caruth, and more are changing the sport

As he headed out of his hotel and toward the track in Dover, Del., for the NASCAR All-Star Race in May, Steve O’Donnell couldn’t help but eavesdrop on a group sporting 23XI Racing gear.

Of the six fans standing outside the hotel, three had driven from Philadelphia and three had come from New York. For four of them, it was their first time at a NASCAR event, and all of them were talking about Bubba Wallace.

O’Donnell, who was appointed as the CEO of NASCAR in April, said more people are experiencing NASCAR for the first time as the sport turns to a younger and more diverse field of drivers, technicians, and owners.

That trend is expected to continue as NASCAR visits Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa., this weekend for a trio of races, culminating in the Cup Series’ Great American Getaway 400 on Sunday (3 p.m., Prime Video).

O’Donnell said NASCAR bringing in first-time fans has been intentional, and a vanguard of young talent from different backgrounds is helping.

“Everyone’s doing their part to showcase the sport through different avenues,” O’Donnell said. “The opportunity for our sport to continue to grow is incredible … For the first time in a long time, I believe that we are all aligned to work toward showcasing our sport to as many fans as possible [and] getting younger.”

Tyler Reddick started this season with a three-peat at Daytona, Atlanta, and Circuit of the Americas in Austin, becoming the first Cup Series driver to win the first three races of a season.

Reddick has been dominant driving the No. 45 car for 23XI this season. The team, co-owned by Michael Jordan and current Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin, leads the NASCAR owner standings by 51 points and has five wins through 15 races.

Jordan started the team in 2020 with Hamlin, who has 63 Cup Series wins since being named NASCAR Rookie of the Year in 2006. Hamlin said Jordan is a true racing fan, which helped them align on many decisions since the team took to the track in 2021.

“He would have been watching these races no matter what, whether he was an owner or not, because he has been such a big NASCAR fan for so many years,” Hamlin said. “Now, he’s got a vested interest in it. It certainly makes him more passionate about it.”

Jordan lifted the Harley J. Earl Trophy alongside Reddick in the winner’s circle after the Daytona 500. O’Donnell says moments like those help lift NASCAR’s visibility, especially with fans who might not otherwise be exposed to racing.

“[Jordan is] involved all the time, which is great for us because I think he pushes the sport and certainly gets us eyeballs that we wouldn’t necessarily have,” O’Donnell said, “from a television viewing standpoint, or maybe even coming to the race, for a chance to watch his race team.”

Jordan’s is one of three Black-owned teams that has competed this year, and he employs Wallace, the only Black driver on the Cup Series circuit.

That representation and Jordan’s larger-than-life presence have allowed 23XI Racing to draw the interest of Black NASCAR fans, especially Black first-time NASCAR fans. In 2024, Wallace’s fourth season driving the No. 23 for 23XI Racing, 40% of new NASCAR fans were multicultural, and the sport was rapidly growing its proportion of Black fans.

“I think it’s a big part of why Michael got into it, to bring in a new fan base and then make our fan base aware of his brand,” Hamlin said. “You’re able to knock out two birds with one stone there. Him being a race fan on top of it was certainly an added bonus.”

When Hamlin won his first race on the Cup Series at Pocono in 2006, he could not have predicted that hosting a podcast would be part of his job 20 years later.

But, in an age where NASCAR is trying to draw in a younger viewership, direct-to-fan media has become crucial for any driver. Hamlin said his podcast, Actions Detrimental, helps him reach new fans and court sponsors.

“When sponsors shop different race teams and drivers, who’s going to give the best return on their value?” Hamlin said. “You need to put your name high on that list, because we’re all fighting for the same sponsors. When you are able to increase your brand awareness, like I think that the podcast has done for me personally, there’s been nothing but positives for it.”

Hamlin, 45, will compete in a Cup Series race at Pocono for the 20th time this weekend in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11. He competes as a driver and an owner for different teams, which he said has been an adjustment.

Hamlin is coming off back-to-back wins at Nashville and Michigan, which helped narrow the gap between himself and Reddick, driving for 23XI Racing, at the top of the driver standings.

While Hamlin still is a natural talent on the track, social media and other forms of content creation come a bit more naturally to younger drivers on the Cup Series, including Carson Hocevar.

Hocevar, 23, has built a fan base with his aggressive driving style and confidence. He streams video games on Twitch, where he has more than 45,000 followers, and makes YouTube videos. He says streaming and making videos come naturally to him.

“I’ve just grown up with it,” Hocevar said. “I enjoy doing it. A lot of my friends have massive YouTube channels or massive Twitch channels. I watch them and enjoy it, and it looks fun. It kind of gives me my own hobby.”

Hocevar won at Talladega this year, his first win since bursting onto the scene as NASCAR Rookie of the Year in 2024. He will race at Pocono a week after drawing the ire of his fellow drivers at Michigan by triggering a nine-car crash on a midrace restart.

Regardless of how the other drivers on the circuit feel about him, NASCAR fans are drawn to Hocevar, who was included in Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in sports this week. Hocevar broke NASCAR merchandise sale records after his win at Talladega, signifying the sport may have its next star.

Hocevar isn’t the only up-and-coming NASCAR driver streaming on Twitch.

Rajah Caruth, who drives full-time on the second-tier O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, streams a variety of video games regularly. One of the games he broadcasts often is iRacing, a racing simulator that served as his entry point to the sport.

Caruth started racing on the virtual eNASCAR Ignite Series at 16, then got onto a real-world track as part of NASCAR’s Driver Development Program, formerly known as Drive for Diversity.

“It’s been a fun process so far,” Caruth said. “I feel like the more experience I get in real life, the more useful that iRacing is, the more useful that our GM simulators are. I love to use them, because it’s just free practice.”

He’s climbed his way from Automobile Racing Club of America races into the NASCAR ranks. Caruth has two wins on the Craftsman Truck Series since his debut in 2022. He will continue to push for his first O’Reilly Auto Parts series win at the MillerTech Battery 250 at Pocono on Saturday (4 p.m., CW).

Caruth, 24, also is vying for a call-up to the Cup Series, but he takes his role as a minority driver in the lower levels of NASCAR seriously. He became the first Black driver to win a race at Tri-County Motor Speedway with a win on the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly series in 2021.

“I remember being 12 years old [and] just loving the sport so much, but being an outsider,” Caruth said. “I know how important it was seeing, whether it was Lewis Hamilton, Bubba Wallace, Mark Davis, other drivers before me. It meant a lot. If I can repay that in any form, I’m going to do so.”