Compared to the big tracks, such as the Daytona or Talladega, grassroots racing tracks are now fighting for survival. The reasons might be different for each one of them. Amidst this growing crisis, Carson Hocevar, a driver who rose through the ranks over the years, shed light on the fading culture of racing.

"I think it's big, obviously," Hocevar said in an interview with Frontstretch on April 15, speaking about the need to save the grassroots tracks. "I enjoy going down there and running it. FloRace has done a really good job of at least making it easy access to watch, and hopefully can grow it."

In 2022, NASCAR and FloRacing showed their support for grassroots racing by adding $30,000 to the South Carolina 400 purse at Florence Motor Speedway.

Following this, the Spire Motorsports driver opened up about how difficult it is for the small tracks to survive with limited financial opportunities. Unlike the big tracks, which often attract a huge number of fans, it's not the same for the smaller tracks.

"The tracks don't really see that money-wise. It's always the fans want cheaper tickets and race drivers wanna get paid more. So it's always bad to get a promoter no matter if you're doing a great job, which makes it tough for those super small tracks," Hocevar further added.

The tracks that failed to survive are Irwindale Speedway, which closed in December 2024 due to bankruptcy. Heartland Motorsports Park (KS) also closed because of tax disputes in 2023.

Because of these issues, many renowned tracks are on the verge of collapse, like the Greenville-Pickens Speedway.

Recently, the local community and racing fans saved it from demolition by a promoter. One of the oldest tracks in NASCAR history was on the verge of destruction for a large-scale industrial and multi-use park.

Carson Hocevar Joins the RFK Racing Star, Who Showed Concerns About Grassroots Racing

Before Hocevar, RFK racing driver, Brad Keselowski also addressed the issue about how grassroots racing's future looks bleak.

“Yeah, well, it’s important," he said. "You know, capital is really hard to come by for these small tracks, and it’s so expensive and so hard to build new ones that your best bet is to save the ones that we have or to upgrade even the ones that we have into the facilities that we want them to be."

Grassroots racing has continued to evolve over the past few years. In 2024, Racing America, which carries NASCAR’s Show Me the Money series, entered a multiyear broadcast agreement with Montgomery Motor Speedway. The purpose?

To televise the races from the track.

Then, in 2025, ASA STARS, a national Super Late Model series, came up with a $655,000 loyalty program to increase participation. The initiative gives away bonuses for simply starting races. It helps covering operating costs and other incentives, to help revive grassroots racing.

Share your thoughts on the issues that grassroots racing is now facing in the comments.

Read more at RFK Racing Digest.

Written by

Sabyasachi Biswas

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar