Over two million Americans watched each NASCAR race in 2025, yet this popular sport remains understudied in sociology. NASCAR’s fans are known for their enthusiasm and loyalty but are also stereotyped as uneducated, white, conservative Southerners. Such stereotypes and symbolic boundaries can produce feelings of belonging for those who conform and exclusion for those who don’t, with implications for social connections and fandom. What are the consequences of stereotypes on NASCAR fandom and belonging? To start to address this question, we created an online survey and distributed it to NASCAR fans on various social media platforms. In total, we collected 591 responses on their identities, attitudes, behaviors, and their sense of belonging with other NASCAR fans during the last two weeks of the 2025 NASCAR season. Our results indicate a connection between how much a person feels they belong with other NASCAR fans and fan intensity: fans who say they fit in with other fans are more likely to identify as die-hard fans. Based on our findings, we conclude that feelings of belonging and stereotypes exert influences on fans, thus making NASCAR fandom and belonging more challenging for people who do not fall within existing stereotypes or group boundaries.
