What Happens to NASCAR Without Its Middle Class? With the gap between the 'big teams' and others increasing, is NASCAR heading towards a place where sustainability is becoming a concern? Saad Rashid 8

We all know that NASCAR has changed over the years. For a sport that traces its origin to moonshine runners during Prohibition, the stock car racing series has evolved, and the barrier for entry has never been higher. Charters, which were once worth only a few million dollars, can now reach $30–$40 million each, and the costs of staffing, engineering, and data analytics have been rising annually.

For teams like Hendrick Motorsports, Team Penske, and Joe Gibbs Racing, the challenge is real but manageable, thanks to their deep manufacturer ties and long-term sponsors. But for others, especially those who would be described as ‘Middle Class’ in the NASCAR world, survival is becoming increasingly uncertain.

We’re not talking about the ‘underdog’ teams that somehow make championship runs, or