NASCAR fans top the annual list of the "25 Most Influential People, Places and Things In NASCAR" due to their "ability to affect change in NASCAR," according to Jim Utter of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. The actions of NASCAR and track owners "show how much fans' opinions matter." Daytona Int'l Speedway "polled ticket buyers on whether they preferred the two-car, nose-to-tail tandem racing or pack racing, and their responses prompted rule changes by NASCAR this season to favor the latter." Also, when ticket sales "sagged for the second consecutive season" for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, SMI Chair & CEO Bruton Smith conducted an "unscientific poll of fans, then cited the results in his decision to alter the track’s surface, hoping to tighten the racing." Utter: "The fans know they have influence" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 5/25).
| 25 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS IN NASCAR |
| 1) Race fans | 14) Tony Stewart |
| 2) Twitter/Social Media | 15) Darrell Waltrip |
| 3) France family | 16) The weather |
| 4) Economy | 17) NASCAR HOF |
| 5) Danica Patrick | 18) Track repavements |
| 6) Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 19) Brad Keselowski |
| 7) Bruton Smith/SMI | 20) Jack Roush |
| 8) Manufacturers | 21) Richard Childress Racing |
| 9) Mike Helton | 22) Eddie Gossage |
| 10) Competition on track | 23) Goodyear Tire Co. |
| 11) TV networks | 24) Carl Edwards |
| 12) Jimmie Johnson | 25) Sprint |
| 13) Rick Hendrick | |
