Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

While NASCAR is the largest spectator sport in the United States, it faces many challenges as it enters the new millennium. Increasing cost of race attendance, expansion, and a reorganization of corporate leadership are just a few of these challenges. This paper examines the expectations and perceptions of the NASCAR fan in this dynamic industry. Through a series of focus groups, we explore fan expectations and perceptions of both NASCAR and Winston Cup events. We look at how these expectations and perceptions are changing due to several factors, including the increasing cost of event attendance and the increasing corporate influence in the industry. Our results center around the idea that NASCAR's customer gap— the difference between fans’ expectations and their perceptions of what actually happens—is increasing. We conclude by offering suggestions to close this gap.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bernstein

(2000). Sponsorship costs rising, and some get priced out of racing. Street and Smith's SportsBusiness Journal, 3(24), 52.

Berry

L. L.

(1995). Relationship marketing of services: Growing interest, emerging perspectives. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 23(4), 236–246.

Berry

L. L.

, & Parasuraman

(1991). Marketing Services. New York, NY: Free Press.

Bettencourt

L. A.

, & Gwinner

(1996). Customization of the service experience: The role of the frontline employee. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 7(2), 3–20.

Brenner

(1997). Pursuing relationships in professional sport. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 6(2), 33–34.

Brockinton

(2001). Fox totes NASCAR 4-pack. Street and Smith's SportsBusiness Journal, 3(37), 6.

Dietz-Uhler

, Harrick

E. A.

, End

, & Jacquemotte

(2000). Sex differences in sport fan behavior and reasons for being a sport fan. Journal of Sport Behavior, 23(3), 219–230.

Hagstrom

R. G.

(1998). The NASCAR way. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Hartline

M. D.

, & Ferrell

O.C.

(1996, October). The management of customer-contact service employees: An empirical investigation. Journal of Marketing, 60, 52–70.

10.

Jensen

(2000). Old team redefines itself for new era. Street and Smith's SportsBusi-ness Journal, 3(24), 51.

11.

Johnson

(1997). SMQ Profile/Interview. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 6(2), 5–8.

12.

King

(2000). Running at a slower pace. Street and Smith's SportsBusiness Journal, 3(24), 1, 50.

13.

Lapio

Jr. , & Speter

K. M.

(2000). NASCAR: A lesson in integrated and relationship marketing. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 9(2), 85–102.

14.

Parasuraman

, Zeithaml

V. A.

, & Berry

L. L.

(1985, Fall). A conceptual model of service quality and its implications for future research. Journal of Marketing, 49, 41–50.

15.

Reichheld

F. F.

& Sasser

W. E.

Jr. (1990, September-October). Zero defections: Quality comes to services. Harvard Business Review, 105–111.

16.

Rufenacht

, Groves

D. L.

, & Foster

(1997). An exploration of the NASCAR fan-age. International Review of Modern Sociology, 27(2), 87–102.

17.

Shani

(1997). A framework for implementing relationship marketing in the sport industry. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 6(2), 9–15.

18.

Singh

, Goolsby

J. R.

, & Rhoads

G. K.

(1994, November). Burnout and customer service representatives. Journal of Marketing Research. 31, 558–569.

19.

Smith

A. K.

, & Bolton

R. N.

(1998, August). An experimental investigation of customer reactions to service failure and recovery encounters. Journal of Service Research. 1, 65–81.

20.

Tax

S. S.

, & Brown

S. W.

(1998, Fall). Recovering and learning from service failure. Sloan Management Review, 75–88.

21.

Zeithaml

V. A.

, & Bitner

M. J.

(2000). Services marketing: Integrating customer focus across the firm (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Nascar's “Customer Gap”: Are Fans’ Perceptions Keeping up with Their Expectations?

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References