(Reuters) - NASCAR launches a new season with the Daytona 500 on Sunday, pondering ways to make the Great American Race great again amid a gloomy backdrop of an aging fan base and declining attendance and television ratings. Once the darling of the U.S. sport scene, NASCAR a decade ago rivalled only the National Football League (NFL) for fans and sponsor attention and dollars. "What NASCAR is facing is not unique," David Carter, executive director of the University of Southern California Sports Business Institute, told Reuters. "Maybe the NASCAR message ought to be we welcome everybody but man this is a tough place to be." Earnhardt will start on the front row for Sunday's race alongside team mate Chase Elliott, the son of another NASCAR legend Bill Elliott.

Source: The Star February 24, 2017 20:13 UTC