Race fans prefer domestic vehicles — and Ford

(May 28, 2012) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Just in time for the Memorial Day race weekend, TrueCar.com has identified the 10 Most Popular Cars for People Who Enjoy Racing/NASCAR. Based on 2011 data received from more than 165,000 men and women who listed "Rallying," "Auto Racing," or "NASCAR" among their hobbies, the findings place the Ford F-150 at the top of the list, followed by two more pickup trucks: the Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500.

Americans have been enjoying racing — whether it is NASCAR, IndyCar, or some other variant -- for more than a hundred years. Their preference for domestic vehicles was made clear in this survey, with eight of the 10 top choices being domestic vehicles, and five of the top-10 choices being Ford models. Chevrolet was the only other brand to have more than one model on the overall list.

"The data shows that American racing fans prefer domestic vehicles," said Kristen Andersson, Senior Analyst at TrueCar.com. "Racing fans' need for speed doesn't translate into vehicles purchased as shown by the segments favored including trucks and midsize cars."

Some of the key findings of the overall data include:

    • Ford has five vehicles in the top 10 most popular cars for racing enthusiasts, including the F-150, Mustang, Fusion, Escape, and Edge.

    • Chevrolet has two vehicles in the top 10 most popular cars for racing enthusiasts, the Silverado1500 and Malibu.

    • Two imports made the list: the Hyundai Sonata and the Toyota Tacoma

10 Most Popular Vehicles for both Male and Female Racing Fans
Rank†† Make Model Trim Segment MSRP Average Paid* $ Discount off MSRP % Discount off MSRP **
1 Ford F-150 2WD SuperCab 145" STX Large Truck $29,335 $25,750 $3,585 12.2%
2 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 2WD Ext Cab 143.5" LS Large Truck $30,920 $27,416 $3,504 11.3%
3 Ram 1500 2WD Reg Cab 120.5" ST Large Truck $23,415 $20,157 $3,258 13.9%
4 Ford Mustang 2dr Coupe GT Sport Car $30,505 $27,076 $3,429 11.2%
5 Ford Fusion 4dr Sedan SE FWD Midsize Car $23,770 $21,292 $2,478 10.4%
6 Ford Escape FWD 4dr XLT Small SUV $25,695 $22,218 $3,477 13.5%
7 Ford Edge 4dr SEL FWD Midsize SUV $31,905 $29,156 $2,749 8.6%
8 Hyundai Sonata 4dr Sedan 2.0T Auto Limited Midsize Car $28,970 $28,017 $953 3.3%
9 Chevrolet Malibu 4dr Sedan LS w/1LS Midsize Car $22,870 $19,630 $3,240 14.2%
10 Toyota Tacoma 2WD Reg Cab I4 MT Small Truck $17,935 $17,102 $833 4.6%
*Average price paid is estimated based on the national average of recent vehicle transactions, including destination and delivery charges after incentives that are subject to change, but does not include tax, title, licensing, documentation or processing fees, other state and governmental charges and/or fees, or any other charges or fees allowed by law. **Percent Discount is rounded to the nearest tenth.  ††Rankings Data is from Strategic Vision's 2011 New Vehicle Experience Survey.

When broken down to identify the most popular vehicles for women who enjoy racing/NASCAR, the list expands to include one more import brand, and the preference for body type moves towards more family friendly cars and sport/utility vehicles.

The preference toward specific brands is more evenly split among female fans, with three each for Chevrolet and Ford. More women may be tuning in to watch the Indy 500 this weekend, in support of TrueCar's "Women Empowered" racer Katherine Legge, who is only the ninth woman to earn a spot in the Indy 500.

10 Most Popular Vehicles for Female Racing Fans
Rank†† Make Model Trim Segment MSRP Average Paid* $ Discount off MSRP % Discount off MSRP **
1 Chevrolet Cruze Sedan LT w/1LT Small Car $19,350 $19,296 $54 0.3%
2 Ford Fusion Sedan SE FWD Midsize Car $23,770 $21,292 $2,478 10.4%
3 Chevrolet Malibu Sedan LS w/1LS Midsize Car $22,870 $19,630 $3,240 14.2%
4 Toyota Corolla Sedan Auto LE Small Car $18,670 $17,588 $1,082 5.8%
5 Chevrolet Tahoe 2WD 4dr 1500 LS Large SUV $39,750 $36,448 $3,302 8.3%
6 GMC Acadia FWD 4dr SL Large SUV $33,510 $31,057 $2,453 7.3%
7 Ford Focus 5dr HB SE Small Car $19,095 $17,395 $1,700 8.9%
8 Toyota RAV4 FWD 4dr I4 Midsize SUV $23,460 $22,185 $1,275 5.4%
9 Hyundai Elantra Sedan Auto Limited (Alabama Plant) Small Car $21,370 $21,214 $156 0.7%
10 Ford Mustang 2dr Coupe GT Sport Car $30,505 $27,076 $3,429 11.2%
*Average price paid is estimated based on the national average of recent vehicle transactions, including destination and delivery charges after incentives that are subject to change, but does not include tax, title, licensing, documentation or processing fees, other state and governmental charges and/or fees, or any other charges or fees allowed by law. **Percent Discount is rounded to the nearest tenth.  ††Rankings Data is from Strategic Vision's 2011 New Vehicle Experience Survey.