The many fans who were not disguising themselves as empty seats at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and who weren’t wearing the paraphernalia of the #48 Lowes Chevrolet, were pleased that anyone but Johnson won the race. With his victory Sunday in the Brickyard 400, Ryan Newman catapulted himself into the Sprint Cup Chase conversation. Although today he still finds himself looking outside of the top 12 Chase spots, he’s right there sitting in the 16th position. His victory moves him only 20 points behind the last wild card spot currently held by Martin Truex, Jr. NASCAR officials should give the person who came up with the idea of a 10-race Chase a raise because without it, we’d be crowning Jimmie Johnson the Sprint Cup champion already.
But perhaps the bigger issue for NASCAR is the lack of attendance. What is behind the sagging attendance at NASCAR events? NASCAR no longer announces attendance at its races but last season the crowd at Indianapolis was estimated to be around 80,000 to 90,000. This year’s race crowd would have had a difficult time matching that number. Just 7 years ago a crowd of over 200,000 witnessed the Brickyard 400. Last season NASCAR played to an average crowd of 97,000, down from 130,000 in 2005. The decline has been steady and consistent.
NASCAR has been working hard on improving the quality of racing. First they junked the hideously performing Car of Tomorrow (COT). Next they completely redesigned the car so fans can now easily distinguish between car manufacturers. Goodyear has also invested huge amounts of money improving the tire and its performance. All of these improvements have led to a better race experience but has not improved the lagging attendance. As TV ratings continue to increase, more and more fans are choosing to stay home and enjoy the races from the comfortable confines of their living rooms.
It’s time that NASCAR looked outside the cars, tires, and track performance to attract its fans to the track. Here are a few of my ideas. Warning: Some may be off the wall for us traditional NASCAR racing fans.
1: Lower the damn ticket price. I know, I know this is a no brainer but I’m talking really lowering the price. How about a truly affordable race ticket? Let’s say the most expensive seat in the house for $40 bucks and most seats under $25.
2. In order to recapture lost income (don’t throw things at me fans) don’t allow food and beverage into the Grandstand. No other major sport allows it. Make your money up on those that choose to have an adult beverage or two during the race. But don’t rake the fans over the coals who purchase them either.
3. Traffic to and from a track can be troublesome. Design a true workable Mass Transportation program to these tracks. Utilize better traffic patterns, more buses, and trains in getting more fans to the track and home afterwards.
4. Hotel Rooms can be really pricey. Most NASCAR fans travel some distance and have to find hotels to stay. The communities and track owners need to work together to encourage cheaper more affordable rates for NASCAR fans. Many hotels near the track currently have “special” NASCAR weekend rates. Special means more expensive. I’d call it price gouging.
5. Why race on Saturday night and Sunday only? Why go up against the NFL and college football on autumn weekends? Last week the NASCAR Truck Series raced on a Wednesday night at Eldora Raceway in front of a record crowd. Drastic times call for drastic measures. Maybe hotels would be more willing to lower their rates during a mid-week race?
6. Maybe two races are one too many. Many tracks now have two Sprint Car races. There are a lot of tracks without Sprint Cup races. Does the name Rockingham or North Wilkesboro ring a bell? How about another road course race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal or a short track race at the mile track in Milwaukee?
Well, those are my ideas. NASCAR is doing a great job looking for internal solutions such as cars, tires and such. Now they need to look outside of those areas to solve the attendance problem. There is nothing more exciting than watching NASCAR race in person. The roar of the engines, the smell of the fuel, and the passion of its fans are addicting and that’s what has created the growth in NASCAR. The trick for NASCAR now is to attract a new generation of fans while keeping us old fogies around.
I’d love to hear your ideas.
My picks for Pocono:
1) Greg Biffle
2) Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3) Kyle Busch
Thanks for Reading, you can leave your comments below. Feel free to give me a follow on Twitter – @JimLaPlante, as well as the site – @LastWordOnSport.
Interested in writing for LastWordOnSports? Find more info at our “Join Our Team” page.
Main Photo Credit: www.autoweek.com,
