It's Not Just the Short Tracks Hurting for Cars...

[ScottPrentice]

Tim Pafford, aren't the Outlaw Late Models that you run at Watermelon Capital Speedway pretty close to the Sportsman cars down here?
I'm not sure about your tire rule, but you guys run stock clip chassis, crate motors, QC rear ends allowed, and an open body rule- correct?

I love coming up there to see the Outlaws and wish you could draw more of them- maybe get some of these Florida Outlaw Sportsman guys to come up and run with you.

And on your off nights send some of them Outlaws down to Bronson- could you imagine that, an Outlaw Late Model series between Cordele and Bronson- now that would be cool to see!

[Lurkin]

As far as nascar goes, for me anyways, it's the controlling and or altering the outcomes with the bs cautions. They refuse to let a race play out and insist on throwing yellows for plastic water bottles and then lie to your face and tell you they never throw phantom cautions. Just when it starts to get interesting with fuel mileage and pit strategy they feel they have to throw a caution and ruin it.

[kendo]

He probably got it from the record highs that the stock market has been turning in. You should pay more attention.

Last qtr GDP was -1.0%...

The record high in the stock market is a direct result of the fed printing money combined with investors buying stocks,because .8% return on your money elsewhere isn't very attractive,,,Maybe you should enroll in an economics course (before the next correction/sell off)

It is comical how often you are wrong

[Lurkin]

Last qtr GDP was -1.0%...

The record high in the stock market is a direct result of the fed printing money combined with investors buying stocks,because .8% return on your money elsewhere isn't very attractive,,,Maybe you should enroll in an economics course (before the next correction/sell off)

Is that bad?

[kendo]

Is that bad?

Negative growth (GDP) ???

Definition of recession; A period of economic decline,defined as a decline in GDP for 2 or more consecutive quarters.

Point is you don't measure Main Street by what's happening on Wall Street.

Matt should be smart enough to know that

[andre]

I think the biggest problem we have on hand with declining participation and attendance at stock car racing events in general, is that the youngs(ers) were never consulted to see what would bring them to race on an oval.

Not ask in a driver's meeting, they are not there. Go where they are, go on drift , tuning and lapping message boards, there and ask the question, wherever they gather, that is their environment and this where they should be asked.

Just as an exemple how motorports still rides and high, last week on WEDNESDAY at Autodrome St Eustache, near Montréal, they had a street drag night, in memory of Paul Walker, 9000 cars showed up, 12,000 peoples were there, shooting the breeze, pulling drag runs, having a blast.

So motorsport interest is still there, have to ask the right questions to the right people.

[Lurkin]

I couldn't agree more. These kids can't relate to anything on the track at all. If they didn't grow up in a racing family and happen to show up for their first race on a slow night when ten ugly metric bombers are the biggest class all strung out and boring it's no wonder they think two cars they recognize power sliding around making a bunch of noise and smoke (drifting) is exciting.

PS Kendo it was sarcasm.

[Matt Albee]

Last qtr GDP was -1.0%...

The record high in the stock market is a direct result of the fed printing money combined with investors buying stocks,because .8% return on your money elsewhere isn't very attractive,,,Maybe you should enroll in an economics course (before the next correction/sell off)

It is comical how often you are wrong

So you're saying that we'll know the economy is growing when the stock market is down. Interesting.

[kendo]

So you're saying that we'll know the economy is growing when the stock market is down. Interesting.

What I am saying is that it is not a good economic indicator as it is somewhat artificially inflated (ie; bail outs,fed printing excessive $,fed keeping interest rates down,etc)

[Groundpounder]

Many of the top racing series in this country are not doing well this year... Not sure why since the economy is "supposed" to be rebounding etc.

Maybe a larger worry for track operators is the drops in attendance and viewership. Many tracks are removing and blocking off grandstands. The rebounding economy has nothing to do with it...a lack of interest does...out affluent society offers many forms of entertainment. Also I maintained for years, there is too much racing...a glut. A glut collapses a normal order of supply and demand. Fewer tracks and events will have racers filling up the pits of those surviving events. Painful but it happens.

Bottom Line: It ain't like it used to be...we are literally dying off.

[egspeedway]

Groundpounder hit the nail on the head. We are dying off.The baby boomers are/were the largest % of attendees and viewers. Then came generation X who maintained somewhat of an interest in cars and outdoor activities We are now a generation and a half into a generation dependant on electronics as the basic source of their interests and activities and largely are content to be indoors. The selection of Josh Wise over Danica as the fans choice for the Charlotte show is proof to me as to where people are looking for their info. Not being a social scientist I have no bandaids for this sore. In 1958 my 8th grade history teacher predicted that man will eventually become merely a muscle to punch the buttons that serve our daily needs. I wish I could say he was wrong. The racing spin doctors will need to find some way into the mind of todays younger people or we may well go the way of the dinosaur.

[Phil Jacques]

Maybe a larger worry for track operators is the drops in attendance and viewership. Many tracks are removing and blocking off grandstands. The rebounding economy has nothing to do with it...a lack of interest does...out affluent society offers many forms of entertainment. Also I maintained for years, there is too much racing...a glut. A glut collapses a normal order of supply and demand. Fewer tracks and events will have racers filling up the pits of those surviving events. Painful but it happens.

Bottom Line: It ain't like it used to be...we are literally dying off.

Maybe if ticket prices hadn't gone through the roof and beyond, people would be more interested in "seeing what it's all about" and going and checking out a race on a whim... I mean, it's only simple logic to me...

Simple example...

You have a track that holds 80,000 people Ticket prices are $55 each

Well if you only fill 60,000 of those seats, you make $3.3m... Sounds like a lot but you could earn another $1.1m if you filled those remaining 20,000 seats. But since you are not filling those seats, how about drop the price to about $40 each... If you fill all the seats, you make the same money as only filling 60,000... Sounds like a poor business decision to most, until you consider that those extra 20,000 fans are going to buy food, beer, merchandise, pay for parking and god knows what else... In the end, you make more...

I don't know... Maybe I have a messed up way of thinking about this whole thing... But to me, the future of our sport doesn't depend on the drivers and teams we have now. It depends on the audience we attract and the ability to keep those people coming back and bringing in new people that may have never experienced this sport before. In my eyes, if you bring the people in, families, kids, adults etc, whatever, there will be interest from at least some of them in "gee how can I get my ass in one of those racecars"... That's what built our sport to me, and that's what is going to kill it...

[andre]

Many places, they give away tickets and people still don't go, so ticket price is maybe part of the problem, but definitly not the only one.

Last time I went to a Cup rcae was Homestead w/e few years back. Airplane, motel, car rental, 3 days at the track, restaurants and whole nine yards, $2500 one week. Ticket was $189 for the 3 races.

Last fall, I went to Vegas for a week vacation, no racing involved, same amount of money, but got way more for my money. Saw more, enjoy myself more, money better spent.

And I'm an avid race fan.

[kendo]

Groundpounder hit the nail on the head. We are dying off.The baby boomers are/were the largest % of attendees and viewers. .

Not to mention,as a baby boomer and former diehard NASCAR fan in the
80-90's,many like myself have lost total interest in NAPCAR racing.I could list 20 reasons why,but the biggest reason is the sport has become too sanitized.

With the tremendous growth throughout the 90's the sport was bound to level off,but the empty seats week after week are very alarming.

Corporate sponsors no doubt see this and are going to spend their advertising dollars elsewhere.

[luke81]

Not to mention,as a baby boomer and former diehard NASCAR fan in the
80-90's,many like myself have lost total interest in NAPCAR racing.I could list 20 reasons why,but the biggest reason is the sport has become too sanitized.

With the tremendous growth throughout the 90's the sport was bound to level off,but the empty seats week after week are very alarming.

Corporate sponsors no doubt see this and are going to spend their advertising dollars elsewhere.

I agree to a point, but there's also another factor in those empty seats - many tracks are drastically overbuilt with seating. My beloved Michigan Wolverines have the largest stadium in the nation, and it holds just under 110,000. Bristol motor speedway holds 160,000! Dover holds 135,000. Charlotte holds 146,000. The average attendance of an NFL game hovers around 70,000 people. There just isnt reason to believe that racing should be able to drastically out-draw more popular sports.