Attendance and millenials

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29-4

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Fairly good article on Jayski:

http://www.speedwaymedia.com/?p=109297

As the tailend of the millenial generation at age 30, I actually think this article has some good suggestions. The inability to use wifi at the racetrack is a big deterrent to young people, particularly women who want to post 50 Instagram photos by the end of the first lap. And having more craft beer/public areas would be welcome as well. Some might say this isn't what racetracks are about, and I agree (and go anyway) but here are some ways to appeal to young people that don't entail ruining the on track product through fake cautions/shorter races.

ps. I know there used to be an attendance thread but I didn't find it through a search, feel free to move if I missed it.
 
I saw lots of young people this year. Atlanta even had African American youth! The key is family and not wifi. Digitals cameras are affordable for the lower income NASCAR masses. Family is NASCAR Allison, Busch, Earnhardt, Petty, Mears. NASCAR is more then attendance too. Eventhough attendance is down, xbox has thousands of players for the game. to fill the void.
 
I must say the author is spot on when it comes to Daytona. If someone hasn't been there since the changes you really need to go...and this is coming from someone that doesn't even like attending races at Daytona.
 
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The article was very interesting to me and I hope millennials weigh in and with opinions as I don't get any of it. Maybe it is just me or maybe it is because I am a baby boomer but when I am at a race the last thing I think about is craft beer, WiFi or socializing with others.

I think it is good for Nascar and the track owners to hear things like this as if it helps sell tickets, create a good vibe and increases interest and popularity it makes sense to give the young people what they want.
 
dave corthell said:
I must say the author is spot on when it comes to Daytona. If someone hasn't been there since the changes you really need to go...and this is coming from someone that doesn't even like attending races at Daytona.
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It will be interesting to see how full Daytona is for the July race as if they have a good crowd it may get the attention of some of the other tracks and make them think about making improvements the fans want.
 
BobbyFord said:
I go to races for racing and for tailgating.
We bring our own IPAs, Lagers, food, etc.
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I am Mr. Low Maintenance as if I am going to a sporting event or concert I just want to get in a late as I can and leave as soon as I can. Maybe it is my ADD.
 
I'm squarely in that Millenial demographic but I am still a month out from attending my first race, so I'll only give some general thoughts for now.

1st off NASCAR is sitting on an untapped gold mine when it comes to getting us to tracks. The very product hits on two major things millenials love. One other trend with millenials this guy failed to mention is that we have a much, much higher tendency to spend money on experiences rather than things. Whereas to the baby boomers, the perfect gift might be a nice new shirt or a set of tools, to many of us the best gift might be tickets to a hot event. And what is constantly the go-to choice for entertainment? Live sports. Especially true if a sport is significantly different or better live vs on TV, which NASCAR is.

2ndly, millenials love to drink. The stigma around going out and getting loaded every week is long gone. The need to socialize trumps everything. It blows my mind why NASCAR isn't a bigger draw here considering tailgating is such a big part of the culture. That lines up squarely with the big time college football tailgating culture that many Millenials are used to. In fact, I know a lot of them specifically sought out that experience when choosing a college after seeing how awesome it looked every Saturday on college game day. Forget family passes, college student discounts make too much sense. NASCAR is pretty much SEC football for the summer months and they would be stupid to ignore how much appeal that has across the nation.
 
Skoalbandit33 said:
I am Mr. Low Maintenance as if I am going to a sporting event or concert I just want to get in a late as I can and leave as soon as I can. Maybe it is my ADD.
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Ditto; we're there for the race and nothing more. We usually have to get there early to get a space in the handicapped lot, but we're pretty low key. 'Tailgating' for us is usually sandwiches, either made on site or (more often in recent years) picked up at Subway on the way in. Books and a deck of cards kill the afternoon; weather and track size permitting, I'll walk a lap around the exterior of the track. We head for the stands as late as possible. The upside to the handicapped lots is they usually empty out pretty quickly.
 
As a 25 year old I agree with the part about wifi, or good cell service even if you don't have sprint be nice. I go to Dover and you can't hear the radio loudspeakers under green, I can't really afford to rent scanners and all that so I try to follow along on twitter, which usually proves impossible. On the other stuff eh, but I hate socializing and I'm there for the sport not the event. But then again I've been a fan for 20 years not someone they are trying to draw in.
 
I watched a show the other night (have no idea why) called "Dude Perfect". About 5 guys pulling off these trick shots. The show
was a fast moving collage of 30-60 second unrelated bits all jammed together --- no rhyme, reason, or method.
This is what NASCAR is up against --- young people moving in these short, quick sound bites.
A NASCAR race requires paying attention for too long a time.
 
Acs said:
I'm squarely in that Millenial demographic but I am still a month out from attending my first race, so I'll only give some general thoughts for now.

1st off NASCAR is sitting on an untapped gold mine when it comes to getting us to tracks. The very product hits on two major things millenials love. One other trend with millenials this guy failed to mention is that we have a much, much higher tendency to spend money on experiences rather than things. Whereas to the baby boomers, the perfect gift might be a nice new shirt or a set of tools, to many of us the best gift might be tickets to a hot event. And what is constantly the go-to choice for entertainment? Live sports. Especially true if a sport is significantly different or better live vs on TV, which NASCAR is.

2ndly, millenials love to drink. The stigma around going out and getting loaded every week is long gone. The need to socialize trumps everything. It blows my mind why NASCAR isn't a bigger draw here considering tailgating is such a big part of the culture. That lines up squarely with the big time college football tailgating culture that many Millenials are used to. In fact, I know a lot of them specifically sought out that experience when choosing a college after seeing how awesome it looked every Saturday on college game day. Forget family passes, college student discounts make too much sense. NASCAR is pretty much SEC football for the summer months and they would be stupid to ignore how much appeal that has across the nation.
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It was very interesting to hear your take on things as the only experience I have spent money on is Jimi Hendrix and I may or may not have spent money on other consumables that sent you on a trip without leaving your property. When I was a young buck I gravitated to crowds and events but now that I am a curmudgeon (I'm even growing out my eyebrows) I get snarky and cranky around the masses. I would rather someone purchase something for me like a shirt as opposed to an experience with the exception being if tickets were being handed out to see what is left of Pink Floyd, Led Zep or The Who.

As far as socialization goes it was a huge deal to me from the time I was 14-21 but after that time things quieted down and I did my own thing as I made my way in life. If I could give my dream scenario for attending a race I would fly in to the city where the race was being held and then get in a copter, fly into the track, watch the race and then get back out again right after the checkers flew.
 
TexasRaceLady said:
I watched a show the other night (have no idea why) called "Dude Perfect". About 5 guys pulling off these trick shots. The show
was a fast moving collage of 30-60 second unrelated bits all jammed together --- no rhyme, reason, or method.
This is what NASCAR is up against --- young people moving in these short, quick sound bites.
A NASCAR race requires paying attention for too long a time.
Click to expand...

I agree as there are many nuances in a race and if you are not focused they are easy to miss.
 
Acs said:
... And what is constantly the go-to choice for entertainment? Live sports. Especially true if a sport is significantly different or better live vs on TV, which NASCAR is. ...
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Like almost everyone here, I have friends who think auto racing is just cars going in circles. I tell them it's so much better at the track than on the tube. Even my wife, who isn't a fan of sports at all, agrees racing is better live. I offer to take them to X or Truck races on my dime; "Hey, kid! The first one's free!"
 
sadly does not think a pats fan will like being outside for 4 hours in 88 degrees at NHMS. What's ipas?
 
I asked some Millennials I know who are all car nuts.

My friend who is an engineer and a Jeep nut.
no time, more entertaining things to watch, too constrained and stuck in the past by the rulebook, and going in circles doesn't really interest me. I'd rather watch lemons, but I don't even have time for that (He's referring to the 24 hours of Lemons, a low budget racing series)
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Other responses were similar.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Like almost everyone here, I have friends who think auto racing is just cars going in circles. I tell them it's so much better at the track than on the tube. Even my wife, who isn't a fan of sports at all, agrees racing is better live. I offer to take them to X or Truck races on my dime; "Hey, kid! The first one's free!"
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Have you ever recruited a new fan through this?
 
29-4 said:
Fairly good article on Jayski:

http://www.speedwaymedia.com/?p=109297

As the tailend of the millenial generation at age 30, I actually think this article has some good suggestions. The inability to use wifi at the racetrack is a big deterrent to young people, particularly women who want to post 50 Instagram photos by the end of the first lap. And having more craft beer/public areas would be welcome as well. Some might say this isn't what racetracks are about, and I agree (and go anyway) but here are some ways to appeal to young people that don't entail ruining the on track product through fake cautions/shorter races.

ps. I know there used to be an attendance thread but I didn't find it through a search, feel free to move if I missed it.
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Funny, I've suggested this at EVERY track I've gone to. One track, the people said to me, "We don't need to sell no yuppie beer, real men drink Bud Light".

WiFi is harder than people think. Even at a short track, you have to have some damn good internet to open it up to fans. My internet at home is 10 times faster than at the track office (and I'm paying for that "10 times faster" too, heh), but it can only handle 10 devices being connected. The track internet slows to a crawl when three people are on it.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Funny, I've suggested this at EVERY track I've gone to. One track, the people said to me, "We don't need to sell no yuppie beer, real men drink Bud Light".

WiFi is harder than people think. Even at a short track, you have to have some damn good internet to open it up to fans. My internet at home is 10 times faster than at the track office (and I'm paying for that "10 times faster" too, heh), but it can only handle 10 devices being connected. The track internet slows to a crawl when three people are on it.
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I have never taken an electronic device into a race track other than a digital camera ....... what do people do on the internet at races ?
 
4tires17gals said:
sadly does not think a pats fan will like being outside for 4 hours in 88 degrees at NHMS. What's ipas?
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I.P.A., an abbreviation for 'Indian Pale Ale'. IPA is what an ignorant git like me with an unsophisticate palate would describe as 'a kind of beer'.

29-4 said:
Have you ever recruited a new fan through this?
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I can't get them to take me up on the freebies. Maybe it's the thought of spending many hours in my company?

Anyway, I'm not close with millennials.

AndyMarquisLive said:
... WiFi is harder than people think. Even at a short track, you have to have some damn good internet to open it up to fans. My internet at home is 10 times faster than at the track office (and I'm paying for that "10 times faster" too, heh), but it can only handle 10 devices being connected. The track internet slows to a crawl when three people are on it.
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Toss in that the crowd will only be there a couple of weeks a year. In a town like Darlington, the track seats almost 8 times the resident population. Even with all the mobile equipment brought to the track, there isn't enough bandwidth in the area to support the crowd.

Kyle18fan said:
I have never taken an electronic device into a race track other than a digital camera ....... what do people do on the internet at races ?
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My cynical side says the same thing they do at other sporting events: stare at the device, watching their fantasy numbers and updating their Twitter feed, until they miss something that happened and watch the replay on the Jumbotron.

But I sincerely hope someone who's a heavy user of the Internet at sporting events will honestly tell me I'm completely wrong.
 
Don't know if I qualify as millenial at 34.5 but I agree that paying 120 bucks to sit on a bleecher is very out dated. When tickets were in the 30-50 dollar range its not that big of a deal, but at 120, I better have my own seat and possibly a cushion on it. For 10 bucks I can go to a baseball game and sit in a chair at the top of the stadium (and they have wifi).
I'm not a big wifi user, but I understand the draw for the younger crowd. Putting it in really isn't that expensive, and the data you could collect from users would be more valuable than the cost of the system.

I agree with the need new beer choices crowd. While I spend most of my drinking at the tailgate, when I get into the track it would be nice to have something a little better than bud light/budweiser/michelobe. Ditto relatively healthy food options. Not everyone likes cheese fries or crappy burgers. A turkey sandwich is not complicated. I'm surprised subway doesn't have a mobile shop opened up at every event. Maybe they do and I just didn't see it.

I also agree with the whole experience argument and think this is relatively easy to implement. Just have some local flavor to the track. Local food vendors, local beers, local school marching bands maybe. Also, have some more interactive things outside the track. Maybe some racing simulators or slot car tracks or rc cars. It is all part of the experience to learn more about NASCAR while having fun.
Unfortunately, a significant amount of millenials have no money, so the cheaper these things are the better. haha
 
So, if I turned 31 a week ago i'm supposed to do a bunch of social media stuff during a boring follow the Toyota race? Good to know.
 
The Nature Boy said:
Am I the only millenial who prefers to have Bud Lights and cheap stadium food?
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Nahhh. On raceday if I'm out tailgating, especially in this Florida heat and humidity, I have to stick with a light beer. When I go to out of town races I'll usually kick the day off with something a little more tasty though.
 
I have to admit to some confusion on the subject of food and drink offerings at the track. Almost all tracks let you bring in your own stuff. If you want brie on toast points and Chardonnay, what's stopping you? I'm usually happy with roasted peanuts in the shell and Diet Pepsi, but on occasion I've brought in sauteed shrimp or chicken salad pitas and Woodchuck cider.
 
LouieLouie said:
... Also, have some more interactive things outside the track. Maybe some racing simulators or slot car tracks or rc cars. It is all part of the experience to learn more about NASCAR while having fun....
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I've seen the same slot-car gypsy at tracks for over 15 years. There were simulators at Darlington when I took my bro-in-law a few years ago; not my thing but he seemed to enjoy it.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
WiFi is harder than people think. Even at a short track, you have to have some damn good internet to open it up to fans. My internet at home is 10 times faster than at the track office (and I'm paying for that "10 times faster" too, heh), but it can only handle 10 devices being connected. The track internet slows to a crawl when three people are on it.
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Bethel Motor Speedway, NY. 1/5th of a mile asphalt track. Never seen a closed-trailer hauling race cars, all are in the open or two-wheel trailers with the race car in neutral. The track is less than a mile from where the Woodstock festival took place. Probably the most laid-back (and kinda hillbilly) track north of Washington DC. You know me, I go to tracks that are revered around short track racing, Stafford, Thompson. Bethel is in no-where NY, and they have the best public wifi I have ever experienced. Absolutely blown away given the track and the location.
 
Speedbowl14 said:
Bethel Motor Speedway, NY. 1/5th of a mile asphalt track. Never seen a closed-trailer hauling race cars, all are in the open or two-wheel trailers with the race car in neutral. The track is less than a mile from where the Woodstock festival took place. Probably the most laid-back (and kinda hillbilly) track north of Washington DC. You know me, I go to tracks that are revered around short track racing, Stafford, Thompson. Bethel is in no-where NY, and they have the best public wifi I have ever experienced. Absolutely blown away given the track and the location.
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Some states are better than others for internet in rural areas. North Carolina is terrible for this sort of stuff. I only just got internet at my house and it was a damn battle to get it.

I like open trailers. In fact, I think tracks should incentivize drivers to bring their cars in on open trailers. It's good promotion.

Trailers are the "my dick's bigger than yours" in asphalt racing. A lot of guys come in with full blown Cup trailers. I've seen them pull those big rigs into tracks where they literally won't fit. And the only other people impressed by the haulers are the other drivers. Fans honestly hate them.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
I have to admit to some confusion on the subject of food and drink offerings at the track. Almost all tracks let you bring in your own stuff. If you want brie on toast points and Chardonnay, what's stopping you? I'm usually happy with roasted peanuts in the shell and Diet Pepsi, but on occasion I've brought in sauteed shrimp or chicken salad pitas and Woodchuck cider.
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Can't bring beer in at Fontana or Vegas unfortunately.
 
Speedbowl14 said:
Bethel Motor Speedway, NY. 1/5th of a mile asphalt track. Never seen a closed-trailer hauling race cars, all are in the open or two-wheel trailers with the race car in neutral. The track is less than a mile from where the Woodstock festival took place. Probably the most laid-back (and kinda hillbilly) track north of Washington DC. You know me, I go to tracks that are revered around short track racing, Stafford, Thompson. Bethel is in no-where NY, and they have the best public wifi I have ever experienced. Absolutely blown away given the track and the location.
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I've actually been there multiple times also so I can attest to that.
 
ReturnTrip said:
So, if I turned 31 a week ago i'm supposed to do a bunch of social media stuff during a boring follow the Toyota race? Good to know.
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Dont forgot taking a few selfies of you being bored.
 
Last couple of years I've gone to Richmond, The Tilted Kilt had basically a full-blown bar set up just outside the main entrance to the track. Is this done at any other tracks?
 
I really like the idea of the "standing room" spaces.
With seats being removed there would be a place for these gathering platforms/ bar areas within view of the action. This could be considered something like a poor man's suite. It could be a way of bringing the tailgating atmosphere into the event. They could possibly be sold to a block of folks so they could socialize during the race without leaning over 3 people and screaming at the top of their lungs. I may be an old fart but I do remember wishing I could hang with my friends during the race.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
I have to admit to some confusion on the subject of food and drink offerings at the track. Almost all tracks let you bring in your own stuff. If you want brie on toast points and Chardonnay, what's stopping you? I'm usually happy with roasted peanuts in the shell and Diet Pepsi, but on occasion I've brought in sauteed shrimp or chicken salad pitas and Woodchuck cider.
Click to expand...

This is another underrated aspect of NASCAR. Lots of millenials know what NASCAR is but I bet very few know you can bring a cooler into the track. You'd be surprised how big of a draw that can be. I recently convinced a friend to go out on a limb and buy tickets to Chicagoland mainly because of this. He's not a typical NASCAR fan by any stretch (lives in the big city, doesn't drive, liberal, ect.) but he loves to drink and watch sports. So when I told him he can tailgate all day then bring as much beer and food into the track as you can fit in a 12X12X12 cooler he was sold. Honestly anything NASCAR can do to let people know about this is good.
 
Old 97 said:
I really like the idea of the "standing room" spaces.
With seats being removed there would be a place for these gathering platforms/ bar areas within view of the action. This could be considered something like a poor man's suite. It could be a way of bringing the tailgating atmosphere into the event. They could possibly be sold to a block of folks so they could socialize during the race without leaning over 3 people and screaming at the top of their lungs. I may be an old fart but I do remember wishing I could hang with my friends during the race.
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I am all for it too as if that is how people really would like to see the race then give it to them. The socializing part I acknowledge but I also don't understand it as if I go to a movie or concert or even a ball game I don't mind talking about it afterward but at the time the event is on I want to concentrate on it.
 
Acs said:
This is another underrated aspect of NASCAR. Lots of millenials know what NASCAR is but I bet very few know you can bring a cooler into the track. You'd be surprised how big of a draw that can be. I recently convinced a friend to go out on a limb and buy tickets to Chicagoland mainly because of this. He's not a typical NASCAR fan by any stretch (lives in the big city, doesn't drive, liberal, ect.) but he loves to drink and watch sports. So when I told him he can tailgate all day then bring as much beer and food into the track as you can fit in a 12X12X12 cooler he was sold. Honestly anything NASCAR can do to let people know about this is good.
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If being able to drink all day at or near the track sells tickets to younger folks then the tracks should be marketing the heck out of it and making it as friendly as possible.
 
The thing with a race is....it doesn't really take total concentration? Yes, something can happen every lap but
Charlie Spencer said:
I have to admit to some confusion on the subject of food and drink offerings at the track. Almost all tracks let you bring in your own stuff. If you want brie on toast points and Chardonnay, what's stopping you? I'm usually happy with roasted peanuts in the shell and Diet Pepsi, but on occasion I've brought in sauteed shrimp or chicken salad pitas and Woodchuck cider.
Click to expand...

Millennials don't like to do anything that takes 'prep.' Heck they (we?) don't eat cereal because of the clean-up:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/23/this-is-the-height-of-laziness/

So best to have options on-site for this generation.
 
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