Indy stands.....damn

Bowtie3 said:
Probably a good think NASCAR doesn't announce attendance numbers anymore.
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It got to the point of being ridiculous as they were publishing attendance figures that were completely unbelievable. Several years back they announced attendance at Pocono as being 100K but some organization was retained to count the actual number of people and it was less than half. I think Nascar could do itself a lot of good by just being honest as most people can deal with that but the manipulations and other things are hard to swallow.
 
Skoalbandit33 said:
It got to the point of being ridiculous as they were publishing attendance figures that were completely unbelievable. Several years back they announced attendance at Pocono as being 100K but some organization was retained to count the actual number of people and it was less than half. I think Nascar could do itself a lot of good by just being honest as most people can deal with that but the manipulations and other things are hard to swallow.
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Today for example. The last yellow needed to wave several moments before it truly did... we all know it was overly dark and needed to stop, if NASCAR would have just said we have to call this due to darkness/safety I don't think anyone would have an issue, it would be understood... but they choose to try and fool all of us by watching the multiple car wreck play out of turn two and then wait and wait for kahne to get to their little OT line then suddenly yellow flag, their credibility is long gone. You have to wonder if that caused a few of those sections to be empty just by that issue alone...
 
Skoalbandit33 said:
It got to the point of being ridiculous as they were publishing attendance figures that were completely unbelievable. Several years back they announced attendance at Pocono as being 100K but some organization was retained to count the actual number of people and it was less than half. I think Nascar could do itself a lot of good by just being honest as most people can deal with that but the manipulations and other things are hard to swallow.
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I had never heard that regarding Pocono. Pocono rarely released attendance figures back in the day. The state police would often do estimates. The biggest number I remember hearing was 175k (including infield) in the late 90's. Pocono didn't list their seating capacity until it was "reduced" according to them to 76k several years ago. I knew the landscaper who did work for them and he was told circa 2001'ish after the final seating addition there were 115k bleacher seats(including pit row seats).

I know there was a Martinsville attendance discrepancy years ago. Originally it was listed at 90k but when ISC bought it they found there were 65k? Something along those lines iirc....
 
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Seems odd they are putting this race as the regular season finale next year I suppose they think it could result in higher attendence, they are also putting it on the same Sunday as the NFL opener I guess NASCAR feels going against NFL is better than going against College
 
Still I don't get how even in a decline this speedway was so empty...

I was shocked on looking st MIS tickets again in a few weeks. That track has had great attendance up until this year I'd say. I was shocked at the available open seats 3 weeks out. In 2015 it seemed pretty darn packed.

But back to the point at hand, with Indy it just doesn't add up. There have got to be more race fans around that facility that would at least go for an afternoon. Yeah you don't see the whole track but that's not new information to many race fans. I just can't imagine 100,000+ if not closer to 200,000 a decade or two ago now compares to maybe... what's the number we want to guess at for yesterday... maybe 5- 10,000?! Really?
 
Cholo said:
Honestly good for everyone that stayed home. Would have sucked to have paid for a race that didn't start till 3 and ended with NASCAR manipulating the OT line. Not watching this sh!t for a while what's the point.
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Didn't NASCAR say they delayed the caution until KK had crossed the line because the wrecks would have required a red flag to clean up and by then it would have been too dark to restart.

Besides, they wanted KK to have a win in his last year of racing and it looked like he wasn't going to earn one.

Even if the Brickyard had lights it takes more the 102 ticket holders to pay the electric bill.
 
BradBlaney said:
Seems odd they are putting this race as the regular season finale next year I suppose they think it could result in higher attendence, they are also putting it on the same Sunday as the NFL opener I guess NASCAR feels going against NFL is better than going against College
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IMS wanted to put it on Saturday, NASCAR rejected. Either way there's some stiff competition in that region in terms of both TV and attendance come football season.
 
I wonder how much longer this event will actually be feasible for...as @MRM mentioned the TV chunk has to be huge because NASCAR sanctioning fees aren't cheap and if the estimate in the article @Skoalbandit33 posted is accurate than attendance has dropped to the level of May's IndyCar Grand Prix...
 
FLRacingFan said:
IMS wanted to put it on Saturday, NASCAR rejected. Either way there's some stiff competition in that region in terms of both TV and attendance come football season.
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Indiana is crazy for hoops as IU and Purdue and even Notre Dame basketball are big. Of course Notre Dame Football is in a league of its own and the Colts and Pacers have good fan bases. IMO Indiana race fans have always preferred USAC stuff as the Midgets, Sprints and Silver Crowns are popular and open wheel in general is more desired than Nascar. These are just my impressions and I may be wrong.
 
Looked like there was a lot of elbow room there. I personally think Nascar is pricing themselves out of business. Average working man can't afford to go and take his family to a race.
 
FLRacingFan said:
I wonder how much longer this event will actually be feasible for...as @MRM mentioned the TV chunk has to be huge because NASCAR sanctioning fees aren't cheap and if the estimate in the article @Skoalbandit33 posted is accurate than attendance has dropped to the level of May's IndyCar Grand Prix...
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JMO but I think between Nascar and the track they have to figure out a way to ensure that 50K or thereabouts are sitting in the stands. I don't care if they have to send buses down to Louisville, Evansville, South Bend and Fort Wayne to bring people to the track but warm bodies (they don't even have to be really warm) are a must. I also think that the track should consolidate all the seating to certain areas and then get tarps and cover up some of the empty stands.

At the end of the day though I really feel that a dead horse is being savagely beaten as it is time to acknowledge that times have changed move on to another track or rotate some tracks in and out for the date.
 
dirtguru said:
Looked like there was a lot of elbow room there. I personally think Nascar is pricing themselves out of business. Average working man can't afford to go and take his family to a race.
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That and it's becoming inconvenient with starting late too. Most races I go to around me are a couple hours at least. I will go if there's a chance to get back home around 10pm.... I really have to look at that now. I don't think I could get back from one by that time now
 
I remember the excuse Nascar made about leaving Rockingham was about attendance even though the races looked like this, yet they still go to Indy every year............... and they can barely get 50k people there..........
nascar-cup-rockingham-2003-the-start-dave-blaney-leads-mark-martin-johnny-benson-and-the-r.jpg
 
JohnHill said:
That and it's becoming inconvenient with starting late too. Most races I go to around me are a couple hours at least. I will go if there's a chance to get back home around 10pm.... I really have to look at that now. I don't think I could get back from one by that time now
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IMO what you have said is a real concern for folks who like to attend Nascar races. Unfortunately not everyone has the resources of time and money to allow 3-4 days to attend and event so they need to be able to get to the track and get home at a decent hour to work the next day. I can go to 1:00PM NFL games in Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Cincinnati in a day and if I am willing to spend 1 night on the road it opens up other choices.
 
downnice said:
I remember the excuse Nascar made about leaving Rockingham was about attendance even though the races looked like this, yet they still go to Indy every year............... and they can barely get 50k people there..........
nascar-cup-rockingham-2003-the-start-dave-blaney-leads-mark-martin-johnny-benson-and-the-r.jpg
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Things sure have changed as Nascar was flying high when it took a date from Darlington, ruined Atlanta and shuttered Wilkesboro and The Rock. I suspect there weren't even 30K spectators at Indy yesterday so Nascar is being bitten by they very thing they complained about 20 years ago.
 
Skoalbandit33 said:
IMO what you have said is a real concern for folks who like to attend Nascar races. Unfortunately not everyone has the resources of time and money to allow 3-4 days to attend and event so they need to be able to get to the track and get home at a decent hour to work the next day. I can go to 1:00PM NFL games in Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Cincinnati in a day and if I am willing to spend 1 night on the road it opens up other choices.
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It really is scary how bold the decisions are by this sanctioning body and their sponsors... these are real and obvious concerns that can and most likely prevent the biggest race fan from attending... I don't understand how they did not see the reaction to some of these changes they've made... they do care. They have a lot of money on the line for people to show up and care enough to do it again. Those stands yesterday show how in touch NASCAR and their sponsors are with the consumers... that is freaky.
 
downnice said:
I remember the excuse Nascar made about leaving Rockingham was about attendance even though the races looked like this, yet they still go to Indy every year............... and they can barely get 50k people there..........
nascar-cup-rockingham-2003-the-start-dave-blaney-leads-mark-martin-johnny-benson-and-the-r.jpg
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Gosh I miss that place, such a cool little track. I'd wish anything for them to go back to Wilkesboro and The Rock, the racing at both was so awesome.
 
JohnHill said:
That and it's becoming inconvenient with starting late too. Most races I go to around me are a couple hours at least. I will go if there's a chance to get back home around 10pm.... I really have to look at that now. I don't think I could get back from one by that time now
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The late start times are awful, there was no reason that race should have ended yesterday in the dark. I officially hate the late start times and making an official complaint on here ha ha but in all seriousness hope they go back to the 12pm Central time starts.
 
JohnHill said:
It really is scary how bold the decisions are by this sanctioning body and their sponsors... these are real and obvious concerns that can and most likely prevent the biggest race fan from attending... I don't understand how they did not see the reaction to some of these changes they've made... they do care. They have a lot of money on the line for people to show up and care enough to do it again. Those stands yesterday show how in touch NASCAR and their sponsors are with the consumers... that is freaky.
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IMO Nascar needs to stop acting like a national entity and more like a regional one. I don't expect races on the west coast to start at noon eastern but Nascar should not expect fans on the east coast to twiddle thumbs until close to 3:30 for a race to start. The people it really hurts the most are young people and those are the fans Nascar needs. If you are a young person you likely have far less discretionary income, less flexibility with work and more responsibility than people retirement age so making it easy for that age group is something I feel is important.
 
Snappy D said:
Gosh I miss that place, such a cool little track. I'd wish anything for them to go back to Wilkesboro and The Rock, the racing at both was so awesome.
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Rockingham if Nascar cared enough could be repaved and returned to the circuit and get good attendance
 
not sure about that. I read that Andy Hillenburg almost lost everything trying to revive it for the failed Truck Races. I just wish when these newest tracks were being built they would have built a replica of the Rock or Wilkesboro instead of a 1.5 mile Kansas, Chicagoland or Kentucky.
 
When I retired (2008) and moved back to this part of the world I was told there was an 8-year wait for Bristol tickets.

It wasn't many years until I was able to buy a ticket at the gate at racetime!

But the price remained the same.

I kept getting emails from tracks for special offers. They added passes and tents and special events but the price never went down. So I blocked their email and now attend local tracks for my racing excitement.

I don't know if they have lowered ticket prices but they should. 5 tickets at $20 each is the same as 1 ticket at $100! And 5 ticket holders eat 5 times as many hotdogs and drink 5 times as much beer and pay 5 times the parking fees.
Let active military in for free, under 18 free. Huge discounts for vets and scouts and church groups. Etc., etc....

FILL THE STANDS - MAKE NEW FANS

Once again, Brian, no charge for saving your business.
 
bustedknee said:
When I retired (2008) and moved back to this part of the world I was told there was an 8-year wait for Bristol tickets.

It wasn't many years until I was able to buy a ticket at the gate at racetime!

But the price remained the same.

I kept getting emails from tracks for special offers. They added passes and tents and special events but the price never went down. So I blocked their email and now attend local tracks for my racing excitement.

I don't know if they have lowered ticket prices but they should. 5 tickets at $20 each is the same as 1 ticket at $100! And 5 ticket holders eat 5 times as many hotdogs and drink 5 times as much beer and pay 5 times the parking fees.
Let active military in for free, under 18 free. Huge discounts for vets and scouts and church groups. Etc., etc....

FILL THE STANDS - MAKE NEW FANS

Once again, Brian, no charge for saving your business.
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This is the worse thing you can do. I have some experience in this and went to school for sports business. It devalues the product and when you raise the prices again people will not come. Orlando had a football team. Attendance was awful. Maybe 100 fans. For 2 games they offered free tickets and 2000 people went to each game. When they charged again about 90 fans went. The team folded later in the year. There's a great book which I forgot the name which talks about sport ticket prices. It's better to do buy 1 get one 25% off or offer extra value like meet and greet or pit passes fir the first so many who buy tickets.
 
rowdy3 said:
This is the worse thing you can do. I have some experience in this and went to school for sports business. It devalues the product and when you raise the prices again people will not come. Orlando had a football team. Attendance was awful. Maybe 100 fans. For 2 games they offered free tickets and 2000 people went to each game. When they charged again about 90 fans went. The team folded later in the year. There's a great book which I forgot the name which talks about sport ticket prices. It's better to do buy 1 get one 25% off or offer extra value like meet and greet or pit passes fir the first so many who buy tickets.
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I defer to the expert.

I suppose the thing to do is triple prices right now to keep a high value on tickets....

Hahahahavroomvroomplop (laugh my but off while racing)
 
FLRacingFan said:
IMS wanted to put it on Saturday, NASCAR rejected. Either way there's some stiff competition in that region in terms of both TV and attendance come football season.
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Don't understand why they rejected Saturday. I hope the Colts don't open at home in '18
 
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