Interest builds around possible changes to NASCAR schedule

Kiante said:


What a bombshell.
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oh my. NASCAR's Internet Accountants wont like this one: "But there's no infrastructure! It's in the Middle of Nowhere! It would cost less to demolish than rebuild! Too many tracks in the south! Let it Die already!" For as many times we heard those excuses from people who's money it wasnt even being used, obviously someone thought it was a good idea to try to revive those tracks. I hope this pans out and we see a NASCAR Series race at both. I'll try to attend one thats for sure.
 
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DewChaser988 said:
Okay, why the hell is NASCAR considering doing a street circuit at the LA Coliseum?

They're already sinking millions into Auto Club Speedway, which already exists as the track for the LA market..

If the market already has a Cup capable venue (and isn't closing), they don't need a street circuit..

Go do one in Pittsburgh or DC or something
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NASCAR is obsessed with capturing the west coast audience.
 
MAGICMILER said:
Face it. $10,00,000 will not cover much. There is so much to consider for repair priority. Seems like the money could be used better at local municipalities for improvements.
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Wilkesboro also has that 1 million from Marcus Lemonis coming. In all seriousness if the track is revived I don’t think it will be on a Cup schedule. I could see ARCA, Trucks, and Xfinity as the big weekend there with maybe the occasional Cup All Star race sprinkled in if the All Star Race is rotated
 
Why not race at Fontana every year and then alternate Sonoma and The Coliseum? Best of both worlds IMO...or just have 3 street circuits that alternate every 3 years.

I'm LOVING that the new brass is at least trying to improve track diversity. I'll take anything over the stale schedule we've had for 20 years.
 
We could spend a little more than half of one of the governor’s gifts removing asphalt, base gravels, sub-grade materials, upgrading drainage and re-paving a fresh base.

Being a player in the racetrack business is an expensive proposition.
 
aunty dive said:
We could spend a little more than half of one of the governor’s gifts removing asphalt, base gravels, sub-grade materials, upgrading drainage and re-paving a fresh base.

Being a player in the racetrack business is an expensive proposition.
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Property taxes alone likely cost a couple million $ annually.
 
Snappy D said:
Wilkesboro also has that 1 million from Marcus Lemonis coming. In all seriousness if the track is revived I don’t think it will be on a Cup schedule. I could see ARCA, Trucks, and Xfinity as the big weekend there with maybe the occasional Cup All Star race sprinkled in if the All Star Race is rotated
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With the success of the Bristol dirt race I wonder if SMI will just turn North Wilkesboro into a dirt track and that way they won't have to spend all that money converting Bristol to dirt then de-converting it, and just make Wilkesboro a permanent dirt track on the Cup schedule.
 
RacerrecaR said:
Property taxes alone likely cost a couple million $ annually.
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Property taxes are quite reasonable in NC. I pay about 5 times as much in Ohio as I did when I lived in NC. I doubt that taxes (at least) for N. Wilksboro would be outrageous since it's out in the sticks. Saw some cup races there, very cool place.
 
Old Kid said:
Property taxes are quite reasonable in NC. I pay about 5 times as much in Ohio as I did when I lived in NC. I doubt that taxes (at least) for N. Wilksboro would be outrageous since it's out in the sticks. Saw some cup races there, very cool place.
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Commercial property rates (such as a racetrack) are usually at least 3x higher than residential, at least in my area. I cannot fathom any track of that magnitude paying under $1 million per year no matter the location
 
Man, I've said a lot of mean things about Roy Cooper over the past year, during Pandemic Lockdown, that I need to take back, including:

King Cooper
Emperor Roy
Darth Cooper
Lord Cooper
Genghis the Governor
a**hole
**** Roy
Dickface
***** in a suit
And so on...
 
carolinabuff said:
With the success of the Bristol dirt race I wonder if SMI will just turn North Wilkesboro into a dirt track and that way they won't have to spend all that money converting Bristol to dirt then de-converting it, and just make Wilkesboro a permanent dirt track on the Cup schedule.
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I havent been to a cup race in well over 10 years, i'm lining up with everyone else if NW ever gets back on the schedule. That place was so special.
 
IF North Wilkesboro comes back I sure hope it doesn't end up like the rock. Everyone cried they wanted it back and after the first year they stopped showing up.

I can't see any way that they can make it from a finical standpoint without bringing cup in. I know it's been talked about that it's not a good multi use facility (concerts and such). These days you can't make a profit running one cup race and a few smaller divisions.
 
wi_racefan said:
IF North Wilkesboro comes back I sure hope it doesn't end up like the rock. Everyone cried they wanted it back and after the first year they stopped showing up.

I can't see any way that they can make it from a finical standpoint without bringing cup in. I know it's been talked about that it's not a good multi use facility (concerts and such). These days you can't make a profit running one cup race and a few smaller divisions.
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they never brought cup back to Rockingham.
 
wi_racefan said:
I know that but its the same case. They cried they wanted it and everyone said they would go and then no one showed up.

Same could be said about Kentucky

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
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i think there are a lot of people that would show up for a cup race. i think you gotta be realistic with lower divisions of racing and what kind of crowds they draw.
 
Ah the "nobody showed up to The Rock and North Wilkesboro" argument. If we look at it both ways...To be fair pre-pandemic, I remember seeing alot of empty seats at plenty of tracks across the schedule. and tracks were taking out sets of grand stands. I dont see the basis of that argument or the angle of it. Was every track jam packed like it was in the 80's 90's -to mid 2000's? I cant control what other fans will do if these tracks come back in some way shape or form. Nor do I care too. All I can say is that if there is racing again at Wilkesboro I will do everything in my power to attend a race there, I think thats really the only thing I can control on the matter.
 
The problem is with attending "a" race there and "every" race there. Lot of people show up for the 1st one and it continually declines from there. Just look at the history of tracks that sold out, then faced attendance issues.

Eldora
Kentucky
Indy
Iowa
 
wi_racefan said:
The problem is with attending "a" race there and "every" race there. Lot of people show up for the 1st one and it continually declines from there. Just look at the history of tracks that sold out, then faced attendance issues.

Eldora
Kentucky
Indy
Iowa
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so Im not understanding the logic ( you can also add Chicagoland to your list there) is NASCAR or SMI not supposed to go to new tracks or new places? I think fan understanding of attendance, a track's success , fan desires at said tracks and what goes into that is going to change in this post pandemic world. Marcus Smith said as much on the Dale Jr download when this North Wilkesboro news came to light. He said (paraphrasing here) that the things SMI is are thinking of trying to do they never would have thought of trying 14-16 months ago. That was unbelievable to me that a company as successful as them, the pandemic has changed their thinking (not that they were ever set in their ways due to many track improvements they've done and fan amenities added). I think the fan debate might have to jump on board with that as well.
 
Snappy D said:
so Im not understanding the logic ( you can also add Chicagoland to your list there) is NASCAR or SMI not supposed to go to new tracks or new places? I think fan understanding of attendance, a track's success , fan desires at said tracks and what goes into that is going to change in this post pandemic world. Marcus Smith said as much on the Dale Jr download when this North Wilkesboro news came to light. He said (paraphrasing here) that the things SMI is are thinking of trying to do they never would have thought of trying 14-16 months ago. That was unbelievable to me that a company as successful as them, the pandemic has changed their thinking (not that they were ever set in their ways due to many track improvements they've done and fan amenities added). I think the fan debate might have to jump on board with that as well.
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I think going to new tracks is one thing, but pouring a huge amount of money into a track that already failed once is questionable to say the least. I mean it's a pretty saturated market and people stopped showing up there that's why they lost a cup date. What's changed in the fanbase that we think they'll have strong attendance this time?
 
Snappy D said:
Was every track jam packed like it was in the 80's 90's -to mid 2000's?
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Attendance began declining at Rockingham well before other tracks. They cut the track from two races to one, which supposedly would help attendance at the remaining event. Instead it dropped further.
 
aunty dive said:
It's 2021.

I think The Rock might be a little short in the Cup fan amenities department.
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I have no expectations these tracks are even getting Cup races, I hope I didnt convey that. I am at the point where it's lets get someone turning a competitive lap first before a Cup race is even thought about.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Attendance began declining at Rockingham well before other tracks. They cut the track from two races to one, which supposedly would help attendance at the remaining event. Instead it dropped further.
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Do you feel this way about Atlanta that for a while had two races, went down to one and then was rumored in the early 2010's to be axed altogether and now has two? I feel like most tracks have had attendance issues at some point. Do I think Rockingham should get a Cup race back at this current juncture? No, I am skeptical they will even get a Truck race back. I cant understand why we cant even look at the possibility of some forms of racing returning to these places
 
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Charlie Spencer said:
I wish I could agree with you but after watching the attendance decline there in the early’00s, I can’t
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all i can tell you, is that i'll buy tickets to both Rockingham and NW if Cup ever comes back. I've been to both, I only had the pleasure of going to Rockingham once, but Wilksboro was special.

For me, NW going away, was one of the dominoes that fell that lead me to losing interest in the sport. Couple that with the passing of SR and the change in points system, i just lost interest.

i try now, but its just not the same.
 
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wi_racefan said:
I think going to new tracks is one thing, but pouring a huge amount of money into a track that already failed once is questionable to say the least. I mean it's a pretty saturated market and people stopped showing up there that's why they lost a cup date. What's changed in the fanbase that we think they'll have strong attendance this time?
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Its not my money. I dont care the amount that is poured into it. I dont make those decisions nor is my money being used to funnel it. As for attendance, I can only speak to myself. I didnt have the means at the time these tracks were Cup races to attend a race there. I'm going to assume I will try every means possible to make it this time even if its for an ARCA race, I think either track would be a cool place to attend a race at. I dont think we can say for certain about what the fan base wants because they sure as hell didnt know pre pandemic and not sure there's any clarity after. I think we can all agree on the fact that it's improbable to make everyone happy. I am for one excited that there is some thinking out side the box going on, no one would have ever thought these tracks would get a dime to come back or let alone a Cup Street race if that comes to fruition.
 
Snappy D said:
I cant understand why we cant even look at the possibility of some forms of racing returning to these places
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Who is 'we'? The RF membership can kick it around all we want. Just don't expect SMI to take action regarding getting NW back on a top-three-series level; or anything productive from the folks who own The Rock; or any interest from NASCAR when they have requests for races from better prepared tracks in larger population areas.

So as long as we're clear on that much, something may or may not happen with NW. It's small enough that maybe it can attract a steady crowd with weekly dirt shows.

As the CARS tests showed, Rock needs repaving. I don't see a couple of regional series 75- or 100-lappers a year bringing in enough to cover that. As much as I love the place, I'm not driving 2.25 hours one way for a show that short. Are there any paved 1-mile tracks in the country hosting a weekly series with regional visits, or any history of one? The distance strikes me as too long to be successful. They'd be better off repaving 'Little Rock' and trying to run Late Models on that track.
 
Snappy D said:
Do you feel this way about Atlanta that for a while had two races, went down to one and then was rumored in the early 2010's to be axed altogether and now has two? I feel like most tracks have had attendance issues at some point. Do I think Rockingham should get a Cup race back at this current juncture? No, I am skeptical they will even get a Truck race back. I cant understand why we cant even look at the possibility of some forms of racing returning to these places
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The two race deal at Atlanta is a bit of a head scratcher for me...and I really like Atlanta.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Who is 'we'? The RF membership can kick it around all we want. Just don't expect SMI to take action regarding getting NW back on a top-three-series level; or anything productive from the folks who own The Rock; or any interest from NASCAR when they have requests for races from better prepared tracks in larger population areas.

So as long as we're clear on that much, something may or may not happen with NW. It's small enough that maybe it can attract a steady crowd with weekly dirt shows.

As the CARS tests showed, Rock needs repaving. I don't see a couple of regional series 75- or 100-lappers a year bringing in enough to cover that. As much as I love the place, I'm not driving 2.25 hours one way for a show that short. Are there any paved 1-mile tracks in the country hosting a weekly series with regional visits, or any history of one? The distance strikes me as too long to be successful. They'd be better off repaving 'Little Rock' and trying to run Late Models on that track.
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Ah the old RF's.com who is we rebuttal? I guess I can ask in your above statement, who is They then? Who is repaving and what? By WE I meant us here diving into the topic of why not these tracks being brought back to life? I in no way shape or form mean "We" as in NASCAR. I obviously dont work for them and dont want to be speaking for them as well. In all seriousness I think if you reread my posts I have never advocated, preached or had ANY expecations Cup was coming back to either place. I would hope I have been clear from that from the start. An occasional Cup All Star race for either place sprinkled in if and I stress if other racing series came back and were successful. I understand your plight in that 4.5 hours a trip is a commitment for a lower level series race I get it. But Rockingham has to start somewhere right, I dont see the harm in at least investigating (SMI, NASCAR, Us fans) the possibility if these places have current value to today's race fan. I would say if Chicagoland had a weekend of ARCA back with Trucks as the main event I'd jump at that in a second. I miss that place and I miss racing there.... bottom line is my whole thought process on these places is this: You dont know what you had till its gone.
 
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