ISC cites attendance decline in recent Cup events - Increase in some younger demographics

dpkimmel2001

dpkimmel2001

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International Speedway Corp. reported Tuesday that attendance was down about 7 percent on average for NASCAR Cup events at Phoenix, Auto Club Speedway and Martinsville, but officials are encouraged by increases in some younger demographics.

International Speedway Corp. owns 12 tracks that host NASCAR Cup events, including Daytona International Speedway. The company reported its first quarter results in a conference call with investor analysts Tuesday. The first quarter covered only the Rolex 24, Daytona Speedweeks and the Ferrari World Finals.

John Saunders, president of ISC, stated that advanced ticket sales for NASCAR Cup events at ISC tracks in the second quarter — Richmond, Talladega and Kansas — are down 7 percent.

“We’re seeing the rate of decline slow, which is good news,’’ Saunders said to investor analysts. “We’re just in this transition with new drivers coming online, younger drivers resonating with younger audiences. We’re very committed to the initiatives. We’re starting to see them bear fruit, particularly in the younger demographics.

“I would also point out that both in venue and on broadcast, for the first time, we’re seeing double-digit increases for the 18-34 (category). That bodes very well for us. Some bright spots there but a lot of work to do. We remain optimistic that we’re going to stabilize it and grow it from there

Saunders highlighted some areas that have shown increases. He said TV viewership of the Daytona 500 increased about 5 percent from last year and was up 16 percent for males 18-34.

Saunders cited new series sponsor Monster Energy as helping increase the 18-34 numbers. Saunders also said that the Daytona 500 saw an increase of about 5 percent in youth attending the event.


http://nascar.nbcsports.com/2017/04...events-increase-in-some-younger-demographics/
 
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They do have a point with wrecks he younger demographic thing.. A lot of young people cant really get to races. Maybe college students strapped for cash etc.. Might not be able to watch it on TV but Id bet theyre on their smart phones quite a bit on race day. Maybe after a few more years we see more of these people getting to races.

Its not out of this world to think it but I duno if Id depend on that assumption for the sake of the future of the sport lol

Im in that demographic and I can say for sure Ill be watching every race I can for the rest of my life.. And I can admit Im not in a financial situation that I can go to races right now but you can bet ur ass it wont be too much longer before I can get to one and after that many more.

I also have at least 3 friends who didnt watch NASCAR before I got them into it.. Ive done my part in that aspect lol if everyone else can get 2-3 ppl interested in the sport over the next few years we'll be fine.
 
At some point the powers that be @ NASCAR will come to see what many of us have know for years. These changes are not working. The continue to alienate what was an already massive fanbase while trying to attract that new audience. An audience that would have been created, as in the past, naturally by those that attended a race for the first time with a long time fan. Those longtime fans are dropping like flies. They're giving up on what was a weekly tradition in front of the television. They aren't taking those potential new fans to the races anymore.

I was never a Cher fan but if I could turn back time, a post season in this sport wouldn't be a thought on any fans mind. The fastest car on Pole Day not sitting P1 @ the start of a on Sunday would still be a ridiculous thought. A lucky dog would still be that dog next door that avoided getting hit while crossing the street. Short tracks would still rule the schedule. There are so many other things that could be listed but I'd just be complaining about many things that we already agree on here.

I'm still a huge fan of the weekly racing but the seasons no longer hold the meaning that they once did for this fan. A championship is no longer a season long body of work and for that reason alone it's lost its overall appeal for me. I still continue to watch as much of every race as I can but Sunday's are no longer planned around this sport. The sport has turned into a shell of what it once was in a relatively short period of time. I don't know what they can do at this point to make it appealing again. The damage has been done.
 
SlicedBread22 said:
They do have a point with wrecks he younger demographic thing.. A lot of young people cant really get to races. Maybe college students strapped for cash etc.. Might not be able to watch it on TV but Id bet theyre on their smart phones quite a bit on race day. Maybe after a few more years we see more of these people getting to races.

Its not out of this world to think it but I duno if Id depend on that assumption for the sake of the future of the sport lol

Im in that demographic and I can say for sure Ill be watching every race I can for the rest of my life.. And I can admit Im not in a financial situation that I can go to races right now but you can bet ur ass it wont be too much longer before I can get to one and after that many more.

I also have at least 3 friends who didnt watch NASCAR before I got them into it.. Ive done my part in that aspect lol if everyone else can get 2-3 ppl interested in the sport over the next few years we'll be fine.
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Raising the 18-34 demo is huge but it would be really helpful to see the percentage increase also expressed as a number to get an idea of how many people we are talking about.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
At some point the powers that be @ NASCAR will come to see what many of us have know for years. These changes are not working. The continue to alienate what was an already massive fanbase while trying to attract that new audience. An audience that would have been created, as in the past, naturally by those that attended a race for the first time with a long time fan. Those longtime fans are dropping like flies. They're giving up on what was a weekly tradition in front of the television. They aren't taking those potential new fans to the races anymore.

I was never a Cher fan but if I could turn back time, a post season in this sport wouldn't be a thought on any fans mind. The fastest car on Pole Day not sitting P1 @ the start of a on Sunday would still be a ridiculous thought. A lucky dog would still be that dog next door that avoided getting hit while crossing the street. Short tracks would still rule the schedule. There are so many other things that could be listed but I'd just be complaining about many things that we already agree on here.

I'm still a huge fan of the weekly racing but the seasons no longer hold the meaning that they once did for this fan. A championship is no longer a season long body of work and for that reason alone it's lost its overall appeal for me. I still continue to watch as much of every race as I can but Sunday's are no longer planned around this sport. The sport has turned into a shell of what it once was in a relatively short period of time. I don't know what they can do at this point to make it appealing again. The damage has been done.
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Well said. I still do my best to watch every race I can but like you and others I don't worry if I can't see it on the day it is broadcast or I miss few. In trying to stay positive I am loving the complete lack of fake cautions and the stages haven't hurt things. That's all I got.
 
You guys are so foolish if you think rule changes are keeping people away. Haha do you think casual fans really care that much about stages?

This year for the first time ever a bunch of my friends are coming with me to a race. Do you know why? We actually have good jobs and vacation time to go.

What killed NASCAR's growth wasn't all of these little ancillary things, it was the crash of the economy 9 years ago




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The constant changes to the cars between 07 and today has really put me off. The gen 4 easily produced the best racing of any car style in NASCAR history. Most of the sport's best races and finishes were between 1995 and 2006, and several of those were between 2001 and 2004. Not coincidentally, the attendance and TV ratings were also at their peak during those years. Now we hear all about clean air, aero push, the importance of track position and so on. It's far harder to pass cars. I lost interest around 2009-2010 when my old favorite Jeff Burton stopped winning races and being competitive, but the past couple years with the rise of young dirt stars like Larson and Blaney, being a huge dirt track racing fan, I have been pretty interested. Just my input on this, but I think the decline in attendance has tons to do with the on track product.
 
Mispeedway15 said:
You guys are so foolish if you think rule changes are keeping people away. Haha do you think casual fans really care that much about stages?

This year for the first time ever a bunch of my friends are coming with me to a race. Do you know why? We actually have good jobs and vacation time to go.

What killed NASCAR's growth wasn't all of these little ancillary things, it was the crash of the economy 9 years ago




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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The crash of the economy wouldn't have anything to do with people not watching on TV though would it?
 
Mispeedway15 said:
You guys are so foolish if you think rule changes are keeping people away. Haha do you think casual fans really care that much about stages?

This year for the first time ever a bunch of my friends are coming with me to a race. Do you know why? We actually have good jobs and vacation time to go.

What killed NASCAR's growth wasn't all of these little ancillary things, it was the crash of the economy 9 years ago




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I agree that if it comes down to putting food on the table or going to a race the table will, or at least should, win every time. Yes, there were a lot of people that lost their jobs as well as their nest egg during the great recession and that did affect attendance at NASCAR races. I am not sure that I am foolish for thinking some of the rule changes put off some hard core fans and kept them from attending the races.

I am glad you and your friends are now able to enjoy a NASCAR race in person.
 
Your head must be buried in the sand if you think the rules changes have had no effect on the dwindling NASCAR fan base. We have plenty of people here who no longer have any interest and post almost solely in The Podium now and it's not because of something that happened damn near a decade ago.
 
Mispeedway15 said:
You guys are so foolish if you think rule changes are keeping people away. Haha do you think casual fans really care that much about stages?

This year for the first time ever a bunch of my friends are coming with me to a race. Do you know why? We actually have good jobs and vacation time to go.

What killed NASCAR's growth wasn't all of these little ancillary things, it was the crash of the economy 9 years ago




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I may be a fool but I can tell you the rule changes are a big part of what's keeping the older fans away.... I can tell you must be fairly new.

As far as the economy crash of 9 years ago.... that's Bull@@it....
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
At some point the powers that be @ NASCAR will come to see what many of us have know for years. These changes are not working. The continue to alienate what was an already massive fanbase while trying to attract that new audience. An audience that would have been created, as in the past, naturally by those that attended a race for the first time with a long time fan. Those longtime fans are dropping like flies. They're giving up on what was a weekly tradition in front of the television. They aren't taking those potential new fans to the races anymore.

I was never a Cher fan but if I could turn back time, a post season in this sport wouldn't be a thought on any fans mind. The fastest car on Pole Day not sitting P1 @ the start of a on Sunday would still be a ridiculous thought. A lucky dog would still be that dog next door that avoided getting hit while crossing the street. Short tracks would still rule the schedule. There are so many other things that could be listed but I'd just be complaining about many things that we already agree on here.

I'm still a huge fan of the weekly racing but the seasons no longer hold the meaning that they once did for this fan. A championship is no longer a season long body of work and for that reason alone it's lost its overall appeal for me. I still continue to watch as much of every race as I can but Sunday's are no longer planned around this sport. The sport has turned into a shell of what it once was in a relatively short period of time. I don't know what they can do at this point to make it appealing again. The damage has been done.
Click to expand...
Really well said. Sums up how I feel, I still watch and am a huge fan. Also try to attend 1-2 races a year but the race doesn't dominate my Saturday night or Sundays anymore.
 
SlicedBread22 said:
They do have a point with wrecks he younger demographic thing.. A lot of young people cant really get to races. Maybe college students strapped for cash etc.. Might not be able to watch it on TV but Id bet theyre on their smart phones quite a bit on race day. Maybe after a few more years we see more of these people getting to races.

Its not out of this world to think it but I duno if Id depend on that assumption for the sake of the future of the sport lol

Im in that demographic and I can say for sure Ill be watching every race I can for the rest of my life.. And I can admit Im not in a financial situation that I can go to races right now but you can bet ur ass it wont be too much longer before I can get to one and after that many more.

I also have at least 3 friends who didnt watch NASCAR before I got them into it.. Ive done my part in that aspect lol if everyone else can get 2-3 ppl interested in the sport over the next few years we'll be fine.
Click to expand...

So, do you think you will still be in their preferred demographic when you are able to attend races? I'm not sure what difference it makes, just curious.
 
Pat said:
So, do you think you will still be in their preferred demographic when you are able to attend races? I'm not sure what difference it makes, just curious.
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Lol I hope so...Although I am near the higher end of that demographic Im just speaking for my situation.. Im sure its even harder for some younger people.
 
SlicedBread22 said:
Lol I hope so...Although I am near the higher end of that demographic Im just speaking for my situation.. Im sure its even harder for some younger people.
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Yeah. I think they should consider a lot more than age in their quest. Thanks for answering.
 
SlicedBread22 said:
Lol I hope so...Although I am near the higher end of that demographic Im just speaking for my situation.. Im sure its even harder for some younger people.
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I know several young people in different situations but attending a Nascar race would be difficult for any of them. Some work three 13 hours days then have 2 off, some are required to work either Saturday, Sunday or both and others don't have vacation time accrued or if they do they want to go hiking, canoeing or something else of that nature.

When you factor in a lot of younger people are carrying a lot of debt, are trying to save for a down payment on a home, start a family or keep their heads above water it is easy to see why attending a Nascar race could be almost impossible especially for those that are hundreds of miles away from a track.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
To be fair, the economy hasn't improved at all for younger Americans. This current younger generation is growing up poor. But we're supposedly all rich and wealthy because we have smartphones. :rolleyes:
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Exactly. I grew up with the sport in my family via going to NASCAR races and dirt tracks. But for those that have not, it's difficult to get some to throw $50 down for something they've never really been into before.

The great advantage other sports have is that A) a lot of people grew up playing them and B) more kids go to college than ever before. When you go to college you get free or cheap basketball and football tickets. Then when you become an alum and have some coin in the bank you're more likely to go to the same sporting events for local pro and college teams. Great example of this is my buddy who works in Tampa now. He wasn't that into sports in HS, yet we all went to a lot of hockey and football games in college, and now he goes to Bucs and Rays games all the time. And C) NASCAR just needs to get more money to the races. While golf and hockey have similar sized followings, they have the most affluent bases in sports. Because of this the ad dollars will always be there
 
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