It's Gonna Be A Looooong Week!!

And if you put on a good show, the fans will come. They used to sell out Bristol and Richmond. The economy isn't what's hurting Richmond. What is hurting Richmond is the fact that, with the exception of last fall, the racing has sucked ever since they put the brick on wheels on that track. 88,000 people showed up at Richmond last fall (which is likely a grotesque exaggeration, I've sat in entire rows that were empty during "sold out, capacity crowd" races there), over 150,000 people went to the Baltimore Grand Prix the week before on a much more expensive bill.
 
Matthew2470 said:
Every sport you mentioned has taken a beating. Huge market teams are able to weather the storms.

So let's cut all the races in half. Reduce the crowds by half and the ratings will still suck balls. Brilliant!:rolleyes:
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NFL's smallest market and smallest fanbase (Jacksonville Jaguars) sells out every single week. And TV ratings are up across the board for NFL.
 
Do you think people are gonna spend all that money, spend all that time dealing with traffic, deal with all those dumb hillbillies at the track just to see a 90 minute race? And if you cut the length of the race in half they still either need to run twice the commercials or charge twice as much per ad to make the same money. Think.

And as far as the Jags? Who cares about them? And the NFL is a much more accessible sport than NASCAR because it attracts all genders and races. NASCAR is a limited market and shortening the races would drive it further into obscurity. Think.
 
robbybee said:
OK, Y'all!!!

The countdown to the CUP Race at TMS has officially begun!
The race is on Saturday Night so I would count SIX Days till the Next Race!
And to that end, I submit this:
6folgers5.jpg
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I cannot believe that Mark Martin ever fit in that little car.
 
Matthew2470 said:
Do you think people are gonna spend all that money, spend all that time dealing with traffic, deal with all those dumb hillbillies at the track just to see a 90 minute race? And if you cut the length of the race in half they still either need to run twice the commercials or charge twice as much per ad to make the same money. Think.

And as far as the Jags? Who cares about them? And the NFL is a much more accessible sport than NASCAR because it attracts all genders and races. NASCAR is a limited market and shortening the races would drive it further into obscurity. Think.
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I've already posted my solution that pleases everyone: Run 150 miles of heat races and 350 miles of racing.

I've driven eight hours before to 200 mile races. Shortening the race distances won't turn fans away. It might turn you and dpkimmel away, but that's about it. California's getting it's best crowds in almost a decade with shorter races.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
I've already posted my solution that pleases everyone: Run 150 miles of heat races and 350 miles of racing.

I've driven eight hours before to 200 mile races. Shortening the race distances won't turn fans away. It might turn you and dpkimmel away, but that's about it. California's getting it's best crowds in almost a decade with shorter races.
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Well, add me to the list that hasn't bought into your wacked idea.
 
The other thing other sports do, and some local tracks, is they'll get rid of tickets at a discount price if they're not close to a sell out. NASCAR tracks don't do that. It's better to get rid of a $120 seat for $60 than not sell that ticket at all.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
The other thing other sports do, and some local tracks, is they'll get rid of tickets at a discount price if they're not close to a sell out. NASCAR tracks don't do that. It's better to get rid of a $120 seat for $60 than not sell that ticket at all.
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yeah , that'll work.:rolleyes:
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
The other thing other sports do, and some local tracks, is they'll get rid of tickets at a discount price if they're not close to a sell out. NASCAR tracks don't do that. It's better to get rid of a $120 seat for $60 than not sell that ticket at all.
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MIS was selling center grandstand seats for thirty bucks at the ticket office last year.

Take those blinders off Andy.
 
I think 160,000 at a 1/2 mile track is a little over the top anyway. We enjoyed exponential growth from the 80's into the 2000's with many new fans jumping on board, now there's a downturn in the economy the cars have changed dramatically those cookie cutter tracks and allot of those new fans are leaving, but were they really true race fans to begin with, I thought I read that there was still close to 100,000 at Bristol, 100,000 at a 1/2 mile track? That to me is still amazing!! So what is it I'm trying to say, I think we are doing just fine the hardcore fan is still there and always will be, sure attendance is down a bit but that's to be expected when you've had the growth we've had and the downturn in the economy all the changes to the series, fines, stupid penalties (before bringing back have at it boys) but give it time and things will level off and nascar will continue on just fine, I hope...lol But I think the days of 160,000 at a 1/2 mile track are long gone.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
I've already posted my solution that pleases everyone: Run 150 miles of heat races and 350 miles of racing.

I've driven eight hours before to 200 mile races. Shortening the race distances won't turn fans away. It might turn you and dpkimmel away, but that's about it. California's getting it's best crowds in almost a decade with shorter races.
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Your idea is insane. Thankfully you are in no way involved in decisions that affect the livelihood of others.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
The other thing other sports do, and some local tracks, is they'll get rid of tickets at a discount price if they're not close to a sell out. NASCAR tracks don't do that. It's better to get rid of a $120 seat for $60 than not sell that ticket at all.
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You are dead wrong on this. Just about every track offers discounted pricing these days.
 
Matthew2470 said:
Every sport you mentioned has taken a beating. Huge market teams are able to weather the storms.

So let's cut all the races in half. Reduce the crowds by half and the ratings will still suck balls. Brilliant!:rolleyes:
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exactly, the NFL is not suffering in ratings but, the stadiums are empty in the NFL in most markets. The NY market may be doing well or New England. Then they are teams like Jacksonville,even Pittsburgh, which is very popular team and run the city of Pittsburgh have low attendance ratings. The NBA has been effected by the economy, they almost didn't have a season and probably shouldn't have, the owners are broke in that sport.
 
JimmieGordon2448 said:
exactly, the NFL is not suffering in ratings but, the stadiums are empty in the NFL in most markets. The NY market may be doing well or New England. Then they are teams like Jacksonville,even Pittsburgh, which is very popular team and run the city of Pittsburgh have low attendance ratings. The NBA has been effected by the economy, they almost didn't have a season and probably shouldn't have, the owners are broke in that sport.
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Exactly before they started hot this year the Philadelphia 76ers could barely get 12,000 people a night last season.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
I've already posted my solution that pleases everyone: Run 150 miles of heat races and 350 miles of racing.

I've driven eight hours before to 200 mile races. Shortening the race distances won't turn fans away. It might turn you and dpkimmel away, but that's about it. California's getting it's best crowds in almost a decade with shorter races.
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Your solution speaks for itself. Interpret that however you'd like.

Drop Dover down to 200 miles and see where that takes you. Let's cut the 600 down to 300 and see where we are at. Daytona 250? Yeah, OK.

California, I'm not sure where you get your numbers from but this most recent race played out to 90,000 butts in the stands for the AutoClub 400. Ten years ago they didn't release attendance numbers for this track but they did starting in 2003. That race played out to 120,000. Maybe I am misinterpreting what you mean by 'best crowds'? I guess you could have meant the 'best behaved'? As far as the crowds being larger now..... You may want to check your math. Then again, you may be talking weight and I'd have trouble trying to dispute those numbers.

I also saw a comparison of NFL and the like to NASCAR and attendance. I really don't understand how anyone can't see the difference in attending these two type of events. My Pittsburgh Steelers do sell out each and every week as they have been for years. An overwhelming majority of their fans come from the local area. They drive in to the game Sunday morning and go home after the event and are home for dinner. Many NASCAR fans do not come from the area local to the track. Most travel 100's of miles, and arrive days before an event. How many campsites does Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium offer for their 71,000+ seating? I looked on their website and can't find that option. My guess is none.

Butts in the stands and home viewers will make or break this sport. The length of the race is not a determining factor on that.
 
[quote="Dwayne, post: 504786, member: 6099" We enjoyed exponential growth from the 80's into the 2000's with many new fans jumpin...... all the changes to the series, fines, stupid penalties (before bringing back have at it boys) but give it time and things will level off and nascar will continue on just fine...[/quote]



I agree , those new fans that came in weren't Nascar fans , they were just fans of single drivers .Kind of like the new Danica fans , I doubt there will be a lot of them hangin around after she retires from Nascar. I also think that 'boys have at it' saved Nascar . It was on a serious downhill skid and many of my Nascar friends were driven away by boredom.
 
ted@economy said:
I agree , those new fans that came in weren't Nascar fans , they were just fans of single drivers .Kind of like the new Danica fans , I doubt there will be a lot of them hangin around after she retires from Nascar. I also think that 'boys have at it' saved Nascar . It was on a serious downhill skid and many of my Nascar friends were driven away by boredom.
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Some of those fans of single drivers (like me) became die hard fans who now attend several races per year and watch every series every week. Some of those that Danica brings along will do the same.
 
Matthew2470 said:
Some of those fans of single drivers (like me) became die hard fans who now attend several races per year and watch every series every week. Some of those that Danica brings along will do the same.
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Me too , I started the same way. We're just sayin that with every big surge ,there is a blow back .
 
VaDirt said:
Make up your damn mind!
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Remember, Andy is a reporter and an editorialist so he is apt to say anything at any given time.

He will probably say KMA to me after he reads this - but I don't understand why he wants me to kick his azz...
 
robbybee said:
Remember, Andy is a reporter and an editorialist so he is apt to say anything at any given time.

He will probably say KMA to me after he reads this - but I don't understand why he wants me to kick his azz...
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Andy's a journalist?
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Exactly. And when ratings fall, NASCAR loses tens of millions from TV contracts and advertising revenue. If FOX doesn't think they're getting their money's worth, they won't pay the same amount and they might move the races to a second tier cable network.

You can't blame the economy anymore. The economy's not hurting the New York Yankees. The economy's not hurting the NFL. The economy's not hurting basketbore. The economy's not hurting hockey.

The fact is, there are fewer people going to the races, and it was a matter of they can't afford to go, the television ratings would be up. The fact is, television ratings have taken a nosedive since 2007.
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FACT, I see baseball games where nobody is in the seats, and the guy swinging a bat is making millions a year. GO figure.
 
Chicago sucks. Kentucky sucks. Kansas ain't much better. Give me IOWA, or give me another short track. Period.

I think road racing is more exciting than the Chi town, SnoozeTuckey, or Kansas.
 
#17D500winner said:
I think the length of a Nascar race plays second fiddle to the length of the attention span of the newer Nascar fan. Either you like people driving around in a circle or you don't - your choice.

I'm editing this to say that, Andy, that's not a cheap shot at you but in this society where instant gratification isn't quick enough, maybe 500 laps of a Nascar race isn't the real issue.

I know I'd rather watch my dog wash his **** than endure yet another boring road course race but yet I do it every time.
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Funny, both road course the last couple of years have been really, really exciting races. Certainly far from "boring." But hey, if watching a dog wash his nuts is for you, go for it.
 
VaDirt said:
Funny, both road course the last couple of years have been really, really exciting races. Certainly far from "boring." But hey, if watching a dog wash his nuts is for you, go for it.
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It was a statement...not a request for permission.
 
VaDirt said:
Funny, both road course the last couple of years have been really, really exciting races. Certainly far from "boring." But hey, if watching a dog wash his nuts is for you, go for it.
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Those RC races, are muuuuuuch more entertaining than these tracks where the leader checks out and we get 150 laps of put my feet up while I wait for Green flag stops and some guy to drop a lug nut for excitement.
 
robbybee said:
CHI08SUN.jpg


This is Chicago. And it's not even a CUP Race at Chicago. It's a N'wide Race!
I don't see many empty seats, do you???
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It's a night race. And the photo is taken from a point of view that does not support any real analysis.

Except for, if it's a NW race, they have closed a lot of the other stands.

And what year is it?
 
What is the breakdown. How much does a person account for, and how much does the TV audience matter.

One is worth more than the other, I wonder which.
 
I believe it was 2008. It was a bit of a novelty cause it was the first night race at the track. I had been there the year before and with the July weather, the day races were quite uncomfortable.

The Friday night N'wide Race was VERY well attended. What you see in the photo is representative of the entire grandstand. There were no roped off sections. It was the most people I have ever seen at a N'wide Race. The CUP Race on Saturday Night was packed to the rafters!!

But, as I said, it was a bit of a novelty, being the first night race at the track.
 
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