Kansas may get second date

D

Digger

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http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/opinion/09/27/dcaraviello.kansas.second.date/index.html

Look alive, Atlanta, California, Martinsville and Pocono -- you've just been put on notice. If you don't think Kansas is going to get its second date, then you've been standing too close to the Sunoco pumps. In many ways this is a model facility for NASCAR and ISC, an oasis of big-time racing in a region without another Sprint Cup track for miles, proof of how a major-league market can embrace the sport. Kansas has been an unqualified success since it first opened seven years ago, smartly equipped with a modest seating capacity of 81,697 and an adjacent retail and entertainment area that hums with activity. The whole complex, Boerger says, draws about 10 million people annually. And it's about to get even busier.
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Perhaps this is why NASCAR doesn't want to give Kentucky (which sells out ARCA races) a Spitcup date.

And Martinsville? I, for one, will be a very angry fan if they take a date from Martinsville and ship it off for another Yawn 400 at Kansas Speedway in Nowhere, USA. :mad:
 
Andy, you just don't understand what NASCAR is trying to accomplish. It isn't the sport per se that they are worried about, not the competition at least. It's all about money and how to get more fans. While many of us who are truely fans of racing love the races at Martinsville, we don't have that much influence in the sport.

Think of it this way. Let's assume that Andy is a gazillionaire and has plenty of money to spend on racing. You go to NASCAR and tell them that you are wanting to not just sponsor a race, but that you are going to really throw one wing ding of a spectacle at the track for two or three days. You will have not just one, but five areas of special interest and you'll be giving out 20,000 tickets to people of your business, many of them are very high dollar spenders. You tell NASCAR that you would like that race to be at Martinsville. NASCAR in turn will tell you that you would be better off spending that money in Kansas City because you will not only have more facilities that the visiting fans will have available, but that you will also reach many more people in your business venture. You say why is that. You tell them that Martinsville has a very small population center and the nearest city of any size is Greensboro, NC which is over an hour away. Just think about Kansas City and get back to us at NASCAR.

This is the very reason that if Smitty or someone else builds another Bristol-like track in a metropolis area, the future of Bristol would then be in question.
 
There was someone that came all the way from North Dakota holding up a sign behind the Raceday stage this morning.
 
When Winston Salem hosted the annual "Winston Cup Preview", people from all over flocked to WS to see this one day affair until it got so big that NASCAR decided that it should be in Daytona and be a much bigger affair. Since then, it hasn't been anything like what it started out to be and the crowds, though over the entire length, might be about as good, it certainly isn't anything like it was supposed to be. And people from up north have decided that if they are going to make that extra 550 miles from WS to Daytona, why not wait until race week. The price of gas today is making people think twice about traveling long distances for a race. This year, many of the tickets were bought before the price of gas went sky high but next year, if the price of gas stays the same (nobody is predicting lower prices) I say the there will be more and more empty seats.
 
Nowhere USA you say, I happen to live 10 min. from kansas speedway and let me tell ya that area has BLOWN UP with retail,hotels,resturants soon to have the largest waterpark (schlitterbahn) and soon in turn 2 Hard Rock resort and casino and we have sold out the truck, IRL, Sprint and Nationwide races every time they have been there. What about ARCA you say? nope sorry it does'nt get sold out, just like buck said it's all about the $. You can cry and whine about all you want once these establishments go into place race weekend is gonna make hundreds of millions of dollars, they say race weekend already pumps in over 100 million and the buzz is kansas is getting that second date and it probably gonna be a nite race.
 
steveluvs3 said:
Nowhere USA you say, I happen to live 10 min. from kansas speedway and let me tell ya that area has BLOWN UP with retail,hotels,resturants soon to have the largest waterpark (schlitterbahn) and soon in turn 2 Hard Rock resort and casino and we have sold out the truck, IRL, Sprint and Nationwide races every time they have been there. What about ARCA you say? nope sorry it does'nt get sold out, just like buck said it's all about the $. You can cry and whine about all you want once these establishments go into place race weekend is gonna make hundreds of millions of dollars, they say race weekend already pumps in over 100 million and the buzz is kansas is getting that second date and it probably gonna be a nite race.
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Steve, I am not a fan of these mile and half tracks but I have to say that the Kansas facility is first rate with first rate people.

I had to do hospitality there this weekend. I got in on Thursday. helped out one of my coworkers with a H.S. event where Kasey Kahne made an appearance, did my own set up on Friday and then worked there on Saturday and Sunday.

I have to say that Kansas was one of the most pleasing experiences for me in the way of racetracks. The security people and other workers were polite and did everything possible to make my job a pleasure. I got in, unloaded did my event, loaded back up and got out with no hassles. They even made sure I had a good place to store my trailer with easy access. These folks were fantastic!

And the local people.......... the restaurants and hotel people always had smile and a friendly hello. This was my 12th race track event this season and without a doubt, one that I will remember as being the best in the way of the local folks.

Some may not like the Kansas race or find that it is boring. But I do have to say that the people in that area more than make up for that negative feeling.

When the green flag dropped, I packed up and left but not without telling many of the track workers how much I appreciated their willingness to make my job a more enjoyable event.
 
kansas speedway is state of the art facility and IMO alot of people watch racing just to see wrecks and when they ain't wreckin "that race was so boring"
 
steveluvs3 said:
Nowhere USA you say, I happen to live 10 min. from kansas speedway and let me tell ya that area has BLOWN UP with retail,hotels,resturants soon to have the largest waterpark (schlitterbahn) and soon in turn 2 Hard Rock resort and casino and we have sold out the truck, IRL, Sprint and Nationwide races every time they have been there. What about ARCA you say? nope sorry it does'nt get sold out, just like buck said it's all about the $. You can cry and whine about all you want once these establishments go into place race weekend is gonna make hundreds of millions of dollars, they say race weekend already pumps in over 100 million and the buzz is kansas is getting that second date and it probably gonna be a nite race.
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Do they really expect people to swim with all those "baby ruths" floating around in the water? Kansas people sure have a strange way of having fun...
 
steveluvs3 said:
kansas speedway is state of the art facility and IMO alot of people watch racing just to see wrecks and when they ain't wreckin "that race was so boring"
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Steve, what makes any race boring, from a TV viewing standpoint, is where the cameras are pointed. You can watch great racing at any track when you are seated in the stands, but it might not be at the front. Usually, the front runners are made up of about five or six cars that can win, but the competition isn't nearly as close there as it can be in the middle or back part of the field. Probably the best part of the race this past Sunday was the last corner of the last lap. Now that was exciting, but the rest of the race, as viewed on TV, was pretty boring. But TV alwasy wants to put almost all of the attention on the front runners, and while that is important, it really isn't all that important until the last few laps and that is only if there is some stiff competition between at least a couple of drivers. How often have we seen the winner come across the finish line four or five seconds ahead of the second place car with TV showing that winning car? Many times there are some very close racing back to the line that would be much more exciting to watch. As the olf Forest would say, sorta, boring is as boring does.
 
I too go to Kansas Speedway every year, and was there for this past race weekend. It HAS grown a lot around the area, with a lot to offer. Now, I disagree with getting rid of a Martinsville race, but maybe a California race being removed wouldn't be so bad. While it may seem boring sometimes to some, it gives those in this area who love NASCAR a chance to watch racing; with that being a HUGE fan base...not just closer to the east coast.
 
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