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Week Six Question

Question:  Elliott, what do you think during these economic times it is going to take to keep the average family coming out to see NASCAR races?

-- submitted by Shelley from Richmond, VA

Answer:  I know a lot of tracks have dropped their ticket prices.  Atlanta, Richmond and the list goes on and on.  That's a step in the right direction. But, I don't think ticket prices are the biggest hurdle.  I think fans will have to go to tracks that they can drive to. I say that hoping that gas doesn't go back to $4 a gallon this summer.  Fans will have to consider one day trips to cut down on a lot of the costs that go along with a NASCAR weekend.  Food, hotels, flights, rental cars, etc. add up quick.  Fans will have to be selective in which event they attend.  I have friends and family members that used to come to 5 or 6 races a year.  This year they are going to one, maybe two. They aren't taking their RV's or flying to races.  Instead, they are going to hit a race that's a two or three hour drive and make a day trip out of it.

We race in a lot of markets.  And we hit most of them two times and a few of them one time a year.  I think that will help keep our sport healthy.

I think you'll see two types of tracks do better than some of the others as far as attendance goes.  Destination tracks such as Las Vegas and tracks that yield great racing like Bristol will still sell a lot of tickets.  As far as providing the fans an opportunity to come out to the track and to the races I think the tracks are going to have to get creative.  Promoters are going to have to figure out ways to offer fans something unique.  Bristol Motor Speedway is doing that this Friday.  Drivers are stepping up and participating to give the fans a unique experience.  Other tracks need to follow suit to provide value to the fans.

I really like what Atlanta did with the schedule on Friday.  We practiced later in the afternoon and qualified at night.  That gave folks in the area that had to work a chance to come by the track after they were off work.  I think that's a great idea.  Bring your kids and come out and watch qualifying. It's a great way to spend a Friday evening.  Friday's are inexpensive and I think they should let kids under 16 in free.

Hopefully the fans that can't make it to the track will keep tuning in each and every Sunday.