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When times are tough, people need to escape the stress of everyday reality. And throughout the rough patches in this nation’s history, people have escaped by enjoying some form of entertainment that can provide a respite.
It has recently been reported that sales of video games are brisk. And the opening weekend of the recent James Bond film, "Quantum of Solace,” raked in a whopping $67.5 million. So, even in tough economic times, people are willing to spend what money they have on affordable entertainment.
It’s unfortunate that NASCAR isn’t one of these affordable forms of entertainment. Only a blind man wouldn’t have noticed the large number of empty seats at several of the races during the 2008 season. We all know that operating a racetrack is a business and that a business has to be profitable and must keep its shareholders happy. But ticket prices are keeping fans from attending races, and the worsening economic climate indicates there could be more people watching from their couches next season.
Now, obviously you can’t make tickets to a race as affordable as tickets to a James Bond movie, but it’s time for the ticket prices to come down.
Michigan International Speedway has already made the move in announcing that it will lower prices for the 2009 season. General admission seats will be $40. Considering the price of popcorn, candy and soda at the movie theaters, these race ticket prices just might be competitive with a 007 film.
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During the off-season, I’m often asked if I continue drawing the StockcarToons. The answer is yes. The StockcarToons will continue to be posted every Thursday.
Another aspect to the high cost of Na$car weekends is lodging and fuel. Not everyone in the stands is within walking/bicycling/bus/Metrorail/short commute distance from home to these races. Fortunately, gas is currently down to more affordable rates, but, lets face it, hotel rooms for Na$car weekend are definitely not. Las Vegas hotels in particular set their room rates extremely high and that can be a larger line item in the weekend budget than the ticket prices at the track.
For this reason, some SoCal fans may actually stay home and go to Fontana instead of enjoying the far better track at LVMS this coming year. And that would have a negative impact on the local economy.
I agree 100% 2008 was the first year that I have not gone to a race since 1996. I live in the Chicagoland area and was really excited for them to open a track. As soon as the announced the "season tickets only" plan (starting at $210), my excitement ended. Why do then assume that if you want to go to a Sprint Cup race that you also want to see 2 indy style races? The track is far enough away (2 hours) that driving there for both Sat. (Nationwide) and Sun. (Sprint) is not worth it and trying to find a hotel under $400 is near impossible.
NASCAR needs to rigs some races and let Dale, Jr. win a championship.
I am being serious.
If they did this then NASCAR business would increased at least 10 fold.
It would be the best thing for NASCAR. I am sure that they look the other way when Richard was winning by cheating back in the day.
Other sports rig their games. NBA just got caught for doing it.
Bovne, a lot of the tracks offer first choice at seats to those who buy the big package of all major events for the year at their track. It helps to sell tickets to the much less popular Indy or Craftsman Truck events...but check ebay or Craig's list for tix to individual races...I got excellent tix to the truck race at Vegas for next to nothing from a season ticket holder who had no interest in traveling to LVMS for that event.
jf, Tony Stewart says that Na$car already is rigged...check out:
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/18312037/
However, there is a big difference between a 'crooked zebra' and the NBA fixing games...
I don't think Na$car's business would even double (much less 10x) if Dale Jr. wins a championship (legit or otherwise), if ticket prices and race weekend travel costs are out of reach of the middle class and working poor, than that's that.
If Dale, Jf. is winning then the TV ratings for NASCAR would skyrocket and every race would be filled with fans paying top dollar for tickets.
If they rig the races then he really isn't winning, is he? Let's just say that I don't agree with your theory and it's conclusions and move back on to the subject which was affordability. A fan can't pay top dollar for anything if he/she is looking at their bottom dollar and deciding which essentials (food, housing, health, transportation) they will be forced to cut next.
It is a business not a charity.
They will price seats to a formula that max's their profit. Sometimes it is the wrong price and they will need to adjust up or down.
Since it is a weak economy then they will probably adjust prices downward either this year or the next.
Yep, Na$car is an _entertainment_ business, and that means two things to me: 1) get as many seats filled as you can and 2) give the fan their money's worth of a show to keep them coming back.
Obviously, Na$car has been very effective at running their business, but, it is not a business in a vacuum; external pressures such as the economy now, but, perhaps social pressure in an increasingly energy efficiency and 'carbon cost' driven world will bring new challenges to it's growth in the future.
Rig races? I hope you are joking, Jfnance. NASCAR can't be popular without legitimacy. Why do you think it is so rigid regarding the COT? If Jr. wants to win a championship then he needs to do it the old fashioned way...earn it.
Of course, they allowed big names in the past to cheat like Petty. You have to be pretty naive to believe that NASCAR has never looked the other way when it comes to cheating.
Of course, they are not going to do in the open.
That would be really dumb.
The NBA got caught "helping" games go a certain way and nobody cares.
Granted, NASCAR has to do something about not only the ticket prices, but also the competition, itself. Regardless, the chance of anyone outside tdhe top 10 racers winning the championship is quite remote.
On the other hand, by pricing themselves out of range of the average fan, they have encouraged people to venture to the local short tracks where for the price of one NASCAR ticket, the whole family can enjoy a full evening of racing.
It's great to see the big boys compete, but the little guys also put on a great show.
Enough of this rigging races b.s. It's impossible to rig an auto race because of all the variables (cut tires, blown engines, Kyle Busch wrecking in front of you, etc.).
The only thing NASCAR could do would be to look the other way if Junior's team is cheating but I'm not sure he could win a championship even under those circumstances. Let's face it, I watched Dale Sr. race and Junior is no Dale Sr.
Exactly! The concept that races are rigged is B.S. It would take a lot of NASCAR officials to rig a race. There's no way NASCAR could get that many people to commit to a conspiracy. Eventually the truth would leak out.
Of course they can not rig a race.
But they can allow teams to cheat and it is naive not to think they let big names in the past, like Petty, to cheat.
NASCAR, racing sites and NASCAR teams are going to have a very rough next 2 years financially.
A successful Dale Jr. championship would do a lot to fill up seats and enchance viewership and therefore more sponsorship money for all teams.
Business directors sometimes cheat...car owners sometimes cheat...but there are consequences. Current penelties for car owners who get caught are fairly high for even minor infractions, but that is nothing to what Na$car stands to lose if they were to conspire to rig races. Not worth the risk.
Comparing Bill France Sr.'s traveling circus of moonshine runners and backyard mechanics to today's highly scrutinized, televised, corporate power teams is like comparing a local bookie and the Harrah's empire.
jf, have you ever even been to a Na$car race?
@rocket_car I understand offering a ticket package to people who want it, but I think then need to offer single event tickets as well. As for ebay and craigslist. What a joke. I can buy tickets from scalpers at the front of the track as well if I want to pay 3 to 4 times face value.
bovne, which track(s) did you go to before 2008? Did you buy your ticket from the track (at face value)? My point about ebay/craig's list was that the less desirable races (truck, irl) can be cheap, at least that's been my experience. Scalping tix (or stub hub, etc) is for rich people anyway. When demand is high, prices go up, but with empty stands, it seems obvious that prices should come down. When that doesn't happen fast enough (and the tracks' require purchasing the packages many months in advance) then the track ends up with fewer sales and will, eventually, offer individual tix (like Fontana has been doing, close to race day).
All of this goes back to after ten years of steady Na$car ticket increases, the suggestion is made that ticket prices be lowered by the tracks (perhaps by means of tv revenue sharing from Na$car) in order to fill the stands. I think everyone agrees that Na$car gives a great show once you've paid your money and get inside the gate. And that it's dumb to have empty seats...
When the cost of going to a NASCAR race rise to Formula One like costs, there is a serious pricing problem. 2007 - I went to LVMS and Fall PIR...2008 - I attended the Canadian Grand Prix.. guess which one was a better value? F1 by a mile.....food for thought.
Honda pulled out F1 because of the economy.
Now there are only 18 cars racing in F1.
There is a chance that F1 will just fold.