[vincesanity82]

Only 52,000 tickets were reported sold for last night's race at the California Speedway, according to track sources. This track seats 92,000. Already there is talk about moving this race to another weekend later in the fall.-- Winston-Salem Journal

Winston-Salem Journal | NASCAR Notebook: Moorad joins Staubach-Aikman

[nascarfan24]

Another reason to build a track in Colorado. The final Busch series race at Pikes Peak International Speedway had better attendence than California. And that was before they announced it was being shut down.

[Fastdodgeguy]

52,000? I doubt it, the local reports were 82,000 which included the fans in the infield and the stands looked pretty full. Too bad NASCAR will not release actual attendance figures like other sports. Having the race later in the fall would help with cooler weather, less glare etc., plus put it in the Chase! Anyways I was glad one of the "California Gang" pulled it out! I was there in 02 when JJ won his first one.

Later

[LSC9901]

Great idea, move it to a later date in the fall. How about during the chase ??? They can't fill it for a regular race so lets reward them with a playoff ticket !!!

[3fanforever]

Of course the local media are gonna inflate the attendance figures because they probably got them from Gillian Zucker. Those seats were not close to being filled, at least from what I saw on TV.

California Speedway doesn't deserve a second race. No matter when it is, they'll never come close to selling it out.
Just take the second race on Labor Day completely away from Fontana and give it back to Darlington where it belongs.

[jks812]

Originally Posted by 3fanforever

Of course the local media are gonna inflate the attendance figures because they probably got them from Gillian Zucker. Those seats were not close to being filled, at least from what I saw on TV.

California Speedway doesn't deserve a second race. No matter when it is, they'll never come close to selling it out.
Just take the second race on Labor Day completely away from Fontana and give it back to Darlington where it belongs.

I agree. They never should have taken it from Darlington and gave it to Ca. I don't even see why Ca. has 1 race, let alone 2. I also saw alot of empty seats there. But as boring as that race is, I can understand the seats being empty. I can't even watch the whole thing in the comforts of my home, sure wouldn't sit in the heat to watch it.

[PenelopePitStop]

Odd. Seating capacity at NHIS has increased to 91,000, and has sold out for many years (which seems to be slacking off over the past couple of years until the very last minute). That's seating. Not including the infield attendance or the folks on the "hill" and in the campground. Overall, the stats are around 140,000 for each race. Though NHIS is my home track, I think one race per season is enough.

I also noticed lots of empty seats in California. Not to mention lots of red shirts!

I have to say though, that I don't think the Chase has anything to do with the attendance numbers for any track. When the race is in town, fans go, no matter what point in the season it is. World Series? Super Bowl? Absolutely. The Chase, not so much!

[oncea3fan]

I heard one of the accouncers say "a partial sell out" WTF

I am not a mushroom, so please quit feeding me bull sh.........uh hockey!

[Nevadastars]

I copied this from another forum (sorry LSC!) where a member had gone to the race in Fontana. Here is his account of it........

"So like an idiot, I broke down and went to the Cup Race today. The tickets were free thanks to a friend, so its not like I lost any money. Overall, it was a very positive experiece, despite the heat. But I will say that NASCAR better rethink scheduling this race in September, and possibly move this race elsewhere. There was a noticable lack of attendance for this race, far more than previous years. Fans are tired of blowing $250 to sit and roast in 150 degree heat.

But I will say the racing is 100 times better than it was a few years ago. This track is aging very well, and with the amount of three and four wide racing, there could be exciting things in the future for ol Fontana.

Back to our day... It was 114 degrees when we arrived at the track this afternoon, and we elected to sit in our car until shortly before the call to start their engines. We were parked about 200 yards from the gate entrance, and it was a straight shot up the stairs to our seats. Total walk time from the car to the seats, 2 minutes. It was VERY windy throughout the day, which really helped with the hot temps, specially when we were in the shade. The good thing about today's weather is the fact that was overcast for almost all of the race. It made sitting in the stands for the first two hours very bearable.

Now, I have to say, in my ten plus years going to races at California Speedway, this was the best racing EVER! There are several groves for the drivers to run, and it was side by side all night. Junior Nation was excited nearly all night! There were so many great moments, I nearly forgot I was at Calif Speedway.

On the bad side, there were WAY too many empty seats here, and for good reason. There were several entire sections that hadn't been sold, and I've heard they didn't even sell 75% of the tickets for this race. I think they need to stick to the Feb race and that's it.

With that said... please give the Labor Day race back to Darlington!!!! This is WAY to warm of a place to have a race in Sept

Anyway, as I sit here recovering from dehydration (even after drinking three 64-ounce bottles of gatoraide), I will say this is one of the better NASCAR races I have been to, at least for a super speedway. I will be back in February and can't wait to see if the CoT's improve the racing we saw tonight."

[salysenior]

when did they air condition darlington????

[clutch]

Originally Posted by vincesanity82

Only 52,000 tickets were reported sold

I dont buy that

[Quality88]

You want a good idea, here you go....... take away the first race from Cali and give it to Kentucky who can actually sell out a race at the drop of a hat. Then take away the second date put it back where it belongs at Darlington.