[mccastle]

Regionlize is a word right

Anyway some of the smaller teams are complaining about how costly testing is for them. Why not change the schedule so that they are not racing in Phoenix one weekend and Miami the next. The cost in fuel alone to get the car haulers, broadcast haulers etc across the country has got to be out of this world. Plus I think their might be a bigger turnouts if there were plenty of races closer to home. Do was west coast leg, a southeast leg, midwest leg, east coast leg. Seems to make a lot of sense to me but maybe not to everyone else.


Carrie

[bob101]

It wouldn't matter, they would still go back to the shop and pick up cars for the next week.

Even when they go out to CA and then Vegas they send a truck with the cars for Vegas to meet the hauler and change cars after the race.

So a team sends the team hauler out to CA and then a flatbed or another hauler brings the 2 cars needed for say Vegas and they swap and then that truck drives back to charlotte with the 2 cars from CA for the shop to start working on those.

For it to work teams would have to use the same car week in and week out and that just doesn't happen even with the CoT.

Fuel cost is such a small small small issue I can't believe people keep bringing it up. It cost less than $5k in fuel for the hauler to go from NC to CA and back...so what?

Each week outside of the regular races haulers are crossing the country with a dedicated test team not to mention the cars that the cup series drivers will test on Mondays in private test.

The reason it's hard to move race dates around is tracks don't want them to. Tracks spends lots of money to advertise for those weekends and it becomes an "event" not just a race.

Try and book a room for Talledega...plan on booking for next year - before this years race if your lucky. You start moving dates around people who have been coming for years and years and have the best seats suddenly stop coming.

Plus let's say you do a Southeast leg or whatever. You have 3-4 weeks of racing within driving distance of all the fans and attendance at the last 2 will start to suffer. People drive a long way to attend races and you start having 3 of them within 5-6 hours drive of each other and attendance starts to drop if you don't spread them out. Lots of people might make 3 races and drive 5 hours to get to the furthest race if spread out throught the year. Put them one weekend after another and they're probably not going to devote a month of weekends (and Friday travel time and possibly Mondays as well) to attend.

[Racer Duck]

Bob makes all good points.

But there's one he didn't mention: the cost to the fan to attend a race. Most fans can't stand the cost to go to 3-4-5 races on subsequent weekends. In my case, 2 in a row does me in (I'm eating beans and hot dogs for the next several weeks!)

Personally I'd like to see several "loops" during the year .. that way if the race at, say Texas, is not makable for any reason, I still have Kansas, or Talledega within a reasonable drive (or the 2nd date at Texas) for example.

[bob101]

They just need to move the Texas date one weekend up or one weekend back.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by bob101

They just need to move the Texas date one weekend up or one weekend back.

ya mean the 2nd date, right? to miss "opening day"....

[loco4pablo]

How many other places don't have an "opening day"?

[bob101]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

ya mean the 2nd date, right? to miss "opening day"....

Yes, hunting in Texas is a $4 billion/year industry/recreation.

i guarantee more people are out hunting in Texas on opening weekend of rifle season than watch all the NASCAR races in Texas each year.

Don't forget the people who hunt in Texas have the money. We're not talking about Joe Dirt out killing a deer. We're talking about people who pay $5k-$25k a year for a lease. I'm sure Texas Speedway would love to sink their teeth into that kind of money for luxury boxes/seats etc...for the second date.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by loco4pablo

How many other places don't have an "opening day"?

not the point.

the point is opening day in Texas is one of the major events of the year and the Texas race is always on opening day. attendance at the race would pick up a minimum of 10% (not to mention the increase in the TV audience) just by moving the race one week either way. and there would be at least another 100,000 hunters out on opening day.

and I know your next question: why doesn't the state move opening day? probably 'cause the folks that control that sort of thing are all hunters .. and were before NASCAR was ever conceived. it'd be like celebrating Mardi Gras in June. some things are the way they are because they've always been that way .. tampering with that gets a fella in lots of trouble.

besides, NASCAR is the new kid on the block .. and like it or not, there's more money and people involved in hunting in Texas just for deer season than in NASCAR for all 36 races.

bottom line is $$$. By NASCAR being so hard headed about the date, it's costing NASCAR and the hunting industry lots of money.

[bob101]

Originally Posted by loco4pablo

How many other places don't have an "opening day"?

That's immaterial. The point is they could swap with even another southern state their date and both could avoid opening day. Texas is set at 1st saturday of Nov. In Texas that's a state holiday just like Mardi Gras is in my home state of LA.

They could swap with another state like AL (just as an example) whose opening day does not fall on that date.

[mccastle]

I guess when you think about it every state that host a race probably has something major taking place on race weekend or other weekends that might make a financial impact if you were to start moving things around. Just look at all of the SEC football games going on. You start moving Talladega or Atlanta dates around you start messing with the Alabama, Auburn,Georgia & Florida fans. LSU has a bye week this weekend so no biggie going to Talladega.

Hunting opening dates especially in Texas I understand the conflict. My brother-in-law scheduled his wedding around the one weekend he had available in February so as not to interfere with hunting season, Mardi Gras, and Talladega.

[loco4pablo]

I understand all points but there is always an excuse for lack of attendance. Opening day of Deer hunting season, College football in the south, NFL and the cowboys on Sunday, Spring gobbler season.

Eddie Gossage lobbied hard for that second date and deservingly so he got it.... He didn't say "I don't want it because it's opening weekend of deer season."

It is what it is... If he isn't happy with that date then let NASCAR go to Vegas that weekend.

[mccastle]

What do you think is the reason for bad attendance? I know ticket prices is a big deal. I went to Talladega for the first time this April. Paid $75.00 a piece for my tickets including a ticket for a 5 year old. I have been told that is a cheap compared to some tracks. Why such a difference? I have been told you have to buy packages at Kansas. You can't buy just a ticket to the cup race.

[wingkey1]

Originally Posted by mccastle

What do you think is the reason for bad attendance? I know ticket prices is a big deal. I went to Talladega for the first time this April. Paid $75.00 a piece for my tickets including a ticket for a 5 year old. I have been told that is a cheap compared to some tracks. Why such a difference? I have been told you have to buy packages at Kansas. You can't buy just a ticket to the cup race.

What do you think is the reason for bad attendance? All top level professional sports as well as other entertainment and leisure options (Restaurant industry is REALLY beginning to hurt) that depend(ed) on the disposable income of an individual or family are hurting. Folks have to increasingly make a choice as to how any (if any) money that is available after the necessary expenses are covered will be spent.

A bit myopic perhaps, but ticket prices to Dover have not increased in over 5 years AND more is provided for the same price (i.e. food during the event, transportation, additional free tickets, $ off coupons for purchased souveniors). The event specific costs have not changed, BUT the cost of going and any costs associated with an overnight or extended stay, etc., has - notably.

Amongst dozens of friends and acquaintenances who have been participants in motorsports that have decreased their attendance at Cup events, the majority response might be paraphrased as - things are tighter and some things have to give.

re: Kansas - have seen that the track website ticket purchase option leads to package purchases only. Not sure what to make of or call that approach. Surprising? Bold? Stupid? Presumptuous? Out of touch? Unbelievable? Maybe folks in Kansas still have money to burn.