Never will a season go by in the NASCAR world without Speedway Motorsports, Inc., chairman Bruton Smith stirring things up.Fans got a glimpse of that earlier this week during the annual Sprint Cup Media Tour hosted by one of his tracks, Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.
Smith, answering a question from a reporter on attendance issues, brought up an interesting point for the sport as a whole to consider.
Should NASCAR be putting local blackouts on races that aren't sold out?
It's been the way of the NFL and the Indianapolis 500, among others, for years, after a certain local venue hasn't sold out for an event. The '500', in the case of Indianapolis residents, is always shown later in the evening -- just in time for the race's spectators to get home and catch a glimpse of the start before nodding off for a post-race nap.
And for Smith, he sees it as a way to help out tracks -- especially his seating behemoths in Concord, Atlanta and Fort Worth that are following the status quo with ticket sale troubles in 2009 -- by forcing local race fans to check out the race in person versus sitting in the comfort of their living room and high-definition television.
NASCAR, and ESPN for that matter, responded with a strong, yet eloquent, "no way" on Wednesday, according to ThatsRacin's David Poole.
And, honestly, you can't really blame them.
NASCAR, for one, appears to be at some sort of crossroads with some significant days ahead that will determine the brightness of its future. Such a future with a slew of elements that create positive momentum for a sport always have to revolve around the fan base, and when NASCAR is trying to keep both its tried and true fans happy alongside a few new curveballs to bring on new fans, it can't be alienating anyone.
For the broadcasters, a blackout is hardly ever a good thing because of the viewership they lose in certain markets. When a race isn't on TV for a live broadcast in Indianapolis, there's advertising money that is heading down the drain.
Sure, it sounds good to for Smith as a track owner to create new ways to get fans at the track, but at the moment, it seems like he's going to have find other solutions.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-22-2009 @ 10:46AM
maveness said...
Here's a solution for Smith - actually cut the cost of tickets that aren't on the backstretch. I was at Lowe's in October. The backstretch was packed, because that's where he decided to cut costs. The front stretch was barren. Think of all the money he could have made if he'd just cut costs on the front stretch. In this economy, he's not going to sell out seats, but if you made *some* money instead of none, that counts for more!
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1-22-2009 @ 11:29AM
Thomas said...
Thats the problem. People are cutting way back because of the economy and most now can't afford the cost of tickets. People are losing jobs and homes and he still wants top dollar for tickets and food and drinks. I go to one race a year now where I used to go to five. I just can't afford all that money now to go watch my favorite sport.
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1-22-2009 @ 7:18PM
Natalie said...
I have been going to Louden twice a year for many years. Guess what NO MORE.... Be greedy Mr. Smith... See what happend to your selling out..Your tickets are overpriced, the food is over priced and as for a family event I think not who could afford it....Nascar is losing sponsors due to the economy and you sure will lose money for seats not being sold.. Try making some money lowering the price of tickets & food. Bring back the real Nascar Hospitality and do not be so GREEDY..............
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1-22-2009 @ 8:18PM
Bob said...
Guys like this seem to miss out on one of the basic rules of economics--it's easier to sell one hundred items at $1 than to sell one item at $100. If you lower ALL the prices, the flow of additional customers will more than make up the difference in overall sales. Another millionaire (or is it billionaire) that has lost touch with the way the other 99% live.
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2-09-2009 @ 9:04PM
Hertzy said...
Bruton Smith made his own bed by jacking ticket prices, food prices by buying up all the offsite camping areas and destroying them by rules that are intended not to allow people to have fun..I've been going to the October race at Charlotte for 12 years..i buy a block of 14 tickets every year for my friends and me.. i buy them in January when they are the cheapest price possible..same rows same seats every year this year the tickets went up 20 a piece..a friend of mine does the same but was told that his seating area was removed for on track RV sites.. we were told by a representative of tim flock camping that they are trying to keep the rednecks out of thier campgrounds by raising prices and making harder rules.. i don't feel sorry for this man at all he made his own bed and now he has to lie in it and this october he will be short 28 more fans because we will not be there because of these issues instead we are going to Talladega where we had a blast last year cause they know how to take care of their fans and realize where their money comes from.
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