Is racing a cheap “spectator” sport?

I’ve been a spectator of racing and attending events in the neighborhood of 35 years, mostly the local dirt tracks, but occasionally NASCAR events.  When I say to local tracks, I’m referring to tracks located in Oklahoma and Arkansas. During those events I will usually watch the crowds at some point during the race.  From doing this, I can get a sense as to what is occurring on the track and whether or not they are interested in what is happening.  I believe there are 2 types of fans, the lovers and the haters.  I guess one can make the argument that there is a 3rd type, the “love to hate” fan which I define as those that love to hate certain drivers no matter what happens, it’s always their fault that something happens on the track, even if they aren‘t racing.

What is it that keeps the average spectator coming back time after time to the local tracks?  Well, there are those that have family members racing, or those that have friends or acquaintances racing and then there are those fans that just love to watch dirt track racing at it’s best.  One of the biggest obstacles for the average fan to attend the local Friday or Saturday night racing events is the COST.  This can either make or break a fan base.

The one thing I’ve noticed in my years of attending these events is that the fan base is dwindling.  Now some would blame the economy as being the reason the last year or two.  I personally put the blame squarely on the track owners and promoters.  That could be construed as being unfair, since track owners sometimes change every few years so the new owners inherit what they purchase.  Here’s the way I see it, once a track is built at a certain cost, it should never and I repeat NEVER have to increase admittance cost for a spectator to sit in the grandstands to watch a racing event they thoroughly enjoy.  What about the maintenance cost of the grandstands you may ask, well I contend that if the correct preventative maintenance is performed on a continuous basis, there wouldn’t be the need for major repairs. The grandstand admission has increased, the admission to the pit areas have increased, but the payout to the drivers has not.

Has the local tracks out priced their self to the point that the average fan can’t afford to attend the great Friday and Saturday night races?  I call for all local tracks across the country to lower the grandstand admission cost to $5 for adults and children under 12 are free, give that spectator that loves the sport of racing a truly affordable event to bring their entire family to.  Let a parent introduce their children to a sport they’ve enjoyed over the years at a cost that won’t break the household budget.  You’ll come closer to filling the stands at $5 a person than you will at $10.  For a family of 4 it will cost upwards of $40 to attend when it should only cost $20.  The owners and promoters should strive to fill the grandstands and the best way is to lower admission prices.  The more spectators that are in the stands, the more concession sales that will occur.  Track owners, listen (watch) what the fans are telling you.  A lot can be learned from just watching where they sit, how many trips to the concession they make, how many races they watch and when do they leave.  Is it before the final feature race?  What causes that?      Hmmmmm

Let’s define the words “spectator” and “sport”.  According to Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary ther are defined as the following:

Main Entry: spec·ta·tor
Function: noun
1 : one who looks on or watches

Main Entry: sport
Function: verb
1 a : to amuse oneself b : to engage in a sport
2 a : to mock or ridicule something b : to speak or act in jest

So if you put them together it would read something like this: “one who looks on or watches to amuse oneself”.

This is just my point of view as a long time spectator with the sport of auto racing.

Daniel Nicholson

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