The toughest ticket in NASCAR not so tough?

#1
doozer

doozer

Matthew 6:2
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Aug 10, 2006
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#1
i probably wouldn't have even given this much thought on Sunday or in the days since.

however, we had the good (see also: great) fortune of not being crammed into the BMS backstretch grandstand like sardines. we sat in seats 7 and 8 about 24 rows up from the track. when the green flagged dropped there were exactly 4 people sitting in seats 1-12 in said row. as the race continued i figured there were probably a few folks that trickled down into the empty seats as would be expected, but not once did i rub elbows with anybody in the stands that i did not know on Sunday. i was incredibly surprised and loved every lap of it.

to add to this, i noticed a section in the Kulwicki Terrace that had a lot of what i considered to be prime empty seats. i began to look around further and noticed random seats empty here and there all over the race track.

the first night i race i ever went to i had to promise my first born in addition to paying an enormous amount of money too.

Sunday we paid 25 over face a piece for our tickets and i am beginning to think i got fleeced on the deal. sure there's not a huge difference between dropping a c-note a piece and dropping a c-note+25, but i think i could have gone racing for less than that. i even saw a scalper off of exit #69 (hehe) that was selling for less than face and was advertising this fact with a sharpie and a rather large piece of cardboard.

point is, if you've never been to Bristol and have wanted to go, now is your chance. while the piece of mind of having tickets before you go is nice, i can almost guarantee you'll find a fair deal if you just head up there.

i'm thinking i may have to try that this fall.
 
#2
#2
doozer said:
i probably wouldn't have even given this much thought on Sunday or in the days since.

however, we had the good (see also: great) fortune of not being crammed into the BMS backstretch grandstand like sardines. we sat in seats 7 and 8 about 24 rows up from the track. when the green flagged dropped there were exactly 4 people sitting in seats 1-12 in said row. as the race continued i figured there were probably a few folks that trickled down into the empty seats as would be expected, but not once did i rub elbows with anybody in the stands that i did not know on Sunday. i was incredibly surprised and loved every lap of it.

to add to this, i noticed a section in the Kulwicki Terrace that had a lot of what i considered to be prime empty seats. i began to look around further and noticed random seats empty here and there all over the race track.

the first night i race i ever went to i had to promise my first born in addition to paying an enormous amount of money too.

Sunday we paid 25 over face a piece for our tickets and i am beginning to think i got fleeced on the deal. sure there's not a huge difference between dropping a c-note a piece and dropping a c-note+25, but i think i could have gone racing for less than that. i even saw a scalper off of exit #69 (hehe) that was selling for less than face and was advertising this fact with a sharpie and a rather large piece of cardboard.

point is, if you've never been to Bristol and have wanted to go, now is your chance. while the piece of mind of having tickets before you go is nice, i can almost guarantee you'll find a fair deal if you just head up there.

i'm thinking i may have to try that this fall.
Click to expand...

I think the combination of fear of cold weather due to the earlier race date plus rising gas prices is the culprit. Two years ago it snowed at the Spring race which was two weeks later on the calender than this years race. People remember how cold and miserable they were, on top of which they had to endure the #2 winning. (just had to throw that in to ag you). I bet the August race will be as normal. The Spring race has been selling out for only the last 8-10 years at most. Some locals are saying the lack of wrecks is keeping fans away.
 
#3
#3
i would lean more toward rising fuel prices than i would weather. i don't think those coming from afar have the time to wait out the forecast before deciding if they want to come or not.

on the other side, i can see somebody like me who can get there and back on a 3/4 tank of gas deciding that it's too cold to mess with this year and staying home.

as for those that go to see wrecks not going anymore, good. Ryan Newman was quoted after the race as saying that maybe fans just need to go to their local demolition derby instead.
 
#4
#4
I definitely agree. I had absolutely no luck in selling my tickets until I lowered the price to $150 for both and someone scooped them up finally.

Never did sell the Nationwide tickets or the Pole Day tix.

I'm sure trying to sell them so late in the week didn't help, but the fall night race is most definitely a harder ticket to get, and easier to sell.
 
#5
#5
We didn't have any empty seats around us until about lap 325, when the couple beside me got and left. I couldn't imagine paying that much for tickets and leaving with 1/4 of the race left.
 
#6
#6
i think i'm going to try and make a run at getting season tickets for next year.

i wonder what the odds are of actually getting them.
 
#7
#7
Hmmm? Guess we'll keep checking and hopefully get some tickets for Bristol. That's home country for me since I'm originally from Elizabethton. We've got friends that live in Jonesborough, so that's no problem getting a place to stay for 2-3 days.
 
#8
#8
kkep48 said:
I definitely agree. I had absolutely no luck in selling my tickets until I lowered the price to $150 for both and someone scooped them up finally.

Never did sell the Nationwide tickets or the Pole Day tix.

I'm sure trying to sell them so late in the week didn't help, but the fall night race is most definitely a harder ticket to get, and easier to sell.
Click to expand...

I sold all 8 tickets I had for Nationwide, albeit for less than face by $10.00 each. It was a rainy day with not a lot of hope to get the race in.

Doozer, what I'm saying in regard to weather was more about the early date of the race perhaps keeping people from buying tickets in the first place. I agree if they have a ticket, they're not going to stay home.

What does everyone think, Is Bristol a better race track with the new progressive banking where the cars can pass, or was it better before with the bump and run being the main passing method with the resultant higher number of wrecks? Be honest, do you like wreckin' or racin'?
 
#9
#9
I go to the race. When they change it to the demolision derby I'll do something else.
 
#10
#10
I like the old configuration just because it was so unique with the one groove around the track.
I like the new also but now Bristol is maybe not quite as special as compared to other short tracks.It has nothing to do with cars wrecking for me. So,again,no complaints,just stating a difference for me.
 
#11
#11
If you take the beating and banging out of Bristol, then it is no different than any other track they race, except maybe Martinsville

The appeal to Bristol for me was the shoving and pushing either when about to be lapped or on the last lap.

I have had season tickets for 8 years and have noticed many empty seats the last several years for both the spring and fall race.

My neighbor had two extra tickets this year. He stood on the bridge facing the dragstrip for about 15 minutes. Sold the tickets for $40 a piece.


Thanks Mason

--esa
 
#12
#12
esactun said:
If you take the beating and banging out of Bristol, then it is no different than any other track they race, except maybe Martinsville

The appeal to Bristol for me was the shoving and pushing either when about to be lapped or on the last lap.

I have had season tickets for 8 years and have noticed many empty seats the last several years for both the spring and fall race.

My neighbor had two extra tickets this year. He stood on the bridge facing the dragstrip for about 15 minutes. Sold the tickets for $40 a piece.


Thanks Mason

--esa
Click to expand...

For now I want to think this is not just a Bristol thing, all tracks are seeing smaller demand. Also the earlier date scares people due to cold weather. I really think the gasoline/economy situation is becoming a factor.
 
#13
#13
DAYTONA sold out this year.

I noticed 3 years ago when I tried to sell my Dega tickets on ebay that nobody was biting.

I ended up going to the race with a friend and noticed quit a few empty seats in turn 1 and on the backstretch.

NASCAR has done a remarkable job at promoting corp attendance at the tracks. CA Speedway grandstand seating has sold out sense its inception yet their Corp BOX and such have always sold out. LA is a hugh market compared to SC

Thanks Mason

--Esa
 
#14
#14
Daytona should always sell out. Attendance at California is atrocious. Don't be fooled into thinking otherwise. Daytona excluded, every track is going to struggle with attendance for the foreseeable future.
 
#15
#15
The ticket sales and TV audience have been declining for a few years now. First, losing Dale Earnhardt didn't help by not only losing the biggest star on the track but forcing safety measures that take away a lot of the risk. People tend to tune in to see the risk involved. The good tracks are being replaced with tracks like California that produce boring racing. The chase has basically took the excitement out of the beginning of the season and moved it to the end of the season. Before, people tuned in early to see who would separate from the pack and grab the points lead, now they tune in late since drivers have so many mulligans now. The COT has put an even bigger wedge between the car on the track and the car at your local dealer and yes I know they've been vastly different for a long time but at least they looked like the car being sold. I don't see a lot of Fusions with a wing on the back when I drive by the Ford dealer. It's no secret that Dale Jr. is the biggest star today and he hasn't won in a long time, if he was winning 4 or 5 races a year and in contention for the championship than the ticket sales and TV audience would go up also. I think these are a few reasons for the decline in popularity but I still love it, just not as much.
 
#16
#16
jkell24 said:
The ticket sales and TV audience have been declining for a few years now. First, losing Dale Earnhardt didn't help by not only losing the biggest star on the track but forcing safety measures that take away a lot of the risk. People tend to tune in to see the risk involved. The good tracks are being replaced with tracks like California that produce boring racing. The chase has basically took the excitement out of the beginning of the season and moved it to the end of the season. Before, people tuned in early to see who would separate from the pack and grab the points lead, now they tune in late since drivers have so many mulligans now. The COT has put an even bigger wedge between the car on the track and the car at your local dealer and yes I know they've been vastly different for a long time but at least they looked like the car being sold. I don't see a lot of Fusions with a wing on the back when I drive by the Ford dealer. It's no secret that Dale Jr. is the biggest star today and he hasn't won in a long time, if he was winning 4 or 5 races a year and in contention for the championship than the ticket sales and TV audience would go up also. I think these are a few reasons for the decline in popularity but I still love it, just not as much.
Click to expand...

Dale Jr is in the thick of the Championship, currently in fifth, and a win is coming more sooner than later. I believe that would generate some additional interest, but I also think most of the Junior fans are attending and/or watching. I think the Season is too long and the races last too long, particularly for TV audiences. Plus the cost of attending races is getting out of hand. A couple traveling 250 miles to Bristol, staying two nights and going to both races will spend around $800 to $900, not including souveniers or any other shopping. For the August race, most spend a third night, so add another $200 plus. I know people who spend close to $2000 for a complete August race week, four nights, three races.
 
#19
#19
I don't think those people are all lying.Bristol was a unique type of racing on the Cup circuit and people miss it.I don't think it's an issue of wrecking vs racing.
Bumping and banging isn't really wrecking.The people that like wrecks go for super speedway plate racing I would think.
 
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