NASCAR may change schedule

[Napoleon]

http://www.cleveland.com/autoracing/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/1043232221134231.xml

[WickerBill]

They're either going to appease Mr. Smith or make him so angry that the sport splits.

IMO.

[mnkywrch]

Darlington & Rockingham need to lose their second dates.

But I don't think it will appease anyone (save themselves) if they keep them "in the family".



Instead, NASCAR might move races between ISC-owned tracks, as well as between SMI-owned tracks. That could offer a solution to a long-running feud over the awarding of a second date to Texas Motor Speedway.


Which SMI track are they going to pull a date from?

Atlanta?

Charlotte? :laugh:

[cart7]

I could see the Fall Atlanta race being dropped, that's one of the few races where the empty seats are noticeable.

[Turn7]

I don't understand why TMS would need a second NASCAR date. They already have two IRL races and a NASCAR date. Surely the 2 highly attended IRL races equal one NASCAR date.

[mnkywrch]

Originally posted by Turn7
I don't understand why TMS would need a second NASCAR date. They already have two IRL races and a NASCAR date. Surely the 2 highly attended IRL races equal one NASCAR date.

I don't understand why Fontana would need a second NASCAR date. They already have two open wheel races and a NASCAR date. Surely the 2 highly attended open wheel races equal one NASCAR date.

The best thing CART could do would be to buy a track for the two Winston Cup dates. It'd be like printing money.

[Napoleon]

Originally posted by mnkywrch
Which SMI track are they going to pull a date from?

Atlanta?

Charlotte? :laugh:

Sears Point?

I wonder what this means for the future of the Glen.

[pchall]

Originally posted by mnkywrch
I don't understand why Fontana would need a second NASCAR date. They already have two open wheel races and a NASCAR date. Surely the 2 highly attended open wheel races equal one NASCAR date.


10K for the IRL is not highly attended. And whatever CART drew can only be described as a moderate crowd. Not CART fan would claim any more. Meanwhile the IRL fans try to maintain a fiction that there have been 70+ K at TMS twice a year forever ...

Surely you can do better when another poster's sarcasm reminds you of the log in your own eye.

[cart7]

I don't understand the need to run races at the same track anyway. Nascar could fill any track anywhere. There's markets in the North, Northeast, Nortwest that don't get enough. Put a race in an area where there's no previous race and you not only get a packed racetrack but the potential merchandising sales would be phenominal. Put a regular WC race at a local track and the WC fans will be at the stores, at the track or on-line buying up merchandise in support of the race.

[mnkywrch]

Originally posted by pchall
10K for the IRL is not highly attended. And whatever CART drew can only be described as a moderate crowd. Not CART fan would claim any more. Meanwhile the IRL fans try to maintain a fiction that there have been 70+ K at TMS twice a year forever ...

Surely you can do better when another poster's sarcasm reminds you of the log in your own eye.

I understood the original poster's sarcasm. Of course, you're so busy walking around with your intent of hammering IRL fans that you likely missed a few things yourself... like, I dunno, it's a thread about NASCAR, not open wheel racing.

I realize I'm on a CART board and there's going to be anti-IRL shots. I'm fine with that.

It's not like I dwelled on the fact that CART used to sell-out Fontana until Hanford "racing" killed it... or that I even mentioned it until now.

So don't take your "I got banned on TF" agression out on me. Thanks.

Since we're talking about NASCAR...

They won't let SMI pull Sears Point because they want to stay in the SF market.

If they pulled dates from Rockingham and Darlington I reckon attendance at Charlotte and Atlanta would improve.

If ISC is willing to take the lead on alignment without buy-in from other owners, and if they're willing to make the same sacrifices as everyone else, I'm OK with it.

[Ziggy]

Here is my two cents from a long jaded NASCAR fan

They only need one event at several of the tracks they run on now. By adding a second date, they have cheapened the victory and uniqueness of said tracks

Charlotte
Darlington
Michigan
Atlanta
New Hampshire
Dover
Rockingham, to name just a few off the top of my head

TEXAS, the drivers don't like racing at this track one time a year. Knowing several fans in the area, they would not support a second race and many are under the thought of bailing on the race they have now. They claim it boring and expensive.

The mania has run its course, NASCAR does need to change with the fans sentiment

Ziggy

[cart7]

Article in the St. Louis Post is mentioning that Gateway is on the list to get a date. Seating for 60k now could be expanded to 90+ if a date is arranged.

[mnkywrch]

Originally posted by cart7
Article in the St. Louis Post is mentioning that Gateway is on the list to get a date. Seating for 60k now could be expanded to 90+ if a date is arranged.

Why would Dover Downs move a race... from where they get 140K at Dover... to a track with less?

[WickerBill]

Wouldn't it be ISC moving a date from a non-ISC and underperforming track in the southeast to Gateway? That was what I was thinking would happen.

[cart7]

The article mentions that it's Nascar that wants DD to eliminate one of the 2 races at Dover and move it to either Nashville or Gateway.

[mnkywrch]

Originally posted by cart7
The article mentions that it's Nascar that wants DD to eliminate one of the 2 races at Dover and move it to either Nashville or Gateway.

So NASCAR wants DD to make less money so NASCAR itself can become more valuable since it's in more markets?

Uh-huh.

[Napoleon]

Originally posted by mnkywrch
So NASCAR wants DD to make less money so NASCAR itself can become more valuable since it's in more markets?

Uh-huh.

The next generation of Frances are reputed as being dumb as a box of rocks. My brother interviewed for a job with NASCAR and came back laughing at how clueless the entire organization is.

[cart7]

I don't know how Nascar works on tracks not owned by them. I would guess they get some sort of sanctioning fee + a % of gate reciepts. Maybe this is Nascar's way of pushing their weight around with non-ISC tracks or maybe they're trying to realign thus heading Bruton and Johnny Cochran off at the pass.

[pchall]

Originally posted by Napoleon
The next generation of Frances are reputed as being dumb as a box of rocks. My brother interviewed for a job with NASCAR and came back laughing at how clueless the entire organization is.

I think the medical term for this is Hulman-George Syndrome.

[pchall]

Originally posted by mnkywrch
So NASCAR wants DD to make less money so NASCAR itself can become more valuable since it's in more markets?

Uh-huh.

Dover Downs Entertainment could ultimately make more money by moving one Cup date into an underserved market than running two races in a saturated area. Some businesses actually do plan beyond the short term.

[Napoleon]

Originally posted by pchall
Dover Downs Entertainment could ultimately make more money by moving one Cup date into an underserved market than running two races in a saturated area. Some businesses actually do plan beyond the short term.

Don't they sell out both Dover Dates? Why would they want to incure the expense of adding seats to Gateway or Nashville just to sell the same number of seats (maybe).

[WickerBill]

My guess: NASCAR says "hey, if you don't move one of your Dover dates, we're going to move it for you."

DDE says "Okay chief!"

[pchall]

Originally posted by WickerBill
My guess: NASCAR says "hey, if you don't move one of your Dover dates, we're going to move it for you."

DDE says "Okay chief!"

That's how I see it.

If there is only one Cup date at Dover Downs that ticket becomes an even more valuable commodity, while DDE gets a complete NASCAR race package for Gateway with which to develop that market. I don't think DDE would be averse to spending some money on seating to make even more money downstream, especially if NASCAR and the France Family want it that way.

[Peter Venkman]

"I think the medical term for this is Hulman-George Syndrome."

Something that was treated, not too long ago, by a frontal lobotomy.