'What Would You Change'

[Lee Roy]

1. Put Rockingham back on the schedule: Phoenix/Texas/Las Vegas/California can do with one race less.
2. Give Darlington a second race: Phoenix/Texas/Las Vegas/California can do with one race less..

Why move races back to Rockingham and Darlington? The fans spoke loud and clear that they didn't care all that much for those tracks. They had/have the smallest number of grandstand seats on the schedule and they could't even come close to selling out Rockingham or the Southern 500.

7. Everybody qualifies on time: that’s right, you heard me.

No other racing series does this. 'cept maybe the NHRA, but they give them numerous times to make the field.

[BenRoethig]

I would back it off to the top 20/25 though.

[call_me_andrew]

Here's another radical idea I've been tinkering with.

If the next weekend is free or if there's only a short distance to travel, hold races on Monday night instead of Saturday or Sunday night. Not only could this help protect local short tracks from TV competition, more people are likely to be home watching TV on a Monday night. And I think "Monday Night Racing" could really catch on.

[harvick#1]

no, for people like me who work 2nd shift get the shaft. no, keep it weekend only

[Aussie12]

Why move races back to Rockingham and Darlington? The fans spoke loud and clear that they didn't care all that much for those tracks. They had/have the smallest number of grandstand seats on the schedule and they could't even come close to selling out Rockingham or the Southern 500.

Races at the Rock and Darlington are more exciting than most of those at the mid-sized tracks like Texas etc. People aren't going to keep turning up to watch boring races. Sink a little bit of that NA$CAR revenue back into the sport an update the ‘historic’ tracks with bigger stands and better facilities.

10. No more impound races.

[Lee Roy]

Races at the Rock and Darlington are more exciting than most of those at the mid-sized tracks like Texas etc. People aren't going to keep turning up to watch boring races. Sink a little bit of that NA$CAR revenue back into the sport an update the ‘historic’ tracks with bigger stands and better facilities.

First, you need to answer the question as to why, if the races at Rockingham and Darlington were so exciting, were the fans not choosing to attend. Also, if they couldn't fill the paltry 60,000 seats at Rockingham and Darlington (by comparison, Bristol has over 160,000), why in the world would you build more?

[Alexamateo]

First, you need to answer the question as to why, if the races at Rockingham and Darlington were so exciting, were the fans not choosing to attend. Also, if they couldn't fill the paltry 60,000 seats at Rockingham and Darlington (by comparison, Bristol has over 160,000), why in the world would you build more?

Well for one thing, SMI is head and shoulders above ISC when it comes to marketing and promotion.

[Lee Roy]

Well for one thing, SMI is head and shoulders above ISC when it comes to marketing and promotion.

Irrelavent, in my opinion.

All I hear from people is that the races at Rockingham and Darlington were the greatest thing since sliced bread (and I'm not disagreeing), yet no one can give me a reasonable explanation why the NASCAR fans did not support those races if they were so great.

It just doesn't add up.

[Alexamateo]

I think it is relevant. As a case in point, look at the IRL. Outside of Indy, the best attended race is Texas, other races are less so. I believe it is directly attributable to Eddie Gossage and team at TMS and how they market and promote their races.

I worked for the then Charlotte Motor Speedway as an intern in public relations one fall semester (1991) under Eddie Gossage and Susan Russo, and let me tell you, Those folks spent 365 days a year thinking about "How do we get more people to come to our events?" The attitude came from the top down. Eddie told me that when he first started, Humpy Wheeler would come in his office, and say "What are we going to do today?" The point was to know that marketing and promotion wasn't something done three weeks before the races, but something done every day.

Also, the physical plant was important. Charlotte was the first with the luxury boxes, the condos, the office tower etc. During my internship, I stayed in the home of a lady who worked for the speedway. Her husband had come down with Fred Lorenzen in the late 50's and had worked for Junior Johnson for years. He was great to talk to. When I asked him about various tracks, he'd say "Daytona's a dump!, Darlington's a dump! Rockingham's a dump!" (Basically the only two that weren't were Charlotte and Martinsville) Basically he was saying was that they were run on the cheap and it showed.

Now of course that was almost 17 years ago, and with the influx of money into the sport, all of the tracks have improved their facilities, but I contend that they are just where SMI already was 17 years ago, and I assure you SMI has not remained static in that time period.

Look at Bristol, 71,000 seats in 1996 when SMI bought it, now it's double that @ 160,000. What changed? SMI has promoted it to be the track to attend.

Finally from my own life is this example: I'm a sales rep selling in the construction industry. Supposedly, there's a recession going on yet I am having my best year ever. I follow the mantra that good salespeople don't have recessions. Now, I have some customers who are way off, and who are suffering in this economy of course, but I saw this coming so I've been hustling to expand my territory and pick up new customers, new business etc. I am marketing myself and growing my business, even in a down economy. SMI is like that, they just work smarter and harder than everyone else, so yes I think marketing and promotion have a ton to do with it. It's not one thing, it's all the little things that they do and just do better than anyone else.

[Aussie12]

According to Jayski, last year Darlington had higher TV ratings than the All tar Race, Pocono I, Michigan I, Louden I, Daytona II, Chicago I, Pocono II, Watkins Glen, Michigan II, California II, Louden II, Dover II, Kansas, Martinsville II, Atlanta II, Texas II and Phoenix II. It was equal to Indy, Charlotte II and Homestead. IMHO there is more money to be made via TV than backsides in seats.