www.MotorCityAutoParts.com
California Speedway has lost its mojo.
When Roger Penske opened the facility in 1997, it instantly became a hot ticket on Southern California's already busy sports calendar.
Demand was such that 17,000 seats were added to the grandstands by the end of the second season, bringing the seating capacity for the two-mile oval to 92,000.
But many of those seats – and rightfully so – were empty Sunday evening for NASCAR's second Southern California visit of 2007.
Yes, the oppressive heat was a huge factor. Triple-digit temperatures for three straight days sucked the energy out of the fans as well as the drivers and the event.
“What idiot would schedule a 500-mile race for what is historically one of the hottest weekends of the year?” one fan wondered as he shared a spot with about 20 other broiled fans in front of one of the misters spread about the facility.
What idiot indeed?
California Speedway has no ties to Labor Day weekend.
Traditionally, that date on the NASCAR calendar belonged to Darlington, S.C., and the Southern 500. And quite an event it was. The eyes of stock car racing focused on the “Lady in Black” that weekend.
I have been to Darlington for the Southern 500. One of the greatest events in racing. No place, no fans quite like it.
NASCAR shouldn't be at California Speedway on Labor Day weekend. It was as if the gods of NASCAR cast fire upon Fontana out of disgust.
Of course, many idiots covering NASCAR believe California Speedway shouldn't have two races a year.
California replaced Darlington in 2004, which is also the season Fontana was granted a second date as part of NASCAR's decision to strengthen its influence in major markets – and Southern California is about as major as it gets.
Two races at Fontana is not the problem. The problem is the timing of those races and how they are marketed.
Timing: Labor Day weekend is bad timing. NASCAR's tradition was Darlington. Southern California's Labor Day weekend traditions are beaches and barbecues. We see Labor Day as the last major weekend off before school starts. Many of our vacations end that weekend. Most of us are not going to sit on aluminum seats for six hours.
There is a solution. Keep the spring race. Ask NASCAR to switch the Labor Day date for a race during the Chase for the Championship. In the big picture, the 25th of 26 regular-season races means nothing. But give California a race in the Chase and Southern California fans will turn out.
And that would give California Speedway a date up to six weeks later.
Marketing: NASCAR has this infatuation with Hollywood. Why, I have no idea. But it is there. NASCAR officials spent more time talking about a party some drivers attended last week where Paris Hilton was present than they did the Sharp Aquos 500. At the head of this parade is California Speedway President Gillian Zucker.
It is time to stop flirting with Hollywood stars – who really could not care less about stock car racing – and get back to addressing the wants and needs of real stock car fans.
Last weekend, for example, a track official noted that California Speedway was reaping a bonanza in water sales. Water was going for $4 a bottle – beer was selling for $8 a bottle – and the official noted that 500,000 bottles might be moved over the three days of racing. Cha-ching.
I don't know, maybe it's just me, but wouldn't it have been smarter for track officials – knowing that it was 110 degrees – to tell fans two bottles of water were included with each ticket? It's not a good sign when your aid stations are crowded with heat-afflicted fans.
Of course, California Speedway can't be held responsible for the record-setting temperatures of last weekend. You can't hold the track responsible for the empty seats, at least not all of them.
But the track can do a better job. So can NASCAR.
Even a fan-blown blast of water wasn't soothing . . . not when the water felt as though it had been circulated out of a sauna.
This Article Is Sponsored By:
www.MotorCityAutoParts.com
For More Information About This Article Please Email:
Trevor@MotorCityAutoParts.com
Article Number: 000013
No comments:
Post a Comment