Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Jeff Belskus told me last week that attendance for this year’s Brickyard 400 was between
100,000 and 150,000.
For those at Sunday’s NASCAR race, it’s difficult to imagine attendance wasn’t closer to 100,000 than 150,000.
Not even ESPN’s effort to minimize cameral angles that show bare grandstands could hide the fact that the crowd at this
year’s Brickyard was not great.
NASCAR’s attendance estimate for the race was 138,000. NASCAR’s estimated attendance for the 2010 race was 140,000.
In 2007, NACAR estimated the crowd at 270,000. IMS doesn’t release attendance figures.
Many in attendance noticed how easy it was to get in and out of the track on race day. A far cry from the scene at the Indianapolis
500 in May, which has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years.
Belskus said renewal rates from 2010 to this year among ticket buyers were above 80 percent and that he expected attendance
at the 2011 race to equal that of the 2010 race.
Maybe the hot weather kept some people at home. The fact that the race is on TV live probably doesn’t help.
But it would appear from the crowd at Sunday’s race, the Speedway has some serious work ahead to revive this race.
A number of observers said NASCAR’s attendance estimate seemed high.
While current ticket buyers must be the Speedway’s first responsibility, attracting new ticket buyers clearly must
also be a high priority to re-build the event.
Former Speedway CEO Tony George, who is still on the board of the company that runs the track, said the Brickyard would make
money even if the Speedway was half full. “For sure, it makes money,” George told WFNI-AM 1070 this May.
My math shows the facility may no longer be half full for the Brickyard 400.
At this point, though, officials for NASCAR and the Speedway say they are totally committed to continuing the race. It’s
still one of the top three in attendance on the NASCAR circuit.
And help is on the way. Starting in 2012, Crown Royal will be the new title sponsor for the race. CR officials have committed
to spend $7.5 million over the next five years to promote the race. The whisky maker will jump in later this summer with renewal
efforts.
CR will pay another $7.5 million in cash to the Speedway over five years.
The NASCAR Nationwide and Grand Am races also have been added to the three-day weekend—starting in 2012—to bolster
attendance.
But it’s important to note, NASCAR and the Speedway are on a year-to-year contract. It’s been that way since
the inaugural race in 1994.
That deal means the stock car series could pull the plug at any time. Same goes for the Speedway. At this time, neither side
has given any indication they’ll do that.
If NASCAR and the Speedway can’t rekindle this event with the Crown Royal deal and other enhancements that are in the
works, a difficult business decision will have to be made. If the board members that control the track have shown one thing
in the past three years, it’s that they’ve lost their patience with money-losing causes.
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Welcome to The Score, your place for hard-hitting sports business news, fast-breaking updates and fuel-injected debate. Buckle up. I'm your host, Anthony Schoettle, IBJ sports reporter.
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Saw the Indy Men's Chorus "Music of Gilbert & Sullivan" at the Indiana Historical Society on Sunday evening.
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Temporary workers are not "tools" they are people and companies that keep large amounts of temp staff are cheating.
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I miss having them around. I hope one of their stores is in the general Meridian/86th Street area. I will make good use of it.
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The Fringe! Plus, the simple fact that there are so many local faves in such close proximity to each other.
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I remenber, watching the toll road, being built, through South Bend, when I was 10 years old. I believe, back then that it was estimated, that the toll road, would be paid for in 20 years and then it would be free. I am now 71, what happened? Since the power is in the people, by that, I mean that, we the people are in total control of everything. I, suggest that no one ever use the toll road again, let it go broke. We the people can control the price of everything, from groceries to gas, if we would just do it. If we don't pay the asking price, the sellers will lower the price and if we wait awhile, they will lower the price to what we accept as reasonable. I would like to know why a highway like interstate 94, is so well maintained, a much better highway, than the toll road, but has no tolls. I would also like to know why, a sitting governor, with a term limit, maximum of eight years, can lease, public property, for 75 years. Even though I have transponders in both of my trucks and will not be affected by the increase, I have been and will contine to avoid using the toll road. I make many trips from northern Indiana to Chicago, every year, and I prefer the better highway, I94!
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Maybe there's just to many seats at Indy these days.
Maybe the fans, who were insulted by the tire fiasco a few years back are giving the ultimate protest by abstaining. The speedway even apologized.
Maybe Indy is just oversaturated, over done, over played.
Maybe no one cares anymore.
Maybe the speedway needs stunts and gimmicks to bring back the lost fans.
ToNy sez it makes money easy, even half full, so why all the hand-wringing?
What about having the race on Sat night? Daytona does it in July as do others. With cooler temps at night, might bring more people. Might cost IMS some bucks upfront, but think it would be well worth it in the long run. Look at the crowds at Lucas Oil at the Sat race. Btw, Nationwide should go back to Lucas - IMS is too big for this series.
Great article by Hinton, who, calls it the way it should be called. And while he blames NASCAR...the fault falls squarely on Tony George's shoulders. You reap what you sow.
-100,000K + is a far larger crowd than NASCAR draws for the vast majority of their races.
-Do you have any idea how much revenue is derived from ticket sales of over 100,000? Or how much television revenue is involved? Or what the effect of that much concession and merchandise business is? Or corporate sponsorship? Putting the CEO of a record company on the flag stand is not cheap for the record company.
Doom and glooming about this 'problem' is petty and displays a woefully out of touch with reality sentiment.
IMS is already planning an enhanced weekend for the BY400 and those additions should make for a fun, well attended weekend.
100,000 attendance a problem? I really don't think so.
Next year offers some additional racing and a new sponsor. More bang for the buck with a variety of cars and drivers.
It is a mid-summer racing celebration and 100,000 fans may just be what the market will bear. That doesn't make it a failure by any means, especially with the Speedway earning money.
The actual racing is not the greatest. Yesterday's event was fairly dull but not all races are that way and there will be future Brickyard races with compelling turns of event. Who would have thought Paul Menard would win? John Menard's kid. A man with a legacy at IMS.
It was a good weekend and keep in mind that IMS was built to the amazing capacity it has for essentially the single largest and greatest motor racing event in history, not NASCAR. The shine has faded from those early years when the stock cars first roared into town, but there is still plenty of color and style left. NASCAR and the Brickyard are not done unless the powers-that-be decide running in front of a half empty race track is bad for business. I doubt it. They still get 100,000-plus.
It is funny that people preach doom and gloom about the Brickyard like it is the only issue NASCAR has. Google NASCAR and Attendance and you will see article after article about dropping attendance. it is not just a Brickyard problem.
And since IMS just scored one of the biggest title sponsorships in NASCAR, not everyone thinks it is a bad race or a doomed race.
The issues are plentiful. Indy in July/August is hot. But that alone is not what keeps fans away. The tire fiasco, like that in F1 has caused a fair share of ill feelings. The recession hitting the blue collar fan base as well as NASCAR abandoning its roots hurts as well. One of the biggest issues is NASCAR scheduling Chicago, Indy and KY within a month. That scavenges the fan base. If you want to keep those races, then spread them out. Have KY in the spring, Chicago in the summer and Indy in September. You are more likely to get people to go to mulitple races. finally, and most importantly, NASCAR is over exposed. Too many shows, too many people trying to suck blood out of it. 36 races plus is too many. Not many people have the time to follow that many races and it makes each race that much less important.
Cut the races back to 25 to 30 at most. That keeps fan interest and does not kill drivers and teams....imagine being on the road 40+ weeks a year, counting testing and non points races.
Don't license your product for every tv show, article of clothing or product.
Come on now, NASCAR Angels TV show? NASCAR G-strings in size 4XL? Come on guys enough is enough.
Finally if you are called stock cars, make them somewhat stock. There is nothing stock on a current car. It used to be win on Sunday, sell on Monday. Now the cars are identical bodies only differentiated by stickers. So much for stock.
Many people have commented on here about moving it to a Saturday night race. A good idea but the Speedway does not have lights! Even if the money was there to install lighting, how many Indy 500 purist would fight that to the end? A lot is my guess.
What I think would be more interesting is to hold the Nationwide Race on the oval on Saturday and put the cup cars on the road course on Sunday. I think you would see a lot more passing and interesting racing this way. For those than want to see the cars on the oval, they would have an opportunity.
My 1st choice would be to put in lighting but the 2nd alternative would work and interest a lot of people who like road course racing and a lot of passing.
Prices are not too high. Go attend a venue with cheaper tickets. You have added cost of parking at some of them. The other Speedways do not allow you to bring your cooler in forcing you to buy inferior concessions at a higher price. It is cheaper for me to buy Penthouse tickets and bring my cooler in at the Brickyard than go anywhere else.
I'd say teh sport will continue to decline for a few more years closer to what it was in the mid-80's. Still very popular and compelling. But not the overhyped, overexposed, mass appeal, mainstream, in your ace 24/7, monster it was and still is, although that is almost over.
The sport will be better with about ten to twelve fewer races and cars that are more stock.
Hollywood stuff ruined a good thing. Peopel got rich, though.
i think its time we all just admit the gimmick of nascar at IMS has run its course.
now they are adding nationwide...that just boggles my mind. in a few years are we going to see street stock car racing at IMS ? or maybe the the worlds largest demo derby ?
IMS is as big as it is , because it holds the worlds biggest one day sporting event. just look at how many empty seats you saw last may...few and far in between.
2012 is bringing many changes to IRL , with several different engines and different aero kits. i for one , cant wait for next years IRL season.
todays nascar is cookie-cutter cars & for the most part , cookie-cutter race tracks.
i miss the days of the busch series and winston cup. busch was a stepping stone to winston cup , rarely did a cup driver run in busch. today you have full fledged , full time , cup teams (hello roush) running the entire nationwide schedule with full time cup drivers !! the average nationwide team does not have those kind of resourses.
if it was up to me , i would like to see nationwide stay at indy raceway park and the cup cars run at north wilksboro or rockingham on this week end.
leave the worlds biggest and greatest race track for the worlds biggest and greatest race , the greatest spectacle in racing in may.
i raced a sportsman late-model for 10 years at the local 1/4 mile. i have gone to the 500 every year since i was a child (i'm 52), i used to go to all michigan int speedway races in the 70's , 80's , and 90's. i did go to the nationwide race at mis last year. thats my backround , and these are just my opinions.