SMI President Humpy Wheeler "estimated" the crowd at
120,000 for last Sunday's UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor
Speedway, but with 47,000 empty seats, it was a "racing
promoter's missed opportunity," according to Lenox Rawlings
of the WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, who writes that if you
multiply the customers who "didn't come," by the average
ticket price of $92, that's $4.3M "left on the pavement."
Rawlings: "Has the boom sport of the 1990s leveled off by
pricing itself out of the market? The issue arose early
this season, and Sunday's no-buys raised more eyebrows,
especially with some discount tickets going for $19." But
Wheeler said, "I'm not a terrible subscriber to that. We
had a full house for the May [Coca-Cola 600] race, for all
intents and purposes. The week before at The Winston, we
had a great crowd. I think we all know that the racing has
gotten a little flat. In racing, we don't lose games, but
sometimes we have boring races." ISC VP & Darlington
Raceway President Jim Hunter added, "The ticket price is
part of it, but not all of it. The typical motel room has a
three-night minimum." Wheeler: "For a lot of people, cost
is a factor. We aren't raising ticket prices next year even
though we could for the 600" (WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, 10/12).
REACHING OUT: Panthers Dir of Communications Charlie
Dayton said that team Owner Jerry Richardson "has tried
unsuccessfully to reach" SMI Chair Bruton Smith this week to
discuss Smith's "displeasure" with the Panthers hosting the
Seahawks the same day as the race. Dayton added that
Richardson has "left at least three messages" for Smith, but
"none have been returned" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 10/12).
FAST EDDIE: TX Motor Speedway (TMS) Exec VP Eddie
Gossage "expects" about 75,000 fans for Sunday's IRL race at
TMS. USA TODAY's Skip Wood writes that the season ticket
promotion at the track is one reason the race "will be
witnessed by so many fans" (USA TODAY, 10/12).
