Auto Racing Faces Trouble Heading Into Sport's Biggest Weekend
Auto racing is heading into its "biggest weekend of the season" with the Indianapolis 500 and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, but attendance is "down, TV ratings are off, vendors are hurting, and some teams are struggling," according to a front-page cover story by Seth Livingstone of USA TODAY. Several NASCAR tracks this season are "reducing prices for tickets and concessions," and Lowe's Motor Speedway said tickets still are available for Sunday's Cup race. Indianapolis Motor Speedway Dir of PR Ron Green said that the Indy 500 "has never sold out because" of the track's "ability to sell tickets to its massive infield." It is "too early to tell" if the IndyCar Series "is suffering at the gate," as only three races have been held so far. But Rahal Letterman Racing co-Owner Bobby Rahal said, "If NASCAR is having problems -- and they're having lots of them -- that shows you the depth of this." Livingstone reports the "lagging attendance is a bigger problem in some markets than in others." Michigan Int'l Speedway President Roger Curtis, whose track "several years ago filled all of its 132,000 seats," said that the facility is "expecting perhaps 80,000 in June for its first of two NASCAR Cup dates" this season. Meanwhile, NASCAR telecasts on Fox are down 11.5% from last year through the first 10 races, but NASCAR Chair & CEO Brian France said that he "isn't worried about the ratings decline." France: "Seven out of the first 11 events, we were the No. 1 watched sport of the weekend -- also the No. 1 in live attendance." Motorsports Authentics (MA) President Joe Mattes said that NASCAR fans are "still buying" merchandise, "just not in quantity." Additionally, many of NASCAR's "major sponsors have cut back on hospitality at the track." Dupont, which "hosted hospitality events at all 36 Cup races last season, plans to host at six this year" (USA TODAY, 5/21).
TAKING A SHORTCUT: In Indianapolis, Melissa Tussing reports ticket sales for Sunday's Indy 500 are "holding steady, but race fans and sponsors appear to be cutting corners this year, opting for cheaper choices that could put a pinch not only on local hotels but on the economic impact of the city's most significant tourism event." Sheraton Indianapolis City Centre Assistant Dir of Sales Mitch Divens, whose hotel is "usually sold out by now," had an occupancy of just 85% on Tuesday. Divens: "There are (regulars) that are not coming anymore, companies that have dropped out as being sponsors. Those companies are not traveling here as groups anymore." Tussing notes the Omni Severin in Indianapolis is "trying to lure guests with a $100 credit for food and drinks at the hotel," while the local Hilton is "allowing guests to cash in rewards for Sunday and Monday, which typically are blackout days." However, local businesses "remain generally optimistic," because "ticket sales are still strong." Green said, "All this spring, sales have either been a tick ahead or a tick behind from last year" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/21).
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