Should track owners keep their mouths shut and heed to the advice of NASCAR'S most popular driver?

May be...

I dont quite know what Lil easy said but there is one thing that will remain constant..the fans will always follow what the drivers want to do. Forget about the track owners, who essentially do nothing besides make money off of our favorite drivers..its all about the drivers opinons and what they think is right for the sport, they are the ones behind the wheel!! haha and if Junior says it..u know his fans are gonna follow!!!

what advice would that be???

When I first read this question I thought to myself "Here we go again". After you posted the link, the question made more sense to me.

I read that article a few days ago, and agree with some of the points that Jr made. Track owners need to do more to promote their own buisiness. Drivers/car owners already do their part just by being there, conducting interviews, autograph signings and other fan contact. If the fans aren't showing up, perhaps the answer lies in economic reasons as opposed to promotional reasons.

1) Lower ticket prices.
2) Stop charging for parking, or at least charge less. I mean, how long does it really take to recoup the cost of making a parking lot? I understand you have upkeep, but WOW!
3) Food sales are way too expensive. We aren't getting a "Red Robin" burger, so why do we have to pay for one?

I don't think they should keep their mouths shut but I do think they should listen to him. He knows what he is talking about.

does "most popular" mean "most wise"?? i think not. sure it costs alot to go to the races so on and so forth, but anybody that thinks that e's word is gold needs to wake up. damn right he could shoot a 30 second ad from home with the millions of dollars that he has won from the same body that he bashes, wake the hell up. i'm almost positive that the current recession has nothing to do with the poor track attendance. i'm almost positive that there is a contract that almighty jr. can tear up if he wants to!!! i bet that happens, yeah right! don't bite the hand that feeds you!!!

No more price gouging of race fans?? Isn't that un-Constitutional, or something?? It's been going on since the sixties that I know of..
You guys are right about it being a business, and it always has been..
The real problem here is that NASCAR has gone from a fan supported
business, to a corporate supported business, and in the process left
the fans out in the cold...
Over the years I've seen areas on the race track go from fan oriented use
to corporate use (separate sections baring the general public) so big businesses
that can afford them, can entertain there employees, and clients.. For the most part,
these folks will never be race fans.. It's a one time deal for them.. NASCAR liked this
relationship with companies because as a general rule, they payed allot of money
to NASCAR, and didn't demand much at all, and the sport got wealthy, and everyone
was happy, and stuffed with cash ... But maybe not the fans that supported the sport all along...
Now those companies with the big bucks are either gone, or just doing some belt
tightening, and NASCAR wants it's fan base back... And Jr (if he's this good of a businessman,
we may have to stop calling him that) thinks the Frances, Penskes, Smiths, of the industry
need to make long term investments in hotels, and I imagine other fan oriented businesses
so they can increase competition, and bring down prices...
I sure hope someone lets me in on the ground floor of that one..

I agree with Jr on this one. I think these drivers are as accessible as any athletes are in any sport. I would go to 6-8 more races a year if I could afford to.

Thanx..
Can you imagine a hotel that has it's bell hops
dressed the same as Jr's pit crew..?? lol Report Abuse

Yes the track owners have to promote the events at their tracks, but so do the teams and drivers. What has made NASCAR this successful is the way they have all worked together to promote the sport.

Hotel prices? There's much more to the cost of attending a race that the cost of a hotel, if you even stay in one. Many people have RV's or camp when they attend races.

So Jr. thinks that it should be more affordable for a family to go to a race. Does that mean he would race for half the purse money every week if those savings were passed on to the fans? Unless the answer to that question is yes then he should just shut up and drive.

Junior does make good points. What more can the drivers do to bring the fans back? They already put their lives on the line every week, and they do have other commitments, such as testing, media obligations, practice, racing, and they have to be with their families at some point during the course of the week. Track owners should be shouldering most of the load to bring the fans out. That is what they are in the business of, is it not?

I think so! He knows whats best for the sport.

What "Junior" doesn't understand is that crybaby drivers are alienating the fans as much as anything, so maybe he should keep his punk-mouth shut, as well.

Dale Jr. may be the smartest man in NASCAR

No,,, Dale Jr is a doink. NASCAR has ran just fine before him, and run just fine yrs from now.
Rules need to go both ways, not just in favor of Dale Jr.

I think that he has a good point, it isn't cheap to go to a NASCAR race. I think that there is only so much that the drivers can do. It comes down to if people have the money or not. I know that I would go to the race in Sonoma and take my kids and fly same day to the race in Fontana in the fall and maybe the truck race in the spring.

This year it will be a lot different. With having to pay for things (labs, organizers and other stuff) for my kids public education (since they are cutting the school budget) and trying to save some cash, we are only going (most likely) to Friday at Sonoma.

Lower the tickets prices by about 40% and people will come.

I agree with a lot of what he is saying. A while back he was complaining about the cost to go see a race. It can set a family of four back over a thousand dollars.

Maybe if the drivers "boycotted" the tracks that are blatant about over charging, there would be change. And I don't mean not showing up to race. Maybe just telling it like it is. Don't risk your mortgage to go to a race, have the drivers tell them to stay home and save their money. Once the track owners, and those fata$$"s Helton and France feel a pinch in their pockets. Things will change fast.

Dude, THANK YOU! You're absolutely right. Plus, what Jr says is the truth. You can trust him for what he says.chataugua air