Full Throttle

(NOTE: This is the second installment in a series examining the recent groundswell of “I hate my NASCAR life and wanna head for the Good Old Days” meme that’s running roughshod in certain places around the interwebs.)

Today’s edition looks at misguided thoughts in some quarters of NASCAR Nation, the - “Good Old Days were cheaper, and damn it, I hate it and I hate NASCAR for it!”

At a base level these people are correct, it’s more expensive to attend a NASCAR event, but so is everything else in the world. Funny how that works, but such is life and such is economics.

But such is the life of the deniers, point that out to them and woe is you, you’re either a paid informant for PCNA or just stupid.

My first point of rebuttal is NASCAR doesn’t operate within a bubble. What happens economically in America has direct impact on both the sanctioning body, and also those that sponsor the three major series and its racing teams as well.

Outside the NASCAR bubble are signs of trouble also. The NHRA’s Dave Connolly may not compete this year for a lack of sponsor. The Pro Stock driver isn’t a field-filler either, he won eight events last year and has finished in the top five in the standings for three consecutive seasons. Torco Racing Fuels, who sponsored Connolly, also pulled money from five other NHRA teams.

True enough this may not be directly related to economics, reportedly its because of health concerns for Torco President and founder Evan Knoll. It’s also possible Knoll has been the victim of rising health care costs. Regardless there’s ample evidence the smaller teams in the NHRA are seeing what NASCAR’s are, less cash to work with.

(Oops, here’s more NHRA trouble, E-Gads man a “dramatic shift in both the financial markets and the perceived strength of the U.S. economy” leads to less cash to throw at racing! I sense a pattern here, but not one the nutjobs would ever see.)

(News just broke Frank Cicci Jr is on the verge of closing up shop after 20 years. One quote is appropriate to the matter at hand: “It’s been difficult to find a sponsor in recent years and now, with the way the economy is today, it’s even tougher to find the $5 million you need to run a team,” Cicci said.)

Who was it that said, “it’s the economy stupid?”

More “outside the bubble” news can be had looking at MLB. Some have expressed concerns about Texas Motor Speedway’s prices. While seat prices have remained steady those hitting the campsites and RV parks have seen a dramatic rise in costs.

Welcome to reality folks, you ain’t alone. NY Yankee fans will see the cost of parking jump to $29 in 2010 - double the current $14 rate when the new stadium opens. Wanna snack while watching your favorite over-bloated slugger swing for the fences? That’ll set you back $9.50-$10.75 for a sandwich.

And like the Yankee’s venders, NASCAR providers of 5 buck tube steaks and 10 buck beers for the most part aren’t controlled by NASCAR. (the obvious exceptions being ISC owned tracks but even then it’s the venders that set the price not NASCAR)

Here’s a quick reality check; SuperStupid Bowl tickets are being scalped in the 5 figure range. NASCAR’s version, the 500, offers (although sold out for the 500) 2 day packages including travel and two nights in a Double Tree hotel for under 600 dollars per for the July event.

The top ticket price at MIS is 110 bucks and they have a Valentines Days “pay half now pay half later” special ongoing. Atlanta Motor Speedway offers Family 4-Pack ticket (Turn Three Elliott Grandstand), for $159, a family of four can watch the March event and each enjoy a hotdog and a Coke.

Hot dog and a Coke not enough? Fine Darlington’s offering an all-you-can-eat special at the new Colvin Grill. Full on gluttony starts at $60 for adults and $55 for children 12 and under. I could put a serious dent in Darlington’s bottomline even at 60 bucks per. And last I checked ticket prices for a grandstand seat run from $45-$110.

The short of it is it’s not NASCAR’s fault your hotel room is five times the normal rate during the week leading up to an event.

The addendum to this story of woe is it’s far too easy for some of these people to whine and cry than it is to contact their local chamber of commerce or Better Business Bureau and complain about the things NASCAR has no control over.

If you want to look around, instead of spending hours wailing about how bad NASCAR is, these just might be as good as the Good Old Days many are longing for.

To be continued, next edition: “My driver has more “vanilla in’em than Ben & Jerry’s French Vanilla”

UPDATE: Here’s a “special note” for those that point at a few recent NASCAR defections by it sponsors as evidence the sport is in trouble: NASCAR is starting its 2008 racing season with nearly 100 corporations onboard with big-ticket sponsorships, more than twice the number it attracted in 2005.