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Sports
Feb. 28, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

NASCAR attendance to dip

Sellout expected, but seating reduced by about 10,000 from past Cup races

By JEFF WOLF
REVIEW-JOURNAL
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Special NASCAR section

NASCAR WEEKEND

 WHAT: Sprint Cup UAW-Dodge 400, Nationwide Sam's Town 300 

WHERE: Las Vegas Motor Speedway

TODAY: 2:45 p.m., NASCAR transporter parade (Las Vegas Boulevard from Russell Road to Sahara Avenue)

FRIDAY: 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., practice; 3:40 p.m., Sprint Cup qualifying

SATURDAY: 9:05 a.m., Nationwide qualifying; 10:30-11:15 a.m, 11:50 a.m.-12:50 p.m., Sprint practice; 1:30 p.m., Nationwide Sam's Town 300, (200 laps, 300 miles)

SUNDAY: 1:30 p.m., Sprint Cup UAW-Dodge 400 (267 laps, 400 miles)

DRIVER APPEARANCES

TODAY
• 2-4 p.m.: Landon Cassill, Cale Gale, Michael McDowell, ESPN Zone (New York-New York)
• 5-6:30 p.m.: Clint Bowyer, The Orleans
• 5-7 p.m.: Tony Stewart, Home Depot (6025 S. Pecos Rd.)
• 5-7 p.m.: Kasey Kahne, Stratosphere (must obtain wristbands at noon today)
• 6 p.m.: Charity Driver Auction (Kyle Busch, Bobby Labonte, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, David Ragan, Jason Keller, Jeremy Mayfield), Sam's Town. Admission: $35
• 6:30-8:30 p.m.: Robby Gordon, Palms
• 7-9 p.m.: Kurt Busch, Sierra Gold (6515 S. Jones Blvd.)
• 7-8:30 p.m.: Clint Bowyer, NASCAR Cafe, Sahara


Fans at Las Vegas Motor Speedway watch as, from left, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson and Kenny Wallace prepare for the start of the NASCAR Cup race on March 11, 2007. Attendance for this year's race is expected to be about 145,000, the lowest turnout for the event since 2004.
Photo by Ronda Churchill



Click image for enlargement.

Attendance for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be its lowest since 2004.

Speedway general manager Chris Powell expects a seventh straight sellout -- about 145,000 -- but about 10,000 fewer seats have been made available for this year's UAW-Dodge 400.

"We'll be sold out by the time the green flag falls," Powell said.

A year ago, the speedway announced a virtual sellout 10 days before race day, which meant only single seats were available.

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    • As of Wednesday night, only a smattering of single-seat, three-day packages priced from $135 to $192 remained for the Cup race. And 25 adjoining seats in the Richard Petty Terrace -- three-day packages for $257 apiece -- were available on the speedway's Web site (lvms.com).

    "Those (Petty seats are) in the far reaches, but they'll be filled up on Sunday," said Powell, who added ticket prices were not increased for this year's event.

    Powell said he decided not to erect a 10,000-seat temporary grandstand above the third turn of the 1.5-mile tri-oval based on advance ticket sales. A temporary grandstand has been erected for several Cup races at the track.

    "I'd attribute that to the economy," he said. "The good news is that ticket sales haven't fallen off to the degree the economy has. I'm heartened that we're on the verge of a sellout."

    Powell said it's a "testament to the strength" of NASCAR that a sellout is probable.

    Attendance for the Cup race again easily will be Nevada's largest single-day sports-event crowd of the year and the biggest west of Fort Worth, Texas, where two Cup race are held. And the Sam's Town 300 race Saturday at the speedway is expected to top 100,000 for the third consecutive year.

    About 280 listings for Sunday tickets in quantities of up to 25 were available at StubHub.com -- an online ticket resale service -- Wednesday afternoon. Some were listed for $56 in lower rows that originally sold for $120, according to a speedway ticket agent.

    The speedway also offers a "ticket exchange" program on its Web site that links buyers with ticket holders who are not planning to use them.

    The economy might not be the only factor for less demand.

    This year's date for Las Vegas is a week earlier than the past three years. The first seven visits by the Cup series to Las Vegas were on the first weekend of March.

    "Some people -- not many -- but a few mentioned to our ticket agents that racing one week earlier might cause us to be less likely to have good weather," Powell said.

    That isn't proving to be the case, with the forecast calling for ideal conditions this weekend with temperatures in the mid-70s and sunny skies.

    The earlier Las Vegas date was set by NASCAR to remove an open weekend between the Cup race in Fontana, Calif., and the race here.

    Contact reporter Jeff Wolf at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0247.

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    tom1194 wrote on February 29, 2008 09:41 AM: The real reason ticket sales and tv ratings are projected to be down is the fact that Bill Elloitt decided not to race this weekend. Sad to say even he couldn't help California.


    Ken wrote on February 29, 2008 07:10 AM: You don't erect the grandstand so you can brag about having a sellout? Maybe they are trying to avoid the obvious empty seats shown at other tracks that brag about being sold out. The cameras can only avoid the stands so much. I was at the Bristol night race a couple of years ago (free tickets) and was shocked to find so many empty seats near me. I was up pretty high but there is not a bad seat in the place.


    douglas wrote on February 28, 2008 08:53 PM: the high nascar prices and increased cost to get there is because hapless harry reid has continually vowed to raise the consumer cost of gasoline.

    each time i fill up at the gas pump, get my electric or propane bill, i think of hapless harry.

    with his and captain nemo kennedy's repeated attempts to add a fifty cent or one dollar federal tax surcharge on gasoline, we should be able to pay most of $4 a gallon this year.

    thanks to hapless harry.


    Kevin wrote on February 28, 2008 08:09 PM: Perhaps you need to check your latest calendar. This weekend is the 1st weekend of March. Therefore, the race is still following previous NASCAR schedules, as noted by you in the above article.


    Tom Smith wrote on February 28, 2008 06:23 AM: Just like every liberal John expects the government to control the pricing of everything. "Tax the wealthy" so that the price of tickets to a NASCAR race are $2 each. Oh and by the way you'll need a special tax to maintain the raceway and pay the purse, and provide you with some food and beverage while you're at the race, Better yet John, why don't you start up a raceway with the objective of breaking even. Please define what "Wealthy" means is it anybody who make $500 more than you?


    John Hardina wrote on February 28, 2008 02:08 AM: Three-day packages for $257 apiece???? Maybe rich Republicans need to have their taxes raised. Most of America can't afford tickets, let alone gas to get there. Thank you NEOCONS!!!